Your vision tunneled to Reiner’s limp form sprawled on the battlefield, the sight twisting your heart into a tight knot of despair. Each weak gasp rattled through his pain-filled chest. He staggered, a crumpled figure, from the blow meant for you, and the world around you fell silent.

Without a second thought, you surged toward him, instinct overriding reason as panic clawed at your throat. The air crackled with tension as you focused on the demon that had struck him down. With a desperate click of your fingers, your magic exploded forth, a furious wave of magic crashing down on the beast.

“Stay still, Reiner!” you urged, your voice trembling like a fragile thread in the storm of chaos around you. Kneeling by his side, you pressed your hands against his wound, the warmth of blood soaking through your fingers. You were terrified—this wasn’t just another battle; this was him. He wasn’t just your rival...

“Dammit, you’re going to be fine, idiot,” you muttered. The world around you faded into insignificance as you poured every ounce of your mana into healing him. He was your rival, your opposite in every way, yet here he was, taking the hit for you.

His bright blue eyes brimmed with tears as they began to flutter shut, the darkness swallowing him whole. You watched in horror, as he sank into unconsciousness. . When Reiner finally woke, the sterile scent of the infirmary scent of the infirmary surrounded him like a suffocating shroud. He groaned, the sound guttural and raw, as he attempted to sit up. Just as he managed to lift himself slightly, you walked in and froze, a thick awkward silence.

“Couldn’t have you dying,” he grunted as if he knew the question, the demand for why... He couldn't tell you the truth. "His Majesty would have my head.”

The words sounded wrong on his lips, he could see the flicker of shock on your face, before smoothing into a detached coldness. Guilt coiled in him, he wanted to tell you the truth, that he simply acted, couldn't breathe when he saw the attack come down to you.