The chamber was suffocating and jt was thick with the scent of burning oils and the metallic sting of blood. Shadows flickered along the stone walls, cast by the dim torches that struggled to keep the darkness at bay. Lysandra stood motionless at the foot of the bed, her heart beat frantically.
Erythian lay still before her, his powerful frame weakened by the wound in his side. The battle had been brutal. The best physicians in the kingdom had tried, their efforts left only a slight improvement, it wasn't enough.
Lysandra knew the truth: if she did nothing, he would die; and yet, if she saved him, he would know her secret, The one she had kept buried for years. The one her mother had sworn her to protect.
She had no problem with healing Erythian because she had spent a large number of her years secretly healing her people and having Mirenna wipe out their memory of the healing process but this time, with Erythian, things were…different.
The moment he's healed and Mirenna lays a hand on him to get into his mind and wipe out the memory of the healing process, Erythian's very powerful mind would fight back and it could bring some damages to both him and Mirenna.
The queen clenched her fists at her sides, struggling to steady her breathing.
"You need to decide," Mirenna whispered from behind her. "Before it's too late."
Lysandra turned to look at her, Mirenna's usually composed face was drawn with worry, her hands violently gripped the edge of her robes.
"You know exactly what will happen Mirenna," Lysandra said with her voice barely above a whisper. "You won't be able to erase it. Not with him."
Mirenna swallowed hard, her expression grim. "I know."
Lysandra turned back to Erythian lying before her. His blonde hair was matted with sweat, his breath was uneven and The sight of him like this, helpless and vulnerable sent a sharp pang through the queen's chest.
For Zara, this wasn't just another noble warrior who was injured in battle.
He was Erythian.
A man she had been proposed to marry, a man whom from the beginning, she felt dearly for.
She couldn't trust Erythian and is still wary about him and his intentions but for some reason, right now, in this moment, Erythian is one man she could not bear to lose.
She exhaled shakily, Her trembling fingers hovered over his wound. The gash was deep, angry and still pouring blood despite the bandages.
"Are you certain about this?" Mirenna asked.
No, she wasn't. But she would do it anyway.
Lysandra let her fingers press lightly against Erythian's skin. A jolt of warmth spread from her fingertips, an all-too-familiar pull from deep within her core. The magic inside her stirred, responding instinctively.
For a moment, she hesitated.
If she did this, there would be no turning back, Erythian might find out and she doesn't trust what he would do with that information but at thesame time, she couldn't let this man die.
With a quiet inhale, she closed her eyes and let go.
The magic rushed out of her, flooding through her fingers and into Erythian's body. A golden glow illuminated her hands, seeping into his wound like liquid light.
A consuming Pain ripped through her, She bit back a gasp with her legs shaking beneath her. She had done this before, many times, in secret. But it never got easier. The price was always the same.
Erythian's body tensed beneath her touch. His breathing grew stronger, his skin regaining its warmth. Lysandra pushed harder, causing the wound to close, to knit back together.
The effort drained her, her vision blurred at the edges.
"Come on," she whispered. "Come on Erythian."
And then, suddenly, it was over.
The glow faded. The pain in her chest ebbed.
Erythian gasped with his body jerking upright as if he was pulled from the brink of death itself.
Lysandra stumbled back, dizzy and barely keeping herself from collapsing.
Erythian's blue eyes was filled with confusion, they locked onto hers and For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, hoarsely, he squint his eyes and whispered:
"Lysandra…?"
Her throat tightened.
She had been careful. She had never let anyone remember before, But Erythian was not like the others.
His magic and his mind was just too strong for Mirenna's powers, she couldn't risk the damages.
Erythian shifted, his hand pressing against his side where the wound had been. His brows furrowed in confusion.
"I—" His voice faltered. He looked down, his fingers trailing over smooth, unbroken skin.
Lysandra's stomach twisted.
He knew, She sensed the flicker of realization while the puzzle pieces falling into place silently for him.
"What did you do?" His voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was heavy.
Lysandra's breath caught.
She had two choices:
Lie.
Or tell him the truth.
Her mother's voice echoed in her mind, sharp and cold.
"No one must ever know, Lysandra. Do you hear me? No one."
But Erythian wasn't just anyone and she was so exhausted from hiding.
While healing Erythian, for just a second—
She felt something, she saw something...
His presence, his thoughts, his pain, some of his memories flashing like lightning. She saw tiny glimpses of battles he had fought, the weight of duty he carried, the quiet moments of loneliness he never admitted to.
Her breath cut off when she saw herself through his eyes.
She saw the way he looked at her when she wasn't watching. The quiet admiration. The way he noticed the smallest things, the way her hands clenched when she was frustrated, the way her voice softened when she spoke to children, the way she stood tall even when she was breaking inside.
He had seen her. Truly seen her and it shattered her.
A man she had spent a long while hating and distrusting turned out to have her best interest at heart.
For a brief moment, Erythian looked right at her right after she had expended her strength to heal him, He had felt it. He had seen it.
Her lips parted, "you must be confused right now with everything you've just seen and—-" she said lightly
"What?" He cut her off with confusion written all over his face.
Zara was completely lost and she didn't understand how it felt like he didn't see what had just happened, before she could open her mouth to say anything, a sharp wave of exhaustion crashed into her, Her vision blurred, The room tilted and then—darkness.
The last thing she saw was Erythian's face, his expression shifting from shock to something desperately worried.
And then, the last thing she heard before everything slipped away was his voice that echoed softly,
"Lys—"
Then, nothing.
Mirenna didn't hesitate.
She caught Lysandra before she hit the floor, barely registering the way Erythian struggled to stay upright himself.
"She needs rest," Mirenna said firmly, lifting Lysandra's limp form into her arms, Erythian was watching and was flushed with intense worry.
"She healed me" Erythian whispered under his breath as he looked up in confusion.