The next morning, Aeron woke up sore.
His knuckles throbbed.
His ribs ached with every breath.
His head buzzed from last night's collision with someone's skull—maybe his own.
But he was alive.
And he'd sent a message.
Bale had limped out of the Reject Wing before dawn, bruised and bloody. If Aeron had to guess, Thorne already knew what happened. And that was good.
Let him stew.
Aeron sat shirtless in the courtyard, wrapping his hands in torn cloth. The sun hung low behind the east tower, casting long shadows across the cracked training stones.
He was halfway through his second set of stretches when he felt it.
That tingle on the back of his neck.
Someone was watching.
He turned.
And froze.
She stood just outside the broken archway—long silver hair tied back, robes clean and soft, eyes wide.
Mira.
She hadn't changed.
Not much, anyway.
Still gentle. Still quiet. Still too kind for the world they lived in.
But her gaze had changed.
She looked at him like he was both familiar… and dangerous.
"Mira."
"Aeron." Her voice was soft. Careful. "You're still alive."
"Hoped I'd be dead by now?"
"No." She took a step forward. "I hoped you'd come back."
"To what?" he said, tone dry. "Classes I'm not allowed into? People who spit when I walk by?"
Mira didn't flinch.
"I just wanted to see you."
A beat passed.
Aeron said nothing. His eyes scanned her carefully. She wasn't wearing her healing crest—she'd stripped it from her robe.
Voluntary, maybe. Or maybe out of guilt.
"You were there," he said quietly. "At the sealing."
"I know."
"You didn't speak either."
That made her wince.
"I—I wanted to. But your father—he—"
"Scared you."
"He scared everyone, Aeron."
"I wasn't asking for everyone. Just you."
Silence again. Heavy this time.
The kind that sinks into your lungs.
Mira stepped into the courtyard. Her steps were soft. Careful. She stopped in front of him, eyes dropping to his bruised knuckles.
"You fought someone last night."
"Not someone," he said. "One of Thorne's lapdogs."
"They sent someone already?"
"He left with fewer teeth than he came in with."
"You'll get expelled."
"They can't expel someone they've already thrown away."
Mira looked down. "This isn't you."
That got a reaction.
Aeron's smile was bitter. "You don't know me anymore."
"I knew the real you."
"That version died the day they sealed me."
Mira didn't speak for a long time.
She just knelt beside him, pulled a flask from her belt, and uncorked it.
"Let me see your hand."
Aeron hesitated. Then slowly offered it.
She took it gently—like it was made of glass.
He watched her as she poured a small amount of healing salve onto his torn knuckles. It stung, then cooled.
"Still playing healer?" he asked.
"Always."
"You never wanted combat paths, did you?"
She shook her head. "Hurting people never felt right."
"Even when they deserve it?"
"Especially then."
"That's stupid," he said. "But admirable."
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
The sun climbed higher. Birds chirped nearby. Somewhere in the distance, the academy bell rang twice.
Mira spoke again.
"I miss the old you."
"He's gone."
"Maybe. But the new you…" She looked at him. "He's still fighting. That means something."
"You think I'm doing this for justice?" Aeron's voice dropped. "I'm not Mira. I'm not trying to be some righteous hero."
"Then why?"
"Because I refuse to be their victim."
That silenced her again.
But this time, she nodded.
Like she understood.
As she stood to leave, she hesitated.
"I heard rumors."
"About what?"
"That your magic's… not gone."
He didn't move.
"Aeron… what did you find?"
He looked up at her, eyes calm. Dangerous. Alive.
"Not magic."
"Then what?"
"Something better."
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"Not until I trust you again."
That stung, and he could see it on her face.
But she didn't argue.
Instead, she smiled—soft and sad.
"Then I guess I'll have to earn it."
She turned and left without another word.
Aeron sat alone for a long time.
Watching the space she left behind.
And for the first time in days, something new stirred in his chest.
Not pain. Not rage. Not power.
Hope.
[End of Chapter 5]