The sky was already dimming when they started back. The ruins of the lab faded behind them, swallowed by the forest's shadows. Veronica walked beside Nex, her long stride matching his, though her gaze flicked toward him every so often. The ribbon still dangled from his wrist, faintly out of place against his battered clothes.
"You don't talk much, do you?" she asked finally, glancing sideways.
Nex kept his eyes forward. "Not really."
"That's… rare," she said with a little laugh, though it didn't hide her curiosity. "Most guys your age can't stop running their mouths."
"Not my kind of thing." His voice was flat, but not rude — just honest.
Veronica hummed. Her blonde hair swayed as she stepped over a fallen branch. "You're… seventeen, right?"
"Mm."
"And yet you walked out of that fight in one piece when even veterans would've been crushed." Her lips pressed into a thin line, studying him. "That golden eye… where did—"
Nex cut her off, calm but firm. "Just something I picked up."
She blinked. "Picked up? You make it sound like you bought it at a shop."
He shrugged. "Don't think about it too much."
Veronica wanted to push further — she had so many questions — but the way he said it, the quiet weight behind his words, stopped her. He wasn't hiding out of arrogance; he was protecting something. So, she sighed and let it drop.
For a while, only the crunch of leaves under their boots filled the silence.
"…You did well back there," she said at last.
Nex's gaze dropped. "Didn't feel like it."
"Trust me," Veronica's tone sharpened, "I've seen what happens when someone loses control. You didn't. You kept your head. That matters."
Nex gave her the smallest of nods but didn't speak again.
---
By the time they reached camp, night had stretched its fingers across the sky. Lanterns glowed around the clearing, casting warm halos against the canvas of tents. The atmosphere was heavy — students huddled in groups, voices low but urgent.
In the center, Irene sat by the fire, her black hair shimmering like stars. Her presence was calm, but her clothes were torn, and the students around her couldn't hide their awe.
Ruby sat cross-legged beside Marcus, her midnight hair tied back, asking question after question. "You didn't even hesitate, Irene! The way you tore through that demon's armor—was that flame magic or weapon art?"
Marcus, dark-eyed and brooding, added quietly, "And how did you keep standing under that kind of killing intent?"
Nearby, Aria leaned against a log, her red hair catching the firelight, while Sylphie, Rose, Lucas, Eren, and Ryan clustered together.
"Her control was insane," Lucas said, eyes wide, his usual cheer dampened with respect. "I swear, I could barely breathe watching her."
Rose nodded, lips pressed thin. "Seven A-rank guards died protecting us. And she still didn't falter."
Eren's voice broke slightly. "I… I can't believe they're gone."
Ryan clenched his fists. "We should've been stronger."
The weight of loss pressed on them all. Even Kaelith, normally sharp-tongued, sat in silence, his gaze locked on the ground.
Then the firelight shifted as two new figures stepped into camp.
Veronica first — radiant in her hunter's gear, tall and confident despite the exhaustion on her face. And beside her… Nex.
He moved quietly, not drawing attention to himself, his white curls catching faint streaks of lamplight. The golden eye shimmered subtly under the glow, strange and captivating. His face, now unmarred, carried a calm nobility, the kind that made students pause mid-sentence without realizing why.
For a moment, the camp fell quiet. Conversations faltered.
"He… changed," Rose whispered.
"Was his eye always like that?" Aria murmured.
Sylphie shook her head. "No. Definitely not."
Even Irene lifted her gaze, her cool grey eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him.
But Nex didn't speak, didn't offer explanations. He simply nodded politely at those who met his gaze, headphones still resting around his neck, and walked past the murmurs. His expression was unreadable, his steps steady as he made his way to his tent.
Veronica followed more slowly, her lips pressed tight. She knew at least part of the truth — but not all. Not the ribbon, not the sacrifice, not the child who had given up everything for that golden eye.
To the others, Nex Calder was suddenly different. More striking. More mysterious.
And utterly unreachable.
---
The firelight cracked gently as conversations quieted, the weight of the day pressing heavier than the cool night air. Students lingered in clusters, whispering about Irene's strength and the price paid by the guards.
Veronica remained near the fire, glancing once toward the tent where Nex had disappeared before turning to Irene. The black-haired first-year proffessor was seated calmly, her black shoulder-length hair falling across her face in the glow.
"You really are something, Irene," Veronica said, lowering herself onto the log beside her.
"I only did what had to be done." Irene's tone was even, but her eyes flickered with the shadows of memory.
Veronica hesitated before leaning closer, her voice dropping. "Principal Orien sent me."
Irene's head tilted slightly, a rare flicker of curiosity. "Orien?"
"He… couldn't connect with you. Said you'd never open up to him directly, so he sent me instead. I didn't realize why until today."
Irene's lips pressed thin. "That sounds like him."
"I fought another S-rank before I got here," Veronica admitted, her voice quieter still. "Not as strong as the one you killed, but still enough to… test me. I found the lab during the hunt. Hidden. Deep underground. I saw what was left of it, and—" her eyes hardened, "—the experiments. Twisted things. Children, from what I could tell."
Irene's expression finally cracked, her jaw tightening. "Children?"
Veronica nodded. "I didn't… see much. Just traces. But then I saw him. That boy, Nex." Her gaze flicked briefly toward his tent. "He was already there. Already… fighting."
For the first time, Irene's composure faltered. She stared into the fire, silent for a long moment before murmuring, "So that's how it is."
"You knew nothing about the lab?" Veronica asked carefully.
"No." Irene's voice was sharper now. "If I had, Verdant itself would've been shaken apart by my fire. Whoever hid that place covered it well."
---
Meanwhile, not far from the fire, the main cast huddled together, voices hushed but urgent.
Ruby leaned forward, her midnight hair glinting. "You all saw it, didn't you? His eye."
"Golden," Aria breathed, red hair falling across her shoulder. "Like something out of legend."
Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, his usual grin nowhere to be found. "And he walks in like nothing happened. No scars, no wounds… nothing. Just that."
Kaelith's sharp gaze narrowed, his words edged. "Eyes don't just change like that."
Marcus folded his arms, his dark aura faint but present. "It wasn't there before. Which means something happened when we didn't see."
Rose shivered. "But what? And why didn't he tell us?"
Eren's fists clenched. "We lost seven guards today. And he… he just comes back with that eye like it's normal."
Ryan shook his head. "Don't say it like that. You saw him and know that he is my best friend. He's not the enemy."
Ruby frowned. "I'm not saying he is. I'm saying… we don't know what he is."
While Sylphie sensing the tension calmed everyone down.
Their whispers carried the same mixture of awe, suspicion, and unease. Nex's presence had unsettled them in a way none could admit openly.
---
Back at the fire, Veronica finished her account. "That's all I know. The lab. The demon. And Nex being there before me. I thought… you deserved to know."
Irene was silent for a long while, her eyes fixed on the flames. At last, she said softly, "Thank you, Veronica. For telling me the truth."
"Do you… trust him?" Veronica asked cautiously.
Irene's gaze lifted, cool and unreadable. "I don't trust easily. But I know this much: a boy who walks away from a place like that alive is not ordinary. Whether that's good or bad…" She let the words hang, the firelight glinting in her eyes.
Veronica followed her gaze toward the tent where Nex rested. Her heart was unsettled. She had seen strength before — but whatever surrounded that boy, it was something else. Something heavier.
And neither of them knew that the truth of his golden eye lay not in power gained… but in the sacrifice of a child.
---