"..."
Ashen stood still, sunlight crowning him in gold as if heaven itself had paused to watch.
Light traced his raven hair, making it look like sin wrapped in a halo, while his molten, dulled eyes caught the glare.
For a moment, Seraphine and Braun held their breath. Everything seemed to pause, admiring how the light clung to him so reverently.
Then, the stillness shattered as Seraphine broke into a sprint, unable to hold back any longer.
She knew how dire his condition had been before he unleashed that carnage. There was no way he should even be standing after such a feat.
Ashen turned at the sound of her rushing toward him, only to be engulfed in her embrace.
She clung to him tightly, her breath shaky against his chest.
When he glanced down, he found nothing but raw concern in her eyes… a stark contrast to the lingering fear in Braun's. The man stood frozen, staring as if looking at something inhuman.
His dull, lifeless gaze flickered with something fleeting… recognition? Or maybe warmth, but it soon vanished like a mirage.
Braun's reaction might seem too cold to their savior, but it was the more rational one.
Even if this version of Ashen hadn't spoken a single word, his presence, his atmosphere… everything about him felt alien.
But Seraphine didn't hesitate. Not for a second.
She could feel it, deep in her bones. No matter how foreign he seemed, no matter how different the outer shell, this was the man she had chosen. The man she had fallen for.
And right now, she was terrified he would collapse and stop breathing altogether.
Her eyes darted over his battered, blood-soaked armor, desperate for any sign that he was truly okay. But then, she saw them; thin blue threads faintly glowing beneath his skin, thinly stitching across his muscles.
At first, she didn't understand. But then, a horrifying realization struck her.
'Is he forcing his muscles to move using mana?'
He could barely stand before this. It was the only explanation that made sense.
Her face lost all color. Her hands tightened on his shoulders as she raised her gaze, her voice barely above a whisper.
"...Please…No…"
"No… No, it can't happen… Ash… Sob… "
A faint, almost reassuring smile curled his lips; there and gone in an instant.
"...Don't worry, I'll be fine… Always."
And with that, the will keeping him upright crumbled, allowing the other suppressed will to resurface.
His body went rigid for a brief moment before he collapsed into her arms.
Seraphine barely had time to react, catching him as he sagged against her. Heart pounding, she pressed a trembling hand to his chest.
'Still beating…'
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding since earlier.
Braun finally snapped out of his daze at the sight of Ashen losing consciousness. He approached the pair, his expression grim.
"Sera, gotta leave now. If we run into anything else, we're dead for real this time."
"Yes! Let's go," she nodded quickly. "I don't know how long Ashen can hold on like this…"
Braun made sure to cut a slice of the black goat's meat, after all, that had been their mission in the first place. Then, without another word, they started back, moving quickly despite their exhaustion.
Strangely, the journey was silent. No ambushes. Not even monsters.
They weren't sure if it was because they had already wiped out most of the creatures in the area… or if the massacre had scared everything else away.
Either way, they didn't question it.
They just kept moving, thankful for the rare, uneasy peace.
***
When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a white ceiling.
"...I'm alive."
The small effort of speaking sent a sharp, agonizing pain rippling through his body.
"Everyone is…Thanks to you."
The unexpected response came from his right. From the voice alone, Ashen recognized Braun.
He hesitated, debating whether to reply and endure another pang of pain or stay silent. But Braun made the decision for him.
"You don't need to answer," he said, as if sensing his struggle. "The nurse said you won't be able to move for at least a week. And if you try, the pain will make you wish you were dead..."
Scary...
Despite his silence, Braun continued, knowing Ashen would be curious about what had happened.
"After you passed out, we made our way back. Thankfully, we didn't run into any more monsters along the way."
He paused, then added with a smirk in his voice, "You still got that piggyback ride from Seraphine, though."
Ashen resisted the urge to twitch his lips.
"She insisted on taking care of you. You should've seen her, fussing over you like a mother hen with her chick. And, well... I didn't exactly have the strength to carry you back myself, so…"
Ashen wanted to say he didn't mind, but he definitely wasn't opening his mouth again.
Besides, he knew better than to underestimate Seraphine's strength. With all the training they were doing, carrying him must've been easy for her.
"Anyway," Braun continued, "not long after we got back to the academy, my body finally gave out too. I guess the relief of being somewhere safe made me drop my guard..."
A bitter note crept into his voice before he moved on.
"When I woke up, I found myself in this hospital room with you. That maid, Sabrina, I think, came by and explained our condition."
He went quiet for a moment, as if remembering something.
"Oh, she also informed the administration that we'd be out of classes for a while. I'll be resting for three days, but you're stuck here for the whole week."
As Ashen processed everything, hurried footsteps echoed down the hall.
A moment later, the door slid open, and Seraphine rushed straight to his bedside.
Her eyes were red and puffy, evidence of just how much she had cried.
"You're awake…" she whispered, as if afraid he might disappear again. Then, relief bloomed across her face, replacing her frown with a dazzling smile. "Thank the goddess…"