Dawn broke soft over Zirabia's grounds, the air thick with the smell of blooming flowers and the quiet rustle of leaves. What had been a battlefield only days before was slowly finding its way back to something like its old self — towers rising again where they'd fallen, the scorched earth already threading green in places.
Krisha and I walked the cobblestone paths at an easy pace, morning light stretching long shadows ahead of us. Something in my chest felt lighter than it had in days.
"Good to see it coming back," I said. "Feels like things might actually be okay."
"They will be," she said, quiet but certain. "It'll take time. But we'll get there."
We walked in silence a while, the weight of everything that had happened still sitting close beneath the surface of the morning. Then I made myself ask the question that had been circling since the battle. "About Soradia — your family's there, right?"
Her steps faltered. "Yes. That's where our estate is."
I chose my words carefully. "Mizawa said she destroyed the capital."
Her face went pale. "We're not in the central part of the city," she said, barely above a whisper. "So I'm hoping — praying — they weren't caught in it."
I didn't have anything true enough to offer beyond what I said next. "I hope so too, Krisha. I really do."
We kept walking, the silence between us heavier now, filled with everything neither of us could promise the other. Her eyes filled slowly with tears. "I haven't heard anything from them. No letters, nothing. I'm scared, Kazu."
I reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder, wishing I had something better to offer than words. "You're not in the central part of the city, though. There's real reason to hope. Let's hold onto that for now."
She managed a small, grateful smile through the tears. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you here."
"It's nothing," I said, a little embarrassed, and looked up at the sky to give her a moment to gather herself. "Look at that, though. Sky's beautiful today. Flowers are coming back too."
She followed my gaze, something in her expression easing. "You're right. It really is."
"Worth holding onto moments like this," I said. "Even when everything else feels uncertain."
"You always know how to make things feel less heavy," she said. "Thank you, Kazu."
I laughed it off, a little bashful. "Just want everyone around me to be alright. We've been through enough."
An idea struck me a few steps later. "Want to head to the library for a bit? Some affinity books might be a good distraction."
"I'm not much of a reader," she admitted, "but I'll come with you."
"That's fine — just keep me company." I grinned. "Ah, and—"
"Kazu," she said suddenly, cutting me off, her voice unsteady in a new way.
"Yeah?"
She flushed deep red, struggling for the words. "I like you, Kazu."
I froze entirely. "You — like me?"
"I've liked you for a while now," she said, firmer this time, standing her ground despite the color still climbing her cheeks.
My own face went red to match hers. "We're — we're still pretty young, though, aren't we?" I managed. "I mean — I like you too, Krisha. But there's still so much we don't know yet."
Her gaze didn't waver. "That's alright. I'll wait for you. However long it takes."
Something in my chest swelled at that — happiness tangled up with a confusion I didn't quite have words for. "I'll wait too, then," I said, and meant it.
The academy library rose up ahead of us shortly after — high arched ceilings, marble columns, the cool draft carrying the smell of old paper and leather the moment the heavy doors swung open.
"This place is incredible," I said, craning my neck at shelves that seemed to climb forever toward the vaulted ceiling.
"They say it's one of the most complete libraries in the realm," Krisha said. "Every kind of book you could want."
"Then it's exactly where I need to be. I want everything I can find on the six affinities."
She scanned the room and pointed toward a desk near the center. "Hera can help — she runs the whole library. If anyone knows where to find what you're after, it's her."
We approached, and Hera looked up from a tall stack of books with a warm, knowing smile. "Foundational affinity texts," she said, once Krisha had explained. "They're kept in a secured section. Follow me — I'll show you something first."
A glowing tome on a nearby display caught my eye before we'd gone far. "Teleportation circles?" I murmured, picking it up, drawn to the intricate silver runes worked into the cover.
"Ah — that one's caught your attention too, has it," Hera said, amused. "We'll come back to it. The affinity section first — one volume for each of the six."
"Six separate books," Krisha said, raising an eyebrow at me. "And the teleportation one — what's that about?"
"Thought it might come in useful," I said, a little sheepish. "You know how I get about learning things."
She smiled, shaking her head fondly. "You really do have a passion for it. I remember you mentioning once you wanted to write your own book on magic someday."
Hera led us deeper through the stacks, glancing back over her shoulder as she walked. "You can take these back to your dorm — one condition, though."
"What's that?" Krisha and I both asked at once.
"You were involved in the battle against Mizawa, weren't you?"
"Yes," I said.
"Then that's all it takes. Tell your professors you played a part in the fighting, and they'll clear the request without any trouble."
"That's really all?" I asked, surprised.
"That's all, for a hero." She smiled and gestured ahead. "Here we are."
With a graceful wave of her hand, six heavy tomes lifted from the high shelves and drifted down into my arms, weightless and precise.
"You can use Telekinesis?" I said, watching in genuine awe.
"An advanced application of Light affinity," she said. "Learned it from one of the very books you're now holding."
"I'd love to learn that someday."
"Perhaps you will." She smiled. "For now, those should give you plenty to work through."
Krisha and I made our way back through the golden afternoon light spilling through the stained glass, and at the entrance I turned to her, genuinely pleased. "Thanks for coming with me."
"Anytime," she said, a faint blush still lingering. "See you around, Kazu."
Back in my room, I set the books down on my desk in the fading evening light, and settled in, eager to lose myself in everything they held.