Rider stared down the hallway with quiet determination. Zack's last words echoed painfully in his mind, making Rider clench his fist in a mixture of anger and doubt.
Just then, a door nearby creaked open, and Bianca slowly stepped out, looking frail and weak. Her voice was soft, pained.
"Rider... is that you?" Bianca said, clutching her stitched-up stomach.
Rider, stunned, turned toward her. Seeing her alive—battered but okay—nearly brought him to tears. His eyes watered, but he blinked them back, rushing over and throwing his arms around her.
"I'm so glad you're okay... don't ever scare me like that again," Rider said, squeezing her tightly.
Bianca winced, her voice strained.
"Ouch... um, Rider—my stomach..." she gasped, her hand pressing against her stitches.
Realizing he had hugged too hard, Rider immediately pulled back, guilt all over his face.
"I'm so sorry... I couldn't help it," he said.
Bianca offered him a warm, forgiving smile. The moment between them, however, clearly annoyed Rebel, who frowned in jealousy.
"Yeah, yeah, great—she's fine now. Let's go, big brother," Rebel muttered, grabbing Tusk like a pillow and heading out.
Tusk, half-crushed between Rebel's arm and his side, protested, but Rebel ignored him. They were almost at the exit when Bianca called out, stopping them.
"Hey! I never got to properly thank you... so, thank you."
Rebel stiffened, his cheeks reddening. Tusk, unable to hold it in, burst out laughing.
"Yeah! You should've seen the look on his face when you fainted in the hallway. I've never seen my brother care so much about someone before!"
Rebel's face turned crimson as he spun around, snapping at Tusk.
"Shut up, you idiot!" he shouted, glancing awkwardly at Bianca. Trying to act cool, he added,
"Look—we're in a competition. Out there, you're my enemy. Save the thanks for when it's over."
Tusk whispered, "You suck at talking to girls," earning another furious glare from Rebel, who clamped a hand over Tusk's mouth and stormed out of the contenders' area.
Rider blinked in confusion, then turned his attention back to Bianca. She was breathing heavily, her body trembling slightly.
"You okay, Bianca?" he asked, concerned.
Bianca forced a smile.
"Oh yeah, I'm just—"
Before she could finish, her knees buckled and she fainted again. Luckily, Rider caught her in his arms.
"Hey! What's wrong? We need a doctor!" Rider said, frantically looking around.
But Bianca weakly gripped his shoulder.
"I'll be fine... I just need to lay down..." she whispered, barely conscious.
Rider frowned, not convinced. She was sweating and barely awake. Still, he gently lifted her into his arms.
"Fine. I'll take you to your room. But if you get any worse, I'm dragging you to the hospital myself," he said, dashing off down the hallway in search of her room.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the building, Zack was storming down the hall, mumbling to himself.
Rider's words from earlier echoed in his mind—"I'll become the Sword Master."
The memory only fueled Zack's growing irritation.
Finally, he reached his room. But just as he was about to turn the door handle, he heard something strange—a low male moaning coming from inside.
"The hell...?" Zack muttered.
He threw the door open—and immediately froze.
There, lying in his bed, were Leo and his own father, Bell, in a compromising position.
Leo quickly stopped what he was doing and looked at Zack in pure panic.
"Zack!? I thought you said he wouldn't be back for a while!" Leo snapped at Bell, furious.
Bell, looking drunk and unfazed, pulled Leo in for another kiss.
"It doesn't matter... let's keep going," Bell slurred.
Leo struggled to avoid him, glaring over Bell's shoulder at Zack.
Zack just stood there, mouth open, too stunned to speak.
"I can explain—!" Leo began.
But before he could say another word, Zack slammed the door shut. His mind reeled.
Okay, maybe I'm hallucinating, Zack thought desperately. Yeah, that's it. I'll just check one more time to be sure.
He reopened the door—only to see Leo still on the bed with Bell, confirming that, no, he wasn't imagining it.
"Zack, listen—!" Leo tried again, scrambling to get up.
