Apollo sat calmly on the medic cot, flame-kissed skin wrapped in mana bandages, a half-smile still lingering on his face. He looked like someone who'd just survived a war and wouldn't have minded if it went another round.
A medic hovered nearby, running a healing charm across his side. But Apollo barely noticed. His thoughts were still out there, flickering in the wreckage of the ring.
Then the door cracked open.
Amari stepped inside—but paused when he almost collided with someone in the hallway.
"Yo," Conrad said, stepping out of the way with a small smirk. "Didn't expect to see you here."
Amari blinked. "Conrad."
"I was just about to visit him," he nodded toward the door behind him. "Figured you were too."
Amari glanced at the guards watching from down the hall. "You sure you're allowed to be this close to me?"
Conrad laughed softly. "Technically no. But... times change. My father trusts I can protect myself now."
Amari huffed out a dry laugh. "I guess times do change."
