"Lights?... Ah, my hand!" Nesta woke up startled and, remembering the horror of her encounter, put her hand to her shoulder. Finding her arm, she breathed a deep sigh of relief. Her room was lit by the warm Iluminas coming from outside, from the waiting room where unknown people waited. 

"Who... who are they? Rhea! RAX! LUAN! Where are they?... Rhea... where are you?..." Tears began to well up. Suddenly she felt a painful sting, like a hot knife, when she tried to pull back the blanket with her hand. 

"Aaaaa, what is it?... Gaaaaaaa, my arm hurts... it hurts so much... sniff... help... someone..." Nesta grabbed her arm; it wouldn’t respond and its color looked strange to her. 

"Nesta’s awake! I’ll go talk to her, it’s my turn." Mina stood up. The dark circles under her eyes were more than evident; continuous sessions in the healing room were long and took their toll in exhaustion. 

"Stay strong, Sister Mina. If you like, I can talk to young Rax." Leonidas covered Magaska with a checkered blanket; she was completely exhausted from the mission. 

"No, Leo, I’ll talk to him. You helped us so much driving without rest for those weeks—you’ve earned a good rest." Ithil gave Leonidas a couple of pats; he nodded slightly and fell asleep next to Magaska. 

"Hello, good afternoon, Nesta. I’m Mina, I treated you in the field and I’m following your treatment here." Mina entered with a smile, wearing a white lab coat over her usual gear. Her gold medal shone among her clothes. 

"M...ina, you’re the girl I saw over me on the... uh!... BLEEEEERGH!" Nesta tried to remember what happened, reliving that stone path. Dizziness accompanied by a wave of vomit hit her; trying to move her arm, Nesta fell to her side, nearly sliding to the floor, but Mina caught her. 

"RHEA! WHERE IS RHEA? Haaa, my arm, why does it hurt so much?... Why won’t it respond?" Nesta was a whirlwind of ideas; her mind was in several places at once—remembering, aching, shifting here and there with an unexpected chaos for Mina. 

"Nesta, calm down, you’re safe. You and Rhea, your whole team—everyone made it. There’s nothing to fear." Mina hugged Nesta. She just stared at her arm, almost on the verge of anger; Nesta pushed Mina away. 

"Master Mina... this... this isn't my arm... it belongs to someone else!" Nesta, squeezing her reattached arm, repeated it over and over, curled into a ball on the furthest edge of the bed, burying her nails in it and hitting it with her hand. 

"Nesta, you’re hurting your arm... Nesta, listen to me... Nesta, your arm was dismembered; we fought to save it and succeeded, but you have to let it heal." Mina calmly approached. 

"And... and... Rhea... sniff, is she okay?... Do you swear it... sniff." Nesta stopped, only squeezing her arm until it left white marks on her skin. 

"Yes, she’s fine, I swear. She’s actually in the room next door, look." Mina pulled back the curtains of both rooms, revealing young Rhea sleeping peacefully. 

"That’s good... That’s good... Rhea..." Tears streamed down Nesta's face for a few minutes. Mina sat beside the girl and looked at her medal, sighing; Nesta's words like "Master" echoed in her mind. 

"By the way, today is Tuesday. I heard there are extra-delicious meat buns in the cafeteria... would you like me to save some for you?" Mina, smiling at the girl, spoke with complete honesty. 

"Yes, Master, please... Will my arm be okay?" Nesta stroked her palm; the feeling of the touch didn't register—it was as if the arm belonged to someone else. 

"We’ll help you, but you’re the only one who can make that happen." Mina left the room and headed to Rhea’s. 

"Thank you for saving us, Master Mina." Nesta gave a clean smile, hugging herself. Mina responded with a smile full of relief and joy. 

"Mmmhh... Mhhh... la, la... Mmmh..." Rhea was humming a soft, quiet song. The peach tone of her skin was almost absent; paleness covered her completely in its place. Blue nails and lackluster eyes rested on the bed. 

"Oh... come in..." Rhea could barely speak, but she made an effort to receive Mina nonetheless. 

"Hello, Rhea... I’m Mina, I treated you on the stone path... How do you feel?" Mina tried to ask a simple question. 

"...I’m cold... and... thirsty, so thirsty... Could I ask for... something hot... Master Mina? Right?..." Rhea scratched her cheek, asking in a soft, thin voice. 

"Well, in a way I am a Master—my medal gives me authority, though... hahahaha, I’m starting to doubt it. Sure, would you like a hot chocolate? We can prepare it in the waiting room and I’ll bring it to you." Mina opened the door to prepare the drink when Inola arrived quickly with two prepared cups. 

