CHAPTER 179: THE UNEXPECTED FLAME

{Elira}

~**^**~

I hesitated before finally clicking Rennon’s name. The line barely rang once before it connected.

"Rennon," I said softly. "Good evening."

"Good evening, Elira," his voice came through, calm and steady like always. "How are you feeling now?"

The concern hiding beneath his composure made my chest warm. I leaned against my pillow.

"Better. The nurse said I can take off the bandages tomorrow. I think she is right, the wounds don’t even hurt anymore."

"I’m glad to hear that," he said. His relief was quiet but unmistakable. "You should rest early tonight. You pushed through a lot today."

"I already did," I said, smiling faintly. "I just woke up from a nap."

Just then, I heard a low chuckle that didn’t belong to Rennon.

"Of course she called you first," another voice said, full of mock wounded pride.

My eyes widened. "Lennon?"

"Hey, sweetheart." I could practically see his grin through the phone. "You didn’t think I would let Rennon talk to you alone, did you? You called him first instead of me. I’m hurt."

A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. "You called me after him."

"Only because I knew he would check first," Lennon countered easily. "He is the responsible one. I’m the charming one."

"Then I will take that as a warning," I said, shaking my head even though he couldn’t see me.

I heard Rennon sigh—that quiet, patient sound that always carried both amusement and resignation. "You two..." he muttered under his breath.

"I just didn’t want to bother either of you," I said, voice softening.

"You never bother us," Rennon replied simply.

"Yeah," Lennon added, tone light but sincere. "You could wake us at three in the morning, and we would still answer."

My chest tightened. "That’s good to know," I murmured.

For a moment, a warm silence settled between us. I could hear faint background noise on their end, maybe the wind outside, wherever they were.

Then Rennon spoke again, his tone more practical. "You should get more rest. Tomorrow is another long day. Zenon wants to review your form during practice."

I groaned softly. "He is going to be harder on me after what happened, isn’t he?"

Lennon’s laugh came low and amused. "Oh, absolutely. He has been in a mood all day. Better brace yourself, sweetheart."

"Great," I muttered, pressing a hand over my face.

"Don’t worry," Rennon said. "We will all be there."

That made me smile. "I know."

"Goodnight, Elira," Rennon said gently.

"Goodnight," I echoed.

"And next time," Lennon cut in smoothly, "call me first. I will give you extra points for it."

I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see me. "Goodnight, Lennon."

His laugh, rich and unbothered, was the last thing I heard before the call ended.

I let the phone rest on my chest for a moment, staring at the ceiling.

The dorm was still quiet; the others wouldn’t be back from study hall for another hour or less.

But somehow, the silence didn’t feel so heavy anymore. I exhaled softly, sinking deeper into my sheets.

***

The cafeteria felt louder than usual the next morning.

The scent of roasted eggs, peppered sausages, and buttery croissants hung heavy in the air, but even the clatter of trays and the hum of conversation couldn’t drown out the whispers.

They started the moment I walked towards our usual table with my friends, each of us carrying our tray of food in hand.

Nari noticed them first. "They are staring again," she murmured, leaning closer.

I pretended not to hear, setting down my plate and focusing on cutting my toast, but she wasn’t wrong.

Heads tilted in our direction from first-year students, even a few older ones. Some tried to be discreet, others didn’t bother.

Juniper bit into an apple and spoke casually, her tone carrying that effortless calm that somehow grounded us all.

"You had to think none of them had ever seen a student eat breakfast here before."

Nari gave a small laugh. "Please. They are not seeing a student; they are seeing the Omega who isn’t an Omega anymore."

I shot her a look, but she only grinned, utterly unbothered.

Cambria, sitting beside me, reached out to squeeze my wrist gently. "Ignore them, Elira. People talk more when they don’t understand something."

"I know," I said softly, though my stomach twisted. "I just didn’t expect it to feel like this."

"Like what?" Tamryn asked.

"Like being watched," I admitted, picking at my food. "I used to wish people would stop ignoring me, but now I kind of miss it."

Nari leaned her chin on her palm, eyes dancing. "That’s because you are famous now. You won a combat duel, Elira. Your name made an appearance on our school’s gossip blog."

My fork paused midair. "What?"

She grinned wider. "Moon’s Whisper posted about you last night. I read it before bed."

I groaned softly. "Nari, why would you—"

"Because it’s entertaining," she cut in cheerfully. "They called you the ’unexpected flame’ of ESA. That’s a compliment!"

Juniper chuckled while Tamryn shook her head. "Don’t listen to her, Elira. They will move on once the next fight happens."

But I wasn’t sure. The looks following me across the room didn’t feel like passing curiosity. They felt like recognition. And recognition, in this academy, was rarely a good thing.

I forced myself to eat, to smile when my friends joked, to nod at Cambria’s patient reminders that I needed energy for training later.

But the whole time, I could feel that pull of eyes, the weight of being seen in a way I hadn’t been before.

When we finally left the cafeteria, the whispers trailed us all the way through the hallways.

By the time I reached the locker corridor, I almost sighed in relief at the familiar echo of footsteps and metal doors.

I opened my locker, slid my bag inside, and carefully pulled out my Agriculture & Pack Sustainability notebook.

But even here, the looks didn’t stop. Two students across the hall paused mid-conversation. One of them whispered something; the other turned quickly away when our eyes met.