Sunlight streamed softly through the infirmary curtains, painting pale gold across the white sheets. The rhythmic sound of waves from the beach beyond the city could faintly be heard calm, soothing, and steady.
Milly sat up on her bed, her arm and leg now covered in glowing rune bands that pulsed faintly. The healing had gone well; the Sage's restoration spell had left no scars, but her muscles still ached when she tried to move too quickly.
Her students had been visiting in turns all morning. Bringing fruits, silly cards, and noisy laughter.
"Miss Mila! I got you a pear!" said Tira, beaming as she proudly held out a slightly bruised fruit.
Milly smiled, taking it gently. "You got this all by yourself?"
"Uh-huh! I even washed it!"
Milly chuckled, her tone soft and warm. "That's very sweet, Tira. Thank you."
Another student, the quiet boy named Rel, fidgeted at the foot of her bed. "Miss Mila… are you really okay now? You… scared us, you know."
Her smile softened. "I'm okay, Rel. You don't have to worry. I've been through worse."
Tira tilted her head. "Worse than losing an arm and a leg?"
The room went awkwardly quiet for a moment.
Milly blinked. Then she snorted. "…You really don't hold back, huh?"
The students burst out laughing, and the tension melted into warmth.
Even though they were loud and clumsy and sometimes hopeless with magic, Milly found herself genuinely enjoying their company.
For the first time in a long while, she felt… normal.
Hours later, as the sun dipped low, the last of her students waved goodbye.
"Get well soon, Miss Mila!"
"I will!" she called back, watching them leave with a faint smile. The room grew quiet again, the hum of runes now the only sound.
That's when she sensed someone else entering.
"I see they care deeply for you," came the Sage's calm voice. He closed the door gently behind him, stepping inside with his usual air of composed authority.
Milly straightened up slightly. "You again, old man? What, checking if I've burned another forest?"
A corner of his mouth lifted. "Not this time." He stopped beside her bed, studying her expression with curious eyes. "I wanted to speak with you privately."
Milly blinked. "About what?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lifted his hand and drew a small circle in the air, a soundproofing spell. The air shimmered faintly around them.
Then his tone shifted, quieter. "When I healed you… I felt something."
Milly tensed slightly. "Something?"
"A resonance," he said slowly. "The flames that nearly consumed that forest weren't ordinary fire magic. Nor even high-tier elemental flame. It was… older. Wilder. A power with its own will."
Milly's eyes flickered, gold flashing faintly for just a heartbeat before returning to blue. "You must've imagined it," she said lightly. "I've just been training too much lately. Maybe my spells went wild."
The Sage didn't look convinced. "Perhaps," he said, though his gaze was sharp. "But if that's true, then I would advise you not to 'train' like that again. That kind of power doesn't belong to this world's mages."
He paused, then softened his tone. "Still… I'll admit, it was impressive. You saved your students, and possibly half the region."
Milly smirked faintly. "So, you're saying I'm both a danger and a hero?"
"Something like that," he replied, allowing himself a short chuckle. Then he released the sound barrier, the shimmer fading away.
As he turned to leave, he added, "Rest well, Miss Mila. You'll be back to teaching soon. But remember what I said power like that always demands a price."
The door shut quietly behind him.
Milly stared at the ceiling for a long while, his words echoing in her mind.
A power with its own will.
She looked down at her hands, clenching them slowly. The faint shimmer of red flame danced across her fingertips, fading as quickly as it came.
"…A price, huh?" she murmured softly, her voice nearly lost to the sea breeze that drifted through the window.
And somewhere deep within her, behind the layers of forgotten memories, something ancient stirred.