But Zack immediately slammed the door again, took a few stunned steps backward—then sprinted down the hall as fast as he could.
Inside, Leo flung the door open to chase him—but Zack was already long gone.
Bell, still drunk, reached for Leo.
"Come on, pretty boy, we're not done yet..."
Fed up, Leo shoved Bell onto the floor. Bell groaned, too drunk to get up, as Leo slammed the door behind him, storming away in fury.
Zack ran through the hallway in shock, his heart pounding against his chest.
He finally collapsed against a wall, breathing heavily, trying to hold himself together.
"Shit," Zack muttered, his voice cracking as he fought back tears.
"Shit, shit, shit... shiiiiiiit!!"
He slammed his fist against the floor, trying to let the frustration out of his body.
For a moment, silence.
Zack stared blankly at the ground, broken.
"I'm done," he whispered. "I'm not going back there. It's better if I just stay here instead."
With that, he slumped down onto the cold floor, pressing his cheek against it.
The chill barely registered compared to the mess in his head.
Then, a voice broke through:
"Or, you know... you could come inside. There's enough room,"
Valen said casually, leaning against his doorway, arms crossed.
Zack glared at him from the floor.
"Yeah, no. Definitely no," he muttered.
Valen sighed, exasperated.
"Fine, be that way. Lay there like a sad little stray dog.
But you know it's gonna rain tonight, right?"
Zack didn't move.
"I've been through worse. A little cold won't kill me," he said flatly.
"You say that like you want it to," Valen said sharply, his tone cutting through the air.
For a moment, he softened.
"Look, I just... I just want you to have a comfortable place to sleep.
I know you're going through a lot. This is my way of helping.
If it makes it easier, I promise I won't talk to you while you're sleeping."
Zack stayed silent, thinking.
Finally, without a word, he pushed himself up and shuffled into Valen's room.
Valen blinked, genuinely surprised.
"Well, damn... didn't think that would work," he mumbled, closing the door behind them.
Valen grabbed a blanket.
"You can take the bed. I'll sleep on the cou—"
He turned around mid-sentence to find Zack already sprawled face-first on the couch.
"...Or, I guess I'm taking the bed," Valen said, half-laughing in confusion.
He shook his head, then gently draped the blanket over Zack.
Sitting down on the edge of his own bed, Valen stared at Zack for a long moment before speaking:
"So... what got you screaming like a dying banshee in the hallway?
You literally woke me up," Valen said, trying to sound casual.
Zack shot him a deadly glare.
"You said you wouldn't talk to me," he growled.
Valen smirked.
"I said I wouldn't talk to you while you were sleeping.
You don't look asleep to me."
Zack buried his face deeper into the couch, realizing he'd been tricked.
Valen tried again, this time with more sincerity:
"Look... you hardly show any emotions.
Most people wouldn't even know if you were hurting.
But when I heard that yell... I don't know.
It hit me like a damn electric shock.
I thought maybe it was an intruder or a beast or something,
and I was ready to fight whoever it was...
but when I realized it was you—"
Valen paused, frowning.
"—it didn't feel right. It felt... bad."
Zack stayed silent, staring blankly at the couch.
Valen sighed, about to give up and go back to bed—
when suddenly, Zack's voice broke through:
"I... um..."
Valen immediately sat up straight, listening carefully.
Zack clenched his fists tight as he continued, voice trembling with rage and sadness:
"I went to my room and found my so-called best friend... and my dad... sleeping together.
And the whole room reeked of alcohol.
I couldn't take it."
Valen tried to sound understanding:
"Ah... I get you."
But in his mind: "WHAT the fuck?!"
Zack then muttered bitterly:
"Why am I even talking to you...?
We're supposed to be enemies.
We want the same thing.
So why do you even care?"
Valen leaned back slightly, thinking.
He could see the storm inside Zack — confusion, betrayal, loneliness.
"You were ready to tell me something real about yourself," Valen said calmly.
"Now it's my turn."
Zack lifted his head slightly, frowning in confusion.
The Rain falls.