"Ow! Fuck, that hurts!"
The healer snickered. A beautiful, mature woman with a face that looked perpetually tired, dark eye circles and all. Her obsidian hair was coming loose from a bun, and one of her glasses' lenses was smudged like she'd wiped it on her coat sleeve. My impression of her was unreliable and messy.
Her fingers were glowing as she dug them into the back of my skull.
"Sit still," she ordered.
I tried, but the room wasn't helping. Too clean. Too bright. Smelled like crushed mint leaves and whatever disinfectant they boil mana crystals in.
And the idiot in the corner wasn't making it any easier.
Kael leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, arms folded, with a wide, stupid grin. "Haha, so I'm counting eight hits for me, one massive hit for you. Since you're in here, I guess that means I win, Luna."
"No, dumbass. This doesn't count. I only hurt myself—I never got hit!"
"Both of you, be quiet!" Her voice cracked through the infirmary. Her glare pinned Kael so hard even I sat up straighter.
"You," she snapped, pointing a finger, "stop agitating my patient, or I'll kick you out."
Then she turned her attention back to me, tilting my head back to meet her void-like eyes. "And you. Sit. Still."
"Ouch!" I yelped, blinking rapidly as she squeezed my head. She's so scary. Why is she a healer? Seriously, how is she allowed to do this?
Victoria stood by the door, hands behind her back, watching the whole circus with a stoic expression that I knew was barely holding back a lecture.
Suddenly, the door slammed open with a loud bang, making her jump.
Elara—no, Major Elara—marched in, uniform crisp, boots clacking against the stone. She brushed straight past Victoria and Kael as their hands snapped to quick salutes.
I was the only one who didn't react.
The look she gave me froze every muscle in my body. Not the scowl of an officer—worse. The familiar you are in so much trouble stare.
Oh gods, she's gonna strangle me.
"Luna."
Her hands were all over me before I could escape. She grabbed my chin, tilting my head left, then right, examining me like a damaged artifact.
"Stoppp," I protested, trying to pull back.
She pressed her hands against my neck, then moved to my brow, before settling on holding my face between her palms, her green eyes bored into mine.
Oh my gods, what is she doing? This is embarrassing, and she's not even saying anything! I could feel my soul trying to leave my body just to escape the secondhand mortification.
My hand ended up braced against her chest, not pushing so much as trying to carve out an inch of breathing room. "Sishter, sheriously... shtop. I'm fhine," I mumbled, with my cheeks still squished.
Elara ignored me completely, circling to lean over the healer's shoulder and inspect the bandages on my back.
"Major!" The healer snapped, nudging Elara back with surprising force. "Step back. You are crowding my patient."
"I am her commanding officer—"
"And I," the healer cut her off, "am the one preventing what little brains she has from leaking."
Huh? Um... is she insulting me? I mean, probably right? She's so subtle with it...
Elara didn't back down. She loomed over the healer, her mask slipping just enough to show the frustration underneath.
"Maribelle—"
"She's fine," the healer interrupted, pushing up her glasses. "Or she would be, if people stopped barging in here and distracting me. Major, relax or wait outside."
Maribelle? My mind, still fuzzy from the concussion, caught the name.
"Wait," I asked, turning to face them. "Do you know each other? Do I know you?"
"I'm very hurt that you don't even remember your favorite aunt." She said with a teasing pout.
"Wha?" I tilted my head, confused. My brain tried to recall a memory, but it felt like there was a wall sealing it in.
"Who made you her aunt?" Elara scowled at her.
"Um... so... I do know you?"
"Ehmm... Cadet Vaelstrad, Cadet Ardent," Maribelle said, her voice leaving no room for argument. "This is a privileged medical consultation. You are dismissed."
Victoria and Kael exchanged a quick look. Kael shrugged and retrieved his staff, leaving without another word. Victoria merely gave a curt nod and strode through the door, closing it gently behind her.
Maribelle sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose beneath her glasses. "Now that the audience is gone, Elara," she said, her voice dropping. "She needs rest. Now."
"Maribelle," Elara's tone turned serious, "is she stable?"
"Just a concussion," Maribelle replied, adjusting her gloves. "Nothing to worry about too much."
"You know that's not what I'm asking," Elara said, stepping closer, her voice tense with motherly anxiety.
Maribelle sighed, running a hand through her bun. "Her cores are fine, Elara. Shockingly so, I'd say, considering what she was doing."
I tugged at my sister's sleeve, bringing her ear closer, and whispered. "Um... is she supposed to know that?"
She placed a hand on my shoulder, her expression a mix of exhaustion and affection. "Sweetie, you've already met her many times. She's Maribelle, she's known about it since the day we took your first reading. She's one of the very few people I trust to keep you alive."
Why can't I remember her? This is so weird.
