I raised the potion vial. "Bottoms up." I poured the rest of its contents down my throat.

Someone had made a small snort—Selene?—but my attention had already shifted inward.

Esper was right. The damage was not complete, and the nerves themselves didn't appear too damaged. Not enough time had passed for Wallerian degeneration to occur. I resisted using [Quicken Thoughts]. I couldn't handle adding more load to my Marks, and I had the time. I used [Enhance Medicinal] to coax nerves to regenerate from their traumatic stumps. However, what they connected to remained a black box.

I charged [Enhance Medicinal], increasing the healing of the potions, but nothing. I imagined it happening in every way I could think of, but still, nothing changed.

I was just about to ask for help when Esper's power reached out. It contained no malevolence. It put me at ease and soothed the knots that remained in my back. It wound its way toward my spine. I waited for it to move into the ganglia, but it never did. It encompassed them but never penetrated.

Zings shot down my arm as Esper increased the strength of her skill. Nothing happened at first, but then trickles of Energy permeated the injured tissue. The influx of Energy wasn't constant. It surged, then waned randomly. However, that changed as the channels near it pulsed with Energy. The Energy in the ganglia began to match the rhythm in my channels.

Work from the edges inward.

I wouldn't have figured that out, but her method was working. As rhythms synced, the void began to fade. Then her touch vanished, leaving me to finish the rest. It didn't take long, though it did take the rest of the potion.

I opened my eyes to find Esper and Selene looking at me. Esper knew the answer, but Selene didn't. "Did it work?"

I gave Selene a broad smile. "Yep. Check it out." I closed my eyes and made a thumbs-up with my left hand. I moved my arm around and then grabbed my thumb with my right hand. "See, I grabbed it."

She cocked her head. "What's that supposed to show me?" She looked at Esper. "Sister, do you get that?"

Esper just shook her head.

I raised my hands in the air. "Oh, come on. My sensory ataxia is gone." I let out a small groan of frustration. "I had no propriocep—Look, next time you sleep on your arm and it goes numb, you try grabbing your thumb with your eyes closed."

Selene let out a light chuckle. "Alright, if you say so." She reached out. "Now let me see how well you did."

She said it with such command that I didn't think twice about it. Then she grabbed my arm, pulling it toward her. Despite her petite frame, she had plenty of strength, and I leaned forward with a jerk that sent bolts down my arm.

Okay, not fully healed.

Her eyes ran along my arm. "You sure he isn't a [Healer]? There isn't a single scar." The Marks around her eyes glowed with golden light. "Yep, not even a single blemish. How much did you help?"

"Besides the bone, little. He has talent in healing."

Selene's eyes brightened. "We have another [Healer]?"

Esper's lips pressed into a fine line. "It depends on who you ask."

"Sister, I think you may be drawing too harsh a line."

"I'm not, and I can see their concerns. His skill lets him sharpen a blunt instrument, but a blunt instrument, potions remain. After a certain point, a [Healer]'s skill moves beyond them. Managing another healing agent is not worth the effort."

"Ah, figures," I whispered. Once again, the world laid bare the gross limitations of my class.

"Sister," Selene said, reproachful.

The two women stared, unspeaking. Finally, Esper sighed. "I consider him a [Healer], and I no longer have doubts about his ability to heal. Still, for many reasons, he cannot fill the role of a [Spearweaver] or [Shaman], but the skill and precision he displayed suggest more to come." She turned to address me. "While I do not understand your class completely, I do not think you have seen the full extent of it or what it could evolve into."

I studied her. Nothing on her face suggested insincerity. I cracked a small smile. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."

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"Good. I—" She bit her lip, then closed her eyes. She sat silent as the seconds ticked past.

"Esper—"

Her eyes opened in a flash, her aura flaring. The pressure sent spikes of pain down my left side. "I never gave you leave to use my na—" Selene's hand fell on her shoulder. Instantly, the pressure vanished. "Sorry. You've…you've earned that right. Despite everything, you stood next to me and came to my aid."

I worked to keep the pain from my voice. "If the roles were reversed—"

"Maybe, but I am an Ættar. Humans do not follow our code. Many would have fled, leaving me to fend them off alone. Yet, you put yourself in harm's way for me multiple times, even after I was unrelenting in testing your," her eyes darted toward Selene, "Potentials." She shook her head. "Few would lie about that. Until now, I've had my doubts. But you didn't lie, and I need to change my expectations. A [Spearweaver] or [Shaman] is not your path. But you have skill. I promise to do better as your Senior."

