A few minutes later, the door opened again. Jeremy blinked as familiar voices spilled into the room.

“Think he’s awake?” Marcus’s voice was loud and teasing. “Or should we come back later when he’s not drooling on himself?”

“I’m not drooling,” Jeremy muttered, his voice hoarse but clearer than before.

Perci appeared first, rolling her eyes. “Ignore Marcus. He’s an idiot.” She shoved a bag of chips onto the side table before plopping into the chair next to Andrew, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “How are you feeling, genius?”

Jeremy hesitated, glancing between them. Marcus, Timothy, and Mia hovered near the door, each carrying some sort of snack or drink. Their expressions ranged from teasing to worried.

“Better... I guess,” Jeremy said, his voice quieter. “Still hurts.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you try to solo a dungeon and forget to, you know, not die,” Marcus quipped, dropping a soda onto the table. “Seriously, though, you had us freaked out, man.”

Mia nodded, setting a small vase of flowers on the side table. “We were so worried when we found out you were still in there. You really scared us.”

Andrew’s sharp gaze flicked to Jeremy, his lips pressed into a thin line. “You scared all of us,” he added quietly, his voice carrying a weight that made the others glance at him uneasily.

Jeremy stared at the blanket, Marcus’s words—and Andrew’s—echoing in his head. They’d worried about him, and he’d almost made it for nothing. “Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize.” Perci leaned forward, her gaze sharp but not unkind. “Just don’t do it again, okay? We need you around, Jeremy. You’re part of this team, even if you’re terrible at asking for help.”

Timothy stepped forward, clearing his throat awkwardly. “Yeah. And... we brought snacks, so you better eat them.”

Jeremy managed a faint smile. “Thanks.”

They stayed for a while, filling the room with stories about the few dungeon runs they’d done, as well as the weekly duels. Marcus went into great detail about a flashy move he’d pulled off during his duel, though Perci was quick to point out that he still lost.

“It’s called showmanship!” Marcus defended, grinning.

“Sure it is,” Perci said dryly. “Anyway, you missed all of it, Jeremy. First two weekly duels. It was weird.”

Jeremy’s chest tightened. He hadn’t just let them down—he’d missed his chance. The thought gnawed at him, but as his friends’ words echoed in his head, determination sparked. Next time, he’d do more than show up. He’d make them remember.

Mia seemed to sense his shift in mood. “You’ll catch the next one,” she said gently. “Once you’re better.”

“Yeah, and you can make up for it by winning,” Marcus added, grinning. “Just don’t go getting yourself killed before then, okay?”

“Speaking of,” Perci said, leaning back. “If you can’t train physically, why not focus on something else? Strategy, Mental Skills—stuff that doesn’t require you to move. You’re already good at Memorization, right? Push that. Get ahead in something else.”

“Like what?” Jeremy asked, the idea sparking something in his tired brain.

“Observation, maybe?” Perci suggested, tilting her head. “You’re stuck here anyway. Might as well use the time.”

Andrew shifted from where he stood, his arms uncrossing. “Perci’s right. You’re not doing anyone any favors by moping around. Use this time smartly.”

Jeremy glanced between them, their words bouncing around in his head. The idea wasn’t bad. He hated sitting still, hated feeling weak. But Perci and Andrew were right—if he couldn’t fight yet, maybe he could still get stronger in other ways.

He nodded slowly. “Maybe... that’s not a bad idea.”

His gaze flicked to the snacks and drinks piled on the table, a strange warmth settling in his chest. They hadn’t just come to check on him—they’d dragged him back from the sinking feeling that he was alone in this. He wasn’t. Not with them here.

Jeremy glanced at Andrew, catching the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his brother’s lips. That, more than anything, made him feel like he’d taken the first step toward fixing what he’d broken.

----------------------------------------

The door creaked open, and Jeremy, still laughing weakly with his friends, glanced up. The laughter died instantly as his parents stepped into the room. The shift in atmosphere was immediate—like the very air had been replaced with something heavier.

