Chapter 7: Unspoken Truths
1212 Words
The dorm felt eerily empty without Ilony. Ilony was cold, distant, and rarely spoke unless necessary—but her absence left a strange void. The silence in their shared space felt unnatural, almost unsettling.
It had been a full week now, and Ilony still hadn't woken up. The healers assured them she was stable, yet she remained trapped in unconsciousness. Every day, Darius came to visit, always bringing fresh flowers. At first, Ava assumed they were from the Academy staff or well-wishers, but as the days passed, she started noticing something peculiar—each bouquet consisted of Ilony’s favorite flowers.
Ava never thought much about Ilony’s personal preferences, but seeing the same flowers repeatedly made her suspicious. Darius knew what Ilony liked.
Then, one evening, as she was leaving the infirmary, Darius stopped her.
"Don't tell her," he said quietly.
Ava turned to face him, frowning. "Tell her what?"
"That I’ve been visiting."
Ava raised an eyebrow. "Why does it matter?"
Darius exhaled, his silver eyes drifting toward Ilony’s still form. "It just does."
Ava crossed her arms, unimpressed. "You know, you’re being kind of weird about this."
A small, almost amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "And you’ve been listening in on things you shouldn’t."
Ava stiffened.
But he didn’t look angry. Instead, he studied her with an unreadable expression, as if weighing something in his mind.
"I hope," he finally said, his voice quieter, "that you’ll always be her greatest friend and helper."
Ava blinked, caught off guard. It was unlike Darius to say something so... sincere.
She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you care so much?"
Darius didn’t answer immediately. His gaze lingered on Ilony, and for a brief second, something flickered in his expression—something raw, something restrained.
Because I can’t. The words echoed in his mind bitterly.
Instead, he simply said, "Just promise me."
Ava hesitated. There was something off about all of this, but for some reason, she didn’t push.
"Fine," she sighed. "I won’t tell her."
Satisfied, Darius nodded and turned to leave.
But as Ava watched him go, a strange feeling gnawed at her.
Darius was hiding something.
And whatever it was, it had everything to do with Ilony’s past.
A faint sensation, cool and familiar, brushed against Ilony’s skin. For a moment, she thought it was rain. The soft drizzle of a morning shower, gentle and calming.
But it wasn’t rain at all.
It was Ava—crying.
Ilony blinked awake, her vision adjusting to the dim light of the infirmary. Warm, trembling hands clutched at her sleeve, and she felt the dampness of Ava’s tears seeping into the fabric.
Ava sobbed, her voice thick with emotion. "I swear, I won’t be loud anymore—I won’t mess around—I’ll even do all my assignments early—just, don’t scare me like that again!"
Ilony let out a slow breath, still groggy. Then, a familiar scent drifted toward her. She turned her head slightly and saw a vase beside her bed. Inside, delicate bluebells swayed gently in the breeze from the open window. Their soft violet petals and calming, honey-like fragrance brought back a memory—the small patches of bluebells she used to pick near her grandmother’s house.
Why were they here?
Before she could think further, Ava gasped.
"You’re awake!"
Ilony shifted her gaze back to her. Ava’s eyes were red from crying, her face twisted with relief.
"I am alive," Ilony said dryly. "Why are you crying? It’s just been one night."
Ava stared at her, stunned. Then, her lips wobbled. "One night?! Ilony, you’ve been unconscious for a whole week!"
Ilony froze. A week?
Before she could fully process that, Ava suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around her. "It’s my fault," she mumbled between her sobs. "If my magic was strong enough… if I could just heal your cu—"
Ilony stiffened. "What?"
Ava hesitated, her grip tightening.
Ilony pulled back slightly, looking at her friend with sharp, narrowed eyes. "Ava… what do you mean? Heal what?"
Ava’s lips parted, but no words came.
Then it hit her.
Ilony’s chest tightened. She remembered—Ava’s warning when she had pushed herself too hard at the practice grounds.
"Don’t overdo it, Ilony. You’re in pain, aren’t you?"
Her pulse quickened. "You can see it?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. "My curse?"
Ava lowered her gaze. After a long silence, she nodded.
Ilony clenched the sheets beneath her fingers. "How?"
Ava exhaled shakily. Then, after hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke.
"I followed you," she admitted.
Flashback
A few days she followed Ilony. From the shadows, she watched as she trained alone, magic crackling around her. Her face was pale, sweat dripping down her temple as she forced herself to continue. But then—Ava saw it.
The black markings.
They crawled up Ilony’s arms like twisted veins of ink, pulsing faintly every time she used her magic. And the way she trembled… the way she clenched her teeth against the pain...
Ilony was suffering.
Ava’s heart pounded. She wanted to run out, to stop her—but before she could, another figure approached.
Darius.
Ava pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath as she listened to the conversation.
After a few minutes Darius finally walked away, Ava caught the briefest glance back—the way his fingers twitched, as if resisting the urge to reach for her.
And that’s when Ava realized.
Darius knew.
He had known all along.
Present
Ava swallowed hard. "I heard everything," she admitted.
Ilony’s expression darkened.
"But that’s why," Ava added quickly, determination flaring in her eyes. "I’m gonna study super hard! I’ll find a way to break your curse so you won’t hurt anymore!"
Ilony stared at her, emotions swirling in her chest. Then, she looked away.
"Don’t tell anyone." Her voice was quiet but firm. "Not even the professors."
Ava hesitated. "But—"
"My own parents kept it a secret." Ilony’s gaze sharpened. "If they didn’t trust anyone with it, neither should I."
Ava bit her lip, struggling with the idea. But in the end, she nodded. "Okay… If that’s what you want."
Just then, a low rumbling sound filled the air.
Both of them paused.
Then, Ilony’s face turned red.
Her stomach had growled.
Ava blinked before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Oh my god, Ilony, are you serious?"
Ilony groaned, covering her face. "Shut up."
Still giggling, Ava grabbed her arm. "Come on, let’s get food before you pass out again."
Since classes were still in session, the canteen was empty when they arrived. Ava wasted no time, ordering an overwhelming amount of food before dragging Ilony to a table.
Ilony raised an eyebrow as Ava set plate after plate in front of her. "You’re acting like I haven’t eaten in months."
"You basically haven’t," Ava shot back. "Now eat."
Ilony sighed but didn’t argue. As she took her first bite, Ava sat across from her, watching with crossed arms.
"You don’t have to stare at me, you know," Ilony muttered.
Ava smirked. "Nope. I’m making sure you finish everything."
Ilony resist the urge to smile and kept eating.
For the first time in a long while, she felt… lighter.
- Writer
