The Yulkes Hospital.
The central and largest hospital in Alofis city.
Inside a private room of the hospital, the space was filled with many people: Headmaster Elizabeth, Professor Lucy, Olivia, Mark, Orlando, Zennid, Ines, and some priests wearing white robes with a golden star enclosed in a circle on their chests. They were the high priests from the Libra Church.
The Headmaster and the professors were standing anxiously behind the priests. Their expressions were tense, worried, and completely hard with grief.
A cold drop of sweat rolled down the side of Lucy's face. "That poor boy," she whispered with a heavy heart. "To save Silvia, he has already faced death thrice. Now he did it for Ines, and this time it's even worse. Headmaster... how will we ever explain this to Silvia and James?"
Ines, standing by her father's side, looked at Kayle with deep, agonizing worry. "I told him not to put his life on the line for me," Ines cried softly. "Just why did he gamble with his own life for a total stranger? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have asked for help. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been in this terrible state."
Zennid, looking at his daughter taking all the blame upon herself, couldn't say a single word to comfort her. He was also drowning in deep guilt for what had happened to Kayle right in his presence.
"It is not your fault, Ines," Olivia said gently from Elizabeth's side. "Kayle... that boy is just like this. You know that he's an orphan. That is exactly why he knows the true meaning of family. For him, the academy is his home, and everyone in it is his family. So, he did not save a stranger; to him, he saved a family member. Please don't think it's your fault. He would have done the exact same thing for me, for Lucy, or for anyone present in this room."
Olivia's warm words finally gave Ines a small sense of relief, and she stayed there quietly with everyone.
– – –
Outside the room.
Ren, Hans, and their Fiera clan warriors stood opposite Tryphaina and her Xoppica clan warriors right outside Kayle's door.
"Why are these Xoppica snakes here?" Ren spat, the absolute disdain between him and the Xoppica warriors burning clearly in his eyes.
"They followed us all the way here, and their Patriarch left the moment we admitted Kayle," Hans said with a stern frown.
"I can smell their foul poison all the way from the end of the hallway," Gell mocked, glaring at the Xoppica warriors.
The Xoppica warriors heard what Gell said.
"Beware that this poison doesn't go too deep into your lungs. Otherwise, not even your precious breathing techniques will save you," a man standing beside Tryphaina warned with a venomous smirk.
Gell smirked arrogantly and replied, "We don't even need to use our breathing techniques to deal with a cheap, rat-killing poison."
The man lost his smile and stepped aggressively toward Gell. Gell didn't hold back either and stepped right up to his face.
"Why don't you see for yourself if it's a rat-killing poison or a giant-killing one?" the man threatened.
"Yeah, bring it on! I'll gladly show you if my fist is faster than your poison," Gell growled.
Both men began emitting highly intimidating, lethal auras.
"Both of you, quiet down!" Ren and Tryphaina shouted in unison.
"Gell, step back," Ren commanded.
Gell reluctantly backed off and returned to his clan warriors.
"You too, Xyne," Tryphaina ordered sharply.
Xyne also clicked his tongue and returned to his clan warriors.
"I told you not to waste your breath over them," Tryphaina said coldly.
"I apologize, My Lady," Xyne said. "I just couldn't stand them belittling the hand that extended to help them."
Ren heard what Xyne muttered. He glared furiously at Tryphaina and Xyne.
"Are you hearing your own bullshit?!" Ren said, his anger flaring up again. He took an aggressive step forward toward Tryphaina and Xyne. "You wanted to forcefully marry my sister to your good-for-nothing brother under the disguise of 'help'!" Ren shouted in disgust.
Xyne also grew furious. "How dare you disrespect our Young Master!"
"Did I say something wrong?! The whole empire knows that Damian is just a debaucher who spends all his time in brothels and gambling houses! An oppressor who uses his clan's name to bully weak people. The whole Xoppica clan is filled with scumbags like him!" Ren shouted fearlessly.
BAM.
Tryphaina attacked Ren without warning. Her right hand was filled with a highly poisonous aura that twisted into a lethal snake extending from her long nails.
Ren effortlessly stopped Tryphaina's sudden attack with his bare hand. His right hand violently burned with elemental fire, instantly dissipating her poisonous aura.
