Nagan sat along the open window sill, one leg dangling precariously down the side. He trusted his balance enough not to fall. All the while, he carefully cradled the strange, black figurine in his palm.

The hostess immediately flocked around him and Aitor when they arrived back, alternating between asking if they were ok and where the other teens were. They managed to calm her down enough to not immediately march to the Council of Thirds, demanding why they sent children to war. Not that it would've made a difference in the end. Instead, she insisted they cleaned up and changed, saying that she would mend their clothes for them. This time they didn't bother trying to stop her, knowing that she would pester them until she was allowed to do something for them. The two teens were exhausted and didn't have much left in them to fight against it.

So that led Nagan to be where he was. Georgivus slept soundly in one of the makeshift beds they had while Aitor laid in another. Nagan wasn't sure if the other was truly asleep. It was hard to tell with Aitor's back to him.

Nagan looked back down at the figurine, brushing his thumb across the face. After closer inspection, he recognized it to be sculpted after one of the Hecatite gods, and he wouldn't have been surprised if it was a god of protection. Ippei? Ippoi? He didn't remember; Hecatite gods weren't something he ever paid attention to.

What really baffled him was why Blaine carried it on him in the first place. While it wasn't a crime to worship gods outside of your country of origin, it wasn't common, either. Or at least, Nagan hadn't met many who did. Gods weren't talked about much in the mage community. He's seen paintings of Tarkon's only goddess, Arinina, in the Honoria's mansion, Aunt Cilara frequently prayed before the goddess' image in the family shrine, and he could've sworn Aitor had muttered a Kobarian god's name before. But it never went much further than that.

Or maybe Nagan was overthinking this. Perhaps this was a gift given to Blaine or the prince, and Blaine had grabbed it in pure desperation. What really mattered was the enchantment placed around the object.

It was obvious the figurine was infused with something. It gave off a pulse every once in a while. Whether an incantation or a charm was alchemically imbued within the stone, he didn't know, and he probably would never know.

Nagan slipped it back into his pocket when he could get nothing more from it. It wouldn't do him much good if he kept staring at something he knew nothing about. As much of a distraction as it was from the events prior, the novelty of it was already fading.

That was when the sound of straw and fabric rustling came from his left, and he turned to see Aitor quietly walking toward him. Aitor brushed a couple strands of straw from his pants before he sat on the ground below the window where Nagan sat, his head coming to rest against Nagan's thigh as he leaned back.

"Can't sleep?"

Aitor hummed in confirmation.

It was quiet after that. Only the sounds of the night and the faint rustling of the host couple below kept Nagan company. The moon was high and bright that night, giving Nagan a clear view of the town as it slowly wound down from the battle. He occasionally saw the bobbing lanterns of a soldier passing between buildings.

Nagan assumed Aitor had finally fallen asleep after half an hour, but he was proved wrong when Aitor turned his head to the side.

"W-would you—you ha-a-ve d-d-d-done it?"

"Done...what?"

"K—killed-d."

"Yes."

A shock ran through his body at the speed at which he uttered that damning word. Where...had that come from? In the heat of the moment, there wasn't much time to think, thus he knew he would've killed the dark mage if Professor Fai hadn't stepped in. But now? While he was in no immediate danger?

Nagan continued on in a voice calmer than he really felt.

"If it's to protect you guys, why would I hesitate? We're in a war, and we're all going to have blood on our hands eventually."

Nagan almost grimaced at his grim remarks, feeling as if this wasn't what Aitor needed to hear at this moment. Aitor, however, only hummed in agreement with a nod of his head.

"I-I w-wish—sh I h-h-had you-your res-s-solve."

Nagan didn't know what to say to that.

They both continued to sit, only murmuring once in a while as they waited for the rest of their group.

Midnight had truly fallen by the time a small light started heading towards their temporary home. At first, Nagan thought it was a lantern, but as the light got closer, he realized it was coming from a small orb that floated in front of a group. Professor Fai, Az, Gath, and Carthadeus, to be exact.

