Chapter 7
Roxana
The echo of the Helios Guardian's parting words still rang in the cavernous chamber as Zero, supported by Ellis, pushed himself to his feet. Their footsteps were heavy, slow—each step a quiet rebellion against the invisible chains still tightening around Zero's will.
I hesitated near the towering thrones, stepping back cautiously as if their figures seemed to grow and loom over me.
The youngest Guardian lingered, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. Though his face was draped in shadows, I didn't need to see it to know he was smiling.
"Our dearest Elaine," he said playfully, "don't forget to put your new dog to good use," his voice laced with teasing malice. "Lord knows that mutt could use some hard-earned discipline."
I was shaking. I couldn't respond. I simply bowed and rushed for the exit as fast as I could. The sound of the great doors closing behind me was a sudden relief. My hand clenched tight against my chest, heart pounding so fiercely I thought it might burst.
Down the hall, I noticed their figures—Zero and Ellis—walking in slow tandem. Zero's arm hung loosely over his teacher's shoulder, who looked like he was struggling to keep him upright, as if carrying dead weight.
I watched Zero's silhouette, the tension in his shoulders, the way his steps faltered now and then—so unlike the sharp, relentless hunter I'd first met.
He was a man shaped by fury and pain. A boy trapped in chains he couldn't see, forced to obey commands that tore at his pride.
I wanted to hate him—for everything he'd done, for the cold cruelty he often wore like armor—but something deeper stirred inside me.
Sympathy. No one deserved to be treated like that.
My steps quickened before my mind could argue with my heart. Without thinking, I jogged toward them, falling into step beside Ellis and slipping under Zero's opposite arm.
Both stiffened in surprise.
Zero's eyes narrowed at me, suspicion etched across his pale, exhausted face. "What… do you think you're doing?" His voice was scratchy but sharp, the edges still intact despite the pain.
I looked away, heat rising in my cheeks. "Don't misunderstand," I muttered, keeping my gaze fixed ahead. "It's not for you. I just… can't stand seeing people in pain. It' against my code."
Ellis let out a quiet laugh beside me, the tension in his posture easing slightly.
Zero snorted weakly, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Tch… wouldn't expect anything less… from the Saint of Horix."
My ears burned instantly. "Don't call me that!" I snapped, stomping down hard on his foot before I could second-guess myself.
Zero hissed through clenched teeth, nearly buckling as he bent over to clutch his foot, Ellis barely keeping him upright.
I blinked in surprise, realizing how light and fragile he felt beneath my grip—nothing like the terrifying hunter who'd dragged me from Horix.
"You little—" Zero started, breathless from pain.
"Serves you right," I shot back, arms crossed, though the redness in my cheeks betrayed any claim to confidence.
Ellis cleared his throat, his voice light but carrying that familiar edge of authority. "Come on now, let's not injure the patient any further." His green eyes sparkled with quiet amusement as he looked between us. "If you really feel like beating on him for his rudeness, at least wait until he can stand properly on his own."
Zero shot him a scathing glare, though the effect was undermined by the way his knees buckled a second later. His weight sagged heavily between us, his face paling further.
"Hey—!" I reacted instinctively, looping his arm tighter around my shoulder to keep him upright. Ellis mirrored the action on his other side, steadying him before he completely collapsed.
Zero gritted his teeth, frustration flashing across his face, but for once, he didn't protest.
Ellis sighed, his expression softening with genuine concern. "Enough posturing, tough guy. You're running on fumes." His gaze flicked toward me. "We'll head back to my office for now. There's a bed there—he can rest properly."
I nodded without hesitation, adjusting my grip to support Zero's weight more comfortably. His body felt tense, drained, but warmer than I expected.
Zero kept his eyes ahead, jaw tight, but didn't fight us.
Together, the three of us moved down the quiet halls of the Vatican. The tension remained, but beneath it, an odd sense of solidarity settled between our mismatched footsteps.
***
We finally reached a familiar wooden door tucked between towering stone columns—Ellis's private office. He pushed it open, revealing the cozy, sunlit space I'd seen earlier. The scent of herbs and parchment lingered in the air.
"Here we are," Ellis announced gently, guiding us inside. "Let's lay him down before his pride makes him keel over entirely."
With care, we maneuvered Zero toward the small bed tucked beside a shelf stacked with worn books and half-empty vials. The moment we eased him onto the mattress, his body sagged, breath shaky as the tension bled from his limbs.