"I don't care what you say about Damian, but I will not stand for a single word against my clan," Tryphaina hissed dangerously.
"The truth is always bitter," Ren retorted with a mocking, fiery smile.
Both of them started emitting their dense mana in an incredibly aggressive manner, ready to clash.
"That is enough, both of you. We are not here to fight with each other. Ren, stop it right now. And Tryphaina, you as well," Hans intervened with absolute authority.
"Tell that to your hot-headed brother, Hans," Tryphaina sneered, turning back to her group.
"I could have easily dealt with her if you hadn't interfered, Brother," Ren grumbled.
"I said we are not here to fight. As for Ines, she is completely fine and she is absolutely not going to marry into the Xoppica clan. So rest assured," Hans stated firmly.
Then, the frantic sound of several rushing footprints echoed loudly down the hallway. Everyone turned their eyes toward the corridor.
From the stairs, Silvia, Sara, Latty, Mariya, Rose, Jack, Rames, Shawn, Jin, James, and Nana came running desperately.
"Is that Sara?" Ren asked in surprise.
"Yeah, and the others are also from highly prominent noble families," Hans noted.
Silvia and Sara ran directly toward Kayle's room, their faces pale with panic. As they got close to the door, Hans and Ren stepped forward and stopped them.
"Who are you to block my way?!" Silvia screamed in pure anger.
"The priests are currently treating Kayle, so no one is allowed to enter. Please wait here," Hans said calmly.
"Move right now, or I will burn you to a crisp!" Silvia threatened, instantly raising a violently hot fire in her palm.
"Silvia, stop!" Sara urgently intervened, pulling her friend's arm.
"What do you mean by stopping me?! Can't you see this man is not allowing us to enter?!" Silvia shouted with desperate tears in her eyes.
"Wait, Silvia. He is Hans, Ines's older brother," Sara said quickly. "Let me talk to him."
Sara moved toward Hans, trying to keep her composure. "Young Master Hans, we all got the news from Silvia's brother about Kayle. What exactly happened to him that he is being treated in a hospital?" Sara asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"Lady Sara, it is a pleasure to meet you," Hans greeted politely.
"Young Master Hans, we really don't have the time for formal greetings. Just tell us what happened to Kayle!" Sara pleaded.
Hans and Ren looked at each other hesitantly, thinking deeply about whether they should reveal the dark truth to her.
CREAK.
The heavy door opened from the inside, and Professor Orlando stepped out of the room.
Seeing Orlando stepping out with a grim face, all the students rushed to him immediately.
"Professor! What is going on here?! Why is nobody telling us what happened to Kayle?! Why did he end up in a hospital?!" Silvia shouted, her voice breaking.
Orlando looked at the desperate, terrified faces of his students. He understood that hiding the painful truth wouldn't do any good for anyone.
"Kayle... Kayle is severely injured," Orlando finally said with a heavy, aching heart.
Everyone gasped in utter shock hearing that their friend Kayle was injured.
"How did he get injured?! He was perfectly fine until yesterday morning! How did this happen, Professor?!" Sara asked in absolute disbelief.
"I want to see him right now," Silvia declared, aggressively moving to push past Orlando into the room.
"Silvia, calm down! The priests are healing him right now, just wait outside," Orlando said, gently trying to stop Silvia.
"No! I want to see him right now!" Silvia shouted wildly, desperately trying to pull the door open.
Sara and James quickly grabbed Silvia's hands to hold her back.
"Silvia, please let the priests treat him! We can ask what happened to him afterward," James said firmly.
"Don't act like a child, Silvia. Just wait out here with us," Sara pleaded, though she was equally terrified.
"I said I want to see him RIGHT NOW!" Silvia screamed in utter despair.
A massive, suffocating burst of mana aggressively released from her body. The dark, blood-red mana waves forcefully pushed everyone back. Tryphaina, Orlando, and Ren all had a very hard time just staying on their feet against the immense pressure of a 7th-circle mage.
Only Hans was able to stand completely unshakable. He firmly grabbed Silvia's hand.
"Kid, you should at least pay attention to your surroundings. Look around you. Your friends, your brother, and everyone else are on the ground. Do you really want to make them suffer?" Hans warned her strictly.
