Thirstfall - Memory of a Returnee-Chapter 44: The Buddy System

I close the infirmary door behind us, making sure the heavy magnetic lock clicks into place.

My mind is a hornet’s nest. I know Rae is a manipulative sociopath. His pristine white robes and polite smiles don’t fool me for a second. But the paranoia is starting to creep in, thick and suffocating.

Did Rae hire the assassins to go after Rhayne? That little comment he made before leaving the room is too specific.

"Be careful who you make allies with." Is he trying to prove that I am vulnerable here? Is he trying to systematically isolate me so I have no choice but to rely on his "protection"?

If Rhayne dies, I lose my OXI filter. Without her Void Link, wielding Eventide will drain my Rank-F Shell dry in seconds, leaving me completely at Rae’s mercy to survive the Academy’s trials.

But then again, does Rae even know the depth of Rhayne’s ability? It is highly unlikely. The rest of the world just sees her as a parasitic Leech.

I am fairly certain I am the first person in this timeline to figure out how to weaponize her curse into a capacitor.

Maybe it’s House Brine, I think, rubbing my temples. Or one of the other generic noble factions I butchered in the ruins. I humiliated them, and nobles don’t take kindly to losing to a rat in rags.

I shake my head, physically dismissing the thoughts. Paranoia is an inefficient luxury. It paralyzes you. Right now, I need cold, hard rationality.

I turn back to the room.

Veric is leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. Lola is poking at a holographic medical display, trying to make the floating blue lines pop. Rhayne stands near my bed, her hands awkwardly clasped in front of her.

"Alright, sit down," I order, pulling a rolling stool toward the center of the room. "Tell me exactly what happened, Rhayne. Leave nothing out."

Rhayne hesitates, pulling her oversized sleeves over her bandaged wrists, before she speaks. Her voice is quiet, still raspy from disuse.

"The first one came at night," she starts, her storm-cloud eyes fixed on the floor. "I was sleeping in the chair next to you. I woke up because the air... shifted. Someone was standing right over your bed, reaching for your throat. I didn’t think. I just lunged and grabbed their arm bare-handed."

Veric raises an eyebrow. "You touched an assassin?"

"It shocked them," Rhayne continues, ignoring him. "The moment I made contact, their OXI started draining. They panicked, shoved me back, and ran out the door. I didn’t see a face. They were wearing a tactical cloaking shroud." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

I clench my jaw.

Right over my bed. "And the second time?" I ask.

"Yesterday afternoon," she says, wrapping her arms around herself. "I left to go check on our dorm assignments. Halfway down the corridor, I felt it. That heavy feeling on the back of your neck. I glanced at a reflective window panel. Someone was tailing me. Keeping perfectly out of my peripheral vision. I didn’t wait to see who it was. I sprinted all the way back here and locked the door."

She looks up at me, a fierce, desperate loyalty in her eyes. "I haven’t left this room since. I was guarding you."

A heavy weight settles in my chest.

I am responsible for this.

My arrogant display with the Pure Shards at the gate, the stunt in the arena, the bloody trail I left in the ruins—I wanted to paint a target on my back to draw the heat, but I carelessly dragged them into the crossfire.

"I was careless," I admit, my voice flat.

I don’t do apologies, but I deal in facts.

"I drew too much attention, and now the sharks are circling. From this moment forward, nobody walks alone. We use a buddy system. You go to the cafeteria, you go in pairs. You go to the armory, you go in pairs. Until I figure out who put the hit out, we are a single organism. Understood?"

Veric uncrosses his arms, giving a firm nod. Lola offers a lazy thumbs-up without looking away from the hologram. Rhayne visibly relaxes, relieved that I am not blaming her.

"Now, pairings." I hold up two fingers. "Veric and Lola. You’re a unit. Don’t argue."

Lola finally looks away from the hologram. "Why him?"

"Because you’re a glass cannon with the durability of wet tissue paper, and he’s the closest thing we have to a wall. If someone rushes you while you’re mid-cast, Veric absorbs the hit and buys you two seconds. Two seconds is all you need."

Veric gives Lola a sidelong glance. "I’m flattered."

"Don’t be. You’re a meat shield with legs." I turn to Rhayne. "You’re with me."

She blinks, surprised. "I’m... the weakest one here."

"You’re the most dangerous person in this room, and you don’t even know it." I let the words settle before continuing. "Anyone who grabs you loses OXI on contact. That makes you a walking proximity mine. An assassin who tries to get past you to reach me has to touch you first, and the moment they do, their reserves start hemorrhaging. You aren’t my burden, Rhayne. You’re my early warning system."

Something shifts behind her storm-cloud eyes. A flicker of something I haven’t seen there before—not gratitude, exactly. More like the first crack in a wall of self-loathing that has been building since the day the System branded her a Leech.

I look away before the moment can grow roots.

My gaze lands on the chair beside my bed. The cushion is still dented from where she slept, curled up and guarding a man who has given her every reason to walk away. The thin blanket she used is folded neatly on the armrest.

Something tightens in my chest. A familiar, unwelcome ache. The last person who watched over me while I slept was Lili, sneaking into my room during thunderstorms, her small hand gripping my shirt.

I crush the thought before it can breathe.

"Good. Let’s get out of this hospital. We have dorms to claim."