Mira broke the silence first, her voice cutting through the quiet tension between them. "We should probably go back to join the class now."
Jelo nodded quickly. "Yeah. Good idea."
They began walking toward where they'd left the group, moving carefully across the barren landscape. The sand crunched softly beneath their feet, and the air carried that strange, chemical smell that made every breath feel slightly uncomfortable. Neither of them spoke for a while, both lost in their own thoughts as they navigated around scattered debris and ruins.
Then Mira asked, her tone cautious but genuinely curious, "Are you human?"
Jelo glanced at her, caught slightly off guard by the directness of the question. He thought about it for a moment before answering. "I think so," he said slowly, his voice uncertain. "I'm not entirely sure. I still feel distinctively human, you know? Just… a little different now."
Mira absorbed that answer, her expression thoughtful as she kicked a small rock out of her path. Then she asked the real question, the one that had probably been burning in her mind since she'd watched him fight that Dabba. "What are you, really?"
Jelo paused mid-step, his mind racing. He knew what he was. The system had told him. The abilities he'd gained, the changes happening inside his body, the hunger for Dabba hearts, it all pointed to one very specific answer.
But should he tell her?
He looked at Mira properly now, studying her face. She was watching him with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, waiting for his response without pushing him. There was something about her expression that told him she wouldn't judge, that she was just trying to understand.
And then Jelo made a decision.
He had nothing left to hide from her. She'd already seen him fight with abilities far beyond what a rank F student should possess. She'd watched him eat a Dabba heart like it was the most natural thing in the world. She knew he wasn't normal. Perhaps the more she knew, the better she could keep his secret. It would also be a massive relief to finally unburden himself, to share this weight with someone. He'd never told anyone before. The isolation of carrying this secret alone had been crushing him slowly.
"I'm a dragon," Jelo said quietly, the words feeling strange on his tongue. "Or at least part-dragon. Half-dragon, maybe. I'm not entirely sure how it works or what the exact classification is."
Mira stopped moving.
She just stood there in the middle of the wasteland, staring at him with wide eyes, her mouth falling slightly open in shock. For several long seconds, she said nothing at all, and Jelo began to wonder if he'd made a terrible mistake telling her.
Then she visibly composed herself, closing her mouth and taking a breath. Her expression shifted from pure shock to intense, focused curiosity. "A dragon," she repeated slowly, as if testing how the word sounded. "So… what's it like being a dragon? What's the range of your abilities? What can you actually do?"
Jelo let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his messy hair. "I don't really know," he admitted, his voice tinged with genuine frustration. "I haven't met anyone with powers like mine, so I have absolutely no reference for what's normal, what's weak, what's strong. I don't know the scope of my abilities or what I should even be capable of. I'm just… figuring it all out as I go, basically stumbling through everything."
Mira frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as they started walking again. "You need to do some research," she said matter-of-factly. "There have to be records somewhere. Books, files, databases, something that talks about dragons and their abilities in detail."
Jelo shook his head, his expression darkening. "I tried that already. The academy library only had one book on dragons, and it wasn't particularly helpful at all. It was mostly just mythology and really vague descriptions. Nothing practical that I could actually use."
Mira rolled her eyes, a gesture that somehow managed to look both exasperated and knowing. "Of course it wasn't helpful. The library never has the good stuff. All the valuable information, the real data, the detailed records, the classified material that would actually be useful, is kept in the teachers' quarters. That's where they lock away everything they don't want students to have easy access to."
Jelo blinked, surprised. "The teachers' quarters? Really?"
"Yeah," Mira said, nodding firmly. "That's where they keep all the restricted files. Detailed information on rare abilities, dangerous creatures, historical records that aren't cleared for general student access, experimental data. If there's anything genuinely useful about dragons and their capabilities, it'll be there."
Jelo's shoulders slumped, his brief moment of hope deflating. "I have no way of entering the teachers' quarters. It's restricted, locked down tight, probably guarded. There's security everywhere in this academy. I'd never make it past the door."
Mira smiled faintly, a mischievous glint appearing in her eye. "There's always one way."
Jelo looked at her, confused and slightly suspicious. "What way?"
Mira's smile widened just a fraction. "You break in."
Jelo stared at her like she'd just suggested they jump off a cliff. "That's impossible," he said flatly. "The security alone would catch me in seconds. Not to mention the consequences if I got caught. I'd be expelled, maybe arrested."
Mira shrugged, completely unbothered by his concerns. "You just don't want it enough."
Jelo felt a flash of irritation. "Then you help me break in, since you're so confident it can be done."
Mira raised an eyebrow, her expression challenging. "Why would I do that?"
Jelo met her gaze steadily. "Because you'd be doing a favor for a friend."
Mira laughed suddenly, the sound genuine and slightly incredulous. "When did we become friends?" she asked, still grinning. "Especially considering you just tried to kill me like thirty minutes ago."
Jelo flushed immediately, heat rising to his cheeks. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. "I wasn't trying to kill you," he mumbled defensively. "I was just… panicking. I didn't know what else to do."
Mira's smile softened slightly, becoming less teasing. She studied him for a moment, then seemed to make a decision. "Alright," she said. "I'll help you break into the teachers' quarters and find information about dragons."
Jelo's head snapped up, hope flaring in his chest. "Really?"
"But," Mira continued, holding up one finger, "in return, you have to do something for me."
Jelo hesitated only briefly before nodding. "What do you need?"
"I haven't decided yet," Mira admitted. "But when the time comes, when I need something, you'll help me. No questions asked. Deal?"
Jelo considered it. It was vague, open-ended, potentially dangerous depending on what she asked for. But he also didn't have many options. If she was genuinely willing to help him access restricted information about his abilities, it was worth the risk.
"Deal," Jelo agreed.
Mira nodded, seeming satisfied with the arrangement. "Good."
-----
The two of them finally broke out of the cluster of boulders and ruins together, emerging into the more open area of the wasteland. In the distance, they could see the class on the horizon, gathered in their usual loose formation around the teacher who was still gesturing at something.
They started walking toward the group, their pace steady but not rushed.
But this time, something was different.
The class was paying attention to the exact area they were coming from. Students had turned to look in their direction, their casual conversations stopping mid-sentence. The teacher had paused in her lecture, her sharp eyes fixed on Jelo and Mira as they approached.
As they got closer, the whispers began. Jelo could hear them spreading through the group like wildfire, students leaning toward each other and speaking in urgent, excited tones.
"Why are they coming out of the bush together?"
"Look how disheveled they are."
"What were they doing out there?"
"Do you think they were…?"
"No way. Not Jelo."
"But look at them!"
Jelo's stomach dropped as realization hit him like a physical blow. He glanced quickly at Mira, then down at himself, finally understanding what a sight they must present.
His uniform was torn in several places and stained with blood from the fight with the Dabba. His hair was a complete mess, sticking up in random directions and covered in sand and dust. His face was scratched, with dark smudges of dirt, or was it dried blood?, streaked across his cheeks and neck. His clothes were rumpled, hanging awkwardly on his frame.
Mira didn't look much better. Her uniform was dusty and disheveled, her hair slightly messed up and falling out of its usual neat arrangement. There was a faint bruise forming on the side of her head where Jelo had struck her, partially hidden by her hair but still visible if you looked closely.
And they were emerging from the isolated ruins together. Side by side. Looking like they'd just been through something intense.
Jelo felt his face heat up dramatically, a deep blush spreading across his cheeks and down his neck. He could practically hear what every single student was thinking. The implications hanging in the air were impossible to ignore. The assumptions they were all making.
"Oh no," Jelo muttered under his breath, mortified.