Silvia quickly looked behind her. Everyone was kneeling on the ground, sweating heavily and having a very hard time breathing under her overwhelming aura.
Silvia instantly stopped herself, retracting her mana, and reached her hands out to James and Sara to help them up.
"I... I am so sorry, Brother, Sara," she cried, then turned to the professor. "I deeply apologize for my misbehavior, Professor."
Orlando shook his head with an understanding smile and stood back up. "No, you don't need to apologize. I know you are incredibly tense hearing this awful news," Orlando comforted her.
Then, everyone stood up, brushing themselves off.
"Professor, please tell us what happened to Kayle. How is he injured? Just what happened to him out there?" Sara begged again.
CLECK.
The door opened fully, and a man stepped out from the room. He was wearing a pristine white robe with a golden scarf, and the holy symbol of the Libra Church was proudly displayed on it. He was a young, exceptionally handsome man with glowing golden eyes and light cyan hair.
Rames quickly noticed him and instantly realized who this man was. "I respectfully greet Saint Alex," Rames said, bowing low.
Everyone turned to look at him in awe. The young man was the revered Saint of the Libra Church, one of the biggest and most powerful religions in the entire Atheliya Empire.
Right behind him, Elizabeth, Zennid, Olivia, Mark, Lucy, Ines, and the rest of the high priests walked out with somber faces.
"Headmaster!" Silvia shouted desperately. "Headmaster, what happened to Kayle?! How did he get injured?!"
Before Elizabeth could answer, Silvia's eyes peeked inside the slightly open room. She saw Kayle lying motionless on the stark white hospital bed, a thick, bloody bandage covering his forehead.
Seeing Kayle's lifeless condition, she broke free and ran frantically inside the room. She rushed to his bedside and gently grabbed his head. His body was warm, and he was breathing, but there wasn't a single flinch of movement. His face was a haunting, pale white.
Right behind her, Sara and everyone else rushed into the room. Sara also gasped in pure shock seeing Kayle like this. Her eyes widened in absolute horror. The massive bandage covering his head clearly displayed the terrifying seriousness of the situation.
"Headmaster... how did this happen?!" Sara demanded, her tear-filled eyes now flashing with fierce anger.
Seeing the serious, furious look in Sara's eyes, Ines bravely stepped forward. "Let me explain," she said in a trembling, guilt-ridden voice.
Then, Ines completely broke down and explained the full, horrifying situation to everyone present.
Everyone in the room was left in utter shock, their hands flying to cover their mouths in disbelief. Sara stood frozen in horror. However, the one in the deepest despair was Silvia. She gently grabbed Kayle's head and pressed it softly against her chest, lovingly patting Kayle's head right over his terrible wound while tears streamed down her face.
James, seeing his beloved sister completely broken, walked up behind her and placed a warm, supportive hand on her shoulder, trying to lighten her crushing burden.
"I am so, so sorry, Senior Silvia," Ines cried, bowing her head deeply. "It was all my fault. If I hadn't selfishly asked for help from Senior Kayle, this wouldn't have happened. It is all on me."
Zennid, standing strongly beside his crying daughter, also bowed his head in deep shame. "It was my grave mistake too," Zennid admitted.
Seeing their proud Patriarch bowing his head, all the Fiera clan warriors simultaneously bowed deeply to Silvia.
Silvia didn't look back at them at all. She just kept tenderly patting Kayle's hair near his wound.
After a few agonizing moments, she finally spoke. "You don't need to apologize," Silvia said softly, her voice remarkably steady. "It was Kayle's choice. This absolute idiot of mine is just like this... he always risks his own life to save everyone else. Being an orphan made him realize the true, deep meaning of family and bonds. So, Ines, please don't be sorry. He actively chose saving his junior's life over his own," Silvia said, still not looking back, her eyes fixed lovingly on Kayle's pale face.
Ines and Zennid slowly raised their heads upon hearing Silvia's surprisingly mature and forgiving words. Ines quickly wiped her falling tears.
Then, Sara looked desperately at Alex, who was standing quietly among the priests.
"Saint Alex, how is Kayle's condition right now?"
