Chapter 6, Part 4: After the Flame

The dome had resealed.

The air cooled.

And still—no one spoke.

Brix walked back first.

His jacket was torn down the middle. One wrist hung slightly wrong. His expression didn't flinch.

Lio returned second.

Unscathed.

At least on the outside.

Mav, unsurprisingly, had not left. He watched from the second-floor shelf, swinging his legs like a child waiting for a play to end.

[System Alert: Two Students Returned. WRATH – Vital Damage: Acceptable. PRIDE – Unsynced Emotion: Pending.]

[Host Status: Alert. Passive Mode Disengaged.]

Kairon sat up.

He didn't stretch.

Didn't yawn.

Just blinked once at the room.

And said:

"…what did you break this time?"

Neither answered.

Brix sat, back against a scroll rack, bleeding slowly into the floor.

Lio began re-sharpening his blade, even though it was already perfect.

Mav finally spoke.

"Oh, just an assassination attempt using a child laced with cursed flame."

Kairon raised one brow. "Creative."

"And bloody," Mav added. "Your fire dog didn't hold back."

Brix muttered, "She would've died either way."

Kairon looked at him.

Not harshly.

Not cold.

Just… directly.

"You pulled the core out first."

It wasn't a question.

It wasn't praise.

But it was knowledge.

And Brix looked up, surprised.

"I felt it burn wrong," he said. "Like it wanted to scream louder."

"So I silenced it."

Kairon nodded.

Then, after a long pause, said:

"You didn't choose fire this time."

"You chose her."

Brix lowered his gaze.

Lio stopped sharpening.

That mattered.

Even Mav stopped swinging his legs.

[System Log: WRATH Loyalty Deepened. Emotional Burnout – Stabilized. Passive Shift Recorded.]

[Skill Modifier: Ember Guard Enhanced – "Shielded Grasp" Unlocked.]

[Sin Quote Archived: "To burn everything is easy. To choose what survives—that is wrath at peace."]

Kairon leaned back.

Eyes still half-lidded.

But softer.

Not kind.

But less distant.

"You don't have to be proud of what you did," he said. "But you didn't run from it either."

"That's enough."

It wasn't a reward.

But it was trust.

And none of them missed it.

[System Commentary: Master Activated "Post-Conflict Stabilization Mode." Aura Pressure Reduced. Inter-Student Conflict Cooldown Enabled.][Public Response Outside Dome: Confused. Crowd Dispersion 82%. High Cleric Veydan Declares: "The Herald's Flame Sees Through Lies."][The world adjusts. The archive holds.]