Verosika didn't wake gently.
She woke like someone surfacing from deep water breath sharp, chest tight, eyes snapping open before her thoughts caught up.
The ceiling above her wasn't hers.
dark.
Too elegant and till.
Her body ached not painfully, but in a way that said something had changed. Magic hummed under her skin like a heartbeat that didn't belong to her alone.
Then she realized there was weight beside her.
Warm.
Steady.
Alive.
Her eyes shifted
Malerion slept sitting up, back against the headboard, one arm loosely around her shoulders as if protecting her even unconscious.
Verosika froze.
Then whispered to herself:
"…Oh no."
She tried to move.
Her muscles disagreed.
Everything felt heavier not weak, just new.
Her magic pulsed again reacting to his presence.
She realized she was still leaning against him head against his chest, his coat covering her like a blanket.
Her cheeks heated.
"Oh, this is ridiculous," she whispered, trying to slide away.
The moment she moved
his hand tightened gently on her hip.
Not possessive.
Reflexive.
Protective.
His voice followed low, calm, half awake:
"Don't force movement yet."
She froze again.
"You're awake?"
she mumbled, mortified.
"I have been," he answered softly. "Your body needed time to adjust. Rest was necessary."
She groaned and covered her face with one hand.
"Oh no, no, no. Tell me I didn't pass out in front of everyone."
"You did."
She let out a dying noise.
"And tell me you at least carried me like someone elegant and mysterious."
"I carried you like someone unconscious," he replied with perfect honesty.
She stared at him in horror.
"…You're the worst."
A faint almost invisible smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I told you training would not be glamorous."
"I didn't think it would end with me asleep on you."
His gaze softened subtle but impossible to miss.
"You pushed beyond your limits. That isn't weakness."
Silence stretched.
She swallowed.
"…Do you think I was foolish?"
"No."
She blinked.
His voice stayed steady, firm, honest:
"I think you were brave. And committed. You want strength not for pride, not for image but because you refuse to be powerless."
Her breath caught.
For once, she didn't joke.
"…Thank you."
Malerion didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he gently brushed a fallen lock of hair behind her ear a small movement, slow and intentional.
A touch that meant more than either was ready to name.
Verosika went very still.
So did he.
Neither pulled away.
After a long second, she cleared her throat too loudly.
"So does your weird… magic system always make people pass out? Because I would like to prepare next time."
"No," he replied. "Most don't adapt fast enough to strain that hard."
"…So I'm either gifted or stupid."
"Efficient," he corrected.
She blinked again.
"…You're really bad at flirting, you know that?"
"I wasn't flirting."
"That's the problem."
She laughed softly then winced as sore muscles reminded her they existed.
Malerion shifted so she could sit up without strain.
"Take today to recover."
She raised a brow.
"You giving orders now?"
"Yes."
"…I hate how natural that sounded."
He stood calm, composed, coat falling neatly back into place.
"Liz will bring food. Hydrate. Rest. Tomorrow we continue."
She made a face.
"You say that like I agreed."
"You did," he replied simply, walking toward the door.
"When?"
"When you stood in the training hall."
She stared speechless.
He reached the doorway paused then looked back.
"And Verosika?"
"Yes?"
His eyes held hers steady, unguarded, observant in a way that saw too much but didn't pry.
"You're not a burden."
Her breath stopped.
"…Not then," he continued.
"Not now."
A softer beat.
"Not ever."
Then he left.
The door clicked shut.
Verosika sat in stunned silence for a full twelve seconds before collapsing face first into the pillow and screaming into it.
Not angry or distressed.
Overwhelmed.
When she finally stopped, she whispered into the pillow:
"…Fuck."
Because something had changed between them.
Not a confession.
Bond spoken aloud.
But a shift neither could undo.
A beginning.
promise.
And Hell especially Lust Ring never ignored a spark like that.