Alex turned to Sara with a gentle, pitying look. "I can just say... he is no longer in life-threatening danger."
Everyone let out a massive sigh of relief hearing Alex's words.
"However... I do not know when he will ever wake up," Alex added heavily.
"What do you mean?" Sara asked, her heart dropping again.
"The terrible curse gave him a very serious, traumatic wound on his head. But thanks to Miss Elizabeth's incredibly quick decision and utilizing the best healers in the Fiera estate, his physical life was saved. I have done absolutely everything from my side to purify the remaining curse energy and completely heal his physical wounds. But now... my divine healing power is simply not working on him," Alex explained sorrowfully.
"What does that mean?!" Latty freaked out in fear.
"It means he is physically completely healed, without a doubt. But his mind took massive, unimaginable damage. The corrupting power of the curse energy was so intense that it left a very serious scar deep within his consciousness, which has forcibly put him into an eternal sleep. He could wake up within a minute... or a day, or a month, or a year... or never," Alex stated grimly.
The entire hospital room went dead silent after hearing Alex's terrifying statement. The atmosphere grew incredibly heavy; just taking a simple breath became suffocatingly hard for everyone.
"We will take our leave now," Alex said respectfully.
"Yes. Mark, please see the Saint and the priests out," Elizabeth ordered quietly.
"Okay, Headmaster. Please, everyone, this way," Mark said solemnly.
Mark and the Saint left the room, leaving behind everyone else drowning in sorrow. The agonizing tension still lingered thickly in the atmosphere.
"I am so sorry, Silvia. I should have done absolutely everything in my power to guarantee Kayle's safety. This tragedy is all on me," Elizabeth confessed, her voice thick with immense guilt.
"You don't need to apologize, Headmaster. I already said it was Kayle's own choice to save her. So please, do not take it to heart," Silvia replied with an eerily calm expression.
James and everyone else were incredibly surprised by Silvia's strange behavior. She was acting highly unusual—she wasn't crying hysterically or shouting in anger like the last time Kayle was hurt. She was completely calm and coldly composed. James grew extremely worried for his sister's mental state.
"Silvia, are you really alright?" James asked, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I know that this is way too much for you to handle, however, you must stay strong. We will surely find a way to wake Kayle up," James promised.
"I am perfectly fine, Brother. You don't need to worry about me. And regarding the matter of waking Kayle up... I already know exactly what to do," Silvia said with a terrifyingly confident expression.
"What? But... how?!" James asked, utterly bewildered.
Silvia just smiled gently. Looking closely at Silvia's resolute smile, Sara instantly realized exactly what she meant.
She quickly approached her and asked in a hushed tone, "Are you thinking about using the exact same forbidden method that Kayle used to save you?"
Silvia looked Sara dead in the eyes and firmly nodded.
Elizabeth, Olivia, Lucy, Orlando, James, Nana, and Latty also instantly realized what Silvia meant.
"NO!" Olivia shouted in pure panic. "I will absolutely not allow it!"
"Yes, me neither! Silvia, do you even know what you're saying?! Kayle nearly lost his own life last time trying to save you by using that dark method! And now you want us to let you put yourself in mortal danger to save Kayle? You know very well that if you aren't incredibly lucky like Kayle was, you will end up sleeping right next to him... forever!" Lucy scolded fiercely.
"I am completely with the professors on this, Silvia! I cannot let my precious sister put herself in deadly danger," James argued adamantly.
The other students didn't understand what they were talking about at all. They had no idea what 'method' could possibly wake up Kayle.
With intense curiosity burning in her mind, Mariya asked, "May I know what you guys are talking about? When did Silvia get in danger, and what 'method' did Kayle use to save her?"
Everyone froze and turned to Mariya. In their panic, they had completely forgotten that apart from Kayle's core group, absolutely no one in the academy knew the real truth about Silvia's survival.
Zennid, standing with his daughter and warriors, also quickly realized that this was a highly classified secret that they shouldn't be speaking about in front of outsiders.
"We will also be taking our leave now. Ines desperately needs to rest, and you all obviously have so much to talk about privately. I will meet you later, Elizabeth," Zennid said tactfully.
Then, he and his Fiera warriors quietly left the room. Tryphaina, who was eavesdropping with her clan's warriors, also begrudgingly left the room right behind them.
