Earlier, before Ezra and Vera stepped into the café, the infirmary was far quieter than the noisy halls outside. The faint smell of antiseptic hung in the air, mixing with the low murmurs of injured candidates resting on their beds, while soft green lights from healing alchemy flickered here and there like dim lanterns in the night.

"I really thought you wouldn’t be coming back here... Zara... or should I say Ezra? Which one do you prefer?"

The nurse in charge of the infirmary spoke as she stood in front of him, her hands resting on her hips as she looked him over with a knowing expression. She was the same woman who had treated him during the second and third trials, and her normal cold gaze now carried that firm, almost mother-like weight.

"I also thought I did a good job not coming back here."

Ezra frowned slightly, lifting his right hand and staring at it.

The swelling was obvious on his wrist.

I still haven’t gotten used to using Tai Chi properly... the strain is off.

Ah...I should have come here earlier.

He exhaled quietly.

"You should have come immediately," the nurse said, stepping closer as she grabbed his wrist without asking. "You waited until after the trial ended, and now look at this."

She pressed the swollen spot.

"Argh..."

Ezra’s voice slipped out low, controlled, as he held the pain in.

The nurse clicked her tongue, already reaching for tools.

"You better bite on this."

She pushed a folded white towel into his mouth, then opened a small cream case and rubbed the contents onto his wrist. Her fingers moved quickly, drawing an alchemy circle with practiced precision.

Clap!

Cognis flowed.

Her palms glowed faint green as she pressed them against his wrist.

The moment the energy sank into his flesh...

His veins bulged sharply.

Ezra’s teeth clamped hard on the towel as a cracking sensation spread through his wrist and fingers, like something was being forced back into place.

The pain surged.

It wasn’t sudden.

It was steady, like a grinding motion.

He held the pain in, not moving or making a sound beyond the muffled strain.

I could have healed this with my own Cognis...But it would take longer and it already repaired the earlier snap on my wrist joint...

He exhaled slowly through his nose, his body staying still even as the pain continued.

Seconds passed.

Then...

The swelling began to go down and the tension in his wrist eased.

The nurse removed her hands and reached for a spray, applying it carefully before wrapping a bandage tightly around his wrist with neat, efficient movements.

"Don’t strain it today or tomorrow."

Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Okay."

Ezra replied, his voice flat, breathing out slowly as the lingering pain faded.

"I mean it."

She let go of his hand gently.

"No training until the day after tomorrow."

His eyes twitched faintly at that.

"And what is this?"

She leaned closer suddenly, lifting his chin slightly to examine his eyes.

"You’re not sleeping properly."

Her tone changed to something softer, but still firmer.

"I know you need to work hard to survive these trials, but rest matters too. Your hygiene is good and you are doing a good job keeping your body in shape, but without sleep, everything you’ve built will collapse."

She spoke like she had said these many times before.

Ezra just watched her quietly listening to her words not replying.

"Take this."

She pulled out a small sealed packet from her waist pouch and placed it in his hand.

Ezra collected the packet from her hand, his fingers brushing lightly against the smooth surface as he turned it over, his eyes scanning the label written neatly on it.

"This is a sleeping drug."

The nurse said it plainly, as if it was something simple and normal.

Ezra lifted his gaze to her face.

He didn’t say anything at first, but the look in his eyes made it clear enough—he wasn’t interested in using it.

"Use it," she continued, her voice remaining soft and firm.

"Rest properly. I have a feeling you’re not sleeping well... not because you don’t want to, but because you can’t."

She smiled gently when she said it.

"Ehn?"

Ezra’s eyes widened slightly, just a little, but enough to show the surprise he felt.

How did she know?

The nurse noticed that small reaction immediately.

A faint laugh slipped out of her.

"I’ve been working as a nurse for thirty-eight years," she said, folding her arms lightly as she looked at him. "I didn’t become a full doctor, but I’ve treated all kinds of people. Especially Soldier-Alchemists... the ones who come back from war with their bodies intact but their minds already broken."

Her eyes softened as she looked at him.

Then she reached out and gently patted his head, her palm resting there for just a moment.

"You must be going through a lot," she said quietly. "But your determination hasn’t broken. That’s good... I can see that clearly."

