Mike stood at the edge of the hospital wing, hands tucked tensely behind his back, his expression hardened with guilt and second-guessing. Margherita didn’t even look up at first.
“You should’ve stopped them the moment she took flight,” she said in a low voice. “The moment you saw her powers were evolving.”
Mike exhaled slowly. “I know. I just… I thought they could manage. That she needed to push herself. That he could handle her.”
“Well, congratulations,” she muttered, finally turning to face him, arms folding over her chest. “You got what you wanted. A demonstration. We had half the staff already whispering about what kind of monster we just let into our home even before this.” She held his gaze.
Mike swallowed hard, jaw tightening under the weight of her words. “I didn’t mean—”
“Intentions don’t heal fractures.” But after a long breath, Margherita’s expression softened just slightly. The edge dulled, replaced by weary concern. “That said… surprisingly they will be fine.” She shook her head, almost smiling. “Notori’s too stubborn to stay down. A few burns, scrapes, mild concussion on her end. Nothing permanent.”
Mike let out a quiet sigh of relief, rubbing a hand across his face. “You sure?”
Margherita nodded, though her tone remained stern. “Physically? Yes. But you better talk to her, Mike. Before the others do. Before the fear gets to her or their heads.” She glanced toward the curtained beds. “Because next time she loses control like that… we might not be so lucky.”
Two beds stood separated by thin curtains. One held Notori, an arm draped lazily across his chest. The other held Lili. Shadows curled faintly at her. Her head turned slightly when Mike entered, eyes open, staring toward the ceiling, her expression unreadable, distant.
Mike approached slowly. “You’re awake,” he said gently, stopping at her bedside. “How’re you feeling?”
Lili blinked once, then turned her gaze to him. Her voice was soft, rough from sleep and something heavier. “Like a bomb.”
Mike managed a tired smile. “You sort of were.”
She winced at the honesty but didn’t deny it. Her eyes flicked to the curtain separating her from Notori. “Is he…”
“He’s alright,” Mike assured quickly.
Lili closed her eyes for a moment. “I knew it would happen. And I still—” Her breath caught. “It’s like it’s not just mine anymore. Like something else answers when I fight. And I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if I can stop it.”
Mike leaned forward slightly, voice quieter now. “Lili, what happened out there was dangerous, yes. You didn’t lose control because you wanted to hurt someone. You lost it because you pushed too far, too fast. That happens. It’s part of this life. Especially when you’re carrying something… wild.”
Lili looked away, but Mike caught the faintest shimmer at the edge of her eye before she blinked it back.
“I’ve never felt so out of control in my life,” she whispered. “Back at Torin’s, I was a tool. Here… I’m supposed to be something else. But I can’t even guarantee I won’t destroy the walls down.”
Mike straightened. “That’s why you’re here and training.”
After a moment, Lili spoke again, voice barely audible. “Are they scared of me even more now?”
He exhaled and admitted, “Some are, yes. But fear doesn’t always mean rejection, Lili. It means they’re unsure, on edge, waiting to understand. And whether that turns into trust or something else… depends on what you choose to show them next.”
Lili’s eyes dropped to her slender hands, still trembling slightly beneath the sterile light. “I think…” she murmured, her voice threaded with hesitation, “fire is my weakness.”
Mike tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
She looked up. “During the fight… the more the heat grew, the more they reacted. They became angrier, wilder. It felt like they weren’t just protecting me. They were trying to beat the fire. To devour it.”
Mike stayed quiet, letting her speak, watching the realization across her face.
“They were… adapting,” she continued, her brows drawing together. “Notori and I… we’re opposite elements. Shadow and flame. And the moment we collided… That explosion?” Her gaze lifted, sharp now. “That was the clash of two forces that weren’t meant to blend.”
Mike nodded slowly, absorbing every word. “Then it makes sense why your shadows lashed out so violently. They weren’t just protecting you. They saw fire as a threat to their very nature. And they acted accordingly.”
She leaned her head back against the pillow, sighing. “So what does that make me?”
“Someone powerful,” he said simply. “And still learning.”
Her lips parted, surprised at the certainty in his tone.
“You’re not fighting against your Gift,” he added. “You’re learning how to trust it. And trust yourself to choose when it’s time to let it loose.”
A moment passed. “I hope I learn fast,” she said softly, “before the world stops waiting.”
***
When Lili and Notori finally stepped out of the hospital wing, walking side by side down the long corridor, they were met with the slow turning of heads.
Notori held his posture with easy confidence, hands tucked in his pockets, the faint smirk on his lips betraying no discomfort. But beside him, Lili moved like a shadow—shoulders slightly hunched, gaze averted, as if willing herself to vanish into the walls. Her hands were tucked into the sleeves of her sweater, and her pace faltered under the invisible pressure of so many eyes. She could feel it all: the awe, the fear, the rumors.
“I feel like I should’ve crawled through the vents instead,” she muttered under her breath.
Notori chuckled. “Too late for subtle entrances now, Shadow Queen.”
She shot him a look, but there was no real anger behind it—just the simmer of nervous exhaustion and the need to be anywhere else.
“Next time,” she murmured, “don’t blow me up.”
“No promises,” he grinned. “But I’ll try to give you a dramatic heads-up first.”
Despite everything Lili’s lips twitched. Just barely.
The hallway felt a little less heavy than it had a moment ago, Notori and Lili walking side by side in a rhythm that had begun to feel… familiar. Comfortable, even. The silence between them wasn’t the kind that gnawed at nerves, but the quiet accord that formed when two people had begun to understand each other’s breathing patterns, the edges of their boundaries, the weight behind their silences.
