The limo kept rolling, and Rian pressed his face to the window, eyes wide.
Outside, the city was a mess of lights and shapes he couldn't wrap his head around.
'What is this…?' he thought, gawking at buildings taller than anything near the clan's temple, stretching up like mountains clawing at the sky.
Noisy machines—those "cars"—zipped every which way, and people hustled down the streets like they were all late for something.
"This is… a lot," Rian mumbled, scratching his cheek as he tried to take it all in.
The car took a smooth turn and pulled up in front of a white building with glass doors. Marcus leaned forward, rapping the driver's seat with his knuckles.
"We're here," he said, voice low and steady.
Marcus swung the limo door open and stepped out first, stretching his legs with a grunt. Then he turned, offering a hand to Lena, who hopped out with a huff, tugging her black jacket straight.
Rian climbed out last, his boots hitting the ground with a dull thud, and just stood there, mouth half-open, staring at the place.
The building was massive—smooth walls, bright lights at the entrance. People shuffled in and out, some with tired faces, others pushing stretchers.
Lena shot Rian a sideways glance, crossing her arms as Marcus stepped up beside him.
"This is a hospital," Marcus said, waving a hand at the building. "A place where they fix up the sick."
Rian frowned, tilting his head.
"A hospital?" he echoed, scratching his neck. Then he looked at Marcus, puzzled. "Weren't we headed to an academy?"
Marcus raised a brow, folding his arms as he sized him up.
"Didn't you feel off a bit ago?" he asked, tone firm but edged with concern. "You were sweating buckets and pale as a ghost. Don't tell me that was nothing."
Rian shook his head fast, flapping his hands in front of him.
"No, no, I'm fine," he said, voice pitching up a little. "It only lasted a sec. Nothing big."
Marcus let out a long sigh, shaking his head like he was dealing with a stubborn kid.
"Don't be a dope, kid," he said, clapping Rian's shoulder hard enough to nearly tip him over. "You should get checked. If you're gonna fight beasts someday like my girl does, you can't be having those spells."
Rian blinked, digesting that.
"Fight?" he murmured, half to himself.
He went quiet for a beat, staring at the ground.
In his head, all he wanted was to tame his powers so he wouldn't hurt anyone else.
If he ran into a creature, his plan was simple: run, dodge, survive.
But fighting like Marcus and Lena had against those lizards?
That was beyond anything he could picture.
"Not sure I wanna do that," Rian said, letting out a sigh as he scratched his neck.
Lena, silent till now, stepped up and raised a brow at him.
"What're you saying?" she asked, curious but with a hint of sass.
Rian looked up.
"I don't get why you're helping me, but truth is, I took some pills this morning. That's why I got like that. They keep my powers from going haywire. I don't need a checkup here."
Lena frowned, crossing her arms tighter.
"Pills?" she repeated, voice ticking up. "What kind of pills?" Her golden eyes glinted with interest as she edged closer.
Marcus perked up too.
"Hmm," he muttered, stroking his beard. "Sounds heavy. Mind if I take a look, kid?"
Rian hesitated for a sec, then dug into his raggy pocket and pulled out the cloth pouch. He opened it, tipping a couple red pellets into his palm.
They were tiny, pea-sized. He handed them to Marcus, who took them carefully and held one up, squinting as he rolled it between his fingers.
"Don't look like any meds I've seen," he said finally, voice low and thoughtful. He dropped them back into Rian's hand. "But they could hook you up with something better here. Something that doesn't leave you looking like you're about to keel over."
Rian closed the pouch and stashed it, shaking his head.
"I don't have much cash right now," he said, scratching his cheek. "Can't afford a place like this."
Even in the clan, healing wasn't free—cost him a chunk of coin—so he'd always dodged it.
Marcus chuckled, giving his shoulder another whack.
"Relax, kid," he said, tone light but solid. "I brought you here 'cause I'm covering it all. Don't sweat the cost."
Rian blinked, stunned.
"What?" he yelped, eyes going wide as he stared at him. "Why would you do that? We just met today." His voice came out louder than he meant, and he stepped back, thrown.
Marcus grinned, a big one that crinkled his eyes.
"Got a good vibe about you," he said, pointing a finger at him. "That, and…"
He paused, shooting Lena a sidelong smirk with a chuckle.
"I really want you to buddy up with my granddaughter."
Lena jumped, spinning on her grandpa with flushed cheeks.
"Grandpa!" she barked, shoving his arm. "Cut it out already! It's embarrassing!"
She crossed her arms and turned away, huffing like she wanted to vanish.
Rian glanced between them, still processing.
It was… weird.
He'd tagged along with these two out of sheer curiosity—mostly 'cause he figured he had nothing to lose.
But… were they really willing to go this far for him?
Marcus kept laughing, clearly loving riling Lena up, while she muttered under her breath, glaring at the ground.
"Well," Rian said finally, shrugging. "If you're set on it, guess I'll go in."