Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
"Look at your arm."
I pull my hand away from the cut. Instead of a gaping wound, I see the edges of my skin knitting together before my eyes. The blood flow slows, then stops. Within seconds, the only evidence of the injury is a thin white line and the blood already spilled.
"What the..." My voice trails off as I stare at my arm in disbelief.
My friends fall silent, all eyes locked on the miracle happening before them. Even their elementals freeze, sensing the significance of what they're witnessing.
"Did you just..." Mireen's voice is barely above a whisper. "Did Typhon do that? You said he healed Raith during Confluence day, right?”
I touch the newly healed skin, the phantom pain already fading. "I don't know."
"She is bound to an ancient," Ambrose notes. "I guess it would be disappointing if that didn’t come with some perks.”
"Typhon can heal her?" Beck whispers, voice laced with awe.
“Was that you, Typhon?” I ask him, even though I already feel like I know the answer.
“No. That was you. It means your unbound power has finally manifested,” Typhon's mental voice carries a weight of significance. "The ability to mend. To heal. This is rare and valuable beyond measure. I suppose it is no surprise, as the four-eyed one states. I, too, have some ability to heal, as you saw on Confluence Day."
"How rare?" I ask in my mind, unable to tear my eyes from the seamless skin where a bleeding wound had been seconds before.
"Among the four base affinities? It is unheard of. True healing—not just accelerating natural processes but actually remaking that which is broken—it is a power that even kings would kill to possess. It is sought after more than the ability to call down pillars of fire or raise mountains."
My mouth goes dry. Just what I need—one more reason for people to come after me. One more target painted on my back.
Beck leans closer. “So… can Typhon heal me, too? Because I’ve got this thing on my back I think might be infected. Maybe he could take a look.”
“Shut up, Beck,” Mireen says.
My heart races with anxiety. This is dangerous—too many people seeing something they shouldn't, asking questions I can't answer. They are all my friends, but ever since my conversation with Voss, I can't ever fully shake the fear that anybody could be a siphon in disguise.
"Typhon, what do I do? They can't know what I am."
"Tell them it was me. They want to believe you are one of them. It is the simplest explanation, and humans love simple explanations for complex truths."
"It’s like nothing ever happened," Beck says, reaching for my arm to examine it. His fingers are surprisingly gentle for someone so large. "No scar. Just… nothing."
I put on a smile. "Typhon said it was him. He just thought the wound look bad enough to justify it. I guess he doesn’t mind letting me suffer small scrapes and bruises, though.”
Mireen shakes her head slowly, as if still in awe. "That's... incredible, Nessa. Do you think he could heal others, or just yourself?"
"Could I heal others?" I ask Typhon through the tether.
"In time, with practice," Typhon confirms. "Even now, perhaps, though it would cost you more. You do not just command the flesh to mend—you reforge it with your own essence. It is not without price."
"What price?"
"Energy. Life force. The same power that flows through your veins. Healing yourself is like moving water from one part of a lake to another. Healing others is like transferring water from your lake to theirs. It can be replenished, but not instantly."
"I'm not sure," I admit to Mireen. “He healed Raith, but it cost him. He was even larger before that, and he’s still not back to his original size.”
Ambrose's eyes haven't left my arm. "You should document this. Keep records of whenever it happens. Note the circumstances, the sensations, everything."
"Why does everything have to be a research project with you?" Beck asks, rolling his eyes. "Is this why Noraveen broke up with you? Did you try to document the circumstances and situations when you blew your load too early?”
"She broke up with me because her ex got killed in a training accident and she realized she loved him," Ambrose says flatly.
Beck rubs the back of his neck, wincing. "Sheesh. Way to make it awkward.”
"And I document and study because knowledge is power," Ambrose snaps. "And power is survival."
Beck claps his hands together, his earlier distress evaporating. "Well, bummers aside... We're going to crush the Crucible now. Nessa already has a fucking water dragon that can eat our enemies. And now we know it can heal our wounds in a pinch. We're going to be unstoppable."
"Speaking of our team," Ambrose interjects, "we still need to decide on our fifth. The Crucible is only a week away now. Is Brunhild really our only option?”