Blanche stepped closer, brushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes, her composed expression cracking just slightly with fatigue. Vila was already crouching beside Yuxin without being asked, eyes scanning the shadow-user's condition with a cold efficiency that somehow still came off as gentle.
Ruka stood behind them, shifting awkwardly, gripping her plushie tightly against her chest.
"Yuxin…?" Ruka's voice was soft, like if she spoke any louder it might shatter something. "Are you okay? You… you didn't get up."
Yuxin didn't lift her head.
She just groaned, low and muffled into the tile.
"Does it… look like I'm okay?" Her voice was hoarse, barely more than a growl. "I'm horizontal and considering death by floor tile. Take a wild guess."
Blanche knelt beside her now, placing a hand on Yuxin's upper back, careful not to press too hard.
"We need to get you to the infirmary."
"Yeah. No shit." Yuxin coughed out a bitter laugh. "Just… pick a direction and drag me in it."
"Which direction?" Vila asked, already hooking an arm under Yuxin's.
Yuxin grunted.
"Any. Doesn't matter. As long as it ends with a healing spell or a painkiller the size of my ego."
She shifted slightly, trying to push herself up—but her arms shook violently and gave out almost instantly.
"Okay. Scratch that. Zero motor function. We are officially in carry-mode."
Vila nodded once, then looked toward Blanche and Ruka. They all moved almost in sync, like a unit that had finally started breathing in the same tempo.
Blanche took one side, carefully lifting Yuxin's arm over her shoulder. Vila took the other, firm but controlled. Ruka scrambled to grab the shadows still clinging to Yuxin's legs, making sure they didn't tangle.
"You really shouldn't push yourself this far," Ruka murmured as they started moving. Her voice cracked with worry. "You always burn out if the fight goes too long. Your breathing—your shadows—they start flickering."
Yuxin let out a sharp exhale. For a moment, it sounded like she was going to say something—her jaw clenched, her head lifted slightly, and—
She stopped.
The moment passed.
Instead, her head fell back against Blanche's shoulder like a deadweight.
"Gods, Ruka," she muttered, eyes half-closed. "Now is not the time for a full analysis report."
"But I just—"
"Nope. No but. No medical thesis. No heartfelt concern monologue. Just shut up and carry me."
"O-oh. Right. Sorry."
Blanche held in a chuckle. Vila didn't even try.
As they walked toward the exit of the training hall—three half-functional bodies dragging one entirely broken one—it finally felt like a team.
Bruised, exhausted, bickering...
But still moving forward.
Together.
The infirmary lights were way too bright.
Fluorescent panels hummed softly overhead as the scent of antiseptic clung to the air—sterile, sharp, and almost medicinally smug. Several padded beds lined the back wall, and sleek diagnostic orbs hovered lazily near the ceiling, flickering occasionally as they scanned for injuries.
The door slammed open.
"Okaaay~ get your half-dead asses in here, now."
That voice didn't belong to some strict old nurse.
It belonged to Laura.
Decked in a cropped white medic's jacket, streaks of pink in her curled ponytail, and high boots that clacked like she owned every hallway she stepped through, Laura was already snapping on gloves like she was about to host a spa-slash-exorcism hybrid. Her lip gloss shimmered under the light. Her eyes sparkled with ferocity.
"You look like you got hit by a truck and then reversed over by regret. Sit. Lie down. No complaints."
Yuxin groaned—again—and was promptly deposited onto the nearest bed like a used weapon case.
"Ugh. I can feel the judgment radiating off you."
Laura smirked, one perfectly manicured brow lifting.
"Honey, I am the judgment."
She shoved a cold, clear flask into Yuxin's hand. The liquid inside fizzed ominously.
"Drink. It's not poison. Just energy concentrate with some mana stabilizers. You're welcome."
Yuxin sniffed it suspiciously.
Then drank.
Blanche took the nearest seat with poise, but even she winced slightly as Laura pressed a glowing patch against her shoulder.
"You tense, Miss Noble. Like, seriously, unclench your spine before it fuses into a throne."
"Noted," Blanche said flatly, though the corner of her mouth twitched upward.
Vila didn't flinch at all. She sat down, offered her forearm without being asked, and remained completely silent as Laura wrapped it in a mana-soothing balm that shimmered like wet moonlight.
"You? You scare me a little," Laura muttered. "But like, in a sexy danger zone way."
Ruka, meanwhile, was stiff as a statue, holding her plushie like it was the only thing keeping her heart from falling out of her chest.
"Relax, babygirl," Laura said, tapping Ruka's nose with a lollipop stick she pulled from somewhere. "You did great."
"I-I was just standing—"
"Yeah, and you stood cutely, which is half the battle. Now gimme your arm."
The healing process was halfway done when the door creaked open again.
Everyone glanced up.
And there he was.
Aria Cross, backlit by the hallway light, one hand in his coat pocket and the other holding a little bag of clinking bottles.
Blanche's brows pinched together, faintly puzzled.
"I thought you left."
"Of course not," Aria said, strolling in like he was walking onto a rooftop party. "I'm not the kind of guy who abandons wounded damsels in distress."
He leaned on the frame of Yuxin's bed, smirking.
"Especially when I'm the reason they're in pieces."
Yuxin didn't even lift her head. She waved a lazy hand in the air like she was shooing a fly.
"You really just... came back to flirt while I'm half-dead?"
"Flirting keeps the blood circulating. Think of it as emotional CPR."
He placed a cold bottle next to her hand and moved to the next bed.
Blanche didn't say anything as he handed her one. Their fingers brushed.
"Lady Equinox," Aria said, tone a touch more teasing. "For stamina. Not that you need more poise—but a little extra fire won't hurt."
Blanche accepted it wordlessly, but her gaze narrowed, just a little.
When he offered one to Ruka, she froze again.
"And you, little sentinel—hydration is protection. You looked like you were one gasp away from falling through reality."
"T-thank you…"
"Cute stammer. Keep it," he winked.
Laura rolled her eyes so hard it echoed.
"Ugh. If you're gonna stay, help clean the mana residue or shut up and pose."
"Tempting," Aria smirked. "But I actually came with an offer."
That got their attention.
He dropped into one of the chairs like it was a throne and stretched, long and casual.
"If you four are planning to keep working on your teamwork—and let's be real, you better—then I'm offering myself as a training partner."
Blanche straightened a little.
"You're serious."
"Deadly," he said, winking at Vila next for no reason at all. "You need coordination. Tempo. Flow. I'm irritating enough to push all the right buttons without actually breaking your bones—well, unless Yuxin picks another fight."
"I'm not answering anything right now," Yuxin muttered. "Too busy holding my soul in place."
Aria laughed softly, then looked directly at Blanche.
"You in?"
Blanche didn't hesitate.
"Yes. We were planning to continue regardless. But having a sparring anchor might accelerate the process."
"Spoken like a future champion," Aria grinned. "Then we start this weekend. Same time, same place. I'll even bring more drinks. Maybe candy. Bribes help."
Vila nodded once. Ruka gave a small, hopeful hum.
Yuxin didn't move.
"Just… someone wake me when the weekend arrives. Preferably with food. And maybe a eulogy."
Laura snorted.
"Get some sleep, grumpy bat."
The room, for the first time that day, felt calm.
Like something broken had been glued back together. Still messy. Still cracked.
But now, at least, it wasn't falling apart.