Chapter 36: Chapter THIRTY SIX

His last confirmation came the very next day, two days before the tournament. To a naive and inattentive eye, the events of this week looked like a dark cycle of unrelated unfortunate incidents. For Ethan, so many stressful events couldn't have been a coincidence. He still couldn't discern the red thread linking them, but his intuition told him that everything was linked.

Of course, that ended up making him slightly paranoid. Having trouble distinguishing between what could be plausible and what resulted from his state of intense stress, he relied on Mia to decide on which of his hypotheses was likely.

The second small piece of parchment placed under his bedroom door during the night did nothing to help his tortured mind. The message was the same as the first, it was clear that it was intended to exert pressure. This time it was Mia who had discovered it after being awakened by the muffled growls of the Vila, the result of restless sleep and many nightmares. That was when exhaustion finally caught up with him and his body slumped with fatigue, but, of course, his mind couldn't find rest.

This afternoon, Mia wanted to go for a walk in the gardens to enjoy the fresh spring air. After spending several hours by the bedside of her redheaded friend who showed no signs of improvement, Lily had ordered the pair and Andrei out of the room, decreeing that moping at the foot of her bed was pointless and that they would be immediately informed if the situation changes. Ethan nodded fervently, exhausted by the constant silence in the room. That left his mind too much time to wander.

They had then landed in their almost usual place after walking slowly, enjoying the invigorating breeze caressing their face. Sitting in the grass next to each other, Ethan rested his head against the towering trunk of the tree they were leaning against and sighed. Even in such a peaceful place, he couldn't relax. Mia seemed to be shaken by the same state of mind, as she hastily rested her head against his shoulder. Her need for comfort had far outweighed her desire to vent after what had happened to Arry.

"It's crazy when I think about it. I didn't expect to make friends here... Getting attached to people made the prospect of being stuck here all too real. I also felt like I was replacing the friends in my world. Maybe that's the case... I don't forget them, but I don't miss them that much anymore. And to think that they must think me dead..."

The Vila left Mia to monologue, not having much to add to the conversation. Friendship was not something he could tell he had experienced. Could he even say he had friends? Comrades, acquaintances, family, yes, but friends? Caring about one person was exhausting enough, he had no idea how people could intentionally nurture friendships with multiple people.

"The worst part is that I don't know them that well. Lily and Arry," she pointed out. "But I guess danger and shared drama has this knack for bringing people together..."

A theory that was soon to be put to the test. About twenty minutes later, tired of the Vila not being very talkative, Mia decided it was time to end their little escapade outside. After crossing the gardens in the opposite direction, they soon found themselves in the main courtyard. Their peaceful retreat was cut off by a group of agitated individuals outside the castle gates. One figure, in particular, stood out, reminding him of someone he knew...

"It's Andrei! What is he doing?" Mia exclaimed, already getting ready to join her friend's boyfriend.

Ethan grabbed her elbow to pin her feet to the ground and prevent her from moving forward. With her human hearing, she couldn't distinctly hear what was going on, but Ethan could. And if Andrei's accusatory tone was any clue, he was betting a fight was going to break out. He didn't even need to probe their auras to realize that the group of individuals was made up of werewolves ready to fight.

The volume of the discussion suddenly increased as Andrei took a step forward. Was he really stupid enough to attack an entire pack of werewolves while he was all alone? Mia seemed to think the same as she gave Ethan a pointed look, silently asking him to intervene. He had no desire to alienate new enemies, but his human seemed to leave him no choice. She considered the magician her friend.

"Stay here," he ordered Mia.

A first punch was thrown in the direction of one of the werewolves who greeted the wizard responsible for the attack with a growl. His comrade on the left growled too while the werewolf threw himself on Andrei with all claws out, aiming at his neck, trying to cut his throat, or rather crush his trachea. The young sorcerer narrowly dodged to the right to find himself pinned down by his attacker who dug his claws into his shoulder, forcing him to drop to the ground while crouching to escape the brutal pressure of the werewolf who threatened to break his bones. Before Ethan could finish covering the few tens of meters that separated him from the group, a student slipped into the pack and planted herself in front of the werewolves. She then gave the Vila a serious look that particularly confused him.

She's the sister of the werewolf who died in the tournament, he recognized. It remains to be seen whether she comes to screw up even more shit or not.

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Her attitude didn't look like someone who was about to add fuel to the fire, he noted with relief. Indeed, her hands rested on the shoulders of the two werewolves who served as the sorcerer's main interlocutors and adversaries, immediately ending the heated exchange. The two wolves took a step back as Andrei stood up, holding his shoulder.

"Calm down! Aren't you ashamed to fight in the middle of the court? At least wait for the tournament for that!" she said harshly, her stern gaze roaming her comrades to finish her journey on Andrei.

"I won't leave until you admit what you did to Arry!" yelled the wizard.

"It wasn't us," she said firmly.

"Andrei," Ethan called sternly, having joined the magician before he could answer again.

The wolf's eyes once again slid over the Vila. Her gaze seemed to want to tell him something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. His instincts were screaming at him that this was a warning, but against what? Still, the woman's hostility seemed directed against the wizard. A few seconds later, the sorcerer glared at the pack one last time before turning away and stepping back a few steps. He was quickly welcomed by Mia, worried, who hastened to offer to accompany him to the infirmary.

As the pack also dissipated, the werewolf grabbed Ethan's arm to pull him closer. She whispered a few words to him before he could retort and free himself from her grip.

"I wouldn't trust him if I were you, he's weird. He seems a little too greedy to start a fight when he has no proof. And before you ask, no, it wasn't us. What's the point of sending her into a coma?"

With these words, she freed his arm, letting him join Mia and Andrei. The Vila's mind was racing at full speed trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"What did she want?" Andrei inquired with disgust.

"Nothing, she just wanted to make sure we understood it wasn't them," Ethan replied noncommittally.

"Hn, I do not believe it," he exclaimed with disdain.

Mia seemed to want to add something, but Ethan quickly gave her a look indicating that the discussion was over. He would discuss it with her later when the magician was no longer around. Again, a new weight settled on his shoulders. Was the wolf's warning justified, or was she simply acting out of contempt for the wizard? Who could he really trust?

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