Chapter 264: Two Sides of the Same Coin

“You’re bleeding on me.”

“Shut up.”

Kevin didn’t shut up. His hands moved carefully over her knuckles, violet light threading through the cuts and bruises, knitting skin back together with a faint warmth that made Vivianne’s fingers tingle. But his eyes kept flicking to her chest, not staring, exactly, more like he was trying very hard not to stare and failing miserably.

“I said shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your face is saying plenty.”

Kevin’s cheeks flushed, and he focused very deliberately on her right hand, turning it over to inspect the damage to her palm. The torn fabric of her shirt hung loose across her collarbone, the guardian’s claws having sliced through the reinforced cloth like it was paper. A strip of it had peeled away entirely, exposing the dark fabric beneath, and more than a little skin.

“I can lend you my coat,” he offered.

“It’s covered in your sweat.”

“I’ll wash it first.”

“We don’t have time for you to wash it. Don’t know where you could even try…”

“Then I’ll just—”

“Kevin.”

He looked up.

Vivianne’s expression was caught somewhere between exhaustion, amusement, and something softer that she’d never admit to. Her dark hair was a mess, tangled with bits of bark and dirt. A thin line of blood traced down her temple from a cut he hadn’t noticed yet.

“I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just clothes.”

“You’re surprisingly calm about this…”

“Please, I know you won’t do anything. You feel more like a little brother than anything.”

Kevin’s hands went still.

“A little brother?”

“That’s what I said.”

Vivianne pulled her hand back from his grip, flexing her newly healed fingers. The skin was pink and tender, but whole again. She rolled her shoulder, wincing slightly at the ache in her joints.

“I don’t know whether to be relieved or insulted,” Kevin said flatly.

“Both. Definitely both.”

She stepped past him, brushing bark dust from her ruined shirt, and surveyed the clearing. The walls of roots had receded completely now, revealing a narrow path that led deeper into the forest. The grey trees stood a little farther apart here, their bone-white branches forming a canopy that filtered the strange light from above.

“That way,” she said, pointing.

“How can you tell?”

“The trial’s not over yet. We passed the fight, but we’re still here. That means we keep moving.”

Kevin frowned but didn’t argue. He shrugged off his coat anyway and held it out to her without a word.

Vivianne looked at the coat. Looked at him. Raised an eyebrow.

“I said I don’t need—”

“You’re bleeding on your chest too. That cut on your collarbone? It’s deeper than you think.”

She glanced down. A thin red line traced across her skin just above the torn fabric, welling with fresh blood that she hadn’t noticed through the adrenaline.

“Huh.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“I’ve had worse.”

“Vivianne.”

She sighed, rolled her eyes, the full performance, and snatched the coat from his hands. It was warm from his body heat, soft on the inside, and far too big for her. The sleeves hung past her fingers. The hem fell almost to her knees.

Kevin watched her button it, one-handed, and immediately regretted offering.

Because she looked…

“Don’t,” Vivianne said, not looking up from the buttons.

“Don’t what?”

“Whatever you were about to think. Don’t think it.”

“I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“Liar.”

*** Cael’s POV

It took longer than we expected to reach the end of the hostile trees, the path we had taken now completely engulfed in fire and flashes of light magic. If I wanted to be more accurate, it felt like we had destroyed an entire ecosystem.

Well… if this forest had any fauna to begin with.

But it clearly didn’t.

“It managed to pierce some of my clothes…” Evelina said, glancing at her shoulders, her simple polo shirt now riddled with holes.

The same could be said for me. Even with our skills, it was impossible to avoid every attack or tell which trees were hostile and which weren’t. Even at our most alert, some still managed to nick us.

“I’ll thank the trees then…” I smiled behind her.

“Crass, Cael…” Evelina smiled back. “So, what are we supposed to do next?”

As she spoke, she looked toward where we had ended up: another massive door that looked as though it guarded an entire city, with two levers on either side that needed to be pulled at the same time.

“You take the nearest one. I’ll take the other.”

We both pulled, and the door immediately opened, revealing the next part of this trial—frankly, the one I was most excited for.

Not because it was particularly dangerous, but because it felt like something that would at least get a fun reaction out of Evelina. If anything, this trial felt more like an eccentric date than anything else.

And I was pretty sure she felt the same.

As for Kevin and Vivianne, I wondered…

I thought they should be awake by now.

I just hoped they wouldn’t do anything dumb and start a trial by themselves… but eh, they should be able to handle it either way.

“I could tell you’re thinking about something weird again, Cael.”

“Did you read my mind?”

“No, you’re just that obvious.”

“I know that, but surely also not that obvious, right?”

“You literally have a tell.”

“I do not have a tell.”

Evelina stepped past me through the doorway, her ruined shirt hanging off one shoulder in a way that she either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care about. Knowing her, probably the latter. She’d never been precious about appearances the way other noblewomen were.

“You scrunch your nose,” she said over her shoulder. “Every time you’re thinking something annoying, your nose scrunches.”

I touched my face reflexively. “That’s not a thing.”

“It’s absolutely a thing. I’ve known you long enough to notice.”

Did I really have a weakness that obvious? Or was she lying to me? No way I just had that the entire time, right?

The chamber beyond the door was nothing like the forest we’d just fought through. Marble floors polished to a mirror shine. Chandeliers hanging from a ceiling painted to look like a twilight sky. Tables set for a banquet, complete with silverware and crystal glasses and centerpieces of flowers that hadn’t wilted despite what had to be centuries of abandonment.

And at the far end of the chamber, another door.

Smaller this time. Human-sized. Made of plain, unadorned wood with a simple iron handle.

“That’s… anticlimactic,” Evelina said.

“That’s the point.”

I walked past the banquet tables, running my fingers along the polished surface of one. No dust. No wear. The flowers still had dew on their petals. The glasses still sparkled.

This room had been maintained.

“Don’t eat anything,” I said.

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“Or drink anything.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“Don’t touch it either.”

“Cael.”

“I’m just saying.”

She picked up a candlestick and threw it at my head. I caught it without looking and set it back down on the table.

“Better?”

“Marginally.”

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