After forcing myself to calm down, I let my thoughts run without emotion clouding them.
I replayed the whole scenario again—stripped of fury, stripped of rage.
Sure, that bastard deserved to rot. Maybe even burn. But not at the cost of my future. Not at the cost of expulsion.
I wasn’t stupid. The Academy had rules, and I couldn’t just go around breaking bones because someone pissed me off—no matter how justified it felt in the moment.
He hadn’t done anything yet. Just... hovered. Loomed. His hands were going somewhere they shouldn’t have, and that was enough to drive me mad.
But still—not enough to end his life and my academic career through my own fists.
’I really need to work on these anger issues.’
They were going to eat me alive one day. And not figuratively.
Being an emotional fool might feel righteous in the moment—but it was always the easiest way to lose.
I didn’t have the luxury of losing. Not in this place. Not in this world.
As I walked through the corridor, I noticed the stares. Some fearful. Some curious.
A few even reverent, like I’d done something praiseworthy. I didn’t care. Let them look. Let them talk. I wasn’t here for their approval.
I ignored them all and kept walking until, before I realized it, I was at the ward.
The white door creaked slightly as I pushed it open. Inside, the scent of antiseptic clung to the air—clean, sterile, almost too cold.
Mia was lying on the bed. Her usual spark was dimmed, her eyes dull. A nurse sat beside her, checking vitals, scribbling something down.
When I stepped in, Mia turned away, suddenly far too interested in the wall, the ceiling, the floor—anywhere but me.
Seeing her like that made my blood simmer again.
Not because she had been nearly assaulted—obviously not. That kind of thinking was stupid, backward, and I’d deck anyone who tried to suggest it.
No, I was furious for an entirely different reason.
She collapsed. Because she trained too hard.
It didn’t need a genius to figure out the cause. Her body was overworked. Her circuits likely frayed from overuse. Repercussions of pushing herself far past the limits her current body could handle.
She did it to herself.
I stepped fully into the room, and my voice came out colder than I intended. "Let’s go somewhere private. I want to have a talk with you."
The nurse looked up, polite but concerned. "If you’d like, I could step outside for a moment—"
I raised a hand. "No. This is a public space. We’ll leave instead."
Then I turned to Mia and locked eyes. "Mia. Let’s go."
She grumbled like a kid being told to eat vegetables. "No. I don’t want to."
I inhaled deeply, exhaled slower. "Mia... I’m really not in the mood for your tantrums today. Can we please not do this now?"
She finally looked at me. Her lips parted like she had something to say—some retort, some excuse, maybe even an apology.
But when our eyes met and I gave her a look sharp enough to slice, she backed down. Shoulders curled inward, face small.
She slid off the bed, head down, and followed me without another word. Tugging at my sleeve like a child lost in a mall.
She mumbled under her breath. "Where are we going?"
"To your dorm," I answered flatly, not slowing my pace.
Mia gave a small nod and stepped ahead of me, quietly taking the lead and showing the way. I didn’t speak. Neither did she.
Before stepping out, I glanced back at the nurse and gave a small nod of thanks. She didn’t say anything, just returned a subtle, knowing smile—the kind nurses always seemed to have.
And with that, I followed Mia.
Time for a real conversation.
Taking small, hesitant steps, Mia led me out of the main building. From there, we followed a cobblestone path that weaved its way across the academy grounds.
Along the road, I noticed various buildings flanking each side—each distinct, each clearly belonging to a different department. Alchemy labs, combat training halls, research towers... everything had its place.
It took us a while to reach the dorms.
And by a while, I mean long enough for me to wonder if we were hiking across a city.
The dorm was apparently set far apart from the main complex. Maybe for the sake of privacy. Maybe just to inconvenience people like me.
Eventually, we arrived.
And it wasn’t a dorm.
It was a goddamn castle.
Tall and looming, with spires that scratched the clouds and stone walls so pristine they looked polished. If someone told me royalty lived here, I wouldn’t have blinked.
Mia gave me a quick glance, then walked inside without saying a word.
The interior was just as grand—chandeliers hung from the ceiling, warm magic-lamps lit the halls, and the marble floor gleamed like it had been waxed ten times over. Velvet curtains, oil paintings, spiral staircases.
High-class. Regal. Way too luxurious to be called a "dorm."
We took the central staircase, winding up past multiple levels before arriving at her floor.
And finally, we stopped at a large ornate door with golden runes inscribed across the wood.
She pushed it open, stepped inside, and I followed.
This was a private suite. A personal haven. A mini-palace.
Carpeted floors, a canopied bed with silken sheets, shelves lined with books, framed photos, and even a tea set on a table near the window. There was a balcony too. Probably had a view of the whole damn campus.
I didn’t even say anything. Just stood there, squinting like I’d walked into the wrong part of the world.
Mia stood in the middle of the room, hands behind her back, head bowed like a guilty child awaiting scolding.
I closed the door behind me with a click and leaned against it, arms folded across my chest.
"Sit," I said, gesturing toward the bed.
She moved slowly, reluctantly, and took a seat at the edge of her oversized mattress. Her legs dangled like she was in time-out.
I stayed where I was, quiet for a second, then sighed.
"Why did you do that?"
There was no irritation in my voice. No annoyance. Not even anger.
Mia tried to play cheeky. A weak smirk forming as she looked up. "What did I do?"
I stared, unimpressed.
"Do I really need to spell it out for you?" I asked.
She pouted. "I didn’t do anything wrong."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Then why do you look so damn guilty? Explain that."
Her lips parted, eyes flicking to the side. "You... you’re making me feel guilty. That’s why."
I bobbed my head slowly. "Right, right. It’s my fault. Naturally."
"But just tell me what possessed you to train like that?! So obsessively. So recklessly. That you FUCKING COLLAPSED!!"
The shout echoed off the walls. She jolted. Flinched hard. I could practically see the tears welling up already.
She curled in on herself, hunched shoulders trembling. Her voice came out cracked and broken between sobs. "I... I just wanted to help you."
I clenched my fists. Inhaled sharply. Then let it out through my teeth, trying to calm the flames inside. "Did I ask for your help?"
My voice was quieter now, but colder. Sharper.
"And didn’t you bail on training back when Isolde was drilling us half to death? What the hell changed now, huh? What’s different?"
She raised her head. Her eyes were red. But there was defiance in them, even through the tears. "You happened," she whispered.
"You came back covered in wounds," she said, louder now. "Broken. Bleeding. And I couldn’t do anything to protect!"
Her fists were clenched on her lap. Her voice broke again. "It hurt. Seeing you like that hurt. Knowing I was too useless to do anything about it hurt even more."
"I’m your big sister," she said, tears streaming freely now. "I’m supposed to protect you. Not sit back while you bleed for me."
The room was silent for a moment.
Then, I said flatly, "Did I ask?"
Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened slightly—like she wasn’t sure if she’d misheard me or if I was just that much of a bastard.
Quiet, stifled sobs escaped her as she curled up tighter, burying her face into her hands. Her entire frame trembled.
And still, I didn’t move.
Not because I didn’t care.
But because this wasn’t about coddling her.
She needed to hear this. To feel this.
Next time she trained to collapse, who knows what would happen.