Return from the Brink

The first thing Alexia saw when her eyes opened was a white ceiling. She didn't make a sound as she looked around at her surroundings. Various medical equipment lay nearby.

"Hah..." Alexia sighed in relief. "I didn't think heaven would be a hospital room."

"What makes you think you'd go to heaven?" A sound came from behind the curtain.

"Shivan..." Alexia smiled when she heard his voice. "I guess we both made it."

"We managed not to die." He responded with a chuckle. "We were lucky. I think we should buy lottery tickets."

"Yeah. I'm picking the numbers."

They both bantered for a bit. They didn't give each other words of comfort. It was how their relationship was.

"I must say, I like the current you better," Alexia spoke matter-of-factly.

"Me too. I like current me better," Shivan responded. Despite not having fully recovered, he felt better than ever. He may have only discovered a bit about himself during the fight, but it gave him a new perspective and a new motivation.

Not letting someone close to him die. He couldn't allow it. He didn't know why, but he suspected it had to do with his lost memories.

"How long was I out?" Alexia asked the burning question on her mind.

"Over two weeks," Shivan replied. "I woke up only a couple of days after the incident and have been confined here ever since. Doing anything has been such a chore. The dark mana poison would have permanently crippled me if I was a regular human."

"Over two weeks huh?" Alexia muttered to herself. "Worrying about skipped classes is pointless. I can't be a mage anymore. That's one goal off the list. But being a streamer with only one arm would be difficult."

"You're really saying that?" Shivan asked incredulously. "Look at yourself. You're seeing through both eyes."

"..."

Alexia was silent. She lifted her left shoulder and could see her left arm fully attached. There were no scratches, marks or scars. Smooth as ever.

She could see through both eyes. Her vision was as good as ever. It was hard to imagine that there was an eye missing recently. Her right leg was also perfectly fine.

"I must say, I didn't think technology had advanced enough to allow humans to recover limbs and organs," Alexia spoke in a tone that made it difficult to tell if she was serious.

"That's your first explanation?" Shivan remarked exasperated. "Your body is a miracle. You survived wounds that every human on the planet would have died from and you're able to heal missing limbs and organs naturally.

The doctors were baffled when they saw you recovering missing limbs. I think I heard from the doctors that all they needed to do was close all the wounds and feed you. Your body handles the rest. So long as you don't die and receive the right nutrients, you can fully recover from anything. Meanwhile, I have massive scars across my body."

Shivan said the last part with a pout.

"Well... I did suspect it was possible. But it's still a surprise. I guess I can be called the most perfect human."

"Yeah..."

"..."

They both stayed silent for a while. Alexia took a deep breath and recalled the fight. Every second of it was etched into her memories.

"We really beat a grade 2, didn't we?" 

"Uh-huh," Shivan affirmed her statement.

"It was fun—a lot of fun. That rush, teetering on the edge, between life and death. It's like walking a tightrope where a mistake could end your life. It's so intense but so amazing!"

"So you've become an adrenaline junkie."

"Maybe." Alexia didn't deny Shivan's statement. "But, we should fight another grade 2 aberrant."

"Nope." Shivan immediately rejected that proposal. "Never again."

Before they continued their conversation, two people burst in from the doors. They were Chloe and the principal of the school, Natasha Terrano.

Chloe immediately rushed in to hug Alexia, while Natasha stood back watching the girls.

After the two talked for a bit, Alexia turned to her grandmother. "You're not going to scold me?" She asked.

"Not now. And there's probably no point. First, you're not going to listen and second, you most likely will be expelled." Natasha responded with a shake of her head.

"Most likely?" Alexia questioned, tilting her head. "I thought it would be certainly."

"Taking into consideration that you have just killed a grade 2 aberrant, they're quite a lot of contention on whether you should be expelled. Had that not happened, expulsion would be a certainty."

"Wow, just because I was able to defeat a grade 2 while only being in a first year, they're making exceptions?" Alexia remarked with a grin. "I guess the PCA plays favourites."

Natasha didn't immediately respond. Alexia was right in a sense. So long as the act didn't cross a line, mages, especially high-ranking ones could skirt the rules. 

This was also reflected in the PCA. The higher-ranking students were always favoured. And the four had just accomplished something that no one at their age could have done.

Alexia was smart, so she understood from her grandmother's silence that she was right.

'Alexia's mana is far control is far better. She is not leaking excess mana and it's far more stable.'

Natasha observed Alexia's mana flow.

'She's improved since their fight... But her control—it's too good. She's not even consciously controlling it...'

'Wait—don't tell me!'

Natasha tried to hide her surprise. And Shivan was showing greater mana control. 

'They have most likely achieved it. No, it's only by achieving that they have survived this long. This has to be considered.'

Hitting Annihilation was rare. Only a few could ever hit it in their lifetimes, and those who did became Aces or Champions.

'I discuss it with them later. But for now, I should answer their questions.' Natasha removed that thought from her mind, looking at the injured duo.

"So... how did we get here? How did we survive?"

Alexia asked the burning question on her mind.