"You two…" Zero grumbled weakly, glaring as Ellis fluffed a pillow under his head. "This is pathetic."
Ellis snorted, unfazed. "It's called survival, Zero. You can sulk about it after you're not on death's doorstep."
I lingered beside the bed, arms crossed. Watching him like this—so pale and quiet—was hard to reconcile with the sharp-edged angst he bore on his sleeve.
Zero's eyes found mine, faintly narrowed but lacking his usual fire. "You didn't need to help," he rasped.
"I know," I said, glancing away, heat prickling my cheeks. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to stand by while someone's suffering."
Zero rolled his eyes, sinking deeper into the mattress with a pained grunt. "Figures they'd stick me with someone like that."
"Someone like me?" I echoed, raising a brow.
Zero's lips quirked, faint amusement cutting through exhaustion. "The type who can't ignore people in pain… no matter how much they might deserve it."
I opened my mouth to argue but let it go. Instead, I huffed quietly, adjusting the blanket over him with more force than necessary.
Ellis watched the exchange with a crooked smile, shaking his head. "You two are going to drive me to an early grave," he muttered, pulling over a chair. "But I have to admit, this is already more entertaining than paperwork."
Ellis stretched, cracking his neck as he dug through one of the nearby cabinets. "Speaking of survival," he muttered, fingers rummaging past glass vials and folded parchment, "I've got just the thing."
I tilted my head, watching as he retrieved a small, dark bottle—the label faded, but the crimson tint of the pills inside was unmistakable.
Zero's eyes immediately narrowed, sitting up. "You are not making me take those."
Ellis turned, a wide smile spreading—a grin that promised nothing good. "Oh, come on now." He popped the cap, shaking a few pills into his hand. "You know they'll help. Fastest way to get your strength back."
In one smooth motion, Ellis shoved him back down, a deceptively gentle hand pressing to Zero's chest. His grin didn't waver, but his eyes sharpened, playful menace slipping beneath the surface. "Don't be like that," he cooed, voice dripping with false sympathy. "You've been through enough today, let's not make this any harder."
Zero bared his teeth, a faint growl rumbling in his throat—but his body betrayed him, too weak to fight back properly. "I hate you," he muttered, glaring daggers as Ellis hovered above him with the pills.
Ellis's grin widened, entirely unfazed. "Love you too, bro. Now…" He pinched Zero's nose, forcing his mouth open with all the finesse of someone who'd clearly done this before. "Be a good boy and take your medicine."
I stifled a laugh behind my hand as Zero choked down the pills, glaring murder the entire time.
"You're enjoying this way too much," Zero rasped once Ellis finally let him go.
Ellis winked, tossing the empty bottle onto the bedside table. "Perks of the job."
The color was returning to Zero's cheeks, faint but noticeable—a stark contrast to the pale, almost lifeless face I'd seen moments before. He still looked worn, the shadows beneath his eyes stubborn and dark, but no longer a walking corpse.
Relief fluttered inside me.
Without fully realizing what I was doing, I stepped closer and loomed over him. My hands began to glow faintly green, an old magic I hadn't dared use in a long time stirring back to life.
Ellis took a careful step back, eyes widening. He pulled a worn notebook from his robes, pen poised, as if preparing to document something extraordinary. His presence was steady, but I could feel the spark of awe in the air. I caught a glimpse of his scribbling—sketches and notes in a script I couldn't read, focused on healing signs and energy flows.
Zero's eyes snapped open, sharp and suspicious. "What are you doing now?" he asked, voice rough but wary.
I shot him a quick glare. "Shut up," I muttered, pressing my glowing hands gently to his chest.
A warmth spread from where my palm touched, seeping into his skin and muscle. The tension in his body eased, pain lifting like a heavy fog dissolving under the morning sun. Even the dark bags beneath his eyes seemed to lighten, as though some of the weight he carried was melting away.
As I stared down at his face, something caught me off guard—a flicker of something unfamiliar. Without the grime of battle or exhaustion dragging him down, Zero's features were striking. His sharp jaw, the curve of his lips, the way his brows furrowed just slightly… he had an attractive face.
I blinked, shaking my head as if to clear away the intrusive thought.
Focus, Roxana. Healing first. Embarrassment later.
When I finally pulled my hands away, the green light faded, and Zero's chest rose and fell with easier breaths. He was back on his feet—or close enough—looking much more like the dangerous, relentless hunter.
