Eugene and the others remained until twenty-seven minutes past seven, then left the hospital and returned to the academy accompanied by Alex.
The sun had begun to lean toward the horizon, leaving golden threads that painted a sorrowful tableau across the city's walls, while their footsteps echoed through streets that were gradually emptying of passersby. Eugene touched the place of his injury with curious fingers, as though confirming that the pain was nothing more than a fleeting memory.
"Heh, I don't feel any pain!" he said with a light laugh, though his eyes concealed a trace of astonishment, like someone who had suddenly discovered that his wound had healed without his noticing.
Alex lifted his head toward the sky, as if addressing the clouds. "Didn't I tell you? Zahr is a skilled and experienced doctor."
Farid looked at Alex, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Do you always go to them when you're injured?"
Alex turned to him. His reply was brief as usual, yet carried a mysterious tone. "And how do you think I knew she was skilled?"
Eugene smiled and raised an eyebrow mockingly, his voice like a poisoned arrow. "Looks like the sad falcon has been diving into the sea of his beloved's juice! Hahaha."
Eugene and Farid's soft laughter broke out, but it did not last long before they received two simultaneous blows to their heads, as though fate were reminding them that amusement has its price.
The carriage reached the academy, and they all stepped down as if leaving a small vessel for an island separated from the world.
Farid headed toward the second-year dormitory, but Reem stopped him with a questioning look. "Why are you going?"
He looked at her with eyes heavy with sleep. His words yawned as he spoke. "My lecture starts at one… aaah—" he yawned softly— "so I'm going to sleep for a bit."
Eugene extended his hand in exaggerated pleading. "Please… take me with you!"
But Alex grabbed his shirt and lifted him slightly, as though pulling him out of a pleasant dream. "Huh? You want to sleep? You have hours of cleaning ahead of you!"
Eugene's eyes and mouth widened for a moment, as if struck by lightning. "Cleaning?! Didn't you say our punishment would be after lessons?!"
Alex raised an eyebrow coolly. "Yes, your punishment for fighting and wrecking the place with that old woman… but you have another punishment: your confrontation with Ralph."
Shock rippled through Eugene like waves when a stone is cast into water. The only ones who knew about that were Thor and Milicia. "H-how did he know I fought with Ralph?!"
Rin and Reem looked at him, then exchanged glances. Reem clasped her hands and raised her brows in disbelief. "You fought with Ralph?! Well… what else are you hiding from us?"
Rin snapped, irritation in his voice. "Man! Will you stop throwing yourself into trouble?!"
Eugene replied carelessly, though his eyes betrayed him. "He's annoying and a bully. He started it!"
Rin answered with equal annoyance. "Yes, today Ralph… and tomorrow the head of a criminal organization, right?"
Alex yawned. "Alright… you fought and it's over. Ralph will be punished with you… ah, there's no need for all this fuss."
Rin pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "I think we should tie you up with a chain so you don't cause problems again."
Eugene raised an eyebrow and clasped his hands. "A chain?! Do you think I'm a pet?"
In the back, Alex imagined Eugene as an annoying brown dog wearing a party hat and drinking soda. He smiled inwardly. "That would be a very bad idea… he'd cause chaos everywhere."
"Ah… fine. I'll take a nap until lectures begin."
Rin and Reem left, and before they could go far, Alex called out loudly as he took the bag from Eugene. "You two!—" Rin and Reem turned to him— "take the bag."
Alex tossed the bag into the air, unaware of what it contained.
Eugene watched it fly toward Rin, his heart racing and sweat beading on his forehead. He imagined thousands of scenarios: the bag would fall, it would break, he would lose Milicia's trust, her secret would be exposed, and he would be punished for lying and for keeping something so dangerous.
Life shifted into slow motion, as if time itself had paused to mock him. But all those scenarios vanished when Rin caught the bag safely.
"Ooof…" Eugene exhaled in relief, as though his soul had returned to his body.
Alex pulled him along while Rin and Reem walked away. Then Alex released him, and they walked side by side in silence.
After a few minutes, they passed behind the first-year dormitories, then crossed a small garden until they reached a completely new area of the academy.
The place was like a painting crafted by nature in its finest colors: terraced soil descending like green steps, covered in soft grass like silk. Trees from which small waterfalls hung, whispering water as though recounting ancient legends. On either side, flowers smiled in their colors at the sun, and below lay a vast blue lake shimmering like a mirror of the sky. Blue birds crowned with white perched on branches, exchanging melodies as if performing a symphony of peace.
"Wow… what a beautiful sight," Eugene whispered, as though afraid his voice might shatter the beauty.