Now, only the Headmaster, the trusted professors, and Kayle's closest friends from the Star Class were left inside the private room.
"Tell us, what really happened? And what on earth is Silvia talking about?" Rose asked, demanding answers.
Lucy looked hesitantly toward the Headmaster. Elizabeth gave a slow, confirming nod.
"Okay, I will explain everything. But you guys must swear not to tell anyone else about this," Lucy warned strictly.
Then, she explained everything to the group: what they truly faced during their horrific assignment, how Silvia went through a deadly double awakening, and exactly how Kayle sacrificed himself to summon a forgotten God to save her.
The whole room was once again filled with absolute horror. Mariya and Rose covered their mouths in shock.
"You mean to say... Kayle used a forbidden dark magic to summon a forgotten ancient God just to save Silvia?! And in that process, he basically went straight to death's door?!" Rose gasped.
"I can't believe it! How could he do something this insanely reckless when he is just a third-circle mage?!" Jack exclaimed in awe and fear.
"We had absolutely no idea about any of this," Shawn muttered, feeling guilty.
"Yeah, and here we were just happily speculating romantic gossip stories," Jin replied, looking down in shame.
"If what you said is true, then we absolutely cannot let Silvia follow this suicidal method," Rames stated logically.
"Yeah, Silvia, it is way too dangerous!" Jack said with deep concern.
"I will do it no matter what happens," Silvia declared with unshakeable resolve. "He has sacrificed so much for me. Now, it is my turn to save him. So please, do not try to stop me."
"Then I will also join you," Sara stepped up firmly. "I will not let you face this deadly danger alone. He is incredibly important to me, too."
"Then I'll join as well," James announced, crossing his arms.
"Brother, you really don't need to—" Silvia started.
"Shut up," James interrupted gently but firmly. "I am the older brother to both of you. I cannot let my little sister do something this reckless all alone. And Kayle has also done so much for me. I owe him my life."
"Then we will all help too!" their friends shouted in unison.
"Kayle is our dear friend, and more than that, he treats us all like his true family! So we cannot just stand by and let our family member stay like this," Mariya declared passionately.
"Of course! He is like a protective brother to me, and he treats me so well," Rose agreed, wiping a tear.
"I must say, he is a good guy with a massive heart. Count me in," Rames nodded resolutely.
"Me too!" Jin added.
"Yup, me also," Shawn said, clenching his fists.
"I will also help you guys fight a God if I have to!" Jack declared loudly.
Looking at the Star Class students fearlessly standing up for their fallen friend deeply touched the hearts of all the adults in the room.
"When did these kids grow up so much?" Orlando smiled, his eyes watering slightly.
"You are right. It heavily reminds me of our passionate days as students," Olivia noted affectionately.
"I think we professors should also lend our hands in this," Lucy suggested bravely.
Just then.
"I will absolutely not allow it," Elizabeth's commanding voice cut through the room.
Everyone immediately turned their shocked faces to her.
"Why not, Headmaster?!" Sara asked angrily.
"Because it is far too dangerous," Elizabeth stated coldly.
"We don't care if it's dangerous or not! I will do literally anything to wake him up!" Sara argued fiercely.
"You are all conveniently forgetting one crucial detail," Elizabeth said, her eyes flashing with absolute authority. "I am the only one who possesses the forbidden book that contains the knowledge about summoning that God. Without me, you literally cannot summon it."
"Therefore... I will be the one to do it," Elizabeth continued, her voice softening into a tone of immense, self-sacrificing guilt. "It was my grave mistake that Kayle ended up like this. I was the one who dragged him there. So, I will be the one who takes full responsibility." She looked at the group of determined students. "You kids just focus on taking care of Kayle's body."
"But Headmaster—!" Silvia protested.
"I will not listen to any arguments. My decision is final," Elizabeth commanded, unleashing a tiny fraction of her 8th-circle aura to silence the room.
No one dared to talk back or challenge Elizabeth's absolute authority.
"You kids just take very good care of Kayle," Elizabeth promised, looking deeply into Silvia and Sara's crying eyes. "I swear on my life, I will do anything and everything to wake Kayle up."