Nimor opened the door at once, as if he'd been standing right behind it, waiting.
One glance at Eiron was enough for him to understand: something serious had happened.
"Bian… are you alright?" he asked, quickly coming over to me.
His fingers gently moved aside the hair at my temple, where the blood had already dried.
I threw open the cloak.
He saw Lily.
First, pure, unguarded shock crossed his face.
Then—bitterness.
Heavy. Adult.
"What happened? What's wrong with her?" he asked in that same calm, caring voice that always made me feel safe.
"An Avodan took their crystals," I rasped.
My voice pushed out by pain.
I walked forward and laid Lily on the sofa.
"Their...?" Nimor's voice faltered—barely.
Behind me, Eiron and the swordsman opened their cloaks.
Nimor saw Kay and Lian.
"Oh gods… no…" he exhaled.
He placed his palm on Lily's chest, and his skin lit up with a soft silver glow.
Time stopped for me.
Silence pressed in so tightly I could no longer feel my own breathing.
I wanted that moment not to exist.
I wanted to disappear just to not hear what he would say next.
After a second, the light beneath Nimor's hand faded. He looked at Eiron in silence.
Eiron nodded.
"Call the professors and the Director," he said quietly to one of the free swordsmen.
The man didn't answer. Just left.
I stared out the window, where the murmur of the city could still be heard. Traces of joy still lingered. The dying echoes of celebration..
"We have to warn the people," I said through pain.
Nimor shook his head.
"We'll wait for Blake first," he said calmly, covering Lily with a blanket.
"Take the boys to my bedroom," he added, glancing at Eiron and the second swordsman.
They left without a word, carrying the bodies.
I followed them.
My body ached.
But the pain was somewhere in the background like noise behind a wall.
Inside, something else burned. Hot.
Why were they silent?
I had told them about the shadow. Long ago.
"Why do we have to wait? People are in danger," I followed Nimor, not understanding.
He was laying the boys down with precise, parental care.
Straightening blankets.
Fixing their hair.
"Panic," he said, without turning.
"If we speak the truth, people will flee the castle.
But beyond the walls there's nothing.
No shields. No protection."
He lingered at Kay's face.
His fingers trembled, but he held it in.
"Yes, a Black got into the city.
But there hasn't been an attack.
And here we still have defense.
Here, we can hold.
Out there—we can't."
"But more children could die. People. Again."
I didn't understand why everyone's voice was so calm.
Why no one was screaming.
"We have to think of the lesser loss," he said and approached me.
His hand rested on my stomach—light passed through the fabric, warm and steady.
"Adel and Blake have been killing monsters right near the walls these past weeks.
We knew they were close."
His voice was quiet.
But something inside me cracked in that moment.
He took my hands.
"Bian… I'm sorry. For what you had to go through.
But this is war.
And that means we have to think how to save more."
War.
The word cut from the inside.
Everything dimmed before my eyes.
I tried to hold on to consciousness.
My head swayed.
Nimor noticed, immediately led me to a chair.
Gently seated me.
He placed his hand on my head.
Light.
And I felt the pain begin to ease.
Slowly. With effort.
But it started to leave.
Breathing became easier.
"Avodans are obsessed with other people's crystals," Nimor said quietly, as if quoting a textbook.
"Children's crystals are the simplest," I whispered, finishing the thought.
He nodded.
Sadly.
No comment.
This is what "the bloodiest and most brutal war" really meant.
"They have no mercy.
No principles. No compassion," Nimor continued.
"They are ruthless. And terrible.
But clever.
Very."
He fell silent.
"So… let's not rush.
We need to wait for Blake."
A moment later, two men in blue cloaks entered—
Tall, gray-haired, stern.
Felix, the Academy's Director.
Lyr, the chief professor.
Behind them, several soldiers—heavy in their steps and their gazes.
They spoke to Nimor in quiet voices. Half-whispers.
I didn't listen.
The voices faded somewhere far off, like muffled waves.
I gathered what strength I had left and walked to the edge of the bed—
To where Kay and Lian lay.
"I'm so sorry… that I couldn't save you," I whispered.
"I will never forgive myself for that."
I bent down to Kay and kissed his forehead.
"You were the brightest…
the most mischievous…
the happiest boys I ever knew.
You were the only ones."
I walked around the bed and kissed Lian.
His skin was cold.
Too cold.
Deathly quiet.
"I'm so sorry… that it's because of me…"
The tears burst out again.
I tried to hold them back, but they kept falling as I spoke.
"Bian," Nimor called to me.
"They'll take the boys.
They'll be buried in a couple of days."
"Can I… can I be there?" I asked through tears.
"Yes," he answered after a short pause.
"But it will all be in secret."
"Alright…"
I could neither argue nor resist.
Everything inside had caved in.
I felt useless.
I watched the soldiers carry the boys out with the same care we had brought them in.
They left along with the professor and director, and the room at once became wider and colder.
"Will you stay here?" Nimor asked.
"No. I'll go back to my room," I said quietly.
I didn't say goodbye. Just left.
Climbing the stairs was hard.
Each flight seemed to pull me down.
When I reached my door, it looked too big.
Too heavy.
I went inside.
The sitting room was empty, as if the air itself had left with them.
I walked into my bedroom.
On the dresser lay the little pouch—
The one the boys had given me.
I approached and opened it.
Slowly took out the glass orb.
The magic inside still shimmered: red, blue, yellow.
The colors swirled around each other like tiny lights, trying not to go out.
This was all that was left of them.
The last trace of their magic.
***
Hours stretched into endless torment.
There were no more tears. Not a drop.
I didn't sleep. I didn't eat. I don't know if Blake came. Or anyone else.
I was just here. In my room.
I was counting the second day.
Lying down. Watching the sky brighten… then darken again… and brighten once more.
No words. No thoughts.
The second day. Today is the funeral.
I still hadn't changed. I just held the orb. Tight, pressed to my chest.
That beautiful, living orb with their magic inside.
I needed to go see Nimor. To ask. Confirm.
I stood up.
Took off the dress we had so recently admired. It was torn. Stained with blood. Marked with the fight.
I changed into the first brown cloak I could find. Without thought. Without emotion.
I stepped into the sitting room.
Blake was seated at his desk. Alone. Silent. Writing something.
He looked up at me. Serious. Military. The same expression as always. As if nothing had happened.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Dryly. Without emotion.
The blood rushed upward—fast, sharp.
"Are you serious?.." The words broke out before I could stop them. "Do you not know what happened?" The cry ripped loose. "I told you!.." My voice choked as their faces lit up again in my mind. Kay. Lian. Lily.
Tears wouldn't come. They just burned inside.
"And you ask if I'm alright? …I'm not alright! And the kids aren't either!.."
Blake stood. Walked closer. Silent.
In his hand—the belt with Mana, the very one from the desk. Already ready.
The cold on his face was absolute.
"The guards will escort you to the funeral and back. You're not to take a single step outside your room until Roger arrives," he said. That same tone.
He was already turning, heading to the door.
"They're gone," I said to his back. Quietly.
He didn't turn. He just fastened the belt.
"They died. And I… I couldn't do anything," I breathed out, feeling something tear apart inside my chest again. "And you still call me the Chosen One?"
He stopped. But didn't turn around.
"Remember: not a step out of your room. If you try, they'll drag you back and lock the door. Clear?"
His voice like a command. Like an order.
I didn't answer.
My heart kept breaking, over and over. Not from the loss. From him. From his coldness. From his indifference to their deaths.
He left. Behind him—silence.
Even the air didn't stir.
I couldn't feel his winds.
I couldn't feel him anymore…