Capítulo 25: CHAPTER 25: Written in Stone

Ashen walked along with Natal but he had barely walked through the doors of the Health building where students of Light Academy went to get treated for whatever ailed them when all eyes immediately turned to look at him and Natal who momentarily stood by the door.

Without being aware of all the attention they were getting, Natal continued walking pulling Ashen along but they had barely taken three steps when two people came out from the security post by the doors and dragged both of them towards the showers, including Natal who couldn't seem to fathom what he had done to deserve such a treatment.

After taking a thorough bath, having been given spare hospital clothes for patients. They finally found their way to Anared's room which was in the emergency section since it was no small matter for the healers to use magic and try to continuously regrow a missing arm,

"Anared…," Natal yelled running towards his friends with a cheeky smile the moment they entered his room, watching as his arm was being slowly regrown by multiple crystals placed around his shoulder in a ring,

"Natal…" Anared groaned in complaint seeing his friend for the sixth time in less than two hours, hiding how glad he was to see him every time,

"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to come back?" Anared asked, nagging Natal like an old couple, as he closed his eyes with a sigh, knowing fully well that if Natal continued in his ways, the nurses in his section won't let him in the next time,

"Yes...but guess who I brought with me?" Natal said with a grin, before stepping aside to present Ashen to him like a magician would present his last show,

"Ashen…," Anared said in a happy tone, tempering the urge to yell since, all his energy went into trying to make the stones regrow a new limb for him,

"It's nice to see you alive and well. Without you distracting that lizard we would definitely have become lizard meat and Natal wouldn't have made it to the end," Anared said looking at Ashen who stepped closer to him with a grin of his own, extremely glad to see Anared recovering well,

"It's nothing. I couldn't just standby and watch and you gave me a warning so, it's fair that I try to help you," Ashen said rubbing the nape of his neck, unused to such good treatment, especially from people with high ranks,

"Still. Thank you Ashen. I'm sure this big brute wouldn't remember to," Anared happily said before turning to look at Natal who looked nothing like a brute and more like a cute Knight in shining armour as he stood close to Anared's bed,

"I'm just sad that I wouldn't be able to move on to the third year since I teleported out, halfway through...were you able to get a globe?" Anared asked with a twinkle of hope in his eyes only to sigh the moment he saw Ashen shake his head,

"Almost but I wasn't fast enough," Ashen sighed hiding the depth of his anger towards the people that almost killed him, knowing that whatever happened, even if he left the academy, he would still make them pay,

"Hmmm...so only you get to stay," Anared moaned with a sad face even though he was glad that at least one of them would get to continue,

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course you know that if you can't stay then I won't stay too," Natal boldly declared as Ashen and Anared couldn't help but open their mouth in shock at the relaxed and resolute way Natal said it,

"That just means we'll go searching for a better academy or train ourselves the old fashion way, by dungeon diving," Natal said pulling Ashen closer to him as he spoke,

"Three of us would make a fabulous team," Natal laughed as he thumped Ashen on his back, his voice louder than usual unable to contain his excitement already thinking of how amazing it would be to go out into the wild to fight,

"Quieten down…," Anared said, already warning him to reduce his tone when one of the top nurses attending to him suddenly barged in,

"Times up boys," the middle-aged woman with mid-length black hair, reaching all the way to her neck and a friendly face that would make anyone instantly get attached to her, said with her hand clasped gently in front of her,

"Two more minutes…," Natal immediately begged,

"That's what you said the last time Natal, and Ten minutes later I had to drag you out myself and...the result will be announced soon and you have to be there as long as you aren't injured," Clara said, her eyes, landing on the medium height, slim and agile boy with a ruffled hair and a cute face standing beside her patient's bed, as she slowly assessed him before shooting both of them off,

"You can come back right after to give Anared the news," she said watching them sadly wave to their friends, as the brown-haired boy whose hair seemed to fly everywhere, dragged Natal out by his arm,

"Healer Clara, I'm absolutely sure that I don't want to hear the news. There is no way I can pass that exam," Anared sadly said, not in any way glad to know that Natal might drop out because of him since it was something he could do once he mentioned it,

"Your arm is still healing. Close your eyes and rest well and some things aren't written in stone until they are…," she simply said with a motherly smile on her face, dragging the blankets higher to cover Anared's neck as she watched him do as she asked, before going over to check the state of his arm.