The silence after battle was deafening. Ash floated where the demon had stood, curling through the broken corridor. The air reeked of blood, burned stone, and death.
Nex lay there, half-conscious, his body a ruin. His right eye nothing but a blackened crater, ribs cracked and jutting under torn flesh, skin flayed in places where bone gleamed pale. His katana lay a meter away, its blade smeared in his own blood.
Veronica walked over, her boots crunching across rubble. She crouched beside him, her blonde hair catching faint light, face streaked with blood but her gaze steady. From her coat she drew out a crystal vial, its liquid glowing gold.
"Drink this," she said softly, but firmly.
Nex, breathing ragged, forced himself up on one elbow. His fingers trembled as he snatched the vial, popping the cork with his teeth before gulping it down in one motion.
The effect was immediate.
His body convulsed as the potion burned through his veins. His skin began knitting back together, ribs snapping audibly into place with wet cracks. Muscles tore and reformed in pulses, like worms writhing beneath his flesh. He never screamed. His teeth clenched, blood dribbling down his chin, but not a sound left his lips.
Veronica's eyes widened. She had seen hardened veterans howl like beasts under that kind of healing—but this boy, broken almost beyond repair, bore it in silence.
"You… don't even flinch," she murmured.
Nex finally exhaled, slumping back against the wall. His chest rose more evenly now, the gaping wounds closing into raw pink flesh. But his right eye remained dead, an empty socket no potion could restore.
"It won't heal," he muttered, voice hoarse, one hand covering it. "I already know."
For a moment, Veronica just looked at him—this battered boy who didn't scream, didn't curse fate, just accepted it. Then she asked gently, "Your name?"
He hesitated. His gaze dropped to the ground, but he forced the words out.
"…Nex Calder."
Something flickered in her eyes. Recognition. She leaned back slightly, lips parting in surprise.
"Calder? Then… Elaria Calder—she's your sister?"
Nex blinked, his one remaining eye sharpening. "…You know her?"
Veronica gave a faint smile, one of the first signs of warmth since the battle. "She's in my second-year classes. Brilliant mind. She… mentioned you once, you know."
"Did she." His voice was flat, but beneath it, a tension stirred.
"She said you were stubborn. Annoyingly stubborn." A small laugh escaped her. "But she also said… that you were the kind of brother who'd walk through hell for her. That even if the world turned against her, you'd be the last one standing by her side."
For a long moment, Nex said nothing. His bloodied hand curled into a fist against the floor. Then, with a rasping breath, he whispered, "Sounds like her."
Veronica's eyes softened. "You two… you're close. That's rare. Most siblings I've seen at the academy are rivals before they're family."
"We don't hate each other," Nex said quietly. "Never did. She deserves better than hate."
His voice cracked slightly on that last word.
Veronica tilted her head, studying him—this boy with broken ribs still mending, one eye lost forever, body scarred but spirit unbroken. She could almost see the shadow of his sister in him: the same stubborn light.
Finally, she stood, offering him her hand.
"Professor Orien sent me here. He thought something was wrong with the mission, and Irene was supposed to keep things stable. I felt the demon's presence and… teleported in." Her gaze flicked to the ash still smoking across the stones. "Seems I was right to."
Nex gripped her hand, pulling himself upright slowly, his body still shuddering as it stitched itself back together.
He bowed his head slightly. "…Thank you."
Veronica shook her head, almost smiling. "Don't thank me yet. If there was one more, then i guess Irene should have handled it, by now.
Veronica's footsteps echoed far away, her voice faint as she muttered about runes and records,she went ahead to discover more about this lab, while Nex ran back to the children's chamber.
But just as Nex entered the room,
The room before him swallowed every sound.
The children were gathered in the center. Their small forms glimmered, breaking apart into drifting motes of pale light. At first glance it looked almost beautiful—like dust caught in sunlight—but Nex's heart seized. He knew what it meant.
"No—no… no." His voice was strangled, his throat raw. He staggered into the chamber, nearly tripping, then dropped to his knees.
