Arc-2: Growing Bonds; Ch-1: Aura

**Sky's P.O.V.**

I blinked my eyes open but quickly shut them again as the light felt like it was stabbing my eyes. After a moment, I tried again and adjusted the brightness. Looking around, I realized I was in a strange room, lying on a bed and leaning back against the headboard. That's when it hit me: I was in the infirmary.

There was a heavy presence on my left side, and I felt someone gently holding my hand. I turned to look and saw Kevin, his head resting on his hands, taking a nap. He looked worn out, but just seeing him made my heart skip a beat. I knew I needed to get out of there.

I slowly pulled my hand away from his grip and managed to do so without waking him. Then, I began to swing my legs out of bed quietly, but of course, the bed chose that moment to squeak loudly as I shifted my weight.

I heard Kevin mumble a bit, and turning around, I saw him waking up. He rubbed his temples and opened his eyes, looking at me with a mix of surprise and relief.

"You're awake," he said. He reached out as if he were going to put his hand on my shoulder, but just his movement made me flinch a bit, even though he hadn't touched me yet. He noticed and pulled his hand back.

"W-why am I here?" I mumbled, my voice unsteady. The last thing I remembered was being on the terrace with him and feeling his tight grip around my throat. Then Max showed up, and everything went dark. Just thinking about Max gave me chills.

"My friend and I brought you here because he said you were in bad shape and needed help. I was kind of worried about getting in trouble, so..." Hearing him say that felt like a sharp pain. I just wanted to leave this room and put this place behind me. If this was how life was going to treat me, I didn't want to live.

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**Kevin's P.O.V.**

I woke up to an annoying squeaking noise. Rubbing my temples to relieve my headache, I tried to piece together what had just happened. My head was pounding, and then it hit me had cast a spell on Skyler. It was just a minor one, but it drained my energy. I guess that was why I crashed so suddenly.

I opened my eyes and saw Sky. I was genuinely surprised and extremely relieved that he was up and moving around again so quickly.

I stretched out my paw to check if he was okay, but just as I was about to touch him, he flinched, and his aura suddenly darkened. I could tell he was scared. Remembering what Charlie had told me, I tried to keep things calm.

He asked me why we were in here. I told him what I knew, carefully choosing my words so I didn't sound weak. Still, something was bothering me inside. But why?

Everything felt quiet, and neither of us seemed to want to say anything. Suddenly, Charlie stormed in, looking mad.

"I talked to the receptionist, and they told me that Miss Singh is on leave today," Charlie said, irritation in his tone.

"Then how is the infirmary open? Did she forget to lock it?" I replied.

Charlie shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? By the way, how's Skyler doing?...Oh! You're awake!"

Charlie walked over to us and stood right in front of Skyler. He asked if he could put his paw on Skyler's neck to check his pulse. At first, Skyler didn't say anything, but Charlie kept asking, saying it would only take a minute. After a little while, Skyler gave a small nod.

Charlie got the signal and continued to check him, just like he had done before on the terrace. This time, he also asked Skyler how he was feeling. He wanted to know if Skyler was experiencing any irritation in his throat, dizziness, or anything else wrong. Skyler shook his head in response.

Once he got the answers he needed, Charlie told Skyler he could go wherever he liked.

- "What do you think you are, a doctor or something?" Skyler joked as Charlie turned around and took a step toward the door.

Realizing he might have gone too far, Skyler quickly said sorry. But Charlie didn't seem bothered at all. He looked at Skyler and crouched down to meet his eyes.

- "You know, I want to be a doctor someday. That's my dream," Charlie said with a big grin. It was true; ever since he was a kid, Charlie wanted to be a doctor because he loved helping people, unlike me, who usually mess things up.

Skyler was taken aback. Charlie stood up and left, signaling me to follow him. But seeing Charlie leave, Skyler also tried to follow him, and I stood up to block his way. He looked at me with terror in his eyes.

- "Do me a favor, Woodwere. Try to keep that small mouth of yours shut about what happened until now. And if anybody gets even a hint, I will make you regret it. Is that understood?" I said coldly with a growl so he would clearly understand the warning. He lowered his gaze, and a tear rolled down his cheek then another.

- "Y-Y-Yes, Sir. Understood," Skyler said with his voice cracking as if he were on the verge of breaking down.

I felt a knot in my stomach as I saw them go down. Somehow, though, I started to feel a weird kind of relief wash over me. I didn't want him to get upset; that wasn't my intention at all. But then I started to wonder, why was that? Guilt hit me, and I just wanted to pull back. I left him there and ran out. I didn't even notice that Charlie was waiting for me at the door. I ignored everything around me and reached the main hallway. My mind kept playing with the image of him crying.

