The wail of sirens tore through the night air, echoing off the stone walls of the academy and the surrounding streets. Red and blue lights flashed over the shattered courtyard, painting the injured in harsh, fleeting colors.
Kaito's eyelids were heavy. Pain lanced through every muscle, his chest tight and uncooperative. Dex pressed close, whining softly, his cold nose nudging Kaito's arm, trying to wake him.
Voices shouted over each other. Medics ran through the courtyard, carrying stretchers, rushing toward the motionless forms of Ryo, Mira, Liona, and the others. Aria crawled alongside Kaito, pressing her hand against his chest, praying he wasn't lost.
"Sir! Over here!" a medic shouted, kneeling beside him. "We need your vitals! Can you hear me?"
Kaito's lips barely moved. His voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "Aria…?"
She nodded, gripping his hand tightly. "I'm here. You're going to be fine. Just stay with me."
Dex growled low, hackles raised, refusing to let the medic lift Kaito too roughly. The husky growled at anyone who came too close, but as gentle hands carefully adjusted him onto the stretcher, he reluctantly stepped aside, still pressed against Kaito.
Other medics loaded the rest of the injured onto stretchers, moving swiftly, shouting reassurances and warnings to the scattered civilians who had gathered around the perimeter. The smell of blood, smoke, and singed stone hung thick in the air.
Kaito's vision blurred. His fingers twitched, and he tried to speak again, but his chest burned with every shallow breath. Aria whispered words of encouragement, refusing to let him slip fully into unconsciousness.
"Help's here," she murmured, tears streaking her dirt-smeared face. "You fought… you kept everyone safe. Just… hold on."
A medic gently lifted the stretcher, guiding Kaito carefully as Dex padded along beside it, keeping pace. The sounds of the sirens mixed with the frantic voices of the medics, the distant cries of the injured, and the low, steady heartbeat of the husky beside him.
Even in his pain, Kaito could feel it—the world shifting, but this time not under his control. He was being carried forward, helpless, leaving the aftermath in the hands of others.
And as the ambulance doors closed and the lights outside reflected off the walls, Kaito drifted somewhere between darkness and awareness, knowing the night was far from over.