It had been four days since Lyrium fell unconscious and remained in the hospital.

During that time, Rihana, Silas, Lily, Ren, Margaret, and even some of the academy staff took turns visiting him.

Some came with fruits and flowers, others just to check if he had woken up, but all of them shared the same look of worry each time they saw him lying there, still and silent.

Rihana often stayed the longest, quietly watching over him from the chair beside his bed.

Silas tried to act casual, cracking jokes to lighten the mood, but even he couldn't hide the worry written across his face.

Lily would bring food every morning, though half of it ended up untouched, and sit beside him, peeling apples while humming softly.

Margaret rarely spoke.

She simply sat near the bedside, her cold expression unable to mask the faint trembling in her hands.

Her gaze never left Lyrium, as if her eyes alone could pull him back to consciousness.

Ren would visit in the evenings with his usual chaotic energy, carrying bags full of snacks and juice boxes, trying to make everyone laugh.

"If he wakes up and sees us moping around like this, he'll curse us for sure,"

He'd say with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Maya, on the other hand, came quietly.

She'd sit by the window, reading medical reports or watching the sunset, her calm presence somehow keeping the room from feeling too heavy.

Occasionally, she would check the monitor beside Lyrium's bed, muttering to herself about his abnormal mana flow.

Even the doctors and nurses were unusually cautious with Lyrium's condition.

They couldn't explain the strange fluctuations in his heartbeat or the faint traces of mana circling his body, like he was fighting an invisible force in his sleep.

Still, through the quiet days and sleepless nights, one thing remained the same…

Everyone was waiting for the moment Lyrium Blackwood would finally open his eyes.

***

It was evening, classes had long ended, and the academy corridors had grown quiet.

Ren stood alone in the Fourth Dimensional Training Room, a vast, metallic space where time and gravity could be altered for combat simulation.

The lights flickered dimly, casting his shadow across the polished floor.

"Haaa…"

He clenched his fists, exhaling slowly.

Then…

Fwoosh—!

A surge of heat burst from his palms, flames coiling around his arms like living serpents.

The room's temperature rose instantly.

In front of him, several holographic puppets materialized, armored, faceless figures programmed to mimic real opponents.

Without hesitation, Ren charged forward, his movements sharp and instinctive.

Each strike was followed by an explosion of fire…

A kick that incinerated one puppet's torso.

A spinning punch that sent another flying before bursting into cinders.

"Come on… stronger!"

He muttered under his breath, his tone half frustration, half challenge.

The heat intensified, flames erupting from his shoulders as his aura pulsed violently.

Every motion was faster, more reckless, fire spreading across the floor, melting even the reinforced training plates.

By the time the last puppet disintegrated into ash and holographic fragments, Ren was breathing heavily, sweat and soot clinging to his skin.

Then…

Ting—!

A sharp notification tone echoed through the quiet room, cutting through the hum of residual heat.

Ren paused, lowering his arm as the last ember faded from his fist.

He glanced down at his wristwatch, its holographic interface flickering to life with a soft blue glow.

A message blinked on the screen:

「Mr. Ren Sullivan, you are expected to be in Ms. Emily's office urgently.」

Ren's brows furrowed, his breathing still uneven from the intense training.

"...Right now?"

He muttered under his breath, half-annoyed, half-curious.

He tilted his head slightly, watching as the message pulsed again with a priority alert tag… URGENT.

With an exaggerated sigh, he straightened up, brushing the ash off his uniform.

"Guess this isn't something I can ignore."

He deactivated the training room, the flames around him vanishing into thin air as the holographic field shut down with a deep hum.

The metallic doors slid open, and as Ren stepped out, his silhouette was briefly outlined by the dim red emergency light of the simulation chamber…

A quiet reminder that something serious was waiting for him.

.

.

.

.

As Ren walked down the long, quiet hallway, his footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor.

The corridors of the academy, usually filled with laughter and chatter, felt unusually hollow tonight.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression blank, something rare for someone like him.

Ren had always been the light of the group, the one who smiled through every storm, who made jokes even in the middle of chaos. Everyone knew him for that grin, that easygoing energy that never seemed to fade.

But tonight, that smile was gone.

His reflection on the glass walls showed a face he barely recognized, eyes slightly sunken, lips pressed into a tight line.

He wasn't angry, nor was he afraid. It was something deeper… emptier.

As he turned a corner, his gaze fell to the end of the hallway, where he and Lyrium used to walk together, often bickering or laughing about the most meaningless things.

He could almost hear it, Lyrium's sarcastic remarks, his calm yet sharp tone, the way he'd always outsmart Ren in every argument.

"Damn…"

Ren muttered under his breath, his throat tightening a little.

"Four days, huh?"

He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Four days, that's all it had been since Lyrium had fallen unconscious.

But to Ren, it felt like years.

Every passing moment dragged, each hour stretching endlessly as if time itself refused to move until Lyrium opened his eyes again.

And though he didn't say it out loud, one thought lingered quietly in the back of his mind:

'Come on, man… you can't just keep us waiting like this.'

.

.

.

.

Ren reached the office of Ms. Emily.

He stood still for a moment before the tall wooden door, its polished surface reflecting the faint light of the corridor.

The hallway behind him was silent, the air heavy with a sense of tension he couldn't quite name.

