Chapter 38: Chapter 38: what he finally saw

Chapter 38: What He Finally Saw

I didn’t say anything at first. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

My hand was still wrapped around her arm from where I had pushed her away, but the moment I really looked at her, something in my chest tightened in a way I didn’t expect.

There was blood at the corner of her lips.

Not much, but enough to tell me this wasn’t something small. Her breathing wasn’t steady either. She was trying to hide it, but it was obvious she was barely standing.

"What were you doing?" I asked quietly.

She tried to pull her arm away, but I didn’t let go.

"She is dying because of me," she said, and this time her voice wasn’t calm anymore. "I couldn’t let her die. I won’t just stand there and watch someone die because of me."

I looked at the Elera again. The chains were too tight to be something done out of anger. Someone had taken time to do this properly. Whoever did it wanted her to stay here until she stopped breathing.

"Who did this?" I asked.

She didn’t answer. She only tried to move past me again.

"I need to heal her," she said quickly. "She won’t survive if I stop now."

I stepped in front of her without thinking. "You’re not healing anyone in this condition."

"Move."

"No."

She looked at me like she was ready to fight me if she had to.

"She is dying because of me," she repeated, and this time her voice broke slightly. "They hurt her because she stayed close to me. Because she didn’t pretend I didn’t exist like the others. And now you want me to just leave her here and walk away?"

I didn’t answer immediately, but the words stayed in my head longer than they should have.

I had always known the people inside the fortress weren’t loyal because they respected me. They were loyal because they were afraid. I had accepted that a long time ago because it made everything easier.

But this wasn’t discipline. This wasn’t punishment.

This was cruelty.

And it was done quietly enough that no one thought I would ever find out.

How long had it been happening without me noticing?

"How long has she been here?" I asked.

"I don’t know," she replied. "But not today. You can see it yourself."

I could.

The blood on the chains was already dry. Some of the bruises were darker than the others. Someone had been here more than once. Someone had made sure she didn’t die too quickly.

The heat inside my ribs returned suddenly.

I closed my eyes for a second because I already knew what it meant.

The bond.

It only reacted like this when she was pushing herself too far.

I looked at her again, really looked this time. Her lips were pale. Her breathing was getting worse the longer she stayed standing.

"You’ve used it too much," I said quietly.

She didn’t answer.

"You think I don’t know what you were doing?" I continued. "You think I haven’t noticed what happens every time you try to heal someone?"

She looked at me properly then. "Then you should understand why I can’t stop."

The heat inside my chest got worse.

She was weaker than she was trying to show. Much weaker.

"If you continue, you will collapse before she survives," I said.

"I don’t care."

"You should."

"I said I don’t care," she repeated, and this time there was no hesitation in her voice. "I’m not watching her die. I won’t do that again."

The words made me pause.

"Again?" I asked.

She didn’t answer. She only knelt beside the girl again like nothing else mattered.

I exhaled slowly, trying to control the anger rising in me. Not anger at her. Anger at whoever thought they could do something like this and hide it inside my territory.

I crouched beside her.

"If you touch her again, you will lose more than strength," I said quietly. "You will lose your life."

"She will die if I don’t," she replied.

At that moment, the girl moved slightly.

It was small, but both of us noticed it immediately.

Her eyes opened halfway and settled on Liora’s face.

"My... Luna," she whispered.

Liora leaned closer immediately. "I’m here. Don’t try to speak too much. Just stay awake."

The girl’s eyes shifted again, and when she saw me, fear flashed across her face before she could hide it.

"Please don’t punish her," she whispered. "She only tried to help me."

"No one is punishing her," I said calmly. "Tell me who did this to you."

She hesitated.

"It was... her," she whispered.

"Who?" I asked.

"lady Seraphina."

The name stayed in the air longer than it should have.

I didn’t look surprised, even though the anger inside me only got worse. I had suspected it already. I only needed confirmation.

The girl tried to say something else, but the strength left her completely before the words came out. Her eyes closed again, and this time she didn’t open them.

"Elera," Liora said softly, touching her shoulder. "Stay awake. Don’t close your eyes now."

There was no response.

Liora looked at me again, her hands shaking slightly. "You heard her. She won’t survive if we wait any longer."

She placed her hand against the girl’s chest again without waiting for permission.

The heat came immediately.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away.

"No."

"Let go of me," she said, trying to pull free.

"I said no."

"She will die!"

"And so will you," I replied.

"I don’t care," she said again. "I don’t care what happens to me if she survives."

"What about the child inside you?" I asked quietly.

She froze.

"What about the people who still depend on you?" I continued. "You think this is only about you now?"

She didn’t answer.

"Do you think I didn’t know about the burns?" I said. "You only have two left. Two. If you use them now, you won’t survive the night."

She stared at me. "You knew?"

"I knew enough," I replied. "I knew every time you healed someone, you were paying for it with your own strength. You thought I didn’t notice because I didn’t say anything. That doesn’t mean I didn’t understand what was happening."

She shook her head slowly. "Then why didn’t you stop me before?

Her eyes moved back to the girl again.

"She will die," she whispered.

"Not if I handle it," I replied.

"How?" she asked immediately. "You can’t heal her. No one inside the fortress will help her. You heard what she said. If we take her back there, they will finish what they started."

The bond reacted again, stronger than before, and I tightened my jaw slightly. I could feel how weak she had become, like the strength inside her was already disappearing.

I stepped closer to her and held her shoulders firmly so she would stop thinking about anything else for one second.

"Listen to me carefully," I said quietly. "You are not dying tonight. Not because of this. Not because of anyone inside that fortress. And definitely not because you think saving everyone is your responsibility."

Her breathing was still uneven, but she didn’t pull away this time.

"She can’t die either," she said softly. "I can’t let her die because of me."

I looked at the girl again, then back at her.

"She won’t die," I said finally. "But you are not healing her again. That’s not happening."

She didn’t answer immediately. For the first time since I arrived, she looked unsure instead of determined.

"What if it’s the only way?" she asked quietly.

"It isn’t," I replied. "Not anymore."

The words weren’t loud, but something in the way I said them made her finally stop resisting.

Because this wasn’t only about her anymore.

It was about the child inside her too.