As soon as Selene stepped into Kael's house, she felt a tension that was different from anything she had ever experienced with him. Kael's usually calm and collected demeanor was replaced with a fierce urgency, and when his gaze landed on the unconscious man in her arms, his face drained of color.
"What the hell?" he muttered under his breath, his eyes widening in shock. "This is who you found at the temple?"
Selene nodded, still trying to catch her breath. The weight of the man in her arms seemed to intensify with every moment.
Kael's voice became harder, tinged with a rare edge of anger. "What did you think you were doing, going there alone? Do you have any idea what kind of danger you were in?"
His eyes flashed as he took the man from her, his movements quick and efficient, but his hands shook slightly as he laid the stranger down on the table. His usual calm was slipping, and Selene could see the worry in his eyes that he was trying to hide.
"What if something had happened to you, Selene? What would I have done?" he continued, his voice softening just enough for her to hear the raw emotion beneath the words.
Selene swallowed, guilt creeping in. She hadn't thought it through. She had been so focused on the man and his strange condition that she hadn't even considered the risk to herself. But now wasn't the time to think of herself.
Kael turned away from her abruptly, his hands grabbing a nearby cloth and some supplies, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. He worked quickly, carefully cleaning the strange burn marks on the man's skin.
Kael's hands moved deftly, though his frustration was evident as he shot orders at Selene. "First aid kit. Now. Top shelf in the kitchen," he barked.
Selene rushed off, returning moments later with the kit. "What else?" she asked, feeling a pang of guilt as she handed it to him.
"Get me a cup of running water," he added without looking up, focused entirely on the unconscious man.
Selene hurried again, her breath uneven as she tried to keep up. When she returned, Kael took the water, muttering, "He's severely dehydrated." He then strode to the stairs, disappearing for a moment before returning with a small, well-organized box.
Inside were items that made Selene pause—vials, syringes, ampules, and tools she didn't recognize, things that belonged in a hospital, not a house.
Her eyebrows shot up. "Where did you get all this?"
Kael ignored her question, his attention on pulling out a bag of saline labeled "Normal Saline" and a cannula. Setting everything up with quick, practiced precision, he connected the saline to the cannula and inserted it into the man's vein.
Selene blinked, her thoughts racing. She opened her mouth, then closed it before muttering under her breath, "I tend to forget he's a medical student."
Kael didn't respond, too focused on his work. He cleaned the man's burns with meticulous care, wiping away dirt and soot as best he could. The burn marks, though strange, began to reveal intricate, almost symbolic patterns beneath the grime.
Minutes passed and Selene watched, feeling helpless as Kael worked. Finally, he stopped cleaning, noticing something off. The man's breathing had grown shallow, his chest barely rising and falling.
Kael rubbed his forehead and muttered a curse under his breath. He looked at Selene, his eyes locking onto hers. "I'm going to do something you've never seen me do before," he said firmly. "You need to stay calm and patient. I'll explain everything after."
Selene hesitated, her heart pounding. "Kael, what are you—"
"Trust me," he interrupted.
Without another word, Kael closed his eyes, his hands hovering above the man's body. Selene watched in stunned silence as his eyes began to glow faintly, an ethereal light that seemed to emanate from within.
"What the…" she whispered, unable to take her eyes off him.
Kael murmured something under his breath, words that didn't make sense to her. Then, a soft glow spread from his hands, flowing like liquid light into the man's wounds.
Selene's jaw dropped as she watched the light touch the burn marks. Slowly, the wounds began to mend, the worst of the damage fading. The intricate patterns remained, but the angry red and charred edges softened, leaving behind rough, red scars.
Kael's glow dimmed, his breathing heavy, and the man's chest rose and fell with more strength than before. He shifted slightly, a soft groan escaping his lips.
Selene stared, completely star-struck. "Kael… what was that?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own heartbeat.
Kael exhaled, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of what he'd just done had drained him. He didn't answer right away, his gaze fixed on the man who now looked far less fragile than he had minutes ago.
Finally, Kael turned to her, his face serious but exhausted. "That," he said, "was magic."
Selene's breath caught in her throat, her mind struggling to process what she just saw. Magic. It seemed impossible! She had never imagined he could wield such power. Not Kael. Not the man who was always so composed, so careful with his words. But there was no denying what she had just seen.
Her pulse quickened, and before she could stop herself, the questions spilled out. "How? Why didn't you tell me? All this time… you've kept this from me?" she sounding terribly hurt.
Kael's gaze softened slightly, but there was a hardness behind his eyes. "Because there are some things better left unknown Selene," he said, his voice a mixture of frustration and regret. "You didn't need to know. Hell! You weren't even supposed to find out at all."
She shook her head, her mind still clouded by confusion. "But why? What's going on, Kael? What is happening?" Her voice cracked slightly.
Kael looked away for a moment, his jaw clenched tight. Then he sighed. "I can't explain everything to you Selene, at least not right now and not in full. But I will when the time is right. You just have to trust me, Selene."
Her chest tightened at his words. Trust him. After he kept such a big secret from her, how could she trust him now?
His eyes pleading with her to be patient and to trust him, but she wanted answers, no she needed them. She quietly gave a nod and sighed.
"What happens now?" she asked quietly. "What's going to happen to him?" She glanced at the unconscious man, his body still healing, the burn marks on his skin fading but not completely vanishing.
Kael knelt down next to the man, his hands hovering just above him, his eyes glowing faintly once more. "I'm going to heal him a little more. Give him some time to regain strength. But…" He paused, glancing up at Selene with a serious face. "I need you promise me one thing Selene. All that happened here and in the temple you can never tell anyone. You can't tell Ivy or Mira and you sure as hell can't call the cops."
Her eyes locked onto his, a silent tension filling the space between them. She wasn't sure if she could trust him but for the sake of the man's life, she would be quiet for now.
"Just… just be quick," she said. "I wouldn't tell anyone."
Kael nodded, then turned his attention back to the man on the floor. His hands hovered just above the unconscious body, and once again, his eyes glowed. He murmured something under his breath, his focus intense as he worked the magic through the man's body.
Selene watched in awe as the burn marks on the man's skin began to heal further, though not entirely. The lines faded slightly, but the damage was still evident. The man's body shifted ever so slightly, his chest rising and falling more evenly, a faint sign that the magic was working.
Kael straightened, his breathing steady despite the exertion and he looked at Selene.
"It's not enough," he said quietly. "But it's all I can do for now."
The man's body shifted again, a soft groan escaping his lips. Selene released a breath, knowing this was a sign that he was truly regaining consciousness.
Kael stood up, his gaze never leaving the man. "We'll need to keep an eye on him," he said, turning back to Selene. "He's not out of danger yet."