The field was silent.
Dust still lingered in the air, black motes drifting before vanishing. The ground was scarred with deep gashes, patches of stone erased into nothing. Blood stained the cracks, though most of it belonged to one person.
Ren lay unconscious, his body limp in Yato's arms. His breath was shallow, his chest rising faintly with each labored inhale.
The crowd of students stared in stunned silence. None dared to speak first.
Finally, a whisper broke through.
"He… he killed them all."
Another voice trembled. "What was that?"
Their words spread like sparks in dry grass.
"Those flames… they weren't normal."
"Not fire. Not lightning. Not anything I've ever seen."
"It was like… like darkness itself."
Fear undercut their awe. Every student present understood instinctively, what Ren had wielded was not an ordinary element. It was something deeper, something dangerous.
Mira stood frozen, her eyes locked on Ren's pale face. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, nails digging into her palms.
She had wanted to rush forward during the battle, to help him. Yet her feet had refused to move. Only now, with him lying unconscious, did her legs tremble with the urge to act.
Her lips parted. "…He would have died."
Watson's calm voice answered beside her. "He might still."
Mira snapped her head toward him, anger flashing in her eyes. "Don't…"
Watson adjusted his glasses, gaze cool. "Look at him, Mira. His wounds are deep. His energy is unstable. If Yato hadn't caught him, he would already be gone."
Her throat tightened. She turned back toward Ren, biting her lip until she tasted blood.
Watson continued, quieter. "He pushed beyond his limits. That kind of power… it doesn't come freely."
Mira's nails dug deeper into her palms. And yet he fought anyway.
On the other side, Yato's team huddled close.
One whispered urgently, "Leader… you saw it too, didn't you? That wasn't any common element."
Another nodded, voice hushed but fearful. "The way the ground vanished, the way those creatures dissolved. It's the stories. That was darkness."
A third leaned closer to Yato, eyes wide. "He's awakened. He must be awakened."
Yato's gaze never left Ren. His arms remained steady, holding the unconscious boy with ease. His face betrayed nothing.
Finally, he spoke.
"He's a dark elemental magician."
The words struck like thunder.
His team froze. Their expressions shifted, shock, disbelief, fear.
"That's… impossible."
"Dark elementals don't exist anymore."
"They were…"
"Extinguished." Yato's voice cut through. "That's what we were told."
He lowered his gaze, eyes narrowing. "And yet, here he is."
The team fell silent, unable to argue.
Around them, the rest of the students whispered nervously, their fear rising. The idea of a dark magician was one that carried weight, whispered only in rumors, linked always to calamity.
Mira finally broke, stepping forward. "Enough of this. He's not a monster—he saved us all!"
Her voice rang across the silent field.
Dozens of eyes turned to her. Some softened, but most only deepened with unease.
Watson sighed quietly, as though he had expected this.
Mira glared back at them all, her voice steady despite the tremor in her chest. "If you had faced those creatures, you would already be dead. He stood alone, and he won. Is that not enough?"
Her words silenced the murmurs, if only briefly.
But unease could not be erased so easily.
Watson spoke again, his tone even. "Whether it is enough or not… is no longer in our hands. Power like his will not remain hidden."
Mira's throat closed. She turned back toward Ren, her chest heavy.
In Yato's arms, Ren stirred faintly.
★★★
Darkness thinned.
Ren's breathing steadied. Pain returned first. The burning of his shoulder, the sting in his chest, the dull ache in every limb. Then weight. The sensation of his body pressing against rough sheets.
He opened his eyes slowly.
A dim ceiling greeted him, the light faint, filtered through cracked shutters. He lay on a narrow bed. His chest was wrapped in bandages, crimson already seeping through. The scent of herbs lingered faintly in the air.
Ren blinked once, then twice. His throat was dry, his voice hoarse when he spoke.
"…Where am I?"
"You're awake."
The voice came from the side.
Mira sat on a stool, her face pale, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. She had not moved for hours, yet her eyes burned with restless fire.
Ren shifted slightly. Pain lanced through him, forcing a hiss between his teeth.
Mira leaned forward instantly. "Don't move! You're still bleeding."