His fingers twitched slightly as he lifted his hand, the hesitation lingering for a heartbeat before he finally knocked.

Tok—! Tok—!

The soft sound echoed briefly down the hall before fading.

From the other side of the door, Emily's composed voice responded, calm and clear.

"You can come in."

As he heard those words, Ren slowly pushed the door open, the faint creak echoing through the quiet corridor.

The soft golden glow from the office spilled into the hallway, revealing a scene of composed tension.

Inside, four figures occupied the room.

Rihana sat on the couch nearest to the window, her posture straight but her expression heavy, as if she hadn't slept properly in days.

A few stray strands of her hair fell across her face, catching the dim light.

Alicia stood beside her, arms crossed, her gaze calm yet sharp, like she was calculating every word that had been said before he arrived.

Her usual confident air was present, but there was something heavier beneath it, a quiet worry she didn't want others to notice.

Across from them, Xiaolung stood with his hands clasped neatly behind his back, his presence composed and unreadable.

His eyes, however, betrayed focus, a kind of silent vigilance that filled the room with quiet pressure.

And at the center of it all sat Ms. Emily behind her desk, posture poised, hands folded as she looked up from a set of documents.

Her expression was unreadable, a mix of calm authority and buried concern.

The moment Ren stepped inside, all four sets of eyes turned toward him.

There was silence for several minutes.

Ren stood just a few steps past the doorway, unsure whether to speak or move, his usual carefree grin nowhere to be found.

The air in the room felt thick, too heavy for a casual greeting, too tense for small talk.

The sound of the ticking clock on Emily's desk filled the void between them, marking each passing second like an echo.

Rihana's gaze flickered toward him briefly, then dropped.

Alicia didn't move.

Xiaolung's expression remained unreadable, and Emily simply studied him in silence.

"...."

Ren scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, letting out a faint breath before finally breaking the silence.

"Is there something on my face or what?"

He muttered, forcing a faint smirk.

"You guys are staring at me like I just broke into the wrong room."

Then, he continued, his tone light but carrying a hint of confusion.

"By the way, Sis Rihana, weren't you supposed to go check on Lyrium? You were in a hurry earlier, saying you'd visit him before it got dark."

He tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowing as if trying to piece together the scene in front of him.

"And Alicia, what are you doing here? You don't usually hang around the office unless something's going on."

His gaze then shifted to the man standing quietly near the window.

"And Senior Xiaolung…"

Ren paused for a second, almost surprised to see him.

"I literally just heard you were in your hometown. When did you get back? Don't tell me you traveled all that way just to attend some random meeting?"

He looked between the three of them, Rihana, Alicia, and Xiaolung, then back to Emily, his expression half amused, half puzzled.

"Seriously, what's with this lineup? Everyone's gathered here like we're about to start an intervention or something."

Emily finally spoke, her calm yet firm voice breaking the quiet tension that lingered in the air.

"Ren,"

He said, gesturing lightly toward the empty chair across from her,

"Take a seat."

Her tone wasn't harsh, but there was a subtle weight behind her words, enough to make it clear that this wasn't just a casual conversation.

The others remained silent, their eyes still fixed on him as if waiting to see how he would respond.

Ren looked around for a moment, clearly unsure where exactly he was supposed to sit.

After a brief pause, he settled on the nearest couch, probably not the one meant for him, but he didn't seem to care.

He leaned back casually, crossing his arms as his eyes moved between everyone in the room.

The tension didn't really seem to bother him; instead, he let out a light sigh and spoke in his usual, carefree tone,

"So… just tell me already,"

He said, tilting his head slightly.

"What's this all about, actually?"

Emily finally broke the silence, her voice calm but sharp enough to pierce through the thick tension in the room.

"Ren,"

She began, her gaze steady and unreadable,

"How did you do it?"

Ren blinked, startled.

He tilted his head slightly, confused by her tone and the sudden seriousness that filled the air.

"Uh… how did I do what exactly?"

He asked cautiously, trying to read the room.

"You're gonna have to be more specific here, Ms. Emily. Because the last thing I remember doing was burning a few practice dummies and nearly collapsing from exhaustion."

He forced a small, awkward laugh, but no one joined him.

"...."

The silence that followed was almost suffocating.

Then, Rihana finally spoke.

She had been sitting quietly, arms crossed, her expression unreadable until now.

Her tone was calm, but the weight of her words carried through the room.

"Ren,"

She said firmly, meeting his eyes,

"I already told Ms. Emily that I wasn't the one who stopped that explosion at the academy, the one that happened while Lyrium was still at the plaza. I was there, but I didn't have the power to stop something like that. Everyone assumed it was me because I was closest to the epicenter, but it wasn't."

Her words hung in the air like a blade.

Alicia shifted uncomfortably where she stood, her sharp eyes flicking between Rihana and Ren, while Xiaolung remained motionless, his usual stoic face betraying a faint curiosity.

Ren's throat went dry. He looked from Emily to Rihana, then to the others.

"Wait…"

He muttered under his breath.

"You guys think I did that? I was literally behind you Rihana, you told all of us to be in the student council room, How could I possibly do that?!"

No one answered.

"...."

Their silence was more telling than any response.

Ren felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple as his thoughts raced.

His pulse quickened, his mind flashing back to that chaotic day, the roar, the heat, the light that shouldn't have been there.

'Oh shit,'