Nola woke to silence.
Then a small ringing noise erupted in her ear. The one which you get when your ears kinda pop.
The ceiling above her was smooth and white. It was made of carved stones with runes softly glowing on them. A warm light filtered in through enchanted panels, casting golden shadows on her blanket.
She blinked slowly.
She was in the infirmary.
A faint pulse of magic thrummed in the air, calm and constant. Every breath she took didn't hurt, and for a moment, that felt wrong.
She remembered the pain. She remembered blood gushing out. She remembered Brielle's body floating in slime and the rift.
She felt her hands twitch in fear.
Her body was shivering but she was completely healed.
No bruises, no slashes, not even a single ache. She sat up, and the blanket slid down her shoulders.
"You're up."
It was Maika's voice, rough and sleep-creased. She was propped in the bed beside hers, her hoodie lopsided and hair tangled into a half-crown of disaster. But her eyes lit up the second she saw Nola awake.
Nola didn't speak. She just stared for a moment at Maika, relieved to see her alive and breathing.
Then turned to her other side.
Taveer.
He was awake too, reclining with an ice pack against his shoulder, his silver-white hair now returned to soft black. His eyes were closed, but at the sound of Maika's voice, he cracked one eye open and gave Nola the faintest nod.
Relief hit her like a second wind she hadn't realized she needed.
"You're okay," she whispered, voice thick.
"More or less," Taveer said quietly. "We made it."
Maika scoffed weakly. "Barely."
Nola let herself exhale. Her arms trembled now that the adrenaline had left her system. She reached down and touched the edge of her bed, grounding herself.
"We almost died," she said softly. "We should've-"
"But we didn't," Maika interrupted gently. "You didn't let us."
Nola swallowed. The memory of holding her katana, of dragging Brielle out of the goo, of Taveer standing beside her still flickered in the back of her mind like embers in ash.
She looked over to the far bed.
Brielle laid there.
Still unconscious. Her skin was pale and a sheen of sweat was on her forehead. Two Moon Legion soldiers stood quietly by her side. They were unmoving and watchful.
Nola's heart twisted.
She reached over to the nightstand and picked up her phone, hands stiff. As it lit up, her heart sank again.
Fifteen missed calls.
Seven messages.
All from Auriel.
She stared at the screen for a long time.
A part of her wanted to call him immediately. To hear his voice. To cry, to ask him why this had to be her life now.
But she wasn't ready.
Not yet.
She set the phone back down.
The soft beep of machinery interrupted her thoughts, then a sharp gasp came from Brielle.
"Brielle?" Maika whispered.
The girl in the bed across them twitched, then her eyes shot open. Her entire body arched like she'd been shocked by lightning.
The Moon Legion members were beside her instantly.
"Easy," one said softly. "You're safe. You're in Eldhollow."
Brielle blinked rapidly, her chest rising and falling in wild jerks. "What-what happened? Where am I?"
Nola stood and walked over carefully. "You were… taken. You touched something. There was a rift. You-"
"I don't remember," Brielle whispered. "I don't know what happened to me."
Brielle looked on the verge of breakdown.
The door opened before she could finish.
Commander Caelis stepped into the room, still armored, though the blood and grime had been cleaned away. Her eyes, usually calm and calculating, were stormy now.
She walked straight to Brielle's bedside and lowered herself to one knee.
"I need you to breathe, cadet," Caelis said. "You're not in trouble. But I need answers."
Brielle blinked, eyes wide and glassy. "I… I don't know. I was in the hall. I saw a golden orb. I don't remember where it came from. A student gave it to me. I think. They said it was safe."
Caelis's eyes narrowed. "A student? Who?"
"I-" Brielle clenched the sheets. "I can't remember. I can't even picture their face."
"Damn it," Caelis muttered.
"Do you believe her?" Taveer asked quietly.
"I do," Caelis said. "This wasn't her fault. That orb, it was a trigger. A seed. Someone planted it. It can't have been a student's work. It is too advanced."
The word "someone" hung in the air like a dagger.
Nola's stomach twisted. She felt like the room had suddenly grown colder.
Caelis stood.
"You three need to rest. When you're able to walk, come to the central hall. There will be a debriefing. And a warning."
She looked at each of them, her gaze lingering on Nola.
"You're not students anymore," she said quietly. "Not after this."
She turned to go, but paused.
"Your brother was right about you," she added, her voice softening. "But I don't think he realized how much."
Then she left.
Silence again.
Brielle looked at Nola. "I'm sorry."
"You don't need to be," Nola replied. "You didn't open the rift. Someone used you to do it."
"I was weak," Brielle whispered.
"No," Taveer said. "You were targeted."
Maika sniffled. "We all were."
They didn't speak much after that.
They just sat.
Four students, alive but scarred, trying to breathe in a world that had almost swallowed them whole.
And somewhere in the distance, beyond the healing walls of the infirmary, Nola felt something stirring.
The peace was over.
Something darker was coming.
And she would be ready.
Even if she didn't want to be.
Because now… she had no choice.