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Chapter 145
"Anna, no." Akiya grabbed her arm. "We agreed to be careful.""We also agreed we needed answers." Anna pulled free. "Five minutes. If we lose him now, we might never get another chance."They hurried to the corner and peered around. Brother Matthias was walking calmly down a narrow alley between two old stone buildings. His pace was unhurried, almost casual, like he wanted to be followed."Definitely a trap," Akiya muttered."Probably," Anna agreed. "But we're going anyway."The alley led to a small courtyard surrounded by aging merchant buildings. Most looked abandoned, their windows dark and doors sealed. Brother Matthias stood in the center of the courtyard, no longer pretending he didn't know they were following."I wondered if you'd come," he said without turning around. "The AAU trains caution, but curiosity always wins in the end.""What do you want?" Anna demanded, stepping into the courtyard. Akiya stayed close beside her, flames dancing around her fingers."I told you. To de
Chapter 144
Three days had passed since their meeting with Coordinator Hayes."Come on," Akiya said, tugging at Anna's sleeve. "You've been staring at those medical books for hours. Let's get some fresh air."Anna looked up from the anatomy text she'd been studying, rubbing her tired eyes. "I need to understand how the regeneration technique really works. If I'm going to learn more Church methods from Larok...""You'll learn better with a clear head," Akiya interrupted. "Besides, we need supplies. The market's open today."Anna considered this. They did need things—basic toiletries, some clothes to replace what they'd lost in the Abyss, maybe some decent food that wasn't from the Academy cafeteria."Fine," she agreed, closing the book. "But just for an hour. I want to finish this chapter tonight."The Academy's weekly market was held in the main courtyard, where local merchants set up stalls selling everything from fresh bread to handmade weapons. Students moved between the vendors, taking advant
Chapter 143
Evening light filtered through the medical ward windows as Miko carefully swung his legs over the side of his bed. The others were asleep. Anna finally resting after days of nightmares, Akiya curled up peacefully, Liam snoring softly.Miko needed air. The walls of the medical ward felt too close after everything they'd seen in the Abyss.He tested his weight on his legs, pleased when they held him steady. Moving quietly, he padded to the window and looked out at the Academy grounds. Students walked the paths below, heading to evening meals. Normal life. The kind he wasn't sure he could return to.A soft knock at the door made him freeze. Too late for medical checks."Come in," he whispered.The door opened just enough for a familiar figure to slip inside. Larok moved like shadow, his healer's robes dark in the dim light. The man who'd given Miko the strange stone before their mission."You're awake," Larok observed quietly. "Good. We need to talk.""Here?" Miko glanced at his sleeping
Chapter 142
After a while. The medical ward was quiet except for the soft hum of healing equipment and the occasional footsteps of nurses checking on patients. Four beds were arranged in a small room, close enough for conversation but giving each occupant space to rest.Miko lay on his back, staring at the white ceiling. The ash lines on his skin had faded to barely visible marks, but he could still feel them—like a reminder of everything that had changed. His right arm, the one Anna had regrown, felt strange. Not wrong exactly, just... different."Can't sleep either?" Akiya's voice broke the silence. She was propped up on her side, facing him from the next bed."Every time I close my eyes, I see him," Miko replied quietly. "Suspended in that thing. Looking so... peaceful.""He's alive," Anna said from across the room. Her voice was hoarse from the healing treatments she'd undergone. "That's what matters.""Is it?" Miko asked. "Many years as a living battery. Twenty years while I grew up thinking
Chapter 141
Hours later, Miko sat in a sterile conference room deep within the Academy complex. His medical discharge papers were fresh in his pocket, though he still felt drained from elemental exhaustion. The room's only other occupants were his teammates, all looking as tired as he felt despite their medical treatment.A door opened and Coordinator Hayes entered, his weathered face grim. The old man looked like he hadn't slept in days, dark circles under his eyes and worry lines etched deeper than Miko remembered."Team Seven," Hayes said simply, taking his seat at the head of the table. "I've read the preliminary reports. Now I want to hear it from you directly. All of it."Gregor started to speak, but Hayes held up a hand to stop him."From the beginning," Hayes said. "And I want complete honesty. What happened in the Abyss?"A heavy silence filled the room. The team exchanged glances, each waiting for someone else to begin the impossible task of explaining what they'd experienced.Finally,
Chapter 140
“Elemental exhaustion," he heard someone say as they checked his vitals. "Severe depletion. And these markings..."The world blurred around him as his body finally acknowledged what his will had been denying—he was at his limit. The last thing he saw before unconsciousness claimed him was the portal's surface, shimmering with the promise of home.Miko woke to white walls and the antiseptic smell of the Academy's medical wing. For a moment, he thought the entire Abyss expedition had been a dream. Then he tried to move and felt the deep ache of elemental depletion in every muscle."Easy," a familiar voice cautioned. Akiya sat beside his bed, looking cleaner but no less tired than when he'd last seen her. "The healers say you need rest.""How long?" Miko asked, his voice rough."A day and a half," she replied. "We came through the portal yesterday morning. The Peregrine brought us straight back to Central Academy.""The others?""All alive. Mostly recovered." She smiled slightly. "You go
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