"Oh, thanks, Inola!" Mina took the tray and returned to the room. 

"La, la... mmhhh, mh, mh..." Rhea was shaking uncontrollably while she sang; the smile on her face was betrayed by the tears falling down her cheeks. Her hands moved along her neck dressed in bandages and medicine, down to her body, tracing it as if confirming everything was still there. 

"Mmmhhh... ta... sniff... hic... hic... la... sniff... la, la..." Humming a beautiful song, Rhea cried. Mina, frozen in place, could barely think of what to say or do. 

"How... how is Rax? Is he okay?" Rhea didn't stop touching her body, rubbing it as if trying to regain the heat lost on that path. 

"Yes, but he’s also injured. My partner Ithil is attending to him." Rhea laughed twice secretly, swallowing her tears. 

"Nesta... how is she?..." Her voice broke along with her cracked lips. 

"She’s also injured. You’re very close friends, right? The first thing she did was ask about you." Mina struggled to string together what to say; the signals she was getting from Rhea were confusing and scared her a bit. 

"Haha... yeah... heh... she’s very cheerful... she’s a sun..." Rhea scratched her cheek continuously; her nail was soon joined by two other fingers until she tore her skin. 

"Rhea...!" Mina rushed to stop her, holding her hand. 

"Eh?... Again?... Oh, no... I’m sorry... I did it again..." Rhea looked at her hand; as if a bit of sparkle suddenly returned to her eyes, she stopped her hand. 

"You know... before... I used to hurt myself... I used to scratch my cheeks until they bled..." Mina could see old scars on Rhea's face hidden by makeup. She used gauze and removed two small soft rubber pads; beneath them, deep scars on her face, like furrows, ran from top to bottom. 

"I see... I’ll wash these and place them next to your bed." Mina, impressed by what she saw, took the soft fillings and washed them with medical soap. 

"Thank you... Master? I’m horrible... aren't I?... In our village, the other kids used to hit me a lot, I had no one and... Rax helped me... his... warmth... helps cheer me up. And then I came to the academy with him... and I met Nesta... and Luan... suddenly... I had so many reasons to smile... sniff." Rhea looked down, ashamed, but too tired to cry. 

"Every day... it was so beautiful... I was so loved... and then... that night happened... between Rax and me... and that gave me even more strength." Rhea grew a bit embarrassed; like a budding flower, her feelings spoke for themselves. 

"So... you already know?" Mina asked, sitting in front of her. 

"...Mhm, I had a feeling... like a small pearl in my womb... I still feel it... I think I owe it to you." Rhea slowly reclined, nodding her head. 

"Very well, Rhea. You’re in the early stages of pregnancy, you saved the situation as best you could and Master Emilia helped us stabilize you... But we have two important points: first, your pregnancy is still very early, and second, you will be in critical stages with anemia in the coming months..." Mina paused; the true blow was coming. 

"You can tell me, Master Mina, I’ll be strong." Rhea, lying back, placed her hand over her face covering her eyes. 

"You’re a true shield maiden, Rhea... As a warrior, I respect you. True Law Number Two." Mina took Rhea's hand; she smiled with her scant strength and they both said aloud: 

"The decision to fight, the strength to live, living is fighting, decisions with strength. The warrior does not fight to sacrifice themselves; the warrior fights to survive and to help others do the same." Mina, happy with Rhea's response, let go of her hand. 

"The coming months will be decisive. You aren't carrying a baby yet—it’s too early to call it that; if the situation dictates, we must choose between you or continuing your pregnancy. What do you decide?" Rhea placed her hand on her womb and then on her cheeks. 

"Yes, Dr. Mina... if the time comes... I choose to live... but I will fight before deciding... Rax... he’s stubborn... but he’s a gentle boy... and warm... tell Master Ithil not to be hard on him..." Rhea gradually fell asleep. Mina took the cups and dimmed the lights. Nesta stepped out of her room with effort and walked cautiously toward Mina. 

"Is Rhea pregnant?" Holding back tears and joy, Nesta asked in a low voice. 

"Why don't you ask her? For now, she’s tired..." Nesta, with tearful and wide eyes, looked deeply at Mina. 

"Ah... yes. Yes, you can sleep with her; just don't disturb her and let her rest. If the nurses see you bothering her, I’ll have to send you back to your... room." Nesta, tucked in beside her friend, curled up like a cat and took Rhea's hand.