Maribelle, who had pretended not to hear the exchange, spoke up. "That's correct, I am Elara's one and only friend." She turned and smirked at Elara. "So feel free to call me big sister Mari."
Elara gave her a warning look, but didn't deny it.
I blinked. "Big sister?"
"Don't encourage her," Elara muttered.
Maribelle clasped her hands together. "Now then. Since we're all reunited as one big happy family, let's talk about what exactly you were doing out there, Luna."
Elara nodded. "Maribelle is right. Explain yourself."
My stomach dropped. "Explain what?"
Elara crossed her arms—the posture that meant I was definitely in trouble. "Don't play with me. Explain it all. From the beginning."
Maribelle nodded, folding her arms as well. "Preferably without leaving out the part where you decided to turn yourself into a bomb."
My shoulders slumped. "Oh."
"Oh?" Elara repeated, eyebrow raised.
"Oh?" Maribelle echoed after her.
Great. Fantastic. Now I have two scary big sisters who want to punish me.
"It's my new technique, of course!" I puffed out my chest, trying to shake the suspicion off.
"Go on." Maribelle rolled her hand.
"I call it..." I paused for dramatic effect. "[Detonation]."
"Pfft—" She cupped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry. Continue."
Elara shot her a glare. "Maribelle."
"What?" she whispered back, shoulders shaking with another barely contained huff. "She named it Detonation. Isn't that funny?"
Rude.
I jabbed a finger at her. "Hey! It's a super cool name!"
"Yes," Maribelle said as she tried to smother another laugh, "for an explosion. Which, in case you forgot, you were."
Elara dragged a hand down her face. "Luna, please. Start explaining. Clearly."
"Okay, okay," I conceded, shoulders deflating. "I saw everyone else using [Aura Channeling], so I tried it myself."
"Hah, this is why you shouldn't have hidden her from me so much, Elara. She's turned out stupid!"
"Shut up, Maribelle."
"Yeah, shut up." I stuck my tongue out at her. "Your face looks exhausted, but you have a ton of energy to bully me, huh?"
Maribelle tilted her head in thought. "Contrary to popular belief, fatigue does not diminish the desire to bully children."
"I'm not a child," I snapped.
"Mmhm." She hummed, clearly not listening.
Elara pulled me into a hug, one hand cradling the back of my head to keep me from wriggling. "Maybe she doesn't remember you because you keep traumatizing her."
"Yeah, Mari. Trauma." I buried my head further into Elara's chest.
Maribelle scoffed. "Oh, please. I've been nothing but a positive influence."
Elara's eyes narrowed. "You took my seven-year-old child to fight goblins!"
"Tiny goblins," Maribelle corrected, holding a hand out to show their size.
"You armed her," Elara accused.
"With supervision," Maribelle replied, proudly thumping her chest.
"Supervision by you," Elara emphasized. "Which is worse!"
Maribelle held up her hands. "Someone had to teach her something other than being smothered."
"I don't smother her! I give her love. Something you clearly lack! That's why she doesn't remember you!"
But—something in my brain clicked. A forest. A goblin with a bucket on its head. Trying to swing a sword that swung me instead. A woman cheering like it was a national sport. Her handing me the bucket afterward, like it was a trophy.
Oh no. I do remember her. I remember everything.
"Ahhh!" I pulled away from Elara and stumbled back, pointing at her. "You!" My pulse kicked up, a mix of recognition and disbelief. "You're the psycho lady who threw me at goblins!"
Maribelle lit up instantly. "Hah! See? Bonding experience."
"That's not bonding, that's endangerment!" Elara yelled.
Their argument escalated like someone had opened a box with a decade of resentment stored inside—voices rising, hands flailing in the air, both of them talking over each other.
And I saw my chance. Perfect chance to escape, I suppose.
I tried inching my way toward the door.
Okay. This is it. Operation Slip-Away-While-The-Adults-Rage. Foolproof. They'll never notice. I'm a genius.
"Sooo," I said carefully, "since you two clearly have... unresolved issues, I'm gonna just head out—"
They froze mid-sentence.
Two heads turned toward me in perfect predatory unison.
Damn. Why the fuck did I say that? I am not a genius.
Elara planted her hands on her hips. "Nice try."
Maribelle mirrored her posture. "Stay right there. Explain. Everything."
My body stiffened, throat suddenly dry, eyes flicking nervously between them. "So. I charged mana through my core—"
"Which core?" Elara cut in instantly.
"Uh... The main one?"
Her eye twitched. "Keep going."
"I tried to channel it to my legs, like how the guy who beat Kael did. But when I went to move it... it got sucked in."
Maribelle frowned, leaning in closer and squinting with suspicion. "Sucked in? By what?"
"By the other one," I explained, tapping my chest. "The wild core. It doesn't like to listen. It grabbed the mana I was trying to move and just... sucked it back in."
