—Jasper—
The room had settled, but I hadn't. Alexia's breathing had evened out, slow and soft. Her hand rested loosely in Finn's, her head tilted toward him. Zeus let out a long sigh across her legs, as if confirming it was safe to rest. The rest of us weren't so sure. I shifted on the cold infirmary floor, spine pressed against the bed frame. Cracked stone, worn thin by time. But it was quiet. And private. She needed that. We all did.
Finn hadn't moved, except to smooth her hair again. There was something fierce in that softness, the kind people mistook for gentleness. But not me. I knew how much it took to hold your ground when someone else was breaking. Soren stood nearby, arms crossed, eyes flicking to Alexia every few seconds. Always watching. Always calculating. Lately, I couldn't tell if he thought the threat was outside of her or coming from within.
And Asher… Asher stood a few paces away, arms folded, gaze sharp but distant. He'd carried her here, scorched and unconscious, without saying a word. I'd seen his hands shaking afterward. No one mentioned it. I looked back at Alexia. Her face was pale, but peaceful now. Whatever storm had taken her down wasn't gone—just sleeping beneath the surface. And what terrified me most wasn't the chaos we'd witnessed. It was how familiar it felt. Like something ancient had stirred when she let go.
"She's stronger than she knows," I murmured.
Finn didn't look away from her. "Yeah. But I don't think she knows what she's carrying."
None of us did. The silence wasn't peaceful. It pressed against your ribs, made it hard to breathe. I watched the faint rise and fall of her chest, the flutter of her lashes like she was caught between dreams and memory.
"I've seen unstable magic," Soren said, low. "Raw power. Even curses. But this…" He shook his head. "This felt different."
"It didn't feel wild," I said. "It felt deliberate. Not by her—but by whatever's inside her."
Asher scoffed softly. "She didn't lose control."
"No," I agreed. "She let go. There's a difference."
Asher's jaw tightened. "She was scared. Of herself. Of hurting us. She was trying to hold it in. Until something cracked."
"The attack on Zeus," Finn said flatly. "The last crack."
The infirmary door creaked. We all stilled. Kaia stepped inside, framed by dim corridor light. She didn't knock. Just entered, quiet but certain.
Soren frowned. "How did you find us?"
Kaia's lips quirked faintly. "Seriously? The school's like a second skin to me. I can feel where the trouble is."
She glanced at Alexia, lingering longer than the rest of us had, not with judgment but recognition.
"She's alive," Kaia murmured. "Good."
"She's resting," Finn said, tension in his voice.
Kaia didn't argue. "I know we're not close. But she mentioned something once. A bar. An accident. Lights blew out. A hanging plant sprouted vines. She didn't understand what happened."
I blinked. "She told you that?"
Kaia nodded. "She didn't mean to. It slipped. She looked scared, not confused." Her gaze sharpened. "It didn't sound like nature magic. It sounded like something older."
Soren crossed his arms. "What are you saying?"
Kaia gestured to the room, the residual magic in the air. "This isn't just 'untamed power.'"
"You think it's chaos magic," Asher said.
"I know chaos," Kaia said quietly. "It doesn't settle. It waits."
"She doesn't know," Finn said.
Kaia's voice softened. "Then someone better tell her. Otherwise, she's going to think she's the monster."
Asher's eyes narrowed. "We're not letting her spiral."
Kaia held his gaze, tired but steady. "I'm not here to fight. I just remember what it's like to think it's your fault your magic is eating you alive."
Silence fell again.
"Why now?" I asked, softer.
Kaia didn't look away from Alexia. "Because someone should tell her she's not alone. And this doesn't make her a monster."
"She's not alone," Finn growled, his dragon close to the surface. "She'll never be alone."
Kaia nodded once, stepping back. "When she wakes up, let her know I stopped by. If she wants to talk, I'll listen."
She paused at the door.
"And for what it's worth?" Her voice was nearly a whisper. "That bar incident? That wasn't the first spark. Just the first one she noticed."
The door clicked shut behind her.
For a moment, the room was quiet. But it felt heavier now. Like someone had named the shadow we'd all been trying not to see.
—Alexia—
They were all here. When my eyes fluttered open, it wasn't the fear that struck first. It was the quiet, unspoken way they surrounded me. Finn's hand holding mine, Soren's watchful stillness, Jasper's tired relief, Asher's guarded closeness. They didn't move. Didn't ask me to speak. For the first time in a long time, I realized: I'm not alone in this anymore. And I wasn't sure if that made me feel safer… Or more terrified of what I might become.