Her voice trembled, betraying fear she could not hide.
Ren studied her for a moment, then let his body relax. His eyes closed briefly.
"Alive… that was enough."
Mira's voice returned, quieter now. "You should have died."
Ren opened his eyes again, meeting her gaze. Her lips trembled, but her eyes did not waver.
"You stood alone," she whispered. "You fought until you collapsed. Do you understand what you did?"
He did.
Every strike, every wound, every risk. He had calculated them clearly in battle. To fight was the only option. To retreat was death.
But her question carried something else.
Ren exhaled slowly. "I survived."
Her breath hitched. Her hands tightened in her lap. She wanted to argue, to shout, but no words came.
She bowed her head instead, hair falling over her face. "Idiot."
The word was barely audible, trembling with anger and relief alike.
Silence stretched between them.
The door creaked.
Watson entered, his posture neat as ever, his gaze sharp behind his glasses. He carried a small box under one arm.
"You're awake sooner than expected," he said evenly, setting the box on the table.
Ren's eyes flicked toward him. "How long?"
"Two days."
Ren frowned faintly. Two days lost.
Watson began unfastening the box, his movements precise. Inside were herbs, bandages, and a faintly glowing crystal. He examined Ren's chest wound with a detached gaze.
"You'll live," Watson said flatly. "Though your body is strained beyond recovery for now. It will take weeks before you can move freely again."
Ren did not respond. He had already felt the weakness in his limbs, the sluggish weight in his veins.
Watson rubbed his eyes, his tone sharpening. "But that is not the real problem."
Ren's eyes narrowed. "Then what is?"
Watson's gaze pierced him. "What you revealed on the field. The others saw it. They will not forget it."
Mira turned sharply. "Watson!"
But he did not look at her. His eyes stayed locked on Ren.
"Your power was not fire. It was not lightning. It was darkness. You devoured, not destroyed. You erased."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Ren remained silent.
Watson leaned closer, lowering his voice though his tone cut like steel. "Whether you intended to or not, you have revealed yourself. And once word spreads, you will not be left in peace. Dark elemental magicians are not myths. They are disasters. Every faction will want to control you or kill you."
Mira's fists trembled. "Stop it! He's not—"
Watson's head turned sharply. "Mira, silence."
The force in his tone stunned her into stillness.
He returned his gaze to Ren. "You understand this, don't you? You cannot deny what everyone witnessed. If you continue down this path, your enemies will not be those beasts. They will be men. And men are far more dangerous."
Ren closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
As expected.
The battlefield had not been fought for glory. It had been survival. His body did unveilingly. But the cost was exposure.
His silence was answer enough.
Watson straightened, adjusting his sleeves. "Good. At least you are not a fool."
Mira's voice shook. "You're treating him like… like he's a weapon."
Watson's reply was calm, unyielding. "Because that is what he has become."
Mira turned away, biting back tears.
The room fell silent once more, the weight of Watson's words lingering like a shadow.
★★★
Later.
The door opened again.
Yato entered quietly, his steps measured. His gaze swept the room, resting briefly on Mira, then Watson, before finally settling on Ren.
"You're awake," he said simply.
Ren's eyes met his. Neither spoke for a moment.
Then Yato moved closer, his presence heavy. He stopped at the side of the bed, looking down at Ren with unreadable eyes.
"You fought well," Yato said. His tone was flat, but his words carried weight.
Ren did not respond. Praise was meaningless.
Yato's gaze sharpened. "But you revealed too much."
Ren's eyes narrowed faintly. "…And?"
Yato crouched slightly, lowering his voice so only Ren could hear.
"Do you even understand what you are?"
The question lingered, sharp as a blade.
Ren did not flinch. He met Yato's eyes without wavering. "Enough to know that it's mine."
Silence stretched.
Then, faintly, Yato's lips curved. Not into a smile, but into something colder.
"Good. Then we understand each other."
He straightened, turning toward the door.
But before leaving, he spoke once more, his tone calm yet heavy with meaning.
"You may think you fought monsters that day. You're wrong. The real monsters are the ones who will come for you now."
The door closed behind him.
Ren's eyes lingered on the empty frame, his chest heavy.
So be it.