"Hmm." Maribelle exchanged a dark look with Elara. "A parasitic mana draw. Go on. What happened next?"
"Then, I tried to pull it out," I said, mimicking a pulling motion. "I just yanked it. And when I did... I blew up."
"So you unintentionally turned yourself into a mana bomb," Elara stated, crossing her arms again. Her face was pale.
"Yeah. But it was fun," I insisted, trying to salvage the mood.
"Fun?" Elara's voice was low. "You could have vaporized yourself."
"The question is, Luna," Maribelle interrupted, serious. "The repeated blasts you used to win the match. You weren't just exploding randomly. You were moving. Those blasts were controlled, were they not?"
Control? I looked down. No. That's not right.
"I don't know," I admitted, frustrated, rubbing at my scalp. "I was laughing, and my head hurt, but I just thought, forward, left, stop. I didn't calculate the flow. I was just... willing them to happen."
Maribelle's lips twitched. "Explosive control, hmm?" Her gaze sharpened, scanning me from head to toe. "Tch. See Elara, if you just trained her mana control properly, or at least let me do it, this wouldn't have happened."
"Dammit, Maribelle. I know that already."
I awkwardly shuffled, trying to shrink myself out of existence. "I thought I could... manage it. Mostly. Ish."
Elara closed her eyes, letting out a large breath. For a moment, I thought I was doomed. Instead, she stepped in close, voice softer. "No, sweetheart. This isn't on you."
A knock clipped the air. Maribelle froze mid-nudge of her glasses. Elara's shoulders went rigid, the way they always do when she's switching from mother mode to officer mode.
"We'll come back to this," she murmured, squeezing my hand once before letting it go. "Enter."
Victoria stepped in with her arms full of something. Something heavy. She let it drop onto my lap with a clatter. It took me a second to realize what it was.
My beloved sword. Or... what used to be my sword. My heart sank. I'll miss you...
I touched the ruined blade with my thumb. Shards flaked off like old paint. Gods. I'd swung this thing a thousand times and never pictured holding it like... this.
"This was all that was left. I didn't know if you wanted it or not."
Elara sighed, picking up the former weapon off my lap.
"Sister," I said, my voice flat and serious, cutting off her chance to lecture. "I require a new sword."
She blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in tone. "Yes. Fine. We'll discuss requisitions later. Right now, we need a verdict."
She turned to Maribelle. "Well? Is she cleared?"
Maribelle adjusted her coat; the crazy woman arguing with Elara moments ago vanished. She was back to being a strict military doctor.
She switches modes faster than Elara, I thought, rubbing my throbbing head. Are all adults this moody, or is it just my family?
"Health-wise? Yes. The gash is sealed," Maribelle said, her voice crisp. "But mentally? Still an idiot, unfortunately. If she tries that technique again without thinking, she'll most likely hurt herself again."
"Hey!"
They both glanced at me, but ignored my cry.
"So, bed rest," Elara concluded.
"No need," Maribelle said, a strange glint entering her eyes as she looked at me. "I'll fix her."
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "She'll be coming with me for the night."
"With you?" I asked. "Like... a sleepover?"
"Haha, you wish." She poked the tip of my nose. "I have some monitoring equipment in my home. If you have developed a new way to channel mana that involves explosions, I want to see exactly how it works. And I want to make sure you don't liquefy your organs before the final two matchups tomorrow."
Elara bit her lip, considering it. "You want to study her."
"I want to keep her alive," Maribelle countered smoothly. "And if we happen to figure out why she didn't explode... well, that's just a bonus."
"Fine," Elara relented. "But don't keep her up all night. She needs to be ready for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" I shot up to my feet, wobbling as the room spun slightly. "What's the schedule?"
Victoria spoke up. "The tournament concludes tomorrow. Round four is in the morning against Silverwood Academy. Round five—the final matchup against Astaria—will be in the afternoon, followed by the closing ceremony."
Silverwood?That's Rhea's team.
My eyes lit up. "I get to fight Rhea again?"
"Yes, you'll be able to fight Silverwood again," Victoria confirmed.
"No, she won't," Maribelle shot it down instantly.
My eyes went wide, looking between them. "Eh?"
Maribelle adjusted her glasses. "You are staying in observation until noon. You are missing the morning match. No exceptions."
"But I want to fight her!" I complained, looking at Elara for support. "I need to show her the new move!"
"Don't worry about it," Kael piped up from the doorway, leaning in with a grin. "Victoria and I can handle Silverwood. We'll keep the win streak alive. You just make sure you're glued back together for the big one."
Oh. Right. That asshole Asher. I totally forgot I still had to kick his ass.
My disappointment vanished. If I skip Silverwood... I'll be at full strength for him.
"Okay. Fine. Let's go, big sis Mari. I've got a lot of data for you."