After some time, Kael spotted the familiar shape of his dormitory, exhaling with relief. Finally! He looked up at the orange-gold sky. There was still some time before sunset. Let's take care of you first, he thought, glancing down at the bird.
He entered the dormitory quietly and walked to his room. He stopped in surprise, though, when he saw Lia standing in front of his door with her arms crossed. Her expression was somewhere between apologetic and curious.
"Lia?" Kael asked, startled. "You're here earlier than we arranged."
She gave a small, sheepish smile. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't know what to do, so I came early." Her gaze shifted to the falcon in his arms, and her voice softened instantly. "Oh, that poor thing," she murmured, stepping closer. "What happened to this beautiful bird?"
Kael's expression softened. "I found him when Zaros and I were walking through the academy grounds. His wings are injured, so I'll take care of him until he can fly again."
"That's sweet," Lia whispered, looking up at him. For a moment, their eyes met. Her gaze was warm and gentle, and it filled Kael with a feeling that made him forget how to breathe.
He quickly cleared his throat and turned toward the door, trying to regain his composure. "Come in," he said, opening the door for her.
He took a folded blanket from the shelf and laid it on the wide windowsill. The evening light streamed in through the glass, casting soft, golden hues across the room. He carefully placed the falcon on the blanket. It shifted slightly, but made no sound; its keen eyes still followed Kael's every move.
As Kael stood there for a moment, his thoughts drifted back to Lia's gaze. There was something about that look that unsettled him. It wasn't a bad feeling, just something he couldn't quite name.
He shook his head lightly, turned back to her, and smiled faintly. "Feel at home," he said, motioning with his hand.
"Thank you," she replied quietly. But her attention immediately went to the falcon. Her expression changed to one that was gentle yet focused, almost professional. "What should we do?"
Kael walked to his desk and picked up a pencil and a few small wooden sticks that he had collected for training exercises. "First, I'll splint the wing," he said calmly but firmly. "We learned the basics of treating light fractures in the wilderness survival course. Since the falcon is alert and not disoriented, his injury should be limited to the wing.
Lia watched silently as Kael worked, her eyes following his every careful movement. "That's amazing," she murmured, awe in her voice. "I didn't know you could do something like that."
Kael gave a quiet laugh, though his gaze never left the falcon's injured wing. His brow furrowed in concentration. "I have to improvise a little," he admitted. "We learned this for humans, not birds. But when you're out on expeditions, you never know what might happen. Broken bones, burns, injuries...you have to be ready for everything."
Lia's expression softened, then turned faintly sad. "I guess I still can't keep up with you," she whispered too quietly for him to hear.
She said nothing more for a while, only watching as Kael tied the last knot of the makeshift splint. The falcon moved, its piercing eyes locked on him with uncanny calm.
When Kael finally stood up straight, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled. "I'm done."
"Perfect," Lia said with a smirk, giving him a playful thumbs-up. "You really have a knack for this. But..." She tilted her head. "What are you going to feed him?"
Kael frowned. "Yeah, that's the problem. Falcons usually eat mice or squirrels, but I can't go hunting in the academy gardens."
Lia burst out laughing when she imagined the scene. "You chasing mice across the lawn with that serious face of yours? Yeah, that would go over really well with the professors."
Kael rolled his eyes but smiled. "You're not wrong."
"Don't worry," Lia said warmly. "I'll take care of it. I'm going to visit my family tomorrow." Noticing the brief flicker in his expression, she added quickly, "I still haven't forgiven them, but they're my family. Sometimes you have to visit, even if it hurts."
Her tone softened. "Anyway, I'll be outside the academy walls. I'll pick up the ingredients I need for my potions, and I'll get something for this little guy, too."
Kael blinked, surprised. "Really? That would help a lot. Thank you, Lia." His voice carried genuine gratitude, but as he looked at her, Zaros's words echoed in his mind. His smile faded slightly and his expression became complicated.
"Lia, I—" he began, but she interrupted him.
"Don't," she said gently. Her tone was calm, but there was a faint tremor of sadness in it. "I know what you're about to say, and you don't have to." She smiled faintly, though her eyes shimmered with emotion. "Of course it hurts. I wish things were different. But I understand. You see me as one of your closest friends, and that's enough." She paused, then added softly and almost teasingly, "For now."
Kael stood frozen for a moment, unsure what to say. Finally, he murmured, "You could tell all that just from the look on my face?"
"Of course," she said with mock pride. Then, she suddenly burst into laughter. "Also, Zaros told me." She cleared her throat dramatically and imitated his deep voice. "He's honest, but sometimes he has no guts, so I'll tell you. Then you can fold him up later."
Kael stared at her in disbelief, then started laughing and shaking his head. "I'm going to kill him."
Lia grinned. "You can try."
"Zaros…" Kael muttered, shaking his head with a sigh.
"He just wanted to help," Lia said softly. Her tone was calm yet earnest. "So don't be angry at him."
Kael nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know. That's just how he is. He's always worrying about everyone else."
Lia smiled faintly. "That's what we are," she said quietly. "And that's what makes us who we are." Then her gaze shifted to Kael, serious and almost pleading. "So please, Kael. I don't know what you're hiding from us, but—" Her voice trembled slightly. "Promise me one thing: that we'll never drift apart."
Kael froze. He opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. It was as if the words he wanted to say refused to leave his lips. Deep down, he knew he couldn't make that promise to her.
"Lia . . ." he began, his voice barely above a whisper. But when he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes, he couldn't continue.
Before he could say anything more, there was a knock at the door.
Kael turned toward the window. The sunlight had already begun to fade, and the sky was painted with soft shades of amber and red. Sunset already...