Her hand moved away.

"But you still need to take care of yourself. If you don’t, your chances of surviving these trials will only go down."

With that, she turned and walked away, already moving toward another patient who needed her attention.

Ezra remained where he was.

Still and silent.

His gaze dropped slowly back to the small packet in his hand.

Sleeping had become difficult, not because he didn’t want to, but because the moment he closed his eyes...

They came...The memories.

They didn’t ask for permission, nor did they come at a particular time.

They just came at any time they wanted.

The voices of his past life comrades, Aliya’s voice, the girl from his past life, the sound of gunfire, the feeling of blood.

The memory of how he killed his mother’s family, his mind slipping into something he couldn’t fully control at that time.

To anyone watching him from the outside, Ezra looked the same as always.

Calm, blank and unbothered, but inside...

The chains wrapped around his soul, dragged behind him no matter how far he walked, even in this new life.

They followed, always reminding him that part of his life was saved at the cost of his comrades and people who could have been something more to him.

"Hmm... she gave you those too."

A familiar voice came from his side.

Ezra’s head turned slightly, his eyes shifting toward the source of the voice.

Vera.

She stood there, looking at him with that same faint, unreadable amusement that always sat quietly on her face.

"Having trouble sleeping... I see."

She moved to sit on the nurse’s chair, crossing her legs slowly, her posture relaxed as if the atmosphere around them didn’t affect her at all.

Ezra glanced at her briefly, then his eyes drifted past her.

Across the infirmary.

Nina and some of Vera’s group members were gathered around Gena, who was completely bandaged from head to toe, unable to move properly. Despite that, they were laughing and talking, filling that corner of the room with a warmth that felt distant from where he sat.

Then Ezra looked back at Vera.

He noticed the same packet in her hand.

"You’re also having sleeping problems?"

He asked casually, his tone unchanged.

"I’ve been using this long before this trial was even considered."

She replied flatly.

"Really?"

Ezra raised a brow slightly, a hint of surprise showing.

"I’m joking."

Her voice didn’t change and her expression didn’t change, but the words came out just like that.

"You sounded serious."

Ezra placed the packet into his space bag, his fingers moving calmly as if it didn’t matter either way.

Vera leaned forward slightly, her face moving closer to his, her eyes locking directly onto his.

"How do you know?"

Her voice was quiet and sharp.

Ezra moved his wrist a little, testing it, feeling the slight stiffness that still remained.

"Because I’ve never seen you joke about yourself."

He answered simply.

Silence followed.

Vera stared at him.

For a brief moment...

She was caught off guard, but her face didn’t show it.

Not even a little.

"So... you’ve been observing me."

She smiled faintly.

"I’m sure everyone already knows that about you."

Ezra replied flatly.

From across the room, the nurse’s voice called out.

"Zara! Young Miss Vera!"

They both turned slightly.

"You two should eat well before using that drug."

Her tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.

Both of them gave a small nod.

Ezra stood up first, his eyes briefly moving toward Gena again before he turned and began walking toward the exit.

Vera stood up after him, following at a steady pace.

"So, you know her."

Ezra said, his gaze fixed forward as he walked.

"She is in charge of monitoring my use of the sleeping drug."

Vera replied calmly.

"And I also spend time talking with the nurses during free hours."

She moved slightly ahead of him, her hands now resting behind her back as she walked with quiet ease.

The two of them continued walking without speaking after that.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was simply there.

As they got closer to the café, the noise reached them first.

Loud voices of violent arguments.

The sound of people filling a space too tightly.

They stepped inside, moving naturally as they picked their food without drawing attention and just as they were about to head toward their usual seats...

Felix’s voice rose above the noise.

Bragging about his mother and how her influence was the reason Veda hadn’t killed him.

Back to the present...

Ezra sat quietly at the table, his posture straight but relaxed, his movements slow and steady as he ate. The noise of the café returned to its normal flow, filling the air around him...plates clinking, voices rising and falling, chairs scraping lightly against the floor, but none of it seemed to reach him fully.

His eyes lifted for a brief moment.

He caught sight of Vera.