Suddenly, a voice from the left cut through the scene like a knife. "Of course you're amazed! You're just a villager who lived among the poor and commoners!"
Eugene turned toward the voice and saw Ralph. His arm was broken, his face covered in bandages and cotton, like an abstract painting.
Eugene stifled a laugh at the sight of Ralph's swollen red nose, which made him resemble a clown.
Alex's voice came down like iron. "Enough fooling around! Start cleaning. I want the place organized and the cafeteria clean before lectures begin."
Ralph snapped, "Why is he even here?! He should be in prison!"
Eugene was about to respond, but Alex's sharp gaze cut him off. "Prison?! You're the one who should be in prison! You used a weapon meant for killing, you were the first to use an imprint outside the academy's limits, and you started the fight! Eugene punished you by beating you, and you deserve prison!"
Alex's tone and aura were enough to silence Ralph in fear. He continued, "Now take the shears and trim the trees and grass. When you're done, gather the cut leaves and branches."
Alex left them alone, as though casting them into a silent battlefield.
Each took his shears and began cutting the grass without looking at the other, as if an invisible glass wall stood between them.
Eugene sank into his thoughts. "According to what Farid said a few weeks ago, the final test before moving to the second year is working with one of the organizations, to gain experience and adapt to a cultivator's life."
His mind returned to his fight with Ralph and to seeing Thor. "It's Thor… if my memory serves me right, he's one of the heads of the Border Guards organization. Now Ralph is here before me… and there will undoubtedly be a battle. If I fight him first, I'll prove myself in front of him, which will make joining that organization easier. And I'll also avenge Reem for when he killed her cat… it may not be something that concerns me personally or emotionally, but if I can take her revenge, why not? And also… to rid myself of this annoying brat's arrogance."
He returned to the present, trimming the grass near the lake. His reflection in the water bore his features—his hair, his eyes—as though the water were asking him, "Was your true motive really to avenge Reem… or was it to prove to yourself that you can bear responsibility, that you're not just a source of trouble?"
Ralph, meanwhile, watched Eugene from the corner of his eye, nearly exploding with anger. But Alex's words echoed in his mind, along with the memory of his crushing defeat at Eugene's hands.
Suddenly, his features shifted from anger to sorrow. Memories crept into his mind like shadows.
A miserable childhood… a rich man's son, yet the fifth son of his father. His mother was hated among the four wives because she was the favorite. His life was like a dark painting, every color gray. On a cold winter night, his mother brought a divorce paper. His father refused to sign, but the other wives pressured him until he signed it without reading, fleeing his grief.
He and his mother left the house.
Later, his father's wives conspired to rid themselves of him and seize his wealth. They put a sedative in his juice, and when he went hunting deer, a blue-horned stag attacked and killed him.
After the funeral, they went to court to claim the inheritance. But the last will had been written before his father married his mother, dividing the money among the four wives only. Yet his mother had made his father sign a new will transferring everything to her—he had not read it, blinded by love.
The wives were shocked. One screamed, but it was too late. His father was dead, and his mother became the rightful owner. She expelled the wives and took the castle.
Ralph lived a spoiled life; whatever he wanted, he obtained. But his mother suffered from a mild mental disorder that made her irritable and obsessive. She was alone after his father's death and clung to him like a drowning person clings to driftwood. The smallest mistake meant a brutal beating until he lost consciousness. He lived like an arrogant king, yet starved for affection.
At seven, he grew attached to a maid, believing she loved him, but she was only doing her job. When his mother found out, she killed her, believing she would steal him away and leave her alone.
Ralph gripped the shears with trembling hands. Each memory squeezed his heart with sorrow. He had possessed everything—except a mother's love. He grew up bullying and mocking others, entering the academy to prove he was superior to the "filthy poor."
But then… memories of the attack and his battle with Eugene flooded back. He discovered that those "filthy poor" were stronger than him, mentally and physically. His pride shattered in an instant; his arrogance turned to ash.
He looked at Eugene with anger and hatred, grinding his teeth, nearly striking him with the shears. "That villager… he hit me, destroyed my dignity, stole the spotlight from me, made me look like an insect at the birthday of the girl I love… He… he's the reason!"
His foot stepped forward toward Eugene, but he stopped. He stood like a statue for a moment, then turned and resumed cutting the grass and trees, as though slicing through his old wounds.
Minutes passed like hours, and hours like fleeting moments. They finished restoring the place.
Eugene sat on the ground, gazing at the lake. The air moved his hair like gentle fingers, and the water was as clear as transparency itself. The sky began to don the robe of dusk, and the first stars cautiously appeared. The moon's reflection upon the lake's surface was like a silver painting, and the trees whispered with their leaves as though praying.
End of chapter.