It was a slow return. Like clawing up from beneath a frozen lake.
First came pain. Not the searing, electric kind I'd felt during the battle. No, this was dull. A deep, dragging ache that sat in every joint, every bone. It throbbed with every beat of my heart—if my heart was even still beating.
Then came sound. Muffled. Like I was underwater.
"He's stabilizing," someone said.
The voice was calm. Professional. Probably a doctor. Or a healer.
There was a strange smell in the air—sterile, clean, tinged with something faintly sweet. Magic.
I forced my eyes open.
Blurry shapes at first. Light too bright. Faces moving. Shadows dancing.
And then, slowly, color returned. Clarity.
I was lying on a soft bed—hospital bed, maybe. The room was wide, bright with enchantment lights overhead, and filled with people.
Not just people.
Them.
Rias. Asia. Akeno. Koneko. Even Kiba.
They were all there.
"Please tell me… we won."
That was the first thing I said. My voice cracked. My throat felt like sandpaper. But the words were out.
There was a pause. A sharp inhale.
And then—Rias moved first.
She shoved past the others and nearly collapsed onto me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders in a trembling embrace. Her crimson hair spilled over my face as her voice broke.
"You idiot... You glorious, reckless idiot... We won!"
She hugged me tighter.
Too tight.
"Ouch! Ouch, Buchou—Rias—it hurts! My everything hurts!"
She pulled back immediately, and her face was a mess—smudged makeup, bloodshot eyes, tear tracks down her cheeks. But she was smiling. Laughing even, as she wiped her face quickly and looked me straight in the eyes.
"You absolute madman," she said, voice thick with emotion. "Do you have any idea what you did to him?"
I blinked.
"What happened… after I passed out?"
The others began to move closer, their expressions a mix of awe, relief, and frustration.
Rias sat beside me, fingers laced around mine—carefully, gently, as if even touching me might break me again.
"Riser was on the edge of a mental breakdown," she explained. "Whatever you did to him, whatever he saw in you, shattered something. You weren't fighting like a devil, or a dragon, or even a human. You fought like someone who was already dead. Like the pain didn't matter."
I said nothing. I remembered enough.
"I thought he'd come back. I really did. But… when I looked up and saw him flying away—screaming that he forfeited—I knew."
She looked down.
"I didn't have to lift a finger. His Peerage was broken. The moment you fell, I stepped in. Cleaned up the rest. It was… easy. Because of you."
She smiled again, but this one was fragile.
"You made it possible."
Asia clutched the blanket beside me, trembling. "You weren't just hurt, Ise-san... You were burning alive. I tried so hard to heal you, but your body—your arm—it was… gone. You screamed so much..."
Her voice cracked, and tears filled her eyes.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop the pain…"
I shook my head slowly. "You did enough. More than enough."
Akeno leaned against the foot of the bed, arms crossed, expression unreadable for once.
"You stole my thunder," she said with a soft smile. "And then made all of us look weak."
I chuckled. Or tried to. It came out more like a wheeze. "Sorry."
"You're not forgiven."
Koneko gave me a small punch in the leg—not enough to hurt, but enough to make a point.
"Don't ever do something that stupid again."
"Stupidly brave," Kiba added from the side. "But yes, incredibly reckless. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed, though."
Then he bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you… for avenging me."
The room was quiet for a moment.
Then Rias spoke again, her voice soft. "You've done more than anyone could ask. You fought with everything you had. But—"
She looked at me sternly now, her royal composure returning.
"Never… ever do something like that again. Not for me. Not for anyone."
"I had to—"
"No." Her grip on my hand tightened. "You didn't have to. You chose to. And I love you for it—but I also hate you for it. Because I can't lose you."
"I wasn't going to die," I mumbled.
She leaned closer.
"You did."
I stared at her.
"You stopped breathing. Your heart gave out. Asia was the only reason you're still here."
My eyes flicked to Asia. She nodded silently, holding a small holy charm to her chest.
I looked away.
It was quiet again.
Until Rias laid her forehead against mine and whispered, "I won the match. But I almost lost you. And that's not a victory I ever want again."
I swallowed hard. My throat hurt, my body hurt, but my pride won.
But something warm bloomed in my chest—small, fragile, and real.
I was alive.
And I wasn't alone... I was never alone, but why did I think I was alone? I was in a self-made confusion.
"...Next time," I said weakly, "can we not fight immortal firebirds?"
They all laughed.
And for the first time in what felt like hours—
I did too.
~~~
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