Warmth pressed against his skin. Not from the sun. Not from magic. But the soft weight of a blanket and the hum of life around him.
Taveer opened his eyes slowly.
The ceiling above was unfamiliar, wooden beams and soft lamplight flickering along the curves. Not the infirmary. Not the barracks. Somewhere quieter. Safer. For now.
"Taveer?"
He turned his head. Nola sat at his bedside, worry etched into every line of her face. Her pale hair was tied back in a hasty braid, and her eyes normally sharp were red at the corners.
"You're awake," she said, voice barely above a whisper.
"Damn, finally," Maika muttered from the other side of the room. She was sitting cross-legged on a bench, chewing on something that looked like dried fruit. Her eyes flicked to him with her usual casual disdain. "I was starting to bet he'd stay out another day."
"Told you he's too stubborn to die," Brielle added, arms crossed, leaning against the far wall. Her armor was off, but the streaks of ash still marked her sleeves.
Taveer blinked, his mouth dry. "How long…?"
"Three days," Nola said gently.
His hand twitched under the blanket. Three days. Gone.
He sat up slowly. The motion made his head spin. Something inside his chest felt… heavier. Not in pain. Just full. A weight that wasn't entirely his.
"I felt it again," he said, fingers curling against the fabric. "When I fainted. That presence… That wasn't just Vlad's power."
The others fell silent.
Taveer looked down at his hands. "He's not just a seal. He's something else. I think he's… protecting me. From something worse."
Maika raised an eyebrow. "Worse than Vlad? Great. Just what we needed."
"No, listen," Taveer said, the words spilling now. "I am a rare case. I have two wills. One is Vlad, cold, ancient but focused. The other one's more chaotic. Like a broken mirror. I don't know how they both ended up inside me, but they're not trying to fight. Not yet. They're… watching."
"That doesn't sound comforting," Brielle muttered.
He shook his head. "It's not. But it kept me alive."
"You looked like you were burning from the inside," Nola said. "We couldn't even touch you at first. There were wards flaring off your skin."
"And then…" Maika said, her voice lifting into a grin. "Well. Nola did something real heroic."
Nola froze. "Don't."
Taveer blinked. "What?"
"She kissed you," Maika said with a loud laugh. "And then you passed out. Immediately. Like some storybook idiot prince."
"I-I didn't." Nola stammered, her face turning the exact shade of her crimson sash. "That wasn't, it was just mana transfer! Your mana was unstable!"
Taveer's brain short-circuited.
Maika howled. "You should've seen your face! Both of you looked like someone set your hair on fire!"
"I was stabilizing his leyflow!" Nola protested. "It's a recognized technique in emergency spellcraft!"
Brielle smirked, turning toward the window to hide it. "Sure. And if I kiss someone and it knocks them out, I'm writing that in my combat logs."
"I hate you all," Nola muttered, burying her face in her hands.
Taveer tried to speak but all that came out was a broken cough. His face was hot. Not from mana surge. Just plain, dumb heat.
"I'm going to die again," he mumbled.
Maika tossed him a flask of water. "Not yet. You still owe me ten silver from the card game."
The room eased a little after that. The tension cracked. Not gone but suspended.
Taveer sipped the water, then looked up. "What happened… after I blacked out?"
Brielle's expression shifted.
Maika sobered.
Nola lifted her head slowly.
"There was a man," Nola said quietly. "He left after you collapsed. He killed even a special investigative team member and he was the one who had caused the rift to originate along with Soren Vale.
"Caelis found what was left of the field. They found only the carcass of Soren with no other clues related to the man." Brielle said.
Maika added, "The earth was carved out like a crater. Half the runes in the leyline web were fried."
"I don't remember anything from my fight with you," Taveer admitted. "I felt Vlad surge, but it was like watching someone else move my body."
Nola nodded. "That tracks. You weren't... there. Not fully."
A beat.
Brielle looked over. "You scared us."
Taveer exhaled slowly. "I scared myself."
Silence again. This time, it wasn't awkward. Just full. Like the space between breaths.
Maika stood, stretching. "Well, now that lover boy is awake, I'm gonna get food. Don't pass out again while I'm gone."
"Not planning to," Taveer muttered.
Brielle followed her out, offering him a nod. "Good to have you back."
Then it was just him and Nola.
She sat quietly, hands clasped in her lap, eyes not meeting his.
"Hey," he said, softer. "Thanks. For whatever that was. Mana transfer. Heroic idiocy. All of it."
She looked up. Her smile was small, but real. "Don't make me do it again."
"No promises."
They both smiled, awkward and warm.
Outside, rain had stopped. But the air still smelled of ash and ozone.
Something was coming. Taveer could feel it in his bones.
But for now, he was alive. And they were here.
And that was enough for the next breath.