haven - zb1

26

When evening fell and everyone was drawn to the dining hall as the tantalising scents of their dinner wafted in the air. Quanrui brought a tray of food to Jiwoong, when he opened the door, Jiwoong was sitting up, a dusty book on his bed but his gaze cast far beyond the window.

From the book, Quanrui could tell Jiwoong had left the room, after all, he hadn't previously removed any of the "sacred" books from Taehyun's room.

He set the tray by his bedside, Jiwoong seemed to only just notice him, giving a small nod of gratitude, but left the food untouched.

Awkward and unsure, Quanrui took a few brisk steps away from Jiwoong's bed, as if he were toxic. Deciding to break the horrific silence, Quanrui cleared his throat, pacing about as he stared at any other thing in the room.

Finally, he stopped four metres from his senior. "You wanted to talk just now?" Quanrui crossed his arms as he leaned against the window wall. The wind blew gently, rustling the sheer curtains.

"I did."

"Well, spit it out."

Jiwoong scrunched the bedsheets around him in his fists, the words still lingering in his throat. "I think I should return to our House."

Quanrui froze, then straightened, "Are you insane? You know we need to get through the challenge to reach nova. Are you gonna live your life restricted while-"

Jiwoong raised a hand, which was enough to stop Quanrui. "With my current state, I'll drag the group down during the challenge if anything."

Quanrui furrowed his brow, "Don't say that. That's not true-"

"Quanrui." For a few minutes, they stared at each other, unspeaking, as if arguing telepathically. Light from the glowing lamps around the room glinted in Quanrui's eyes, he looked formidable and mature. The younger's frown deepened, then he huffed, "Can you at least give it some more thought? You might not have noticed, but they look up to you. They need you to guide them."

Jiwoong was silent for a while, then Quanrui added with a sigh, "I'll talk to them first. The House of water heirs. See if they think healing you is viable. But don't you say you're leaving before that."

Ending the conversation, Quanrui swiftly walked out of the room, shutting the door carefully behind him.

Jiwoong sighed and flopped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling in thought. The evening wind fluttered the flickering candle flames, many things left unsaid.

-

Waiting at the dining hall were the House of water heirs, resting against the empty table. The other heirs had retreated to their rooms to rest, having had quite an unexpected eventful day. Upon noticing Quanrui approaching, they all sat up. "Is he okay?" Zhang Hao asked fervently. Quanrui only gave a stiff nod, before settling down opposite them, silent.

Sleepy birds cooed from outside, the chilly evening air rushed through the four doorways from three directions. "Could you give us some idea of what to expect?" Hanbin asked, his expression deathly serious.

Quanrui paused, tapping his fingers against the table absentmindedly. Then he started. "He'll experience short bursts of extreme pain, his ability will fluctuate tremendously now. He could be as weak as a child, or his strength could over power even Zhang Hao. So we'll have to be very careful around him." Quanrui's expression was grim, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"So what's the plan? Should we have, maybe, two to three people by his side as we heal him?" Hanbin suggested.

Quanrui paused, then meekly added, "Do you even think you can treat him? I'm not doubting your abilities, I'm just saying-"

"It's internal damage, isn't it? I've seen the way you two work with fire, there's no way he was burnt by his own fire," Zhang Hao said carefully. Quanrui nodded, "His own fire burned him from inside, yes. Our House used the only healing method we have for fire, which is suppression. But it's obviously just hurting him more now. If we could treat the root cause-"

"We could," Woohyun nodded, "Internal damage, that's doable. I think we could even get it done in a week."

There was an overwhelming sense of relief that overcame Quanrui, a visible burden lifted off his shoulders. "Thank you," He said breathlessly, "I'll be endlessly grateful."