Just as sleep was starting to take hold, a sharp knock on the door yanked me back to reality. I groaned, pushing myself up with a scowl and trudging toward the door. Voices filtered through the wood, muffled but familiar. Leo and Aiden. Their conversation was drowned out by another round of loud knocks.

I pressed my ear against the door, trying to catch their words, but the pounding was too constant to hear anything clearly. My patience was already thin, and I wasn’t in the mood to play along.

‘They’ll leave if I stay quiet,’ I thought, turning away from the door and heading back to the bed. I sat on the edge, elbows on my knees, waiting.

The knocks stopped. The voices didn’t.

“Maybe he’s not in his room,” Aiden suggested, his voice clearer now.

“Or he’s in there and ignoring us,” Leo shot back, his tone sharp. “He knows what happened to Seker.”

“Just let it go for now,” Aiden replied, his voice more even. “We’ll ask him later. I’m sure he had a good reason for not telling us.”

“A ‘good reason’? Right,” Leo muttered, his words dripping with doubt. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

“Pessimistic as always,” Aiden said, his voice trailing off as their footsteps faded down the hall.

I leaned back, tapping my foot against the side of the bed. They figured it out. It was bound to happen. I’d been the last person Seker spoke to before all this, so of course, they’d put the pieces together.

But I wasn’t worried. I’d already crafted my excuse. Back home, I was always prepared for stuff like this—planned, calculated. Here, I’d gotten sloppy. Too many unknowns, too many surprises. But this world was forcing me to adjust. I could feel I was getting back to my old self… or was I simply just adapting?

‘Adapt or be crushed,’ I reminded myself.

I could already guess what Seker had done. He probably went after his stepfather or tracked down whoever had taken his family’s money. Either way, he got himself beat to hell. Kid was all heart, no head.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. ‘They’ll corner me eventually. Might as well make it easy.’

I raised my voice loud enough to be heard. “It’s open. Lift the door and pull it. It sticks.”

There was a brief pause, then Aiden’s muffled, “Oh. He is in there.”

The door creaked as Leo opened it, and before I could say a word, he stormed in. His hand shot forward, grabbing my collar and yanking me to my feet. My breath hitched as we locked eyes—his blazing with frustration, mine dull with indifference.

“Why were you hiding, huh?” Leo barked, his grip tightening.

Aiden shoved himself between us, throwing up his arms. “Hey! Chill.” He nudged Leo back, forcing him to release me. “You’re not helping.”

Leo stepped away, muttering something under his breath. I straightened my collar with a slow, motion, eyes fixed on him the entire time.

“You done?” I asked, my tone flat. “Or do you want to rip my shirt next?”

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“Don’t test me,” Leo snapped, his jaw tight.

“Then listen,” I replied, still adjusting my collar. My eyes met his, calm but firm. “I thought Seker wanted to be left alone. He’d just heard his mother’s boyfriend blew the last of their gold gambling. Figured he needed some space.”

Leo’s scowl deepened. His fingers flexed at his sides like he was one second away from lunging again.

“You could’ve told us,” he growled, “Why hide it?”

“If Seker wanted you to know, he would have told you himself,” I countered, tilting my head slightly. “But he didn’t.”

The room went still for a moment. Leo’s breathing was sharp and uneven, like he was holding himself back.

“He’s right,” a voice rasped from the doorway.

All three of us turned toward it. Seker stood there, his figure leaning against the frame like he might collapse at any moment. His shirt was stained with dried blood, and bruises painted his face in shades of purple and red. His left eye was half-swollen shut, and his lip had a fresh split down the middle. He sucked in shallow breaths, each one like it hurt.

“I needed to do this alone,” Seker muttered, his eyes low but his voice steady. “For my mom.”

Leo’s eyes twitched with something between anger and disbelief. He threw his hands in the air, pacing in a small circle. “Why am I surrounded by idiots?” he snapped, spinning to face Seker. “We’ve known each other our whole lives, and you still pull this crap?” He pointed at Seker’s battered face like it was proof. “Look at you, man! You got a busted nose, a split lip, and an eye that’s gonna be swollen shut for a week. You won, huh? Feelin’ righteous now?”

Seker didn’t answer. He just glanced away.

“Leo,” Aiden sighed, “He gets it. You don’t need to rub it in.”

Leo scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” His gaze shot to me, sharp and unyielding. “And you knew. You knew all of this and stayed quiet.”

“Sorry,” I said, letting out a long, drawn-out breath. I shrugged, letting my shoulders fall slack like I was exhausted. “I just figured… if I were in his shoes, I’d want people to back off too.” I glanced at Seker, letting that hang in the air. Make it seem like I understand him. People like that always eat it up.

Seker rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting between me, Aiden, and Leo. “He’s right,” he muttered. “I didn’t want anyone knowing.”

Leo shook his head slowly, mouth pressed into a tight line. He didn’t say anything, but I could see the frustration boiling under his skin.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Aiden said, stepping forward and holding up his hands. “We’re all tired. Seker, sit down before you fall down. We’ll call a healer.”

“I don’t need a healer,” Seker muttered, wincing as he spoke.

“Yeah, well, your face says otherwise,” Aiden shot back, guiding him inside and toward the nearest chair. “Sit. Don’t argue.”

Seker sank into the chair with a grunt, his face twisting in pain. He glanced at Leo, then me, like he had something more to say but couldn’t bring himself to say it.

I leaned against the wall, arms folded. My eyes stayed on Leo, watching his every move. He wasn’t pacing anymore, just standing there, staring at Seker with that look people get when they’re disappointed but tired of fighting.

Nobody spoke for a while.

Aiden finally broke the silence. “I’ll go get a healer.” He pointed a finger at Leo, then me. “Don’t start anything while I’m gone.”

Leo just waved him off, turning his attention back to Seker. His gaze softened, but only a little.

Once Aiden left, the room grew quiet again. Just the distant chatter of the dormitory, muffled behind stone walls.

I sat on the bed, resting my elbows on my knees, letting my gaze drift to the window. Outside, the sky had darkened to a deep gray, clouds creeping in again. Another storm, maybe. Fitting.

“I hate seeing you like this,” Leo muttered. His tone had shifted. Quieter. Less fire, more ash. “You can’t keep doing this, man.”

“I know,” Seker replied, leaning his head back against the chair. He closed his eyes, letting the weight of everything settle on him.

I stayed where I was, eyes fixed on the clouds outside. My hands rested on my knees, fingers tapping idly. I’d done my part. No reason to add more.

‘Just another storm,’ I thought, ‘Let it pass.’