Chapter nineteen- Everything hurts
Dawn had barely broken when Kael dismissed her.
The fog still clung to the training grounds, thick and cold, swallowing the edges of the world.
Liora stood there for a moment, swaying on her feet, her breath trembling in her chest. Her arms felt like they were made of stone.
Her legs felt hollow. Her entire body pulsed with a deep, bruising ache that made her want to sink to the ground and never move again.
But she didn't. She forced herself to walk.
Each step was a negotiation with pain. Her muscles screamed. Her joints protested. Her lungs felt raw from the cold air and the hours of exertion. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold her body together long enough to reach the dorms.
The dormitory was quiet when she slipped inside.
Seris was awake—sitting on her bed, polishing her dagger with slow, deliberate strokes.
Her posture was perfect. Her expression unreadable.
Her eyes lifted the moment Liora entered.
They swept over her—the stiff walk, the trembling hands, the way she held her breath every time she moved.
Seris didn't ask what happened. She didn't offer help.
She didn't even pretend to care. She simply said, "You're loud. "
Liora winced as she tried to pull off her boots. "Sorry."
Seris didn't respond. She just watched her—sharp, assessing, calculating—as if she were trying to figure out what Liora was hiding and how to use it. Liora escaped into the shower before Seris could say anything else.
The hot water hit her like fire. She bit down on a cry, gripping the wall as the heat sank into her bruised muscles.
Every inch of her body ached—her arms, her legs, her shoulders, even her ribs.
She let the water run over her until the trembling in her limbs eased enough for her to stand without collapsing.
When she stepped out, Seris was still watching her. Still silent. Still cold. Still wanting her gone. Liora dressed slowly, wincing with every movement, and left without another word.
The dining hall was already buzzing with morning chatter when Liora arrived.
The smell of warm bread and spiced porridge filled the air.
Students laughed, argued, and compared notes.
The world felt too loud, too bright, too alive for how she felt.
She moved stiffly through the crowd, trying not to draw attention. But Mira spotted her instantly.
Her eyes widened. "Liora—are you okay?"
Liora tried to sit. Her body protested violently, and she ended up lowering herself into the seat with a strangled sound. "I'm fine," she lied.
Mira didn't buy it. "You're walking like everything hurts."
"It does," Liora admitted quietly.
Mira leaned in, concern softening her features. "Did you fall? Or—did something happen in class yesterday?"
"No," Liora said quickly. "Nothing like that."
Mira studied her for a moment, then nodded slowly, accepting the boundary without pushing. "Well... whatever it is, you should eat. And if you need help catching up on anything, I've got you."
Liora blinked. "Catching up?"
Mira smiled. "You came in the middle of the year. I've been organizing my notes anyway—I can give you copies of everything. All subjects. All lectures."
Liora stared at her, stunned. "Mira... that's too much."
"It's not," Mira said. "And if you have questions, we can go through them together."
Liora's chest tightened. "Thank you."
"Of course," Mira said. "We're classmates. We help each other."
Liora smiled weakly. Mira's kindness felt like a warm blanket over her bruised body.
She didn't know why Mira cared—they barely knew each other—but she was grateful.
She ate slowly, each movement sending a ripple of pain through her arms. Mira chatted about classes, teachers, and Academy gossip.
Liora listened, grateful for the distraction.
But every now and then, her mind drifted back to Kael. She couldn't figure him out.
After breakfast, she stepped outside for a moment of quiet before class. The courtyard was still cool, the morning sun barely warming the stone. She leaned against a pillar, trying to stretch her aching legs.
A soft flutter of wings brushed the air. Liora looked up.
Ashwing landed on the railing beside her—silver?feathered, eyes bright and intelligent. He tilted his head, studying her with concern.
"Hey," Liora whispered.
Ashwing chirped softly, hopping closer. He nudged her arm with his beak—gentle, careful, as if he sensed her pain.
Liora smiled faintly. "I'm okay," she lied again.
Ashwing didn't believe her either. He pressed his head against her shoulder, feathers warm against her skin. The simple contact made her throat tighten unexpectedly.
"You're sweet," she murmured. "Much nicer than most people here."
Ashwing puffed his feathers proudly. Liora laughed—a small, tired sound—and reached out to stroke his head. He leaned into her touch, eyes half?closing. For a moment, the ache in her body felt lighter. For a moment, she didn't feel alone.
