"L-Layla…" Alyssa approached her daughter's bed, concern etched across her face, but Layla remained unresponsive.
Alyssa's heart sank as she drew closer. "L-Layla?!"
"M-Mommy?" Layla's weak voice trembled. "I-Is that you?"
"Yes, dear, it's me," Alyssa reassured, gently patting Layla's head. "Can't you see me?"
"I-I'm scared... I can't hear well... And e-everything is....sniff...dark..." Layla's red eyes, now clouded with a milky white haze, stared blankly ahead.
Alyssa gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, witnessing her daughter's deteriorating condition.
"Yes, it's me, Layla. I'm here," Alyssa whispered, her voice filled with both love and anguish.
"M-Mommy! I-I'm scared...!" Layla burst into uncontrollable sobs, her pain echoing through her cries. "It hurts!"
Alyssa held Layla tightly, trying to soothe her, but the pain was too great for her little girl to bear.
The next chapter will starts the Last Arc, the Closing Ceremony. The First Game will end with this Arc. Also the next chapters might be slightly shorter because I don't have time to respect my mental quota of 1500 words. But things will accelerate. I hope to finish it before the end of this month.