Gilded Ashes-Chapter 295: Idiot

Raizen set down his fork. He didn’t take one bite.

"I’m going to wash my hands" he said quietly.

No one looked up. Kenzo was mid-story about a tree branch that "almos fell." Atman was arguing constantly. Eiden was shaking his head in amused disbelief.

Raizen stood and walked toward the small bathroom tucked into the corner of the house, next to the door.

He closed the door behind him softly. Then he locked it.

The bathroom was tiny - barely room for a sink, a mirror, and a narrow cabinet. The single lantern on the wall cast dim, flickering light.

Raizen pulled the glass vial from his pocket.

The one with the antidote.

He’d prepared this carefully. Measured it. Labeled it in his mind. White powder. Fine and clean. Odorless. Mostly tasteless.

He unscrewed the top and tapped a small amount into his palm. From the main room, he heard Kenzo laugh - loud and sudden.

Raizen’s hand jerked slightly. A little more powder than intended spilled into his palm.

He paused.

Looked at it.

Too much?

Probably.

But better too much than too little.

He filled a cup with water from the small sink and dumped the powder in, swirling it until it dissolved completely.

Then he drank it in three quick gulps.

The taste was faintly bitter, chalky. It clung to his teeth.

He rinsed his mouth, wiped his hands, and tucked the vial back into his shirt’s inner pocket.

Done.

He opened the door and stepped back into the main room.

The conversation had shifted. Atman was talking now, something about Academy regulations and why students kept using training beasts without permission. How each and every one of them trained to take part in the Nyx hunts, and how they were so passionate to take down Nyxes with their beasts.

Raizen sat back down at the table.

Saffi caught his eye from across the room and gave a small nod.

She’d taken hers earlier, while no one was paying attention.

Everything was going according to plan.

Raizen picked up his fork again and finally took a bite of his own lasagna.

It tasted fine.

Good, even.

He chewed slowly, watching the others.

Kenzo yawned.

Not dramatically. Just a small, natural yawn, quickly covered with the back of his hand.

"Sorry" Kenzo muttered. "Long day."

Atman nodded. "Same."

Eiden stretched his arms over his head, joints popping softly. "I might turn in early."

Raizen’s pulse quickened slightly, but he kept his expression neutral.

It was working.

Another few minutes passed. The conversation slowed down.

Atman’s responses came a beat slower than before. His eyes drooped slightly between sentences.

Kenzo slouched in his chair, head resting on one hand.

Eiden blinked slowly, staring at his empty plate like he’d forgotten what it was for.

From the corner, Enya stood.

The sound of her armor shifting made everyone look up.

"I... I should probably head home" she said quietly. "My dad’s probably worried."

Kenzo waved a hand lazily. "Yeah, yeah. Don’t get lost in the rain."

Enya walked toward the door, her steps measured and deliberate.

She passed Raizen’s chair.

For just a second, she paused.

Didn’t look at him.

Didn’t say anything.

Just... paused.

Then she kept walking.

She opened the door, stepped into the rain, and closed it behind her without another word.

Atman pushed his plate away gently. "I think I’m done." His voice was soft, slower than usual. "That was really good, Raizen. Thank you."

Raizen nodded. "No problem."

Kenzo stood, swaying slightly, and stretched. "Yeah. I’m... I think I’m gonna go to sleep. Honestly, Atman, making me drunk was not a good idea. For that , you’ll sleep on the floor."

He didn’t wait for a response. He just walked to his ruined mattress - still bearing the stab marks from Enya’s cocoon - and collapsed onto it face-first.

Atman stood more carefully, steadying himself on the table. "I should... get back to my quarters. I don’t want to sleep on the floor"

Eiden looked up at him, blinking slowly. "You sure you can make it?"

Atman smiled faintly. "Of course. I’ll be fine."

He walked to the door, slower than usual, and stepped outside. The door closed.

Now it was just Raizen, Saffi, and Eiden.

Eiden rubbed his eyes. "I don’t know why I’m so tired."

"Long day, huh?" Raizen said quietly.

"Yeah." Eiden stood, gathering his slate and papers with sluggish movements. "I’m going to sleep. You two should too."

He walked to his mattress and lay down without bothering to remove his gloves.

His breathing evened out almost immediately.

Raizen sat very still. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Saffi was watching him from across the room, her expression unreadable.

She gave him a small nod that meant "Now we wait."

Raizen nodded back.

He stood slowly and walked to his own mattress.

He sat down, then lay back, staring at the ceiling.

The room was quiet now.

Just the sound of rain outside.

Kenzo’s deep, steady breathing.

Eiden’s softer rhythm.

Raizen’s own heartbeat, loud in his ears.

He waited.

Five minutes.

Ten.

He should feel fine.

The antidote should be working.

But...

He felt... heavy.

Not tired. Not yet.

Just... heavy.

Like his limbs weighed more than they should.

Raizen frowned.

He tried to sit up, but his body didn’t respond quite the way it should. Slow. Sluggish.

His eyelids felt warm. "That’s weird." He thought. Then, with slightly bigger effort, he blinked. Tried to focus. The ceiling blurred slightly. "Wait."

He tried to lift his hand.

It moved, but slowly, like he was pushing through water. "No."

He took the antidote. He was always careful.

He-

His thoughts slowed down, more, every second.

The warmth spread from his eyelids down through his face, his neck, his chest.

"No no no-"

He tried to sit up again. Failed.

His head sank deeper into the thin pillow.

"The mission-"

Colors blurred.

"Saffi-"

He wanted to call out. Couldn’t.

His mouth wouldn’t move right.

One last coherent thought flickered through his mind:

Idiot.

Raizen lay on his mattress, completely still.

His breathing had deepened, matching Kenzo’s and Eiden’s.

His hand, which had been halfway to his pocket, rested limply at his side.

On the floor beside the mattress, barely visible in the dim light, a small glass vial had rolled from his pocket when he’d collapsed.

The wrong one.