That night, as I tended to the wounds on Xavier's face, his sudden fever spiking, I was startled by Rafayel's abrupt entrance into the room.

"You scared me," I said, trying to keep my irritation in check.

"Is he...?" Rafayel trailed off, his gaze drifting to Xavier's pale face.

"Maybe by tomorrow the fever will break," I replied, my eyes narrowing slightly as I took in Rafayel's tense demeanor. "What's going on? You look... off."

"Ah, yeah... there's something I need to discuss with you," Rafayel said, his hands disappearing into the pockets of his pants.

"Hmm... is it important?" I asked, getting up from Xavier's bedside and adjusting the...