Village of Hansel, The Fountain Square, Present day.
Anaria's muscles strained as she tightened the tourniquet around the large kasaber's wound. The injury had proven difficult to clean due to his fur and the small clumps of dried blood around it.
"Thank you dearly, young one," he said as he groaned. He sat upright on the table.
The warmth of his gratitude urged her to return a smile. "It was my pleasure, Sir. But please, you should lay back down. I still have to close the wound and you have lost a lot of blood."
"You can call me Kyone, Sweeting," he retorted. "The bandage will hold; I need to get back and aid Xeto." He attempted getting off the table before Roy stopped him.
Roy looked him dead, eye-to-eye. "Whoa now, 'saber." He placed his hand on Kyone's shoulder. "Xeto wanted me to keep you here and I plan to do just that. You're in no condition to fight."
"Aye, but I would rather die alongside my comrades on a battlefield than wrapped up in a potion house— No offense, miss," he said as he looked to Anaria.
"Die? Who said anything about that? The day Xeto dies is the day I grow a mane as fearsome as yours."
Anaria looked into Kyone's sun-colored eyes. "Please stay, Kyone."
Kyone's gaze darted between the Thearids. "Fine," he answered as he laid back onto the table. It creaked loudly with his weight.
Anaria mouthed 'Thank you' to her elder brother as he walked past her.
"You owe me, Little Sylph," he said followed by a wink.
More than you know. Anaria closed her eyes as she stood over the Kyone. She exhaled and relaxed her muscles. Then she felt it, the warmth in her hands, like holding a candleflame in her palms. She opened her eyes, greeted by the radiant glow of her celestial aura. She placed her hands one over the other as she caressed the wound on his chest. The bandage had quickly turned a shade of red.
Kyone groaned as he let out labored breaths.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Kyone had kept his eyes closed. "It's ok. You may continue."
Anaria again focused her mind. She pictured a cloth with a small tear in her mind. Slowly the seams sewed the cloth, reducing the tear to a needlepoint-sized hole. It was done. The tear in the cloth was stitched, the wound now closed.
"That felt as if I was kissed by the All-Mother herself," said Kyone. He opened his eyes and turned to her. "You are a blessing, young one. I thank you once more."
Warm tears of joy glistened Anaria's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away with the backside of her hand. "I'm only glad that I was able to save a life." She picked up a cloth damp with a mix of water and ale and wiped the blood from her hands.
The echo of the loud gunshots was no more. Had Xeto stopped what it was that attacked them? She shook away any thoughts of doubt as she remembered her brother's words. As if to challenge her thoughts, there came a loud bang from the front door.
Anaria flinched before looking out into the hall.
Xeto and Rebecca shared wide eyes as they held the boy from before in their arms. A large hole was ripped through his uniform, exposing the fresh wound at his midsection.
"Anaria, quick he needs help!" yelled Xeto.
Anaria swallowed hard and she waved them over. "Quick, bring him to my room."
Kyone quickly rushed to her side to catch a glimpse of the commotion. "Alzac!?" he said, as Xeto and Rebecca carried him inside. "What happened?"
Alzac's fluttered violently as his weary gaze fell on her. "I…" he mumbled before he craned his head down, a mix of saliva and blood dripped from his mouth.
Xeto grunted as he helped Alzac to the table and laid him on his back. "He was shot."
"What?" exclaimed Kyone, mouth agape.
"That thing he…" muttered Rebecca. Her eyes were glossy as she covered her mouth with a balled fist. "I… I just…"
Kyone flared his teeth at the young girl. "You did this?" He growled as he neared her.
"Step away from my Lieutenant, Commander."
To Anaria's surprise, Xeto took hold of the large beast and pushed him against the wall which only served to stoke the kasaber's anger.
Kyone attempted to shake free, causing some vials to fall from the higher shelfs and shattering on the floor.
Xeto gritted his teeth as he held the him at bay. "Rebecca fired a shot to help us and that thing somehow redirected the bullet and hit Alzac."
"Bosh!" said Kyone.
Anaria wanted to agree with Kyone, the idea of something altering the path f a bullet seemed unfathomable.
"Believe what you will but what matters is saving your lieutenant's life," said Xeto. He released his grip and turned to Anaria. "Tell us what to do."
Anaria exhaled. "I've used too much of my aura, I'll have to rely on what I have available." She attempted to sound more demanding. She had never given orders before. "Rebecca, could you pass me that bottle there." She pointed at a nearby tonic she had fashioned earlier.
Rebecca quickly passed her the unlabeled vial.
Anaria took hold of the vial and held it in her mouth by biting down on the cork. She took hold of Alzac's uniform where the tear was, her hands stained red from the blood that wrung from the black fabric. She huffed aloud as she ripped the uniform open and thus exposing the damage. Bullet wounds weren't common around her village, she'd never treated one before. "Xeto, Kyone. I'm going to need you both to hold him down."
"Why?" growled Kyone.
Xeto quickly spread his arms around the table and pushed down on Alzac's shoulders.
Anaria bit off the cork and spit it aside. "Please hold him still, this liquid will stop the bleeding but it's going to cause a lot of pain."
"Understood," said Xeto.
Anaria poured the liquid on the wound, washing away the blood as it dripped off his side. It bubbled almost immediately as sizzled."
"Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhh!" Alzac shook violently, almost knocking himself from the table. His sheer screams sent a chill down her spine.
Xeto struggled to keep him pinned.
"What are you doing to him?" said Kyone.
Anaria lifted her gaze towards him as she wore a frown. "Please help keep him still. If he moves, he could hurt himself more."
Kyone silently took a place opposite of Xeto and took hold of the struggling boy.
"Good, I just need to pour a bit more," said Anaria shakily. Again, she poured, and again Alzac's screams bounced off the walls of the small home. Though this time he was held in place.
Alzac's struggles suddenly came to an abrupt end as his entire body went limp and his eyes now shut.
Kyone's eyes widened as he let go. "What happened?"
"It's ok," Assured Anaria. "He's just unconscious. This is better, I'll be able to stitch his wound now."
Anaria felt a sense of pride as she saw that the injury was now clotted with a blotch of red and her remedy. The bleeding had stopped, and now she could save his life.