Ellis let out a soft, impressed whistle. "Remarkable," he said, flipping a page in his notebook. "I've never witnessed healing magic on this level before. Especially since it worked on someone like Zero—"
Zero glared at him to shut Ellis up, who clasped his hands over his mouth. "You never know when to keep your mouth shut."
"Haha, my bad," Ellis said, rubbing the back of his head.
"You didn't have to do that," Zero said quietly, voice low enough for only me.
I shrugged, trying to play it cool but feeling heat rise in my cheeks again. "I did. Someone has to make sure you don't keel over before I'm done with you."
Ellis chuckled softly from his chair, pen still poised. "You two have an interesting dynamic already."
Zero glanced between us, a small smirk threatening to break through fatigue. "Yeah, well, don't expect me to get soft just because Elaine here thinks I'm some charity case."
I snapped, heat rising. "It's Roxana. Not Elaine. I'm not some obedient saint or mascot for your order."
Zero blinked, surprised for a moment, but the smirk stayed. "Alright, Roxana. Noted."
The soft tapping of a beak against the window pulled our attention from the quiet room. Ellis glanced up, eyebrows raised, as a pigeon fluttered against the glass, a small rolled-up note tied to its ankle.
Zero sighed deeply and pushed himself up from the bed, exhaustion and irritation evident in every movement. "You've got to be kidding me…" He opened the window with ease, and the bird wasted no time flying inside, landing squarely in his lap with a ruffle of feathers. "They're seriously sending me more orders after reprimanding me when I did a job well done?"
Zero carefully untied the note from the pigeon's leg, watching as it spread its wings and shot back into the sunlight. He unrolled the paper, sharp eyes scanning the words, then froze. The note slipped from his fingers, fluttering to the floor.
Ellis stooped to pick it up, curiosity getting the better of him. His lips twitched into a smile, which quickly grew into a chuckle. He burst out laughing, breaking the tense quiet of the room.
Zero shot him a glare, irritation flaring again. "What's so funny?"
Ellis wiped a tear from his eye, grinning widely. "Apparently, now that Roxana has returned, her father's been informed. He'll be arriving in a week and has given permission for Roxana to enter Twilight Academy—to... 'reintroduce her into society,'" Ellis read, imitating a pompous tone.
Zero groaned, running a hand through his black hair.
Ellis continued, "And here's the kicker: Zero, the legendary Dusker who's basically made a career out of being a truant, must accompany her to school."
My eyes sparkled with amusement, a rare smile tugging at my lips. "Wait… you're scared of high school?"
Zero's glare sharpened, but a hint of reluctant humor flickered in his eyes. "Scared isn't the word," he muttered. "High school is a battlefield of immature idiots obsessed with popularity, pointless gossip, and who can out-drama the other."
He flopped back onto the bed, exasperated. "I've got better things to do than waste time on cliques, fake smiles, and endless tests. School's just a cage designed to slow me down."
I laughed softly. "Sounds like you hate it more than I thought."
Zero rolled his eyes. "Hate it? I loathe it. The endless small talk, the meaningless competition… And don't get me started on the 'teachers' who think yelling at kids is education. I'm supposed to babysit you and pretend to care about homework?"
Ellis shook his head, still grinning. "Sounds like you've got quite the pep talk ready. This is going to be entertaining." He leaned back in his chair, a sly grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You know," he began, voice conspiratorial, "you've always been my favorite student."
Zero barely glanced up, too drained and annoyed to care.
Ellis continued, eyes sparkling with mischief as he rifled through his cluttered desk drawers. "But…" His grin widened. "I'm your teacher before I'm your friend."
With a flourish, he pulled out a large stack of yellowed, dog-eared papers tied together with a faded ribbon. The dust puffed into the air like a forgotten storm.
Zero's eyes snapped wide open. "No… no, no, no—"
Ellis's grin grew as he slowly stood and approached Zero with the papers in hand. "And I think," he said mockingly, "this is the perfect opportunity to get you back on track for graduation."
Zero's face paled as he slinked back, pressing himself against the headboard, eyes wide and filled with pure, theatrical horror.
"Graduation?" Zero croaked, voice barely above a whisper.
Ellis stepped closer, waving the papers like a victor's flag. "Yup. Those tests, assignments, attendance records—all waiting for your signature and a little effort."
Zero let out a long, anguished wail that echoed through the room. "Noooooooo!"
Ellis chuckled, shaking his head. "Welcome back to school, Zero. Looks like your 'detention' just got a whole lot longer."
Zero groaned, burying his face in a pillow.