Meanwhile..

  I shot up, my hands pushing the stiff, starchy hospital blankets off me like I was drowning and finally broke the surface. My breath was ragged, my skin clammy with sweat. The sterile light buzzed faintly above me, casting a cold glow across the white walls. Tubes ran from my arms to machines that beeped faintly beside me. My chest ached — not in the bruised, muscular way — but deep inside, like something essential had been scraped raw.

  I looked around the room, disoriented, and spotted Jane on one of the room’s couches. She was curled up in a light blanket, her face soft with sleep, a book half-fallen from her hands. The second I moved, though, she stirred. Something about me must’ve set her instincts off. Her eyes fluttered open, and once they locked onto me, she sat up abruptly, shoulders tense, spine straight. Her expression was unreadable at first, but then came a cold, biting sharpness in her voice. “You broke your promise.”

  From her, that hurts. What promise? My head tilted slightly as I tried to recall, brows furrowing.

  She sighed, clearly reading my confusion like a book. “By the look on your face, you must not remember. You promised me whenever you thought you had a real chance of dying, you'd prioritize your life over a win.”

  Memories floated in the haze—vague, like dreams half-remembered. I sort of remembered that. The quiet talk in the dark, the fear in her voice. It had to be true. I wiped my shaggy hair from my forehead, strands stuck to my damp skin. My throat was dry, my voice lower than usual. “I had to finish him. If Toda's plan succeeded, it’d be over already.”

  Jane crossed her arms, gaze like iron. “You may be right, which is why I’m not leaving you. If you didn’t get so lucky, I’d be alone.”

  She was right. I was selfish. I risked everything again, and she was the one who had to suffer for it. But what Yumi said before. It stuck with me. Life-threatening situations—they were normal now. For people like me, in a world like this.

  The door opened with a quiet click, and a man in a white coat stepped in. He had a calm presence, eyes tired but alert. Tools clinked gently from his coat as he moved. Definitely a doctor. He glanced at a clipboard, then looked at me and paused, slightly taken aback to see me awake. He collected himself quickly and walked to my bedside. “Do you feel okay?”

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  I nodded, slowly. My limbs felt like they were moving through water.

  “You’ve been unconscious for fourteen days.” he continued, flipping through his notes. “For transcendents, this sometimes happens after a big fight. However...” He paused and looked up, meeting my eyes. “Your heart had problems the entire carriage ride back. We had to do surgery. I’m not going to waste time explaining it to you, but there’s one thing you need to know.”

  Jane shifted closer, her hand brushing mine, and we both listened carefully. The doctor pointed to his chest. “Don’t use whatever technique you did again. Your body can’t handle even one more usage.” Jane gripped my hand tightly, voice deadly serious. “He won’t, doctor. I’ll kill him if he does.”

  The doctor laughed, a small, tired chuckle. “I’m glad you have someone looking out for you. Many don’t.”

  With that, he made a few notes on his clipboard and stepped out of the room, the door shutting softly behind him.

  Jane broke the silence. “I know I’ve handled it well so far, but I can’t see the man I love go through this for much longer. Is it almost over?”

  Her voice cracked a little, just barely. I looked her in the eyes, then gave a firm nod. “Yes. All I need is one more. I wanted to recruit Ewan, but I can’t count—”

  She cut in, her expression turning sharp again. “Ewan? That Grillir fellow?”

  I blinked. “Yes, why?”

  Jane exhaled slowly, shaking her head like she couldn’t believe what she was about to say. “He’s here now. Abandoned Hasfra and barged into the center of town, demanding an audience with Leo. Once he did, he told Leo he’d do anything to destroy Obsidian. Ewan’s been assigned under you as a reward for your efforts.”

  I clenched my fist, blood rushing through my veins as the pain in my chest reminded me I was still healing. “If that’s the case, all I have to do is coordinate the rebellion on the planned date.”

  Jane stood, her boots clicking lightly against the hospital floor. “Don’t you need more? It’s you, Ewan, Zero, Kayuga, Zhen, and I. I barely count. That’s if you can convince Ewan that the Grillir were going to be killed even if Toda let them live. I would think at least one more.”

  Now that I thought about it... that was my plan before I realized just how outclassed I was. The strength we’d faced, the scale of what the Flames could muster... it wasn’t something we could beat with grit alone. I reached out and took her hand again, grounding myself in the warmth of her presence. “You’re right. I’ll try and gather as many as I can. The current lineup isn’t enough.”

  Jane gave a determined look, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear before turning to the door. “I’ll inform Leo and them of your wake. Meanwhile, I’ll work on your discharge for tomorrow. After, you’ll need to meet with Leo to discuss the upcoming conflict.”

  You didn’t need to be a genius to guess what she was talking about. I sat up straighter, already feeling the weight of what was coming.

  “Conflict?” I asked.

  Jane looked back at me, her hand on the door, her silhouette outlined by the hallway light as it spilled in.

  “Obsidian is marching here, exhausting everything they have for one singular assault. They’re days away, and they’re not messing around.”