"Just trust me and freeze him!" Freya shouted, eyes locked on Jett's trembling form.

"I hope you're right." Elora hesitated.

Elora hesitated, her hand still glowing with magic. The steam was getting thicker, heat radiating in waves from Jett's body like he was moments away from combusting.

"Freya… if I hurt him…"

"You won't," Freya said firmly. "You just have to slow it down. His body can't handle that kind of energy all at once."

"Can't we just get someone more experienced?" Elora asked.

"There's no chance and I'm guessing he wouldn't like that so just trust me. Freeze him, I'll use healing magic if necessary." Freya assured her.

Elora grit her teeth. She didn't like this, not at all. But seeing Jett's face twisted in discomfort, his clothes drenched in sweat, his hands trembling like he was trying to hold back a storm, she knew waiting would be worse.

She stepped forward, her hand crackling with frost. "Can't believe I'm doing this to a friend."

{Freeze}

With a sharp breath, she released a concentrated wave of cold directly at him. It wasn't a full blast, just enough to wrap around his core and bite into his skin like icy chains.

Some time passed but Jett was finally able to open his eyes. He gasped as it felt like he hadn't been breathing for a long time.

'Why is it so cold right now? I feel so tired.' he wondered as he slowly started getting himself back, 'I guess it's a good thing but this amount of could after I almost turned my body to a furnace can't be a coincidence.'

The steam hissed and danced away, curling toward the ceiling like spirits being exorcised. His back arched, muscles tense, before he collapsed forward, panting.

The room fell silent. Cool now. Damp. But no longer dangerous.

Freya rushed to his side. "Jett? Can you hear me?"

He blinked, eyes unfocused. "Yeah… yeah. I'm here."

"You idiot, I swear I'd punch you if you didn't look so pathetic." Elora muttered, wiping sweat from her forehead. "What were you even doing?"

"That chill," Jett said as he realised Elora was in the room, "Was that you?"

A faint blush slowly appeared on Elora's cheeks to the point where she had to face the door to hide it.

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't so damn careless…" Elora tried to reply but was cut off by Jett's faint voice.

"Thank you, you saved me just now, I owe you one." Jett said with a weak smile.

"Just be more careful next time." Elora replied with a smile but no one could see it as she was till facing the door, only turning back when she got her composure.

Jett sat upright slowly, his breathing still rough. "Definitely, looks like my little experiment blew up in my face."

"You could've exploded," Freya said, voice shaking a little.

Jett chuckled weakly. "Yeah. That… would've sucked."

"Understatement of the year," Elora shot back.

He looked between the two of them, eyes softening. "Thanks for coming. I didn't think anyone would notice."

"You were literally glowing, Jett." Freya folded her arms. "Kinda hard not to notice."

He leaned back, gaze on the ceiling. "Guess I've got more work to do if I'm going to master this thing."

"Next time, give us a heads-up before you nearly turn into a firebomb," Elora muttered, half-scolding, half-relieved.

"I'm fine now, we can leave," Jett said, trying to wave off their concern as he stood up.

Before he could take a single step, Elora firmly placed a hand on his chest and pushed him right back onto the bed.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked, standing in front of him like a wall.

Jett blinked, confused. "Uh… outside?"

"Wrong answer." Freya crossed her arms beside her. "You're staying in here, mister. You're finally getting your wish."

"Wish? What wish?" he asked, genuinely baffled.

"To be locked in your room and pampered," Freya said without missing a beat. "Don't act like you didn't think about it."

Jett frowned. "But I haven't eaten anything yet—"

"I'll get it for you." Freya spun on her heels and pointed at Elora. "Make sure he doesn't try anything funny."

"Huh? Why me?" Elora asked not knowing how she got dragged into the whole case.

"Wait, at least let me tell you what…" Jett tried to catch up, but the door slammed shut mid-sentence.

He groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "…what I wanted. Damn it, she's gone."

Silence followed. An awkward, heavy kind of silence.