“You know,” Notori said, voice light, teasing as he glanced sideways at her, “for someone who said this was a terrible idea, you nearly turned me into a burnt marshmallow. Impressive.”
Lili gave him a sideways glance, her lips twitching despite herself again. “You say that like you didn’t deserve it.”
He laughed. “I’m starting to think you enjoyed blasting me across the field.”
“I didn’t not enjoy it,” she replied.
Their playful exchange was suddenly interrupted as Cova and Katika rounded the corner, catching sight of them mid-laugh, walking a little too close, a little too easy.
Katika’s eyes lit up like flame. “Well, well, well,” she said with a grin, her tone syrupy with mischief. “Looks like we’ll have something new to gossip about in the coming days. I give it a few more training sessions before we catch you two kissing in a hallway.”
The joke came with a wink, light-hearted and bold. But as the words hit the air, something inside Lili fractured. She froze. Her breath caught, like something clawed its way up from the pit of her past. Her smile vanished as quickly as it had bloomed. And then panic came.
Notori’s expression changed instantly when he saw her face—when the sparkle of tease in her gaze was ripped away and replaced with something hollow and terrified. Her wide, unsure eyes met his, seeking an answer to a question she hadn’t even fully formed.
“I… I’ll go…” she whispered, turned and ran down the corridor.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Notori snapped, spinning on Katika with a fury that peeled the smile from her lips. “You don’t know what she’s been through!”
Cova stepped in. “He’s right. That wasn’t just a joke to her. You hit something you shouldn’t have.”
Katika blinked, visibly taken aback as she looked down the hall where Lili had fled. “I was just teasing. I thought…”
“Well, now you know,” Cova said, softer but no less serious. “And this kind of talk should never happen again.”
Notori was already walking away, his jaw clenched, fists tight at his sides. He didn’t need to be told where Lili had gone. Notori reached Lili’s door in long, silent strides. He didn’t knock immediately. His hand hovered mid-air, uncertain.
He finally let his knuckles tap the wood gently.
“Lili…” he said quietly. “It’s me.”
No answer.
He exhaled. “I didn’t find it funny.” He leaned his forehead against the door. “You ran because she touched something deep. Something that shouldn’t have been touched. And I—I should’ve said something sooner. Or done more. I’m sorry.”
Still no answer. But he didn’t leave.
Inside, Lili sat on the floor beside the bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, forehead pressed against them. The shadows in the room curled around her like thorns, silent but stirred. Her fingers trembled. She wanted to scream, to vanish, to dig the memory out of her mind with claws if she had to. But Notori’s voice outside pulled at her.
“I’ve seen fire destroy things,” he continued, “but it can protect too. Warmth, light comes from it. Just like your shadows—they can consume, but they can shield too.”
Lili closed her eyes.
“You didn’t have to come after me,” she finally whispered. Her voice was hoarse, but clear.
“I wanted to,” he said. And then, softer: “May I come in?”
There was a pause when a click came. The door opened just enough.
Notori stepped inside and closed it behind him gently. He sat down beside her on the floor without a word, leaving space between them. He sat there, arms resting on his knees, head tilted slightly as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
“You really think I’m not a monster?” she asked.
Notori leaned his head back against the wall, sighing through his nose. “I think monsters don’t ask that question.”
Lili let out a sound half scoff, half something softer.
“You scared the hell out of me today, you know?” she murmured.
“Good,” Notori smirked. “Means I’m training you right.”
She glanced at him, the corner of her mouth twitching. “You’re an idiot.”
“And you’re terrifying,” he replied, then shrugged, “but kind of brilliant when you’re not trying to kill me.”
A silence again. But this time it was warmer, easier.
“I’m not used to this,” she confessed, her voice quieter than a breath, as if the words had crept past her.
“What?” he asked gently, glancing over.
“People staying.”
Notori didn’t speak right away. The silence between them wasn’t awkward, but it held weight. Then, finally, he murmured, “Well… get used to it.”
Lili let out a breath. “You know, the first time I saw you, I thought, what an arrogant fool. I’ll kill him before he even manages to scream.”
Notori’s lips twitched, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Well, I can’t blame you. I was a bit of an ass, wasn’t I?”
“A bit?” she echoed, arching a brow.
“Alright, fine.” he admitted, hands raised in mock surrender. “But hey, I underestimated you too. Thought I’d scorch you fast and easy, before you even blinked.”
Lili chuckled. “Guess we both were wrong.”
“Yeah,” Notori nodded, smile softening. “Look at us now. On the same side. Guess it was meant to be.”
She glanced at him then, her expression unreadable. “Fate has a cruel sense of humor.”
“Maybe,” he said, “or maybe it knows exactly what it’s doing.”
“Want to get out of here?” he asked after a moment, his eyes watched her with something steadier and patient.
Lili shook her head softly. “No,” she admitted, her voice a murmur edged with weariness. “I’d rather stay where it’s calm and quiet. There are too many eyes outside this room… too much noise.”
Notori didn’t push. He only nodded once, understanding flickering in his expression.
They stayed beside each other for a long, quiet while—seated on the ground, the world outside fading into irrelevance. The tension in Lili’s frame had gradually ebbed away.
Notori flinched ever so slightly when he felt the soft weight of her head lean gently against his shoulder. He turned his head, slowly, and saw her peaceful face, eyes closed, lips parted in quiet, even breaths.
Her breathing was too steady, too rhythmic to be anything but sleep.
A faint, surprised smile tugged at the corners of Notori’s mouth, unguarded and warm. She had drifted off beside him, without fear, without flinching. She trusted him more than he had dared to hope. And that silent truth settled something inside him. Made the uncertainties of the future feel just a little less frightening…
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