A bell rang in the distance, signaling the start of class. Ashwing chirped once, then took off in a graceful arc, disappearing into the sky. Liora watched him go, wishing she could follow.
Classes were torture. Every time Liora lifted her arm to write, her muscles screamed. Every time she shifted in her seat, her legs throbbed. She tried to hide it, but by midday, she was moving like someone stitched together wrong.
Aiden noticed immediately. He always noticed. He caught up to her after class, falling into step beside her with that easy, confident stride. "You're walking like you fought a dragon," he said.
Liora snorted softly. "Funny."
"I'm serious," Aiden said, grinning. "Did you?"
"No."
"Shame. I would've been impressed."
She rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
Aiden leaned closer, lowering his voice. "So what did happen? You look like you got thrown down a hill."
"Just... training," Liora said, keeping it vague.
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Training? That intense?"
"Apparently."
Aiden let out a low whistle. "Well... if you need help walking to your next class, I can offer an arm. Or two. Or a full carry. I'm flexible."
Liora laughed despite herself. "I'll manage."
"Will you?" Aiden asked. "Because right now, you look like you're one wrong step away from collapsing into my arms. Which, to be clear, I wouldn't mind."
She nudged him gently. "You're impossible."
"And you're limping," Aiden said. "So I'm winning."
Liora shook her head, smiling despite the pain. Aiden had a way of making everything feel lighter, even when her body felt like it was falling apart.
They turned a corner—and Kael was there. Walking down the hall, silent, unreadable, a stack of books under one arm. His posture perfect. His expression cold. His attention fixed straight ahead.
Liora's breath caught. She didn't know why she did it—maybe exhaustion, maybe instinct, maybe the strange comfort of having Aiden beside her—but she smiled at Kael. A small smile. Soft. Almost grateful. Almost hopeful.
Kael didn't look at her. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment. He walked past her as if she were air.
Aiden raised an eyebrow. Liora forced her expression neutral. It stung—sharp and unexpected—because she had pushed herself until her body broke, and he couldn't even look at her. But she swallowed it down.
Aiden didn't press. He just walked beside her, warm and steady.
But Seris—walking a few steps behind Kael—didn't miss a thing.
Her eyes flicked from Liora... to Kael..
. to Liora again. Sharp. Cold. Calculating.
And unlike Mira or Aiden, Seris didn't look concerned.
She looked satisfied. As if Kael ignoring Liora was exactly what she wanted.
As if she hoped it would stay that way. As if she hoped Liora would break.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of pain and exhaustion.
Liora moved through her classes like a ghost, her mind drifting, her body aching.
She tried to focus, but her thoughts kept circling back to Kael.
To the training. To the pain. To the way he had looked through her.
She didn't understand him. She didn't understand herself. She didn't understand why it mattered.
By the time classes ended, she felt like she was held together by sheer willpower.
Aiden walked her partway back to the dorms, chatting lightly about nothing—the weather, the upcoming exams, the ridiculous rumor that someone had seen a dragon near the northern cliffs.
Liora listened, grateful for the distraction.
When they reached the courtyard, Aiden slowed. "You sure you're okay?"
Liora nodded. "I'll be fine."
Aiden studied her for a moment, then smiled. "If you collapse, I'll pretend I didn't see it."
Liora laughed softly. "Thanks."
"Anytime."
He gave her a small wave and headed off.
Liora stood there for a moment, breathing in the cool evening air. The sky was turning gold and pink, the sun dipping behind the mountains. Students crossed the courtyard in groups, laughing and talking. She felt strangely alone.
She made her way back to the dorms, each step sending a dull ache through her legs. When she opened the door, Seris was there—sitting on her bed, sharpening her dagger. Her eyes lifted. They swept over Liora again—the stiff posture, the tired eyes, the way she held her breath every time she moved.
Seris didn't speak. She didn't need to. Her silence said everything. You don't belong here. You're weak. You won't last. And I want you gone.
Liora swallowed hard and climbed into bed, her body trembling with exhaustion. She lay there in the dim light, staring at the ceiling, her mind drifting back to Kael. To the training. To the pain. To the coldness in his eyes. To the way he had walked past her without seeing her.
She didn't know why it hurt so much. She didn't know why she cared. She didn't know what she expected.
But she knew one thing:
Tomorrow, she would go back. No matter how much it hurt. No matter how much he ignored her. No matter how much Seris wanted her gone.
She would go back. Because she had something to prove. To Kael. To Seris. To herself. And she wasn't done. Not yet.