BIG OL' JOKE

I wanted it all to be a big ol' joke, or a very long nightmare. However, upon opening my eyes, I knew it wasn't. I woke up in the nursery, the faint scent of herbs and poultices filling my nostrils. The room was dimly lit, with rows of beds lined up against the walls. The window beside my bed showed the outside world bathed in the soft colors of a setting sun. Raindrops gently tapped against the glass, creating a soothing rhythm.

I turned my head slightly and saw Mira sitting next to me. She was slumped in a chair, asleep, her head resting awkwardly on the edge of my bed. Her usually neat hair was disheveled, and dark circles under her eyes showed how exhausted she was. It was clear she had stayed by my side, waiting for me to wake up.

The room was quiet except for the faint sound of rain and Mira's steady breathing. I tried to move, but a sharp pain in my shoulder stopped me.

"Shit… it hurts."

Mira stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open as she sensed my movement. She looked at me, her expression quickly shifting from confusion to relief.

"You're awake," she said, her voice thick with sleep. She reached out to take my hand, squeezing it gently. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been trampled by a horse," I replied weakly, managing a small smile. "But I'm glad to see you."

She smiled back, though her eyes were still filled with worry. "I was so scared, Axel. I thought… I thought we lost you."

"Yeah, well – I thought I lost me too." I muttered, struggling to sit up. "Man… he really went after me, huh? Instead of skipping the city, he came after me. That idiot..."

Mira moved to help, adjusting the pillow behind me. "The guards are all talking about you. They think you have some connection with James. I heard they're going to interrogate you about… that artifact."

"Ah, shit…" I shook my head in frustration. "Great. Just what I needed."

Mira placed a reassuring hand on my arm. "But no worries… they don't have any evidence that you have the artifact."

"Yeah, you're right…" I sighed, trying to get comfortable. With her help, I managed to lean back against the pillow.

"Do you need anything?" she asked, her voice full of concern. "Water, maybe?"

"Nah, thank you." I replied, waving off her worry. "Oh, also, let's keep this hidden from Sura, okay? I don't want her to know my situation."

Mira nodded, her hand still lingering on my arm. Our eyes met for a moment, and I felt a spark of something more. She leaned in slightly to examine the bandage wrapped around my shoulder, her breath warm on my face. My heart raced, unsure if it was from the injuries or something else entirely.

She suddenly realized how close she'd been for a while but didn't back off. Instead, she gave a nervous smile.

"Brother!" The door to the room burst open, and my sister rushed in. "Are you okay? You look so not okay!"

Mira and I quickly backed off, the moment shattered. She stood up straight, adjusting her posture, while I coughed and averted my eyes from her.

"I'm okay," I assured her, forcing a smile. "Just a few scratches – kind of."

"A few scratches? Look at you, you look horrible." She examined me with wide, worried eyes.

"Ah, that's just my face, my dear sister." I said, trying to lighten the mood with a grin. "Your words hurt me."

Sura crossed her arms, not amused. "This isn't funny, Axel. You scared the shit out of me, excuse my language."

"I'm sorry." I said. "I didn't mean to. I'll be fine, though, I promise."

Sura sighed, finally sitting down next to the bed. "You better be. I can't lose you, too."

"You won't," I replied softly. "You can't escape me that easily."

"I... uh, I should go. My father probably went nuts. I should've been at home hours ago." Mira said, walking toward the door. "I'm glad you're okay, Axel."

"Yeah..." I nodded. "Thank you for staying with me, Mira. I appreciate it."

"No problem..." She opened the door. "Take care... Shadow Dancer."

After she left, two guards entered the room, both wearing light armor. The shorter guard shut the door behind them and leaned his sword against the wall, positioning himself near the window. The other guard, a tall, slightly masculine woman with blonde hair, stood with her hands behind her back, chest puffed out. I knew her, since she was there when I stole the King's artifact. She was the captain.

"Axel Min," the shorter guard said, "we'd like to ask you some questions if that's okay. Can you talk?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I can."

"Can you please step outside?" the taller guard, Captain Liora, said to Sura. "It's official business."

"I..." Sura looked at me, hesitant. "Can't I stay?"

"No," Captain Liora said firmly. "You can't."

"O-okay." Sura rose and exited the room in silence, casting one last worried glance at me before closing the door behind her.

"As you might know, Axel, I'm Captain Liora, the King's right hand," she began, her tone firm. "I'd like to ask you a few questions about the disappearance of a particular box and your involvement with James."

"I don't know anything about any box or – or James. That guy was a maniac! He forced us to pay his protection money and…"

"We don't care about that, to be honest, Axel," she interrupted, cutting me off mid-sentence. "I'll make it clear; we suspect you know something about the artifact."

"What?"

"Because there was no reason for the Shadow Dancer to attack you. He stole the artifact, gave it to you to fence it off. You did fence it off but didn't give him a single coin. So he went after you. That's the theory we have right now. The Shadow Dancer wouldn't have any motive to attack a high schooler in broad daylight."

"That is such a far-fetched theory, Captain," I replied with a sarcastic smile. "I know James because, like many others, we had to pay his protection money. This month, I wasn't able to pay it."

"So? He went after you – personally, mind you, just because of that and nothing else?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Instead of trying to escape the guards, he went after you because of 'protection money,' huh?"

"He's crazy, what else can I say?" I said, exasperated. "I don't know any stolen box. I don't know James. I don't know why he chose to attack me. I swear."

"James' men were found dead in one of his hideouts," Captain Liora explained, her eyes narrowing. "We don't know why or who killed them. We suspect it was you."

'He killed his own men! Not me!'

"Me? Why would I kill them?"

"You chose to keep the gold after fencing the artifact off. So, just to tie up the loose ends, you attacked his hideout. You weren't able to kill all of them; you just managed to kill a few of his men. He escaped."

"Again, that is such a far-fetched story, Captain. I'm just a high schooler. I don't even know how to hold a sword!" I said defensively. "You gotta believe me."

"He tried to save James' life in the arena, Captain," the other guard interjected, eyes still on me. "Maybe he's telling the truth."

Captain Liora sighed, sounding exhausted. "Yeah, maybe. We just have no clue about the artifact's location. James told us he wasn't the Shadow Dancer, Axel. He told us it was… you."

"Me?" I said with a small smile. "God, trust me, ma'am. I am not. My mana is so low that I can't even cast a basic healing spell."

"Mm…" The Captain fixed her blonde hair. "I'll talk to your class teacher about that. What was their name?"

"You don't believe me, huh…" I said, trying to sound heartbroken. "Mr. Vlad is our class teacher."

"Okay, Axel," the Captain said, moving toward the door with the other guard. "We'll contact you if we find anything. Don't change cities until this artifact deal ends, please."

"I won't," I replied with a warm, fake smile. "I hope you find whoever stole that artifact, Captain."