Jett sat upright again, shifting uncomfortably. Elora sat nearby, trying not to make eye contact, arms crossed but clearly unsure what to do.

'This is so weird,' Jett thought. 'One second I'm glowing like a lantern, next I'm being babysat.'

'How did we even get here? It all happened so fast.' Elora glanced his way, then quickly looked at the floor.

They were both perched on the edge of the bed, too close for comfort, but neither moved.

Then, like a sleepy miracle, a small figure appeared in Jett's lap, Ella. She seemed weak as she yawned, curled into a ball like a tired cat.

Jett instinctively began patting her head, running his fingers gently through her glowing strands of hair.

"She seems really tired. Is she okay?" Elora asked softly, genuinely concerned.

Jett smiled faintly and poked the little sprite's cheek, causing it to puff out adorably.

"That's what happens when you try to eat more mana than you're supposed to," he explained.

"Unlike Ghost, who feeds off your mana based on how much you give her, Ella just... kinda goes wild. I don't have full control over it yet, so she pushes my limits. Basically she eats like a spoilt brat."

"Sounds risky," Elora said, watching the little sprite curl tighter.

"It is. Every time I fight, I have to constantly weigh how much I can afford to give her without draining myself too fast. That's why I've never called her to a fight and also why I use more skills than spells."

He looked down at Ella, her glow soft and dim now. "She means well… just doesn't know when to stop."

Elora gave a small smile. "Like someone else I know."

Jett looked up, raising a brow. "Are you talking about me?"

"You said it, not me." She smirked, just a little.

The tension between them eased, even if just for a moment.

"That thing inside me… you know what it is, right?" Elora asked, stretching her arms back as if trying to shake the heaviness off.

Jett let out a long sigh. "Not exactly… but I do know a little about it." His voice softened, a hint of sadness creeping in.

"Oh…" Elora nodded, forcing a small smile even as disappointment settled quietly in her chest. She had hoped he'd know more.

Jett noticed. He leaned forward, eyes sharp with determination. "But I promise… I'll find a way to stop it."

Elora's fingers tightened gently around the edge of his bedsheet, her smile returning, softer this time. "It's alright. I know you will."

'That's what you always do.'

"You really think there's a way to fix it?" she asked, her tone calm, not overly hopeful, just curious.

"If there is, then I'm sure as hell going to find it," Jett said firmly. "I don't care how long it takes."

There was a brief pause before Elora lowered her gaze. "What if… it happens again?"

Jett shook his head. "You don't have to worry. I'll be there for you. We all will." His voice was gentle but unwavering as he continued patting Ella's silky hair.

Then Elora started chuckling, soft at first, then shaking slightly as she tried to hold it in.

"What's so funny?" Jett raised a brow, confused.

"You're… such a… he…ro," she managed through stifled laughter.

"And what exactly does that mean?" he asked, still not catching on.

Instead of answering, Elora leaned forward and placed a light kiss on his cheek. It was quick, warm, and completely unexpected.

"Thanks. I feel much better now," she said, hopping off the bed and heading for the door like nothing had happened. "See you tomorrow."

Jett was frozen in place. Still. Completely and utterly mind-blown.

His brain might as well have short-circuited. His hand was still hovering mid-air over Ella's head. His eyes hadn't even blinked yet.

"I heard Rey say you can use the frost attribute now," Elora added playfully, turning slightly at the door. "Let's spar sometime."

She left with a soft click of the door.

'What the hell just happened?' Jett blinked, his mind stuck in an endless loop as his brain tried to reboot.

Moments later, Freya returned holding a tray of food. She stepped in and stopped when she saw him still sitting there, staring into space.

"Hey… I got you something to eat," she said, placing the tray in front of him. She gently scooped sleepy Ella from his lap, cradling her with care.

"Where's Elora? She left already?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Umm… yeah." Jett's voice was distant, still spinning from the earlier moment.

Freya studied his face, confused. "Did something happen? You don't look too good."

Jett blinked, forcing a smile. "Nope. Nothing happened."

But the soft red on his cheek said otherwise.

*

*

*

That's a new development.