-Finn-
The courtyard had emptied, leaving only a lingering hum of magic and the echo of fading footsteps. Evening air pressed cool against my skin, carrying the faint scent of singed stone where Gideon's spell had burned itself out. I stood a few feet back, watching Alexia with the three younger students. Zeus padded quietly at my side, ears alert, tail sweeping along the stone floor, ready to move at the first sign of trouble.
Her posture was looser now, none of the rigid tension she'd carried all day. She knelt to trace the rune patterns across the stone, her hand steady, her voice calm. The words spilled from her as if they had always lived in her bones, the rhythm of an old language rediscovered. For the first time in a long while, she looked as though she belonged here. Zeus settled close, brushing against her leg, grounding her presence, silent approval in every press of his weight.
Soren stood steady behind her, arms crossed, gaze sharp. Always the anchor—immovable, unshakable, the one we leaned on when the storm threatened to pull us apart. His silence carried weight, but it wasn't heavy, more like the kind of silence that steadied the ground beneath your feet. Zeus's ears twitched toward Soren, sensing the protective energy, tail flicking in acknowledgment.
Jasper and Asher lingered at the edges of things, their shoulders set but their eyes lowered. The relief on their faces couldn't hide the shadow of shame. They knew what they had done—or failed to do—and we hadn't forgiven them. Not yet. Maybe not ever. The wound was still too fresh, the betrayal too sharp. Zeus cast a slow, assessing glance at them, a subtle warning that missteps here would not go unnoticed, but he remained calm, a quiet presence of reassurance around Alexia.
One of the girls raised her hand, fingers trembling like she was afraid to speak. "What does that one mean?" Her voice carried awe, thin but eager.
Alexia smiled, patient. "This one is protection. It weaves with the others to form a barrier—stronger together than alone. Like people, really." She glanced at the three of them, and her voice softened. "Magic responds to trust." Zeus's amber eyes flicked between the girls and Alexia, almost mirroring the lesson—trust was earned, and he had chosen to trust her fully.
The girls exchanged wide-eyed looks, whispers bubbling between them like sparks catching fire. When they finally scampered off, their excitement trailing behind them, I caught fragments of their hushed voices—She's going to teach us. She broke Gideon's spell. Their words lingered in the courtyard long after their footsteps faded. Zeus lifted his head, ears perked, alert to the fading energy, and exhaled softly, satisfied that the children were safe.
The quiet that followed was almost too deep. My chest ached with the memory of what had happened here not long ago—the violence, the fear—but seeing Alexia alive in the center of it felt like a fragile kind of victory. Zeus brushed against her leg again, a silent reassurance that we were present, protected, and alive.
"Look who's back," a voice called.
Instinct coiled through me, sharp and defensive, until I recognized the sound. Relief surged. Kira. Zeus's hackles rose briefly, alerting me to incoming energy, then relaxed when he recognized her warmth.
She strode across the courtyard like she owned it, her energy filling the empty space. Before Alexia could rise, Kira wrapped her in a fierce hug, rocking her side to side. "I was so worried. You—" Her voice caught, and she shook her head, pressing her forehead briefly to Alexia's shoulder. "You were a force of nature out there. I've never seen anything like it."
Alexia blinked, startled at first, then let out a laugh—a rare sound that softened the hard edges of her face. "Work in progress," she said lightly, though the words carried more weight than she let on. Zeus nudged Alexia gently with his nose, as if to share in her small triumph.
"You're different now." Kira pulled back to study her, eyes bright with something close to wonder. "In the best way."
Kira's attention shifted, sweeping over the rest of us. She hugged me tightly, her familiar warmth pressing against the hollow places in my chest. Zeus brushed past her legs, tail wagging, a small, canine display of approval. She gave Soren a firm nod of respect, then turned to Jasper and Asher. Her smile dimmed. A curt nod, nothing more. The line between forgiveness and distance was drawn clear in the air.
Jasper shifted uncomfortably, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Kira. It's good to see you."
She hummed, dismissive, already sliding her arm through Alexia's as if she refused to waste more words on him. "Come on. I have so much to tell you. Things that happened while you were gone."
We started across the courtyard together, the rhythm of our footsteps falling back into something almost familiar. Zeus trotted beside Alexia, ears alert, tail flicking occasionally, always close, sensing and guarding the flow of energy around us.
Then Kira slowed. Her voice dropped, uncharacteristically hesitant. Nervousness flickered in her eyes, like light bending through water. "Actually… there's something else." She bit her lip, then broke into a grin that spread wide and unstoppable. "I found my mate."
The words hung between us. For a beat, none of us moved, caught in the gravity of it. Zeus shifted closer to Alexia, nudging her leg softly, a silent promise of protection.
Then warmth surged through me so fast I almost laughed with relief. My shoulders loosened, the tension I hadn't realized I was carrying slipping away. "Kira, that's incredible."
Even Soren's mouth tugged upward, a rare smile softening his features. Zeus wagged his tail once, the faintest flick of delight, sensing the lighter energy in the group.
Jasper and Asher both lifted their heads, guilt briefly forgotten. Their surprise was genuine, cutting through the cloud that always seemed to hang around them.
Kira's cheeks flushed pink. "It's Rowan," she said, her voice dropping like she was revealing a secret she'd been guarding too closely. "He's a new student—a healer, actually. He makes me feel… steady. Like even when everything's chaos, he can hold me together."
Her grin was radiant, brighter than I'd ever seen it. For a heartbeat, the world around us shifted. The courtyard, scarred as it was, felt alive again, the shadows not quite so heavy. Zeus pressed against Alexia's leg again, quiet affirmation of the hope settling over us.
Alexia's lips curved, her eyes soft with something like pride. "You deserve that, Kira."
Kira squeezed her arm, her excitement bubbling over again. "You'll meet him soon. He's shy, but he's brilliant. You'll see."
The four of us exchanged glances—me, Soren, Jasper, Asher. For the first time in what felt like forever, the air wasn't heavy with grief or anger. It was light. Fragile, yes, but hopeful. Zeus leaned into Alexia, tail flicking, a steady heartbeat of presence amid the fragile optimism.
And hope, after everything, was the rarest kind of magic.