Lyra and Rota paused hesitantly at the infirmary door. Both wore a strange expression—a mix of the worry they felt at seeing Kael in that state and the relief of seeing him alive. When Kael heard their footsteps, he saw his friends waiting at the door.
"Lyra, Rota, I'm glad to see you. By the way, Lyra, are you okay?"
Kael had forgotten his own injuries; he was still thinking about his friends.
"We're fine, Kael, but seeing you like this... You look worse than we expected."
Lyra nudged Rota. "What are you talking about? You don't say that to someone who's injured."Rota: "No, I mean... I just meant... you look okay. Yeah, you're okay."
Lyra: "Pfff, Rota, you really..."
This time, Lyra and Rota's argument seemed funny to Kael; seeing them so lively had made him forget the pain of his wounds, at least for a moment.
Lyra: "Kael, how are your wounds? Will you be able to return to the academy?"
"The healers say I'll recover in a few weeks."
"A few weeks? I thought you'd be bedridden for a few months."
"I guess my body is healing quickly.
As Lyra said, a normal person's recovery would take months, but Kael's half-demon body was regenerating much faster. If the Sealing Ring weren't on him, his demonic powers could have healed him in a single day.
Lyra lowered her gaze for a moment.
"Kael, I... I'm so sorry I left you like that. What if you hadn't made it back? On a whim, we abandoned you to death and fled to the safe zone. This guilt... Every time I think of you like that, with every step we took away from the forest, the fear and guilt inside me just won't go away."
Kael slowly reached out toward Lyra's hands; his voice was calm
"Lyra, at that moment, you were the only one who could have left that forest and brought help. If you had stayed there too, we would all have fallen under that creature's claws. My plan was built on you leaving. My survival, in fact, depended on your escape. If you hadn't alerted Director Felan in time, perhaps Anul would have harmed all the students as well. You did the right thing, so never feel guilty."
As a single tear rolled down Lyra's cheek, Kael's words warmed her heart just a littleWhen Principal Felan arrived, Lyra and Rota said goodbye to Kael and left the infirmary.Unlike his authoritative and calm demeanor outside, Felan entered with a worried and tense expression. He pulled a chair up to the foot of Kael's bed and sat down. For a moment, he silently looked at Kael's bandages and tired eyes.
"Kael," he said, his voice softer this time. "Are you okay? What did the healers say? Do you have any pain?"
Kael tried to sit up slightly; he felt the bandages tighten but didn't show it.
"I'm fine, Principal Felan, thank you. The healers said I'll be healed in a few weeks..."
"Felan gently placed her hand on Kael's shoulder. I understand, Kael. What you've been through wasn't a simple matter. As the school principal, the responsibility for you all fell on me."
Kael could sense the deep regret in Felan's gaze.
"It's okay, Felan. You must have gone through tough times too. I'm sure you did your best."
A bitter smile formed on Felan's face.
"Hah, yeah, how ironic that I'm the one being consoled here."
The atmosphere had softened a bit. Then Felan sighed and spoke up:
"I didn't want to bring up these topics while the students were around and panic them further. But now we're alone, Kael.... "Could you just tell me what happened in that forest—and more importantly... how you managed to eliminate the creature?"
Kael paused for a moment
"I... I don't remember exactly. At that moment, I was just trying to survive."
"Something caught my attention while reading Marlon's reports, Kael. Those claw marks that killed Anul... They weren't the kind of wounds a human could inflict, and they didn't resemble a spell or a sword strike either."
At that moment, Kael seemed to recall something
"Come to think of it, Ms. Felan, Anul, and the wolves all had summoning runes on their necks. I've seen those runes before—the same ones were on the creatures that attacked my village and the central settlement."
Felan was lost in thought.
"Someone might be targeting you on purpose, but why?"
Felan's mind began to connect the runes Kael had mentioned seeing with the strange coincidences that had been happening at the academy lately. Just then, a flash of insight struck his mind. Kael's long-hidden half-demon heritage suddenly came to mind.
"What if that's the reason behind all these attacks?" Felan wondered. "What if the underground organization has begun to suspect not just Kael's existence, but the dark legacy he carries?"
If the organization discovered that Kael was a demon, it would mark the beginning of a catastrophe not just for Kael, but for the entire academy. The brief hesitation and horror on Felan's face did not escape Kael's notice. The director clenched his hands slightly and turned back to Kael.
"I understand, Kael. Thank you for the information. You should rest now."
When Felan stepped outside and gently closed the door, the heavy silence in the infirmary settled over Kael.When Nerya heard the news from Zephyrost, she felt her knees go weak.
Nerya: Her voice trembling, she said, "You said he was wounded!... Kael... Did he come out of that forest seriously injured?"
Nerya's hands were trembling uncontrollably. She immediately took a step toward the healer's table, her eyes filled with angry helplessness.
Nerya: "Father, my son is there, lying alone in the infirmary!"Vaelmon: He stood up from the table and took a step toward Nerya; his face was stern again, but there was worry in his eyes. "Nerya, calm down. Please."
Nerya: Shouting, "Calm down? How can I calm down? Kael isn't just wounded! The underground organization is literally tracking Kael like prey!! How can you be so calm!"
Vaelmon: "Do you think I'm at ease, Nerya? Kael is my grandson, and Zephyros is currently at the academy; we're in constant contact with Director Felan. Additionally, I've already assigned several professionals to protect him like a shadow—without him even noticing."Vaelmon pointed to a region on the map lying on the table.
"We've finally pinpointed the exact location where the underground organization is hiding. To ensure Kael never suffers another injury like the one in that forest, I'll root out the problem completely. Rest assured; the hunters' own schemes are about to come crashing down on their heads."