The reaction was instant. Nagan flew to the hatch that led down to the main floor, startling a half-asleep Aitor in the process, but after a few barely cohesive words, Aitor followed suit. Nagan wasn't sure if Aitor even closed the door behind them. They met the rest of their group halfway.

"Professor Fai—" Nagan stopped short, realizing he didn't know what he wanted to say. He didn't need to, however, as Professor Fai raised his hand to stop him anyway.

"I'll give you two a rundown in a moment," Professor Fai said gently, a tinge of exhaustion seeping into his voice, "but let's sit down, first."

Nagan could only nod to that, glancing quickly at the rest of his friends before turning around, following Aitor back to the house. The hostess stood by the door having been awoken by the commotion. She held onto a lit lantern, her face impassive as she waited for them to all file inside.

"A cup of tea should do you all some good. Put your mind at ease," she said. She then turned to Professor Fai. "Or would coffee suit you better, Captain?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

The hostess gave the professor almost a dirty look before disappearing into the kitchen. Professor Fai definitely noticed, but he chose not to react.

"To start, we aren't entirely sure who the raiders worked under, but by the presence of the dragons alone, I think it's safe to assume this was a targeted attack by the Kinsmen." Professor Fai reclined back in the armchair he sat in and massaged his forehead. "Two of the guards stationed with the prince were killed, and four others were wounded. One is in critical condition. None of them were equipped to deal with spellcasters."

"How's Blaine?" Nagan asked.

The older teens tossed a few looks at each other before collectively shrugging.

"We didn't really have time to check on him," Gath admitted. "I don't think they would've let us see him, anyway."

"No, probably not," Professor Fai confirmed, "but he's set to wake tomorrow. If he's up to it and the doctors approve, I'll be asking him what exactly happened and when he was injured."

It didn't make him feel any better not knowing how Blaine was, but Nagan knew there really wasn't much they could do at the moment. Professor Fai continued when no one asked any more questions.

"I've been in correspondence with the Totari, and it's been agreed that they will collect the prince here. It's too dangerous for the prince to be traveling with us now that we've been targeted. However, it'll take them at least a week to get here. So, in the meantime, we'll be putting out patrols and setting up defenses. You never know if they'll strike again."

The hostess returned shortly after their debriefing. Tea and a cup of coffee were set out on the table, as were a few snacks such as dried fruits and nuts. Nagan wanted to ask more questions about the situation; what was happening now, and such. If it weren't for the hostess' stern looks every time anything close to the subject was brought up, he would've. Instead, the teens quickly drank their tea, ate their fill, and filed off to bed without any complaint when they were told to.

By the time they all got back to the loft, Nagan couldn't stop himself.

"So how many—"

"Later."

Nagan gave Carthadeus a challenging glare. "You said that last time. Don't you think I've waited enough?"

"Then it wouldn't kill you to wait a little longer."

"We're in the middle of a war, Honoria!" Nagan snapped. "You can't keep sheltering me from—"

"I'm not sheltering you from anything; I don't want to talk about it!" Carthadeus seethed before his shoulders slumped heavily. It was as if that sentence took all that he had left out of him. "It's been a really, really long day. For all of us. Get some rest, and we'll talk about this in the morning."

Nagan clicked his mouth shut at that, realizing that he was pushing the other teen too far. Perhaps...he was being a bit insensitive to Carthadeus. And a bit of a jerk.

"...Sorry," Nagan managed. "Y-Yeah. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Carthadeus let out a breath. "Thank you." He paused before giving Nagan an awkward pat on the shoulder. "You did well today. You too, Aitor."

Carthadeus gave Aitor a more reassuring squeeze on the shoulder that gradually turned into a quick side-hug. With a few more prompting words from him, the rest of the teens settled down into their beds. All the while, the young prince remained asleep.

"Captain?"

Fai looked up at the hostess.

"If I may speak to you for a moment?"

He had just sent the boys off to bed and was preparing to leave, but by the way the hostess had been looking at him for the past hour, he doubted this was something that could wait. That is, if he wanted to avoid the hostess' wrath, he had better listen to what she had to say now rather than later.

