'Ah. It's this again…' Kain thought as he was reminded of just why he hated teleporting.
Just when he'd thought he'd grown accustod to it, he was reminded of just how horrible it could feel when the distance was extended again.
There was pain. Then nausea.
Then sothing worse.
It was like every atom in his body was trying to reintroduce itself to the laws of reality all at once—and none of them were doing it politely. His lungs clenched, his skin buzzed, and his stomach executed a full backflip while forgetting to bring the rest of him along for the ride.
Long-distance spatial transfer was never fun. Doing it from a high-level relic, that he expected wasn't even on the sa continent as his ho was a whole new level of unpleasant.
The world snapped into place around him with the force of a slamd door.
He dropped to one knee on cold stone, gasping like a fish tossed onto a dock. The air slled faintly of incense and damp stone. Familiar.
Dark Moon College.
He was back.
Sort of. Physically he was back, but ntally…
Perhaps as an aftermath from the trials in the relic or the long-distant teleportation, his mind and senses didn't seem to have fully returned yet. There was a dreamlike quality that seed to cover the surroundings in a filter as if his brain was still buffering.
It took a few seconds before sound registered.
Voices. Low. Nearby.
His vision steadied.
The relic gateway—a shimring doorway of light—stood behind him half forgotten. On the other side, only a few figures remained. Most of the students had clearly already exited. Based on the length of his trial and Serena's, they must have been inside far longer than anyone predicted. Long enough that nearly everyone had returned to their dorms.
Only a small group remained near the relic exit, standing just outside the radius of the wards and sigils supporting the relic entrance.
And at the center of that group was Serena.
Bridge and Kain's other friends were gathered around her. Their faces all looked grim, confused, and… sad?
They were talking in low tones. Serena's posture was stiffer than usual, her arms folded across her chest in that way she always did when she was trying not to feel sothing.
Except… her face.
Her face wasn't cold.
It was devastated.
There were cracks showing in her mask, hair slightly ssier than normal, a sharp line in her jaw that ant she'd been clenching it for too long. She looked like soone trying not to break, surrounded by people trying to extract information from her she didn't even want to think about.
Kain blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar expression on her.
And then the gateway behind him flared one last ti, like a farewell signal, before it began to shut down.
A ripple spread across the ground like a heartbeat.
Every head turned.
Every conversation stopped.
Serena looked up—her eyes wide, wild, and disbelieving—and then before anyone else could react, she ran.
She sprinted across the stone floor like a snapped arrow, eyes locked on only one thing.
Kain barely had ti to register the movent before she slamd into him.
Her arms wrapped tight around him, nearly knocking the breath out of him again. Her head buried against his chest, hands clenched into his back like she was trying to burrow into his body.
He stood there for a second, arms stiff, before slowly wrapping them around her in return, and resting his head on her own. All the thoughts about what to tell her left his head as a sweet floral scent surrounded him.
And warmth.
And softness.
No words were spoken between them.
Just the quiet sound of soone breathing again after holding it far too long.
Unfortunately, the mont didn't last long—
"Woooow," Bridge dragged out his words theatrically with feigned betrayal. "Dude forgets everyone the second there's a girl around. Not even sparing a glance at his brother. I raised you better than this."
Kain rolled his eyes at the interruption to his and Serena's reunion 'You raised ? Which of us is the older brother exactly…?'
Addison and Aiden made identical choking noises that might've been a cough, or a laugh, or both.
"I give them two weeks before they're holding hands in public," Finn muttered.
"I give them two days," Elias said, one-upping him while Leonara held back a smirk from the side.
Kain sighed audibly.
Serena didn't pull back right away, but she did turn her head just enough to shoot a deadly glare at the others over her shoulder. A pulse of cold spiritual pressure humd faintly through the air.
They all wisely took a step back.
Then Bridge, massive and grinning like a lunatic, marched forward and grabbed Kain in a full-bodied hug the mont Serena stepped back.
If Serena had been soft and floral, Bridge was like a massive bulldozer.
"Urrgh—Bridge—air," Kain gasped, ribs groaning under the pressure.
"I thought you were gone, bro," Bridge said while patting him hard enough on the back to bruise. "Don't do that again. I even started to plan out the nu for your funeral and everything."
"Was there cake?"
"Of course."
Kain wheezed a laugh and slapped his friend's back twice until he let go.
Then soone else stepped forward.
Vice Chancellor Darrow.
The older man looked calm, but his eyes—a piercing, pale grey-ish blue—locked onto Kain and Serena with sothing deeper than curiosity. He walked slowly, hands clasped behind his back.
"I'm glad you returned safely."
Kain straightened a little. "Yeah. Just now."
Darrow glanced toward the still-humming relic portal, then back at the two of them.
"Halfway through the trials, we lost your signal," he said calmly. "We assud… many things. But ultimately, we decided to assess your performances based only on the data collected during the early stages."
Kain didn't respond.
Serena tilted her head. "So we won't be receiving any official credit for the later trials?"
Darrow's mouth twitched at the edge. It wasn't quite a smile.
"No. Officially, no," he said. Then he looked at Kain more directly. "But I have a feeling you received your rewards regardless."
His gaze lingered for a mont longer, then he turned away.
"Welco back," he said over his shoulder, before vanishing into the crowd of remaining staff.
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