Helena Hoppins entered first, her gaze sharp as it swept over the room, lingering briefly on Jeremy’s friends before landing on him. Adrian Hoppins followed, his towering frame making the walls feel even closer. Jeremy’s friends, seated around his bed, exchanged nervous glances, visibly shrinking under the weight of their presence.

Marcus fidgeted awkwardly, breaking the silence with a muttered, “Uh, we can—uh—leave if you want?”

Helena’s gaze flicked to him, her expression softening just enough to surprise everyone. “No need,” she said crisply. “Stay if you like. You’re his friends.” She turned back to Jeremy, her eyes narrowing slightly. “But I assume you all already know how reckless he was.”

Adrian stepped closer, his arms crossed as his sharp gaze pinned Jeremy in place. “You had us worried, son,” he said bluntly. His voice was calm, but the disappointment in his tone hit harder than any shout could have. “What were you thinking? A Tier 2 dungeon? Alone?”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“I thought I could handle it,” Jeremy said softly, his voice cracking. “I... I didn’t mean for it to go wrong.”

“Didn’t mean for it to go wrong,” Adrian repeated, shaking his head. “You could have crushed a Tier 1 dungeon easily. You know that, right? But instead, you jumped ahead to something you weren’t ready for—and look where that got you.”

“You could have waited,” Helena added, stepping closer and kneeling beside his bed. “You’re smart enough to know better, Jeremy. A few more weeks of training, and you might’ve been ready for a Tier 2. So why rush? What were you trying to prove?”

Jeremy hesitated, his throat tightening. “I just... I wanted to show I could do it.”

“Jeremy, do you remember what I told you before you left for the academy?” Adrian asked, his voice soft but firm. “You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone, least of all by risking your life like this.”

Jeremy’s throat tightened, and he nodded, though his gaze stayed fixed on his hands. “I just wanted to show I could do it myself... without relying on my name.”

Adrian’s expression softened slightly, but his tone remained firm. “I know you want to stand on your own. And you can. But standing on your own doesn’t mean running ahead recklessly. It means knowing when to wait and when to act. Rushing into something you weren’t ready for doesn’t make you stronger—it makes you foolish.”

“Jeremy, do you remember what I told you before you left for the academy? You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone—not to your friends, not to the academy, and certainly not to us. Standing on your own doesn’t mean throwing yourself into a situation you aren’t ready for.”

Adrian’s expression was soft but firm. “All the influence your mother and I wield, all the power we’ve amassed—none of it could protect you from yourself. Do you know what that’s like? Watching helplessly as someone you love puts themselves in danger?”

His voice dropped, a dark edge sharpening his tone. “Your mother could have killed the teleporter attendant, Jeremy. And do you know what would’ve happened? Nothing. No one would have dared to question her. She was ready to end that woman’s life because she thought it might do something—anything. And there I stood, perfectly willing to let it happen, because for all the strength we have, we couldn’t stop you from throwing yourself into that dungeon.”

The room fell silent, heavy with the weight of Adrian’s words. Jeremy’s friends looked stunned, their earlier nervousness replaced with visible unease.

Perci’s jaw dropped slightly. “Wait, she was gonna—like, actually kill her?” Her voice wavered between disbelief and nervous laughter, as if hoping Adrian was exaggerating.

“That’s... terrifying,” Mia whispered, sitting stiffly in her chair. She glanced toward Jeremy with wide eyes, clearly unsettled by the lengths his family would go.

Timothy shifted uncomfortably. His gaze flicked toward the door, as if picturing the attendant’s fate, before quickly looking back at the floor.

Andrew’s reaction was sharper. He stood by the window, his hands clenched into fists. “She didn’t have to do that,” he said, his knuckles white. “It wasn’t fair to the attendant.”

Adrian’s gaze flicked toward Andrew, his expression unreadable. “That’s why this family needs to be better. Smarter. Stronger.”