"This is about the boys, isn't it."

She nodded sharply, and her eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you mages are thinking, but them boys are exactly that. Boys! Children! Tell me, how old is the blond one?"

It took a moment for Fai to do the calculations. "He should be nearing fourteen."

"And the oldest?"

"Sixteen."

The hostess made a sound that was a cross between a frustrated groan and a snarl. "So none of them are even of age! Disgraceful! And they still call you professor, is that what you are to them?"

"I was the combat professor at Carvolier and had taught them how to fly, yes. And once upon a time, I had vowed to never return to the army ever again. Not after what they did to my mentor, who just so happens to be Nagan's father." Fai sighed and bowed his head, too tired to meet the hostess' eyes. "And yet here they are. Trust me, I know your frustration. I know how much you want to whisk them away from all this. I do too. I never wanted them to step foot onto a battlefield. But I'm no one of importance within mage society, so my voice isn't heard."

For a moment, Fai could almost hear Nageth's voice. His laughter, his rambling, his fury. If there was one person, one voice that the world needed to hear at this moment, it was the man who hadn't been heard from in years.

A man who somehow made himself heard despite all odds, Fai thought bitterly. Someone who I can't be, not even for his son.

"That's why I'm here, honestly. Those boys are clever and know how to hold their own, but someone needs to be here to make sure they aren't sent to their deaths."

By the time Fai looked back up, the hostess' face had changed. Her eyes crinkled with grief, and her mouth hung open in shock. He wasn't sure how he looked at that moment, but he was sure she saw his resignation and defeat. This was a situation truly out of their control.

"What has the Council done to all of you?" she croaked, horror and grief evident in her voice, almost as if she was already grieving the loss of bright, young minds.

Fai could agree with that sentiment. Perhaps in a few months time, or as long as the war lasted, there would be a reason to grieve.

•___________________•

I'm really sorry to keep taking such long breaks in between chapters. There's really nothing else for me to say at this point, no excuse, except for the fact that I'm depressed.

I feel like I've talked about my depression before, or at least have mentioned it. It's not like it's something I'm ashamed about. But I'll admit, it hasn't gotten any better over the past couple of years. College is a huge stressor for me, especially since it hasn't come easy. In fact, it was just these past couple of weeks that I had to drop out of university two days after starting because they changed my aid on me, making it impossible for me to afford it.

But I won't rant about that too much. I'm back at my community college at least, and the professor of the one class I was really looking forward to taking (a class on epic narratives) is happily letting me audit the class. It's just incredibly gutting to watch your high school friends getting ready to graduate when you barely have enough credits to be considered a sophomore. Life is just draining right now.

Maybe one day, when my story finally gets a happy ending, I'll tell you guys the full story. It's certainly a wild one, judging by how it's been going so far.

But anyway, thank you guys for being patient with me. And for those of you who may have been concerned, I promise I'm ok—and I firmly believe I'll be ok—I'm just...tired. That's honestly the best way to describe how I feel.

On a happier note, Nagan is nearly at 27k reads! And it doesn't show any sign of slowing down anytime soon. Maybe before the year ends, we'll reach 30k. Wouldn't that be something! Either way, I'm absolutely stoked that this series has gotten so far.

(Slight divergence from my gushing, recently I've been debating on if I should change the series name. I'm sure the name Resilience Series has grown on some of you, it has on me too, but I'm starting to think about the marketing value. Resilience Series is just a bit too close to the Inheritance Series. Calling this the Broken Time Series has a certain ring to it, but I feel like I can do better. Idk, should this have a series name at all? Should I be gutsy and try joining the ranks of Harry Potter/Percy Jackson/Artemis Fowl/etc. and call it "Nagan Elvar and the _______"? Feel free to add suggestions in the comments but anyway—)

Thank you again for reading, and I really mean it when I say you guys are a big part of why I continue to write. Favorite treats and good vibes to all of you! Until next time, hopefully within a month!

*nervous laughter* Hopefully I didn't just jinx it...