The medical ward was a picture of serene elegance, its walls crafted from polished white stone that shimmered faintly under the glow of suspended essence lamps. The gentle hum of healing formations pulsed through the air, creating a soothing atmosphere. Neatly arranged beds lined the room, though at the moment, Denwen was the only patient present.
He lay on one of the pristine beds, his body fully healed, not a single mark left from the brutal duel. His chest, which had once been marred by a deep, nearly fatal slash, was now as smooth as if nothing had ever happened. The only thing left was the lingering exhaustion that weighed on his limbs.
That peace, however, was short-lived.
The doors burst open, and in walked Roy and Kara—one looking completely unbothered, the other looking ready to strangle someone.
"You really couldn't have gone easy on him?" Kara snapped, her sharp gaze drilling into Roy as she stomped toward the bed. "You do remember that he's your friend, right?"
Roy, already sweating, averted his eyes as if suddenly fascinated by the intricate ceiling designs. "Uhh—well, technically, I also got injured. See? Broken arm." He wiggled his arm in its bandages in a almost healed state, trying to gain some sympathy.
Kara didn't buy it. She narrowed her eyes, arms crossed, her foot tapping against the polished floor. "Really?" She took a step forward, and Roy instinctively stepped back. "A broken arm? You almost split him in half!"
"It wasn't that bad—"
"You cut his chest open!"
Roy let out a nervous chuckle, dodging a playful but very pointed slap aimed at his shoulder. He sidestepped again when she tried to jab him in the ribs.
"Okay, okay, I might have gone a little too hard, but I really held back a lot—Ow! Kara, stop hitting me!" Roy complained, raising his hands in surrender as he narrowly dodged another light punch.
"You deserve it!" she huffed, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.
"You know, this is a hospital room, right?" Denwen's voice finally cut through their squabble, weak but tinged with amusement.
Both heads snapped toward him.
In an instant, Kara forgot her anger at Roy and rushed to Denwen's side, concern overtaking her expression. "You're awake!"
Roy, however, smirked. "Hey, porter boy, up already?"
Denwen shot him a glare that could melt steel.
Kara rolled her eyes. "I really don't get your weird inside jokes, and honestly? I don't want to. Just keep them far away from me." She turned back to Denwen, her expression softening.
"You were lucky my master was the one in charge of your healing," she said, her voice carrying a mix of relief and scolding.
Denwen offered a small, grateful smile. "I take it you were here the whole time, then?"
Kara faltered for a split second before looking away. A faint dusting of pink graced her cheeks. "Well… someone had to make sure you didn't do something stupid in your sleep."
Denwen chuckled softly but winced as a dull ache pulsed through his ribs. Seeing that, Kara's scowl deepened. "I swear, how many times do I have to tell you two? It's a duel, not a death match! You're not supposed to try and kill each other!"
Both boys looked anywhere but at her, suddenly very interested in the fine details of the ward's ceiling and furniture.
She sighed, shaking her head before taking a seat beside Denwen's bed. Her voice softened again, concern lacing her words. "I know you want to become stronger, to catch up to them, but… you don't always have to push yourself past your limits. Rest is important too, Denwen."
She hesitated for a moment before adding, "At least with the Verdant Core Pendant, you've already broken through and caught up to me and the other B-grades… there's no need to keep hurting yourself like this."
A silence settled over the room.
Denwen lowered his gaze as if weighing his next words. "...But you know—"
He didn't get to finish.
Kara suddenly shot up from her seat, frustration flashing across her face. "But what?!"
Denwen blinked.
"What excuse are you going to make this time?" she demanded, her hands clenching at her sides. "Why do I even care so much when you clearly don't care about your own well-being?!"
The boys tensed.
Then, out of nowhere, Kara scoffed, throwing her hands in the air. "You know what? Go ahead. Keep getting yourself nearly killed. Maybe that's what you want. You can even go date death for all I care!"
Before Denwen could ask what she even meant by that, she spun on her heel and stormed out, the door slamming behind her.
A long, stunned silence followed.
Roy let out a low whistle.
"You really fucked up there, bro," he muttered, patting Denwen's shoulder. "I highly recommend fixing that."
—-
A silence lingered between them after Kara's dramatic exit, leaving the atmosphere slightly tense. Denwen exhaled slowly, his fingers lightly gripping the sheets of the hospital bed. His mind wandered, thoughts racing between Kara's concern and the deeper struggles that gnawed at him.
Roy, sensing the shift in mood, leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "You good?"
Denwen let out a soft chuckle, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Do you think she'll ever understand?" His voice was quieter now, almost distant.
