Outside the school gates, the noise faded.
West crouched down in front of Mira and gently inspected her scraped palm and elbow.
"Hold still," he said.
"I—I’m fine," Mira mumbled as her face burned red. "It’s really nothing."
"You’re bleeding," West replied matter-of-factly.
He pulled out a tissue, cleaned the scrape carefully, then pressed it lightly.
Mira stared at him the entire time.
"...Do you have a habit of not minding your business?" West asked suddenly.
She blinked. "A-Are you mad at me?"
"No," he said honestly. "But I would’ve preferred not to interfere."
Mira’s composure cracked.
Tears welled up again, spilling over as she clutched the front of her uniform.
"My dad used to beat my mom," her voice broke as she said in a rush.
West froze.
"I was always too scared," words tumbled out as she continued. "I’d hide. I’d watch from the corner. I never did anything. Never said anything. And it kept happening... and happening..."
Her shoulders shook.
"And then she died."
West exhaled slowly.
"That wasn’t your fault," he said quietly. "You were a kid. What could you have done?"
Mira shook her head fiercely.
"If I had been brave even once," she sobbed, "if I hadn’t been such a coward... it could’ve made a difference."
West reached out and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"You weren’t a coward," he said firmly. "You survived."
Mira leaned forward suddenly, pressing her forehead against his chest.
"I’ve never told anyone," she whispered.
West hesitated for half a second.
Then he wrapped his arms around her and held her.
---
To cheer her up, West dragged her to Ash & Crème.
Jax spotted them immediately.
"Whoa," he said. "Who’s the cute girl?"
West elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ow! Worth it," Jax laughed.
West served Mira ice cream and cake—extra scoops, extra toppings.
"All on the house," he said.
By the time he walked her to the bus station, she was smiling again.
When West returned to work, Jax didn’t let him hear the end of it.
"So," Jax smirked, "saving girls, hugging girls, feeding girls—orc mommy, Aria mommy... busy day, huh?"
West sighed.
"...You’re exhausting."
Jax grinned wider.
"Yeah, but you love me."
•••
•••
Friday arrived in a flash and at school the next day, an announcement hit the classroom like a dropped matchstick in dry grass.
"—an official excursion in two weeks’ time," the teacher finished, tapping the board for emphasis. "Classes 3A through 3D only. Destination: Red Valor City. Specifically—the Eternal Ruins."
For a split second, there was silence.
Then the room exploded.
"What? The Eternal Ruins?!"
"No way, that place has great cultural significance!"
"Bro, do you know how many awakeners died there? But fortunately, its all cleared out now..."
"Wait—we get to go?"
Slips were passed down the rows, thin white papers that somehow weighed a ton in everyone’s hands. Permission forms. Parent signatures. Liability disclaimers written in fonts so small they screamed we warned you.
West stared at the paper on his desk, unreadable to him for a moment.
Eternal Ruins...
He was interested in checking it out even though everything of value had been long scraped out. There were no creatures, no loot, no nothing. It was just said to be opened eternally and happened to be one of the first ever ruins.
At lunch, the topic consumed everything.
Mira sat beside West today, with Nina across from them and a couple of others crowding the table. Trays were barely touched. Phones were out. Rumors flew faster than facts.
"They say there’s still an active layer," someone whispered.
"My cousin said there are relics that mess with your head."
"I heard awakeners from Red Valor guard it now."
Mira leaned closer to West, eyes bright but nervous. "You think it’s safe?"
West shrugged. "It has existed for over a century. I don’t see why not."
She pouted slightly. "That’s not reassuring."
Nina snorted. "Nothing about ruins is reassuring."
The bell rang, cutting the chatter short, but the excitement didn’t die... it just went underground, simmering through the rest of the classes.
For West, though, his thoughts kept drifting somewhere else entirely.
Aria was coming over today and he couldn’t wait to see her.
By the time the final bell rang, West was already packing his bag with speed.
"See you later!" Nina called.
Mira waved too. "Text me, okay?"
West nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
He was almost at the school gate when a familiar presence made the hairs on his neck stand up.
"West."
He stopped as Caleb stepped into his path.
West sighed. "Out of my way."
He shifted to the side but a hand slammed into his chest, stopping him in place.
"Running?" Caleb sneered. "I’m just taking you up on your rematch offer."
West’s eyes flicked down and paused on a mark...
There was a tattoo on Caleb’s arm.
’So he joined a gang,’ West realized, understanding where the newfound confidence came from.
He looked up slowly. "Later. I’ve got plans."
Caleb laughed harder this time with an extremely arrogant look.
"You don’t have a choice."
Three figures stepped out almost simultaneously—one from the left, one from the right, one from behind...
All wearing dark purple jackets...
All bearing the same tattoo...
All awakened with their branches already activated.
A crowd began to form.
Students slowed, phones came out and whispers spread.
"Oh shit..."
"That’s a gang..."
Lena pushed through the onlookers with panic written all over her face. "Caleb, no! You don’t have to do this—please!"
Caleb shoved her aside without even looking.
She hit the ground hard.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
West’s expression darkened.
The three newcomers cracked their necks casually.
The first was a tall, lean guy with slicked-back hair and a lazy grin.
Blue light coiled around his arms, forming glowing chains that clinked softly like metal.
The second was stockier with cropped hair and a perpetual scowl. He slapped his palms together and air popped between his hands, compressing violently.
The third was pale and sharp-eyed. He reached into his abdomen and pulled out a glowing violet blade as if drawing it from thin air. The sword vibrated ominously.
Icarus, the one with blue glowing chains wrapped around his arm, tilted his head. "So this is the dude? He doesn’t look impressive."
Caleb cracked his neck as his body began to change while he activated his branch.
His veins turned darker and his skin toughened.
"Careful," Caleb said. "Don’t let him cheap-shot you. He’s a useless nobody who relies on sneak attacks."
The crowd around erupted into whispers and chatters.
-"Four gang members against one unawakened person?"
-"Well, West is definitely doomed for sure now."
-"What a pity..."