It took effort, more than he wanted to admit, but with Elara steadying one arm and Nathan practically bouncing at his other side, Merlin let himself be guided out of the infirmary.
The walk was shorter this time, but every hallway, every step, felt different with the group surrounding him. Students they passed stared openly, whispering. Some looked at him with awe, others with unease, as though he were a ghost given flesh again.
He ignored them. The warmth of Nathan's chatter, Liliana's quiet scolding, Ethan's lazy barbs, all of it wrapped around him like armor.
They stepped into the open air. The training grounds stretched wide, a sea of sand packed hard by generations of footsteps, ringed with sparring circles marked by stone. Wooden dummies lined the edges, scarred and scorched from countless strikes.
