Morning. He woke up again to the sound of breathing. Someone else's. Soft, almost inaudible... if it weren't for his damned training.
Kalen opened his eyes without moving. His back was wet, as if he had slept on ice. There was a tight knot of anxiety under his ribs, like before a fight. He slowly turned his head.
Reina was asleep, her arm wrapped around his shoulder. The faint glow of dawn played in her hair, like a flame made of blood. Red strands spread across the pillow, her long eyelashes fluttered in her sleep, and her slender hand rested on his chest.
He exhaled hoarsely.
"Damn it," he muttered through his teeth. "Have you lost all fear, then?"
Quietly. Of course, she didn't wake up. Reina slept as if she were at home, as if there was someone nearby whom she had known for many years.
But Kalen knew: she was just a good actress. Or... he hoped it was still a game.
How long has it been? A week? More?
Since her return from Voldkran, she'd casually started coming to see him more often. First, at lunch. Then I stayed late after training. Then-came into the room with the words: "Do you mind if I stay here for a while? The dorm is being renovated, the rats are being driven out. And I'm a rat — and I feel bad."
He didn't respond. He just silently moved away, making room on the bed. Then she chuckled and lay down next to him, as if it were perfectly normal. As if they were already a couple.
Since then, she hardly ever left. She cooked, left him tea, and put a pillow under his back when he was reading. Sometimes, she would stare at him for too long.
And he... he pretended not to notice.
The training didn't stop. Kalen got up at four in the morning. He ran, even with his wounds healed. He did push-ups, stood in a stance, and meditated. He called for Ward. He worked with Tyrk. He summoned a new spider, which he named Sael.
Reina sometimes watched. She sat on the steps, her legs crossed, wearing a long, dark shirt that was clearly too big for her.
"You're trying so hard, Kalen," she once said. "It's like you're trying to prove something to someone. To yourself?"
He didn't answer. He just looked at her, and something in his eyes flickered.
She stood up, came closer, and bent down.
"Or... you just don't know how to be ordinary?"
Kalen turned away and muttered:
"Go to sleep. This is not a place for interrogation."
But she didn't leave. Instead, she whispered right next to his ear:
"What if I want to know who you really are?"
The Academy was preparing for the next stages of the Victriada. Teachers were scurrying around the corridors like flies in the July heat. Some were shouting about new rules, while others were complaining that the cafeteria was out of normal food again.
And Kalen... he felt more and more often that he was being watched. Whispers behind his back. Whispers among the other students. After he had returned alive, after there were only 23 of them left, they were afraid of him. Or jealous. Or both.
Reina was the only one who looked at him the same way she used to. Maybe even softer.
During one of her magic theory classes, she sat next to him, leaned over, and whispered:
"Would you like me to teach you the magic of light? It might come in handy. You're absorbing it."
"I don't want your light," he hissed back sharply. "I have enough darkness of my own."
"Oh, you're a poet." She chuckled, tilting her head, and slowly ran a finger down his shoulder. "But what if I want you to become stronger? To... not die. I'm also your shadow, aren't I?"
He looked at her. And for the first time, he didn't know what to say.
That night, he had another dream. But it wasn't a nightmare.
He was standing on a cliff. Below him was a roaring ocean, inky and bottomless. Vard was by his side, as always, tall and black with burning eyes. Tyrk was hanging from his shoulder, catching snowflakes with his tongue. The new spiders, Sael, Kerva, and Nord, were sitting on the rocks. And in front of him was she.
Witch. Beste.
Crossing her arms, she said mockingly:
"Well, my insufferable summoner. Where to now?"
"Home," he replied in a dull voice.
She narrowed her eyes.
"What do you call home, Kalen?"
And he woke up without knowing the answer.