**[APARTMENT – NEXT MORNING]**
Alex woke up with every part of his body screaming in pain.
He opened his eyes—unfamiliar ceiling.
No. Familiar. But not his ceiling.
Raven's room.
He turned his head slightly—a window with a different view, minimalist but elegant décor, a faint scent of incense.
His own room had been... destroyed.
The memory flooded back—the Wyvern crashing through the window, the fight with Kael, the flight across the rooftops, and then...
Darkness. Loss of control. The Fragment.
He tried to sit up—
"AGH!"
Pain exploded through his ribs, shoulder, and back.
**[Alex HP: 340/1,020 → 420/1,020]** *(overnight recovery)*
Still critically low.
"Slowly," said a soft voice.
Emily was in a chair beside the bed, a closed book in her lap. She looked exhausted—deep shadows under her eyes, skin pale.
No mana left. She had used absolutely everything the night before.
"How long?" Alex asked, voice hoarse.
