(Rodova Team Villa, Lockdown Day 2, Sky-God Arena, The Private Villa Sector)
While Dupravel Nuna spent his night buried deep within the underbelly of Twin Fang, torturing the soul of a resurrected cultist to wring every last shred of truth from his ash-bound lips, the students of Rodova, though far removed from the same level of darkness, carried their own burdens in the aftermath of the attack.
Those who had recovered enough from their injuries, and had enough strength in them to stand, talk, and keep down solid food were gradually moved from the medical bay to the Rodova team villa, where they were quarantined just like the other commoners in attendance, held under lockdown as the investigation continued.
Yet even though they had technically emerged as champions of the tournament, crowned atop the leaderboard with glory that once would've been cause for thunderous celebration and wild banquets, there was no festivity in the air.
No cheers, no parties, not even a quiet toast.
Because the Sky-God Arena, once a grand hall of competition and pride, had become a massacre site, and with over two thousand corpses still being processed just a few kilometres away from them, nobody seemed in particularly high spirits.
The atmosphere within the Rodova team quarters was muted and hollow.
Even as food trays came and went, and instructors occasionally checked in, the students mostly kept to themselves, drifting between rooms or sitting together in the common space, the silence broken only by the occasional conspiracy or whispered memory of the chaos they'd witnessed.
"There was a guard… just a few rows above where we were seated," Kohli murmured, as he sat cross-legged on the floor, rubbing his arms absently, "he was a sleeper agent, I saw him switch sides mid-fight with my own eyes…. That man cut down two families before he was stopped."
"I heard that too," Boxer nodded grimly, seated beside him with his back against the couch. "They said his badge and uniform was fake, but he had real weapons, the actual government-issued short knife…. Which makes me wonder how he got it."
"I heard worse," DP added, eyes darting from one side of the room to the other, lowering his voice. "Word going around is… someone from the Universal Government wanted this to happen. That the casualties were mostly relatives and affiliates of the Six Great Clans, and the higher-ups just let it happen to reduce their influence…"
"That's bullshit," Yu Shen muttered from his place near the window, arms crossed, and face angry. "If that's true, we're not just looking at some cult war… this would be a full blown galactic war."
"Yeah, well… a big war feels kind of likely right now, doesn't it?" Drake said, his voice dry, his fingers tapping nervously on the glass of water in his hand.
Minerva didn't speak.
She just sat quietly at the corner of the table, listening, her eyes hollow and distant, as she did not add anything to this pointless discussion.
Then—-
As the front door suddenly opened, all heads turned.
There, standing on the threshold, covered in fresh bandages and an arm brace, was Leo, who moved with an awkward motion, unlike his usual grace.
For a heartbeat, nobody said anything after looking at him, until—
"AYYYYYY—LOOK WHO'S BACK!" Enzo shouted, springing to his feet with a massive grin as he rushed forward, arms wide open like a man welcoming home his long-lost brother.
Without hesitation, he wrapped Leo into a tight, bone-crushing hug that made Leo's ribs throb just from the contact.
"Damn, man! You really pulled it off… we saw the whole thing—twice! Professor David taped the whole fight, and we saw it together last night." Enzo grinned, stepping back slightly, clapping him on the shoulder with genuine warmth.
One by one, the rest followed suit.
Boxer was next, pulling Leo into a rough, one-armed hug with a toothy grin and a muttered, "You crazy bastard, I thought you were done for when you fell in that pit… good to see you alive and okay my man."
Then came Kohli, eyes misting as he hugged him quietly, not saying much, just holding him a moment longer than the others.
Followed by Yu Shen, who gave him a warm smile and a firm handshake.
"Thank you…. By winning the circuit's you made my dream, and the dreams of all the Rodova captain's before me come true. Because of you, I can sleep just fine, because God knows I wouldn't have, if Rodova lost and I did not win my match," Yu Shen said, as his eyes watered up.
He was usually a pretty chill guy, however, Leo knew exactly how much winning the circuit meant to him, and now that he had the chance to properly express his gratitude, he did just that.
"It was a team effort, I didn't bring us to the finals alone," Leo replied, as Yu Shen gave him a curt nod, before leaving the queue as Minerva stepped forward last.
"Welcome back." She said in a soft voice before giving him a shy hug, as Leo smiled back.
And just like that, the atmosphere within the Villa shifted.
The grief didn't vanish, the fear didn't disappear, but for the first time since the explosions… there was warmth.
There was a cause for celebration, as no longer did the team talk about gloomy stuff but rather excitedly recalled Leo's battles against the Geneva warriors.
And even though Leo stood in the center of it all, letting each hug, handshake, and smile wash over him like waves against a stone, his mind remained quiet, calculating, detached.
He didn't particularly like the attention, or the physical touch, but he did his best to endure and blend in, as he did not want to kill the joy of his teammates, who did deserve this happiness after all the hard work they had put in through the season.
'Su Yang, you fool…. If only you were here, I'm sure you would have enjoyed this…' Leo thought, as he let out a deep sigh.
As although Leo had recovered enough to return, Su Yang, who had received a gaping wound straight through his abdomen during the circuits, was yet to be medically cleared and was expected to remain in the medical bay for a couple more days.
That aside, it was rare for Leo to miss anyone, as his memory loss had stripped away most of the emotional ties he might have once had, leaving behind a void whereby he seldom craved company.
But slowly, almost imperceptibly, Su Yang had started to become an exception.
These past few months of training together and pushing their limits side by side had caused Leo to grow slightly fond of him, and while it was not enough to be called true friendship, it was still enough to make his absence noticeable.
Their relationship had grown to a point where Leo no longer minded his company, and on some days, even preferred it to being alone, which was a huge milestone for someone as cold as him.
"Oh? You're back?" A female voice interrupted his thoughts, as Muiyan Faye looked at him with her usual stern gaze restored.
"Once you're done greeting everyone, come meet me in my room, I need to prepare you for some questions that the investigators might have for you later," Faye instructed, as Leo gave her a curt nod in response.