The smallest girl, her pale hair brushing against her cheeks, looked up at him. Her smile was fragile, like porcelain about to crack. "Nex… you came back."
He reached for her, his hand hovering, trembling, afraid his touch would shatter what was left of her. "Of course I came back. I promised you, didn't I? I swore I'd keep you safe." His voice broke. "You'll be fine. You'll all be fine."
The boy with freckles rubbed his blurry eyes, even as his hand turned translucent. "We… we didn't want you to see us like this." His lower lip quivered. "But we're glad you came."
"Stop." Nex shook his head violently, tears threatening. "Don't talk like it's goodbye. You're still here. I'll find a way—I'll fix this. Just hold on. Please."
The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny ribbon, frayed at the edges. With fading hands, she tied it clumsily around Nex's wrist. "So you don't forget us," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his skin.
Nex pressed his fist against his mouth, biting down until blood welled, trying not to sob. His shoulders trembled as he bowed his head over her.
The other children huddled closer, leaning against him. Their warmth was thin, like smoke against his chest.
One of the boys clutched his arm. "You always played with us. Even when the guards didn't want to. You made us feel… real." His voice cracked, eyes flickering as he blinked faster, as if trying to stay awake. "Thank you, Nex."
Their glow brightened, then dimmed again. Like dying fireflies.
Then the golden-haired boy stepped forward. His chest heaved with each breath, but his eyes widened when he saw Nex's ruined face. The empty socket. The scar.
"You… your eye…" he whispered, horror flashing across his features.
Nex instinctively turned his head away, shame burning through him. But the boy didn't hesitate. He pressed his small hand to his own face.
"No—don't you dare—!" Nex's voice cracked into a roar as he reached for him.
But the boy tore his golden iris free in a burst of light. Blood streamed down his cheek, but he did not cry. His small hands, trembling but resolute, held the glowing orb out.
"My gift…" His voice wavered but carried. "…for my knight. So you can see the world I couldn't."
Nex's hands closed over his, shaking violently. "No! Keep it—you need it to live! You're just a kid—you can't—!"
But the boy only shook his head, smiling through the pain. "We're already gone. The demon's presence… it twisted us. Even if we stayed, we'd only suffer."
He lifted the golden eye with both hands, pressing it gently against Nex's scarred socket. Warmth surged through Nex's body, his vision bursting open with gold. The corruption that had been eating away at him hissed and burned out.
The boy staggered, already unraveling faster. His voice grew softer, childlike again. "At least… this way… a part of me gets to see… through you."
Nex grabbed his shoulders, pulling him into a desperate embrace. "No. No, you're supposed to live. I was supposed to protect you. That's all I wanted—" His words broke into sobs.
The boy's small arms hugged him back, barely there. "You did protect us. You gave us laughter. You gave us… someone to love. That's all we wanted."
The girl clung to his sleeve, whispering, "Don't cry, Nex… You'll make us sad, too."
But the tears streamed anyway. Nex shook, his chest heaving, unable to stop them now.
As the boy's light began to scatter, he lifted his fading hand to Nex's chest. His voice trembled. "Before I go… tell me my name. I don't… I don't remember it anymore."
The words cut deeper than any wound. Nex's throat locked. His sobs strangled him as he pressed his forehead against the boy's.
"Your name…" He gasped, choking on tears. "Your name is Aurel. My golden star. A light that never dies."
The boy's lips curved into a faint smile—pure, innocent. "Then… I'll always shine for you."
And then he broke apart in Nex's arms, scattering into golden motes.
The others followed, one by one, whispering faint thank-yous, tiny goodbyes. Little hands hugged him as they faded into dust, leaving warmth against his chest that vanished too quickly.
At last, the chamber was silent. Only the ribbon on his wrist, the golden eye glowing faintly, and the sound of Nex's sobs remained.
For the first time, Nex Calder wept openly, tears falling freely as the last of their light vanished into the dark.
"As that day a knight lost, what he swore to protect,"