Feyla wasn't supposed to be out this late.
The corridor lights had dimmed for curfew, but her restlessness had gotten the better of her. Something kept tugging at her thoughts—the image of Kael crumpled against the wall, unmoving, scorched marks burned into the floor around him.
She hadn't told anyone what she'd seen. Not really.
She'd found him alone. The bullies were already gone. Kael had just been… lying there. On his back. Like he'd been dropped from the sky.
Now, twenty-four hours later, Feyla sat beside his bed in the medical wing. She hadn't left since she brought him in. Her arms were crossed, head tilted, studying his still face. His breathing was steady now—rhythmic, calm—but his expression twitched now and again, like he was wrestling something in a dream.
"You've been out cold for a whole day," she murmured. "Don't make a habit of this."
Kael stirred.
Feyla leaned forward quickly.
His eyes opened—confused, dazed, then focused.
"…Feyla?"
"You're awake," she said, exhaling in relief. "About time."
He blinked. "Where…?"
"Medical wing. I found you passed out. Burn marks all over the floor. Looked like someone set off a furnace."
Kael flinched slightly. "What happened?"
"That's what I'm asking you."
"I… I don't know," he lied, voice dry.
She narrowed her eyes. "You don't remember anything?"
"I remember… heat. Like I was being burned from the inside. Then… nothing."
Feyla frowned. "So you didn't see who did it?"
Kael shook his head slowly. "No."
She leaned back in the chair, arms folding again. "That's odd. The instructors are talking. I overheard them in the hall—burn marks like that aren't from basic fire users. They're saying it must've been someone powerful. But we haven't had a high-level fire student here in years."
Kael stayed quiet, throat tight.
Feyla studied him closely. "You sure you don't remember?"
"…No. Just heat," he repeated, eyes avoiding hers.
A long silence passed.
Then Feyla sighed and stood. "Well, get some rest. You're lucky I found you."
As she stepped toward the door, she paused and glanced back. "You ever do remember what happened, Kael… I hope you tell me."
She left without waiting for a reply.
Kael laid back down, staring at the ceiling, the faint pulse of the Nether Code still warm beneath the skin of his wrist.
And Nathan's voice whispered faintly in his mind:
"Well handled, Kael. For now… secrets are survival."