Roy sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Come on, bro. No one's really gonna understand. Not completely, anyway." He gave him a nudge on the shoulder. "But putting that aside, you really shook everyone back there. Who the hell would've guessed you'd actually break through?"
Denwen's lips pressed into a thin line before he let out another sigh. "Honestly… it should be expected."
Roy raised an eyebrow. "Expected? Bro, you're a D-grade—breaking through at this point should've been impossible."
Denwen glanced around the ward cautiously. It was still empty, save for the faint glow of the essence lamps and the occasional flicker of healing runes embedded into the walls. He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"…Yeah, that's the point."
Roy's expression twisted in confusion, but before he could ask, Denwen continued, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm not exactly a D-grade anymore…" He paused, scanning the room one last time, then whispered the last part. "I'm now a C-grade."
For a second, Roy just stared at him.
Then—
"A C-GRADE?!"
Denwen's hand shot out like lightning, clamping over Roy's mouth before his voice could echo through the ward.
"What did I just say about being loud?!" Denwen hissed, glaring daggers at him.
Roy's muffled protests came out as incoherent grumbles until Denwen finally let go. He coughed dramatically, leaning forward with wide eyes. "Bro… you serious?"
Denwen nodded, watching as Roy processed the sheer insanity of it.
"This… this is unheard of," Roy muttered, still trying to wrap his head around the situation. "How the hell did it even happen?"
Denwen leaned back against the pillows, arms crossed. "After that first mission—you know, the disaster I told you about—I went to Agrona to see if she had anything that could help."
Roy's eyebrows shot up. "Agrona?"
Denwen nodded. "Yeah, considering her expertise, I figured she'd have something that could at least help me start channeling my essence properly. She gave me this… injection, something that was supposed to improve my channeling speed." His fingers drummed against his arm as he continued. "But some… stuff went down, and—boom." He gestured vaguely. "C-grade."
Roy's mouth hung open slightly before he slowly shook his head in disbelief. "So you're telling me… you just skipped all the usual struggle and jumped straight to C-grade? Just like that?"
Denwen let out a dry chuckle. "Not exactly 'just like that.' I did almost die in the process."
Roy blinked. "Huh."
A pause.
"Well," Denwen added, waving a hand, "I'm basically Agrona's lab rat now. She's trying to see if she can understand and possibly replicate what happened."
Roy let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "Man, you just keep throwing surprises at me. First, your freakish strength in the duel, and now this? No wonder your punches packed way more of a punch this time."
Denwen smirked. "Guess you underestimated me."
Roy rolled his eyes but grinned. "So, does this mean you're the strongest in our class now?" He leaned back dramatically, placing a hand over his chest. "Well, that is… if I'm not included in that statement, of course."
Denwen snorted, throwing a light punch at Roy's arm.
Roy dodged, laughing. "Hey, hey! I'm just saying, the class won't be that mad anymore. Well—" He smirked. "—they might be if they heard a porter boy was now leading the pack."
Denwen's glare sharpened instantly. "Say that again."
Roy laughed, dodging another jab before holding up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll stop!"
After a bit more back-and-forth teasing, the two finally settled down.
Then, Roy's expression shifted slightly, turning more serious. "So… I spoke with my uncle, you know, about dungeons and stuff."
Denwen's brows furrowed slightly. "Hope you didn't—"
"No, obviously. I'm not that dumb," Roy interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out something small and metallic.
A ring.
It shimmered under the soft glow of the essence lamps, faint runes carved into its sleek surface.
"I basically asked him for something that could keep someone safe in case of an emergency. Especially since you've been taking on more missions lately." Roy handed it over. "And he gave me this."
Denwen took the ring carefully, inspecting it with a wary expression. "What is it?"
"It's a one-time-use rank 3 space artifact," Roy explained. "All you have to do is imbue your essence into it over time. It's gonna take a lot of essence to activate, since you're still rank 1, but once it's filled, the color will change."
Denwen turned it over in his palm, the weight of the artifact feeling heavier than it should. "…And what happens when it activates?"
Roy shrugged. "No clue. My uncle didn't tell me, so don't ask."
Denwen remained silent, staring at the ring.
It was… a lot.
A rank 3 artifact. That was no joke.
Part of him wanted to refuse. He didn't want to rely on something like this. He didn't want to need something like this.
But… he also knew better.
With the missions he was taking, the fights he was getting into—there was no guarantee he'd make it out of everything alive.
Denwen exhaled, then, after a moment, slid the ring onto his finger. It was a perfect fit.
"…Thanks, Roy." His voice was quieter, more genuine.
Roy smirked. "Just don't go dying on me, yeah?"
Denwen chuckled, shaking his head. "No promises."