I felt someone pulling my shoulder to stop me. I turned around and saw Charlie with a confused look.

- "Kevin, what's wrong? I was calling your name, but you didn't stop," Charlie said.

- "Nothing, it's just this nasty headache killing me. I used a healing spell on Skyler, that's why," I replied.

- "Kevin... It's good you used your magic in the right place, but I've told you a thousand times not to use magic when I'm not around. You still don't have full control of it, that's why your father put a seal on you," Charlie insisted.

- "Okay, I got it. Let's just go. I'm not feeling so great," I said, trying to brush it off.

- "It's something else, isn't it? You don't act like this just because of a headache. Something else is bothering you," Charlie pressed.

He got me. He can read people easily, but especially me. There's nothing I can hide from him.

- "Well... there's this wave of weird feeling going inside of me," I admitted.

- "I... don't get what you are saying," Charlie said, puzzled.

- "It's something I haven't ever felt. Somewhat different ", I confessed.

- "I... still don't get it, Kevin," Charlie said, still confused.

- " * inhales * So in the infirmary, I made Skyler upset, and he was on the verge of crying. Seeing him like that felt... OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" I was interrupted when Charlie hit me on the back of my head forcefully.

- "YOU DESERVE IT. I DIDN'T WANT TO BRING THIS UP, KEVIN, BUT SINCE YOUR MOTHER DIED, YOU HAVE CHANGED IN WAYS NO ONE EVER IMAGINED. JUST BECAUSE YOUR FRIENDS LEFT YOU WHEN YOU WERE NO USE TO THEM, YOU CAN'T LET YOUR ANGER OUT ON OTHERS. ESPECIALLY ON SOMEONE LIKE SKYLER WHO HAS NO CONNECTION TO IT, AND HAS NEVER LIVED IN THIS PLACE. DON'T YOU FEEL A BIT SORRY OR GUILTY WHEN YOU HURT SOMEONE... AGHH!!" Charlie's words were cut off as I pinned him to a locker. My blood was boiling with rage. It was the first time I ever raised my hand to him, despite knowing that he was the only one who cared about me as a friend.

- "That's what I'm trying to tell you. First time in two years that I've felt guilty about hurting someone, and no one else but that kid. I don't even know what's wrong with me. Hell, I don't know. "

I looked at him, my vision blurring... because of tears? I let go of Charlie and sat down, leaning against the cold metal of the lockers. I curled up into a ball. I felt a paw on my shoulder, but I didn't look up, trying to gather my thoughts.

- "Since the first time I met Skyler, I've felt a strange emotion flowing through me-something I've never experienced before. It's somewhat bittersweet. I want to stay close to him and get to know him, but I don't understand why I feel this way. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I keep making attempts to connect with him, and each time they end in total disaster.

Thinking back, I haven't fully considered the hurt I've caused others until now when I saw how much Skyler was affected. I made a promise to my parents to use my magic and strength to help, not harm, others, yet I've broken that promise. I feel like such a disappointment. This is not the person I am meant to be." I felt a tear escape my eye. Charlie cupped his paw on my muzzle, caressing it and wiping the tear.

- "I thought I would never get a chance to see you cry again... *sigh* Kev, I can't help with the emotions you're feeling, but one thing I'm sure about is that if you genuinely feel sorry for what you've done, then you can start over. It's not too late yet; I'll help you with it. You just need some time and hard work."

- "Don't be ridiculous... God, I wish I had the power to time travel so I could have prevented this in the first place. I'm such a dickhead."

- "Even if you could, you can't change the past, but you can learn from it. Trust me on this, Kevin- you still have time to make things right... so do you?"

- "Okay, let's at least give it a try... and thank you, Charlie, for always being by my side."

- "Aww, come here, you big wolf!" Suddenly, Charlie pulled me into a hug. It felt nice, so I returned the hug, but one thing still lingered in my mind.

- "There's one more thing I want to talk about, Charlie."

- "Hmm?"

- "It's about Skyler. When we were on the terrace and I pinned him against the wall, his aura suddenly changed. It was filled with negative emotions. I didn't even need to use magic to sense it, and I was scared I had to back off. I felt it again in the infirmary, surrounding him, but something wasn't quite right about it; it was as if it had its consciousness. I'm afraid I have awakened something inside him that shouldn't be there."

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Author: The concept of "Aura" has been discussed quite a bit, so let me explain it.

Kevin can sense a person's presence or emotions when he chooses to by using his magic, especially if he has a strong emotional connection with them. He can also pick up on feelings of danger. This concept will be important in future chapters, so keep it in mind.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! If you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to share them would greatly appreciate it!