The room went quiet for a moment. Seraphina shot him a sharp glance, but he didn't flinch.
Merlin, though, chuckled faintly. "…Fair enough."
Adrian clapped his hands, breaking the tension. "Alright, enough brooding. We didn't come to watch you rot in here—we're taking you outside."
Merlin blinked. "…Outside?"
Nathan grinned. "There's a sparring session today. Instructors running drills for the first-years. Figured you might want to… you know… see what you've missed."
For a moment, Merlin hesitated. His chest tightened with the weight of it, noise, life, the world moving on. But then Elara's gaze found his, calm and steady, like an unspoken command.
"…Fine," he said. "But don't expect me to run laps."
Adrian laughed. "You'll be lucky to walk them."
They helped him up. His legs trembled, weaker than he wanted, but Nathan moved to his side without hesitation, slipping under his arm for support. Merlin almost protested, but one glance at Nathan's earnest expression silenced him.
