The first thing Solace felt was warmth.
Not the sharp, intrusive kind that came with pain—but a dull, ambient heat, like sunlight filtered through closed curtains. It pressed gently against his skin, coaxing sensation back into his limbs one piece at a time.
He was standing somewhere open. A wide field, maybe. The sky was pale and unfamiliar, washed out as an old photograph left too long in the sun. There were people there—figures sitting on a wooden bench, another standing behind them with a hand resting on a shoulder.
They were smiling at him.
He knew that much.
They were important. He knew that too.
Grandparents. Parents. Family from another world. The one that had ended before this life began.
He tried to step closer.
The ground didn't resist him, but the distance didn't shrink either. No matter how much he walked, they remained just far enough away to be untouchable.
He focused harder. Tried to remember details.
Faces.
Names.
The harder he strained, the more indistinct they became. Features blurred, edges softened. Voices that had once been warm turned into muffled echoes. He knew they were speaking to him—but he couldn't understand a single word.
Panic crept in, slow and cold.
"No," he murmured, though no sound came out. "Wait. I—"
He reached for one of them.
His hand passed through empty air.
The realization hit him all at once.
He couldn't remember their names.
Not a single one.
Not their faces. Not the sound of their laughter. Not even the way they used to look at him.
Only the feeling remained.
A sense of loss without an anchor.
The field cracked.
Sound rushed in.
Loud. Messy. Real.
Solace's eyes snapped open.
White ceiling.
Bright lights.
The sharp air filled his lungs as he sucked in a breath a little too fast, chest tightening in protest. He groaned quietly and turned his head.
That's when the noise registered.
"—I'm telling you, strength matters more than technique."
"That's bullshit, Lex, you just don't want to admit you lost."
"I did not lose."
"You absolutely did."
The bed beside him creaked violently.
Solace blinked, vision still fuzzy at the edges, and turned his eyes toward the source.
Nolan and Lex were standing on opposite sides of a medical bed, elbows slammed down on its surface, hands locked together in a tense arm wrestle. Nolan's jaw was clenched, veins standing out on his neck. Lex's teeth were bared in something between a grin and a grimace, bone patterns faintly visible beneath his skin as he reinforced his arm.
"Nolan," Vivi said softly but firmly from somewhere near Solace's left, "you're going to break the bed."
"I'm winning," Nolan shot back.
"No shot," Lex replied.
Across the room, Phoebe was perched on the edge of a chair, legs crossed, chin resting in her palm. Love leaned casually against the wall beside her, arms folded, expression bright with amusement.
"I'm just saying," Phoebe was saying, eyes flicking between Nolan and Lex, "if they get any closer, this is basically foreplay."
Nolan's arm wobbled.
"What?" he barked.
Love snorted. "She's not wrong. Honestly, this is exactly how half the romances in those academy novels start."
Phoebe's eyes lit up. "Oh! Have you read Silver Threads, Crimson Chains? The slow burn between the knight and the rival heir—"
"—was criminally underwritten," Love finished smoothly. "But the tension? Immaculate."
Nolan's concentration shattered completely. His arm slammed sideways against the bed with a loud thud.
Lex straightened, victorious. "See?"
"I was distracted," Nolan protested.
Vivi stepped closer to Solace's bed, hands clasped together nervously. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "You're all being too loud. He's still unconscious."
"I'm not," Solace said hoarsely.
Every head snapped toward him.
Phoebe gasped dramatically. "Oh my gods. Sleeping Beauty awakens."
Love's lips curled into a grin. "Took you long enough."
Nolan froze, then leaned closer. "Solace?"
Solace swallowed, throat dry. "Yeah. Unfortunately."
Phoebe leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Good timing. If you hadn't woken up in the next minute, we were going to tell Nolan to kiss you awake."
"I was not," Nolan said immediately, ears turning red.
Lex raised an eyebrow. "You hesitated."
"I did not."
Love tilted her head, clearly enjoying herself. "It would've been interesting, at least."
Vivi flushed, interrupting them. "It's—It's not like that!"
Lily stood near the far wall, arms folded loosely, gaze fixed on the floor tiles. She hadn't said a word since Solace woke up.
Solace let the noise wash over him for a second, grounding himself in it. Then he sighed.
"That joke," he said, voice still rough, "was genuinely unfunny."
Phoebe clutched her chest as if she were clutching a wound. "I am so Wounded."
Lex chuckled. Nolan relaxed visibly.
Solace shifted, pushing himself up slightly against the pillows. His muscles protested immediately, a deep ache spreading through his core and limbs.
"Did I… win?" he asked.
Lex nodded.
"And," Nolan added, stepping closer, "you qualified for the next phase. Leon did too."
Solace blinked. "Leon?"
"All of us," Nolan said, a hint of pride in his voice. "Everyone of us made it to the final phase."
Phoebe smirked. "Which means…"
She looked around the room slowly.
"…we'll be facing each other eventually."
Love shrugged. "I'm ready to take on anyone, to be honest."
Solace snorted weakly. "I'm not."
Honestly, after seeing her fight He would be grateful not be placed against her.
That earned a few laughs.
Then his gaze shifted again—toward Lily.
She was still standing apart from the group, shoulders slightly hunched, eyes lowered.
"Hey," Solace said, frowning. "Why are you standing all the way over there? And why aren't you saying anything?"
The room went quiet. Nolan scratched the back of his neck. Lex looked away.
Vivi's fingers twisted together nervously.
Lily lifted her head just enough to meet Solace's eyes. Her expression was flat.
"I just came to check on you," she said. "Now that I know you're fine, I'm leaving."
She turned before anyone could respond and walked toward the door.
"Lily—" Vivi started.
The door slid shut softly behind her.
Silence lingered for a beat.
Solace frowned. "What happened?"
No one answered immediately.
Phoebe shrugged eventually. " It's Complicated."
Vivi nodded. "Yeah."
Lex shifted uncomfortably, then spoke. "My father's been… strict lately. Not letting me go out much. Doesn't want me meeting people alone."
Solace looked at him. "Why?"
Lex exhaled. "Probably because of the Ishtara. He values the heir of brightburn family too much."
Solace leaned back against the pillow, staring up at the ceiling again.