“And now what?” Liara asked.
I didn’t answer right away.
“I need to meet Mira,” I said at last. “The seal is cracking. She has to fix it.”
I ran a hand through my hair.
The blackness was gone.
White again.
My eyes, too—back to that bluish shade.
Liara nodded in silence.
I summoned a dragon—wind and cloud folding into a familiar shape. We mounted.
We took off.
For a while we flew without speaking.
“We need to have a serious talk,” Liara said.
“About what?” I asked, not looking at her.
Her voice went cold.
“You killed a person without hesitating.”
I shrugged.
“What’s the difference?” I said calmly. “A human or a demon.”
I turned to her.
“Why aren’t you defending the demon?” I asked. “He’s ‘sentient’ too, isn’t he?”
She shot me a sharp look.
“Why are you comparing them like that?” she said. “A demon is a demon.”
“There was no difference between that girl and the demon,” I replied.
Liara fell silent.
The dragon kept flying, cutting through the night.
“You know…” she said after a while. “You’re, what, eleven. But sometimes you talk like you’ve lived a very long life.”
I smirked.
“I told you. Depends how you look at it.”
“And still,” she continued, softer now, “you’re a child.”
I nodded.
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“Yeah. That’s true.”
She sighed.
“Zenhald… you only get one childhood. You can’t get it back.”
I said nothing.
“At your age,” she went on, “kids your age have fun, fight over nonsense, make friends, fall in love, do stupid things… and think the world is huge and safe.”
Each word landed heavy.
“And you…” she hesitated. “You’re already deciding who lives and who doesn’t.”
I felt sad.
Not sharply.
Not painfully.
Just… hollow.
Like I really was missing something important.
Something
I’d never be able to return to.
I stared ahead, at the dark horizon.
And for the first time I thought:
who would I be
if I didn’t have this power?
At last, the Academy appeared ahead.
White towers, familiar paths, the gates—everything in its place.
We dismounted and walked up.
“Who are you?” a guard asked, frowning.
Liara answered calmly:
“My student wants to enter the Academy.”
The guard looked us over.
“Fine. Go in.”
In the courtyard, a teacher met us almost immediately.
“You’ll need to register,” he began officially.
I raised a hand.
“Honestly…” I said. “I’m a fan of Mira Helvard. Can I meet her?”
He smirked.
“If you’re strong enough—maybe she’ll hear about you.”
Liara stepped forward.
“Do you know who I am?”
He froze.
“Of course. The legendary warrior.”
Too many legends, I thought.
And this one’s the living version.
“So,” Liara continued, “let my student meet her. He looks weak and pathetic,” she shrugged, “but I’m sure Mira will be surprised.”
The teacher hesitated…
then nodded.
“Wait here.”
About five minutes passed.
And she came out.
Mira.
Her gaze found me instantly.
And in that same second, she understood everything.
“So…” she said, “you want to fight me?”
“NO!” I started waving my hands. “I’m your fan! I wanted to talk… maybe treat you to tea in the city…”
She laughed.
“Alright.”
We left the Academy grounds.
And then she stepped in sharply
and hugged me.
“Zenhald…” she whispered. “You’re back.”
I felt warm drops fall onto my shoulder.
“I’m so happy to see you, Zen…”
She ran a hand through my hair—
and it turned black at once.
Then she pulled her hand away—
and it was white again.
She smiled.
“Smart,” she said. “Taking after me?”
“Well…” I mumbled. “Yeah.”
“Oh, Zenhald…” she narrowed her eyes. “The seal cracked. You’re breaking again, little brother.”
“Overdid it with teleporting,” I admitted.
“Hold still,” she said.
She lifted her hands and whispered a spell.
Warmth.
Calm.
“There,” she said. “Done.”
“Thanks.”
She leaned in and whispered in my ear:
“Who’s that aunt you brought with you?”
“HEY!” Liara protested. “Elves have excellent hearing!”
Mira burst out laughing.
“So, Zen—did you decide to melt her heart too?”
“Mira, stop,” Liara snorted. “There are centuries between us.”
“So you’re not against it?” Mira laughed even louder. “HAHAHA!”
Liara laughed too.
“Didn’t know you were such a heartbreaker, Zen.”
“Oooh,” Mira chimed in. “He’s a real ladies’ man. Imagine—he melted a princess’s heart, then broke it.”
“Wow,” Liara said. “So you’ve got achievements.”
“And how’s Elinia?” I asked quietly.
Mira turned serious immediately.
“She’s fine. But… your whole class is scared of you. And the whole Academy, honestly.”
She sighed.
“Shame. You were with them for so long…”
Liara raised an eyebrow.
“And now the entire kingdom too,” she added.
“Oh,” Mira said, “my little brother’s been busy, huh?”
Liara briefly told her what happened in Dorwood.
The laughter vanished.
Silence fell.
Mira listened to the end.
“If you did that,” she said at last, “then most likely it was the right call.”
She looked me straight in the eyes.
“You won’t kill someone for no reason, Zen. I know you.”
She smiled softly.
“You’re kind.
Sometimes even too kind.”
And for some reason,
that was exactly what made me exhale.