Jeremy swallowed hard, guilt pressing down on him like a weight. His friends’ reactions mirrored the unease settling in his own chest. He glanced at them, their discomfort making the full scope of his parents’ power and actions more real than ever.

Adrian stepped closer, his tone softening but still firm. “And all that for a Tier 2 dungeon? You could have waited a few more weeks, trained properly, and crushed it without breaking a sweat. But instead, you gambled with your life—and for what? To prove that you don’t need us? To prove you can stand on your own? Jeremy, you already have everything you need to succeed. But if you keep throwing it away like this, you’ll lose what truly matters. Your life. And when you do, no amount of power—not ours, not yours—will bring you back.”

He glanced briefly at the group of teens seated around the room. Marcus avoided his gaze, while Perci sat stiff as a rock. Mia and Timothy exchanged uneasy glances but didn’t speak. Adrian’s eyes returned to Jeremy. “Look at them. They’re here now because of who you are—but what you do will determine how long they stay. That’s the reality of your name. Some will care about you for you, and others... won’t. You need to be aware of that. And actions like this—actions that scare them, that make them question you—will shape those relationships.”

Helena nodded, her sharp gaze scanning the group before landing back on Jeremy. “When you were missing, they waited. They didn’t walk away. That says something... but you have to ask yourself, Jeremy: when they know you’re the type of person to do something like this, are you giving them a reason to stay for who you are, not just for the weight of your family?”

Jeremy swallowed hard, his chest tightening. He glanced at his friends. Perci’s face was unreadable, while Mia offered him a small, nervous smile. Timothy shifted awkwardly near the corner, as if wishing that he wasn’t in room. Guilt pressed down on Jeremy as he realized how little he’d thought about what his actions might mean to them—or what they might think of him.

Marcus shifted awkwardly, clearly unsure whether he should speak up. “Uh... yeah. Look, we were already freaked out about you being gone, man. But if we’d known that the attendant thing would have happened on top of it...” He trailed off, scratching the back of his head. “Just—don’t make them flip out like that again, okay?”

Jeremy nodded, his throat tight. “I get it,” he whispered. “I really do. I’m sorry.”

Helena gave him a small smile, her hand resting on his shoulder. “Rest, Jeremy. You need to heal. And when you’re ready, we’ll make sure you’re properly prepared.”

Marcus glanced nervously at Adrian, then cleared his throat. “Uh, excuse me, sir, ma’am? If it’s okay... we’d like to stay.”

Adrian’s gaze shifted to Marcus, sharp and assessing, making the boy nearly wilt under its weight. Helena tilted her head before she nodded. “You’re his friends,” she said simply. “You can stay. Just don’t tire him out.”

Adrian gave Jeremy one last look. “We’ll talk more when you’re stronger,” he said. His voice softened slightly as he added, “Take care of yourself.”

Helena leaned down and kissed Jeremy’s forehead. “We’ll check on you later.”

They turned and left, their departure as commanding as their arrival. The tension in the room lingered for a moment, and then Timothy let out a breath he’d been holding. “And here I thought dungeons were the dangerous part of school,” he said quietly, earning a weak laugh from Jeremy.

“I don’t know what’s scarier—that they could do it or that no one would stop them,” Mia said quietly, fiddling with her cup. “But... they’re not wrong. About you I mean, not the attendant.”

Jeremy nodded slowly. “I know. I just—I thought I was ready.”

“You could’ve been,” Perci said, crossing her arms. “But not yet. You didn’t have to rush, Jeremy. You’re good enough to do this the right way. So next time... do it the right way.”

Jeremy glanced at his friends, the warmth of their concern dulling some of the lingering guilt. He managed a faint smile. “Thanks. I’ll do better.”

“You better,” Marcus said with a grin. “Because I want to see you dominate that Tier 2 dungeon when you’re actually ready for it.”

The room settled into a more relaxed atmosphere as his friends resumed their chatter. Jeremy leaned back, exhausted. But for the first time since waking up, the weight in his chest felt a little bit lighter.