---
After the chaos of the training camp, the surviving students were brought to the academy's healing center.
The facility was expansive, its walls lined with healing crystals that emitted a soft, calming glow.
The faint hum of magic filled the air as healers worked tirelessly, tending to wounds both visible and invisible.
Dabi sat quietly in the corner, his gaze distant and clouded, his shoulders slumped under the weight of recent events.
For him, the room felt heavy with more than just the scent of herbs and potions; it held the memories of his first battle and, more profoundly, his first kill.
He hadn't expected this. Not the way the life had drained from Malakar's eyes, nor the way his own heart had ached with the act.
His blade piercing Malakar's heart was a moment frozen in his mind, playing over and over with haunting clarity.