Her tray balanced neatly in her hands as she moved toward the exit. Her steps were calm, unhurried, her expression the same as always...flat, unreadable, yet somehow carrying a quiet presence that made people notice without realizing it.

Ezra watched her for only a second.

Then he looked back down at his food and continued eating.

"Thanks for earlier."

Veda’s voice came from beside him.

Ezra didn’t react immediately, but a shadow fell over the table as Veda sat down across from him, followed by Nickolas, Linda, and Tracy, who pulled their chairs closer with small scraping sounds.

"I didn’t do anything though."

Ezra replied, his tone flat, his eyes still on his plate as he lifted another bite.

"You don’t really know what you did," Veda said, smiling brightly, the kind of smile that felt genuine without trying too hard. "Honestly... it helped a lot."

Ezra paused for a moment, his fork hovering slightly in the air before he lowered it again.

He looked up at Veda.

Their eyes met briefly, then Ezra gave a small nod.

That was enough.

Veda’s smile widened just a little, like he understood that simple gesture meant acceptance.

He stood up from his seat, pushing his chair back.

"Well, I’m off."

He waved lightly at Ezra before turning away.

Tracy leaned back in her chair, stretching slightly before standing up as well.

"Well, I’m off to meet a fellow bitch friend."

She grinned at Linda, then waved at Nickolas and Ezra casually before walking off, her steps light and careless.

The noise of the café filled the space they left behind.

Then...

Silence settled at the table.

Not the kind that came from quiet surroundings, but the kind that came from people not knowing what to say.

Ezra slowly lifted his gaze.

He looked at Linda, then at Nickolas.

Both of them hadn’t moved or said anything.

They just sat there.

Still.

Their expressions... clearly going through some complicated emotions.

Especially Nickolas.

Ezra didn’t say anything.

He simply returned to eating, as if whatever they were feeling had nothing to do with him.

"I tried to stop him."

Nickolas finally spoke.

His voice was lower than usual, lacking its normal energy.

Ezra didn’t look up.

"I tried to stop him from doing something crazy," Nickolas continued, his hands resting on the table as his fingers curled slightly. "But I couldn’t... I was too stunned. I didn’t expect that kind of rage from Veda."

He paused.

His eyes dropped to the table.

"I just realized... I don’t really understand how Veda thinks."

A dry chuckle escaped him as he leaned back slightly, looking toward Ezra.

"And I call myself his right-hand man... yet this is all I can do."

There was a hint of self-mockery in his tone.

"It’s not only you."

Linda added quietly.

Her gaze stayed down, her fingers lightly tapping against the table without rhythm.

Ezra stopped eating.

The mood around the table had changed too much.

He lifted the cup of water beside him and took a slow sip, the cool liquid giving him a brief pause before he spoke.

Then he placed the cup down gently.

"It’s not about understanding Veda."

He said, his voice calm, steady.

He raised his fork slightly, pointing it toward them...not aggressively, but enough to direct their attention.

"When you can’t relate to how someone feels, you won’t understand why they act the way they do."

His tone didn’t change.

"What do you mean?"

Linda asked, her brows pulling together slightly.

Ezra leaned back a little in his seat.

"The two of you don’t actually care if a commoner or an orphan gets beaten badly or die," he said plainly. "As long as it isn’t done in a cruel way, it doesn’t bother you."

Nickolas stiffened slightly; Linda didn’t respond.

"But to Veda..." Ezra continued, his gaze steady on them, "every death or badly beating person feels like something added to him. Not something he can ignore."

The noise of the café seemed distant again.

"Now answer this."

Ezra’s voice remained even.

"Can you understand how he feels... when you don’t even share that kind of emotion?"

Nickolas and Linda exchanged a glance.

Neither of them spoke.

Not because they didn’t want to, but because they didn’t have an answer.

Ezra watched them for a moment.

Then he stood up.

"It’s not a bad thing," he added, picking up a napkin and wiping his mouth slowly. "Being different from him."

He folded the napkin neatly and placed it on the table.

"But if you’re going to stand beside someone like that... then you need to understand what the lives of people below you means to him."

His eyes lingered on them just for a second longer.

"Think about it yourselves."

He turned and walked away, leaving them behind.

Sitting there in silence, lost in thought of words they couldn’t easily push away.