I let out a small laugh, causing me to wince. I wanted to brush this off, but I stopped myself. The light that had trickled through the dense forest canopy shifted, catching the green strands of hair of the tall woman who sat on her knees beside me. This wasn't Earth. I had been blown into a world straight out of a fantasy book. Except, I was no fabled hero. That I survived was thanks to this woman. I had suffered my own traumas since coming here, but she had likely suffered far more than I cared to imagine. Despite being scorned for her heritage, she decided to save me, a person hated by her people. I still didn't know why. Someday, I would pry it out of her, but for now, I needed to build bridges.

"Your training methods…I don't like them, but today I saw the purpose behind them. I'll be more open, less judgmental."

I stared at that solemn green face studying me. Seconds ticked past, but then she gave me a slight nod of respect. I opened my mouth to speak when my world shrank to just a pair of vivid green eyes staring at me. The black pools dilated, and the sounds of the forest and the [Pathfinders] dulled to nothing. I started to lose myself in those dark voids when the world snapped back into focus. My Marks thrummed, and unintelligible words in a guttural tongue that I didn't know spilled out of my mouth.

Esper recoiled in surprise but regained her composure quickly. Not a heartbeat had passed before she nodded and replied in Common, "All animus is forgotten."

I sat staring at her, trying to figure out what had happened. Next to Esper, Selene had gone slack-jawed, eyes darting between us.

I hadn't imagined it. Though brief, Esper and I had formed a connection.

Selene's mouth closed with a click, and she rocked back on her heels. "Who would have thought that would happen?"

I looked to both of them. "What just happened?"

Esper answered, "Marks resonate with all that is around us. Sometimes that resonance will deepen between two people—say when there is a deeply shared belief."

"I..." I paused. She showed no displeasure at what had happened, and even if I didn't know what had happened, it had accomplished my goal of a fresh start. "Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Senior."

"Of course."

Selene stood up and brushed off her pants. "Impressive. All that healed before a shadow could move half a hand's width. How much more time does he need? I'd like to get moving at some point, but nothing's nearby. We have the space to harvest the remains if we have time."

Without missing a beat, Esper became all business. "Give it another half a hand's width for him to walk unaided. I would defer to you on our need for urgency. We can cut my route short. What we've harvested here will make up for it. However, be warned. Even fully healed, he will move slowly and make more sound than an Ættarsk child. He will struggle with a fast pace back to the camp."

Selene gave that a moment's thought. "We need to inform the camp of what happened, but that can wait. More importantly, how do you fare?"

Every [Pathfinder]'s gaze slid to Esper almost in time. Even Selene's question had a strange level of intensity. Didn't Dorian say she was talented? I surveyed the dead raptors and direwolves around us. Yeah, I could see that.

The attention didn't faze Esper. "I am fine. He did much of the work with his potion."

"Good. Good." Selene smiled. She turned, clapping her hands to get the attention of her squadmates. "Looks like we can take more home. Harvest what you can. It can slow you, but don't let it impact your ability to fight. Prioritize the alpha and most intact direwolves. The death-claws next—if anything remains. We won't be coming back. If this happened, you know what to expect tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in unspoken agreement. Again, what had I missed?

Right now, I didn't have it in me to care. I closed my eyes and rested my body against the tree's rough bark.

I replayed everything in my head. Each movement to heal the fracture had been calculated and precise. She put each surgeon I'd worked with to shame. Of course, she had an advantage: she didn't need tools. No screws. No plates. Nothing. As soon as the pieces came together, she mended the bones, leaving barely a trace of the original injury.

My stomach twisted. While I still could appreciate her grace and skill, would I ever be able to do the same?

Probably not. Or at least not in the same way.

I turned my head toward Esper, who had taken a position next to me. I had to confirm my theory. "You can use telekinesis?"

"Of course."

My eyes narrowed at the speed of her response until I realized no twist of the tongue had occurred with "telekinesis." I mentally kicked myself. This world ran on magic, not science. Of course, terms like "infection" and "proprioception" would mean nothing while those related to magic and superpowers probably would.

"You were impaling the wolves with spears of raw force." She nodded. "Can every Ættarsk [Healer] do that?"

"To some extent. However, I excel at telekinesis. I have less finesse with my aura. Speaking of, you showed no significant signs of that."

"[Resist Disease] and [Suppress Growth]." They slipped out without thinking, but based on her look, it would be a topic to discuss on our walk back. I sighed. "We touched on it before, but I think this might put it in a new light."

Maybe this time, she would be more open to the idea of microbes.

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