Maya wakes

The next morning arrived with whispered promises of change. Pale sunlight crept through the dirt-streaked window like cautious fingers, painting the stone floor in shades of silver and gray.

The light fell across Nox's face as he lay still on the narrow bed, caught between sleep and waking.

He didn't open his eyes immediately. Instead, he let himself drift in that peaceful space where pain was distant and thoughts moved slowly.

The constant ache in his body had faded to something manageable—a dull throb that reminded him he was alive without screaming about it.

The silence in the room felt different somehow. Lighter. Less oppressive than the heavy quiet of the past few days.

That peace shattered the moment something cold touched his cheek.

His eyes snapped open like a trap springing shut, pupils wide and alert. Every muscle in his body tensed, ready for violence.

A hand. Small, pale, trembling slightly.

Instinct kicked in before thought could catch up. He jerked away from the touch, sitting up fast enough to make the old bed frame creak in protest.

His eyes flashed with irritation and suspicion as he prepared to face whatever threat had dared to—

He stopped.

Maya stood beside his bed, her delicate fingers slowly pulling back from where they'd touched his face. Her long silver hair was a tangled mess around her shoulders, and dark circles shadowed her eyes, but she was awake. Alert. Alive.

For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.

They just stared at each other across the small space between their beds.

Then, without warning, she launched herself forward.

Her arms wrapped around him in a fierce embrace that caught him completely off guard. The sudden warmth of her small body pressed against his chest, her face buried against his shoulder as if she were trying to convince herself he was real.

Nox went rigid as a board.

What... what is this?

He didn't know how to process the contact. Didn't understand the desperate way she clung to him, or the way her breathing hitched like she was trying not to cry. His arms hung uselessly at his sides, unsure whether to push her away or... what? Hug her back?

The idea felt foreign. Uncomfortable.

But he didn't push her away either.

And somehow, that seemed to be enough for her.

The embrace lasted an eternity—or maybe just five minutes. Time moved strangely when someone was clinging to you like you were their anchor in a storm. Finally, when the awkwardness became too much to bear, Nox carefully reached up and peeled her arms away from his neck.

She stepped back immediately, her pale cheeks flushing bright red. Her eyes darted away from his face, focusing on the floor instead.

"Mr. Garron said to get you," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. It was the first time he'd heard her speak, and it was softer than he'd expected. Gentle. "We're supposed to go to the courtyard."

Nox gave a single, curt nod and stood up. He moved with economical precision, pulling on the clean clothes that had been left for him the day before. Maya waited by the door, fidgeting with the hem of her simple gray dress.

She kept stealing glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

Without a word, he walked past her into the hallway. She followed, her bare feet making whisper-soft sounds on the cold stone.

The courtyard buzzed with more activity than yesterday.

Children moved through organized stretches and exercises under the pale morning sun, their bodies forming neat lines and circles across the training ground. But their attention wasn't on their movements.

Every single pair of eyes turned toward Nox and Maya the moment they stepped through the door.

The stares hit like a physical weight—sharp, curious, calculating. Some faces showed open hostility, others mere interest, but all of them were measuring the newcomers like merchants evaluating goods at market.

Nox ignored them completely. He'd faced worse scrutiny before, in his old life. These children were just trying to figure out where he fit in their hierarchy.

Maya, however, wasn't prepared for the attention.

She froze under the weight of so many watching eyes, her hands clenching the sides of her tunic until her knuckles went white. Her steps faltered, then stopped entirely as the pressure of their stares made her shrink in on herself.

Nox noticed her distress immediately.

His first instinct was to keep walking. Let her learn to handle it herself. These weren't his problems, and coddling her would only make her weaker in the long run.

But before his conscious mind could make that decision, his body moved on its own.

He stepped in front of her, his lean frame blocking most of the stares.

His expression remained neutral, but something in his posture shifted—became more protective, more territorial.

Tsk. Annoyance flashed through him. This again?

Why did this body keep reacting to protect her without his permission? It was like some kind of ingrained reflex he couldn't control.

Why does this body protect her on its own?

"Everyone! Eyes forward!"

Garron's voice cracked across the courtyard like a whip, cutting through the tension. The man stood at the center of the training ground with his arms folded, his gaze sweeping across the assembled children like a blade looking for something to cut.

Silence fell immediately. Even the most defiant students knew better than to test Garron's patience.

"Today, I'm introducing two new additions," he announced, his tone leaving no room for questions or complaints. "Maya and Nox Virelith. They'll be joining our morning exercises starting now, and they'll begin house contributions by evening."

A few whispers started up at the mention of the Virelith name, but they died quickly under Garron's glare.

"I expect all of you to treat them like any other student here. That means no special treatment—good or bad." His eyes found several specific faces in the crowd, delivering silent warnings. "Anyone who has a problem with that can discuss it with me personally."

Several students shifted uncomfortably. Others just continued staring, but more discreetly now.

"Alright. Warm-ups—now," Garron barked, then turned and walked toward the main building, leaving the newcomers alone in a sea of silent, watching peers.

And like sharks that had caught the scent of blood in the water, they began to circle.

"Hey, kid."

The voice was rough and gravelly, carrying the kind of confidence that came from never being told 'no.' Nox didn't need to turn around to know that trouble had found him.

He turned slowly, deliberately, his movements controlled and precise.

A large boy stood before him—probably around his own age but built like he'd been carved from stone. He was a full head taller than Nox, with thick arms crossed over a broad chest and a permanent sneer etched into his face like it had been there since birth.

This wasn't a welcoming committee.

This was a challenge.

The boy took a step forward, using his size to loom over Nox. "You the sickly rat everyone's been whispering about?"

Nox didn't flinch. Didn't blink. Didn't even tilt his head.

His gaze was cold as winter ice, hard as iron, and focused with the intensity of a predator sizing up prey.

The larger boy hesitated.

Just for a second. Just long enough for uncertainty to flicker across his features.

And that was enough.

He's not used to prey that stares back, Nox thought with grim satisfaction.

The boy recovered quickly, puffing out his chest and taking another step forward. "I said something to you," he growled, his voice carrying an edge of frustration.

Nox tilted his head ever so slightly, the movement as deliberate as everything else about him. "And I chose not to answer."

The words fell into the space between them like stones into still water, creating ripples of shock that spread through the watching crowd.

Gasps echoed around the courtyard. Several children stopped their exercises entirely to watch what was happening.

Nox stepped forward once, closing the distance between them without breaking eye contact. His voice remained flat, emotionless, carrying the kind of quiet menace that made people's survival instincts start screaming.

"I don't know what you're trying to prove," he said, each word precise and cutting. "But I'm not interested in whatever this is."

He turned and walked past the larger boy, moving with the calm confidence of someone who had never doubted their ability to handle whatever came next.

The boy's hands clenched into fists, his face flushing red with humiliation and rage. But he didn't follow. Something in Nox's demeanor, the way he moved, the way he'd looked at him, had planted a seed of doubt.

Testing me already, Nox thought as he walked away.

'This place runs on pecking order. Fine. Let them try to figure out where I fit. I'll be watching.'

Behind him, Maya had observed the entire exchange with wide eyes. She looked between Nox and the larger boy, then hurried to catch up with her protector.

The other children watched them both go, whispers starting up in their wake.

The new boy was different. Dangerous, maybe.

And that made him either a valuable ally or a threat that needed to be eliminated.

Only time would tell which.