Kain pushed open the dormitory door with his shoulder, his breath still fogging from the cold outside. He'd practically jogged back through half the fortress, weaving past soldiers hauling the corpses of fallen contracts—it may sound cruel, but they are repurposed these days for desperately needed food and materials for enchanted weapons—medics shouting for clear hallways, and a cluster of staff arguing about whose turn it was to shovel snow off the outer wall again. He ignored them all.
The kid came first.
Serena looked up from her chair the moment he stepped in. Her face said 'finally', but her posture said she'd been alert the entire time. Her spear leaned against the wall within arm's reach, her coat still on, as though she hadn't dared relax even for a second.
She'd clearly taken her 'babysitting' role seriously.
"Kain," she said softly. "He fainted again."
He closed the door behind him. "Yeah. I figured, but… why?"
