A PROMISE OF HEALING

He placed me gently in the bathtub and rushed around the room, grabbing various ingredients and items. He dumped them all into the bathtub with me and started to speak incantations. My reality became starkly alert as an invisible wave slammed through me and outwards. Nico threw up a magical shield to protect himself from the writhing back ooze that rose out of my skin. As suddenly as the ooze had appeared, it dissipated, leaving the air clear and untainted. I sat up, disoriented my senses, tingling. Nico held out his hands, palm up in an appeasing gesture,

“It’s okay, Coryn, the curse is gone. I took care of it.” He said, walking towards me slowly.

“Curse? He said it was some sort of poison.” I said, looking baffled.

“Is that what he told you? Typical. The curse was in a liquid form. He must’ve gotten it from Dante. It was hard to break.” He mused and then quickly said, “But it’s gone now. It won’t come back.” When I looked panicked. I tried to turn my head to get a better look at myself and gasped in pain, my vision going fuzzy. Nico was beside me in an instant. He reached a hand out, laying a finger on my neck and near my shoulder blade. I felt the muscles loosen immediately and sighed as the white-hot stab of pain cut off. I grabbed the sides of the tub, boosting myself up to a standing position water dripping off me.

As I stood up, I heard Nico hiss in anger, startled. I turned my head to look at him. His eyes were smoldering, and he stretched out a hand that shook with rage. I shivered as his frigid fingers closed over my elbow, and he turned me to the side, I looked to see what he was so upset about and saw them. The bruises, a handprint on both my hips and fingerprints, trailing up my back. He turned me towards him, and the damage on my throat and front was much worse. The place where Axl had grabbed me under my shirt was black and blue already in such a short time. Gently, Nico put a hand beneath my chin and tilted my head to the side, I could tell by the rigid set of his shoulders that it was bad. I took his hand away from my face,

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt right now.” I said in an effort to calm him down. He pulled his hand from mine, his eyes hard,

“Don’t you dare say it’s okay.” His voice trembled with rage. He turned suddenly, smashing his fist into the bathroom wall, leaving a smoking dent in the tile. My mouth dropped open as I backpedaled towards the opposite wall, causing the water to slosh against the sides of the tub. He turned quickly at the sound, his eyes growing softer as he read my fear. He put his hands up in a gesture of apology, holding out a no longer shaking hand to me. I looked at it for a moment cautious to go near him after his outburst, but his eyes were steady, and he’d made the pain go away. I slowly reached for his hand, and he took it carefully, turning me towards the back wall.

I gasped as he wrapped his hand around the side of my hip, exactly where Axl’s had been. His hand was icy, and I fidgeted uncomfortably, turning to see what he was doing. I watched as his hand glowed faintly blue. He took his hand away, and the bruise vanished as if it had never been there. He did the same on my other hip, then touched the trail up my back with his pointer finger. Keeping hold of my elbow, he straightened my arm, vanishing the handprints on my bicep, then moved onto my neck and face. Finishing, he took both my hands in his, “Can I get rid of those? He asked, nodding at my breasts. “And those too?” He said, pointing towards the bruising on my butt. I glanced down, my eyes suddenly full of tears,

“Please.” I croaked. He placed his hands over the malicious handprints, and the bruises vanished. A single teardrop slipped down my cheek. He wiped it away softly with the thumb of his left hand. My head drooped, and more tears fell. He gathered me up in his arms, hugging me to his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head. He held me to him as I started to cry in earnest. He rubbed my back soothingly, hugging me tightly. Ten minutes later, I sat on his lap, and my tears all used up as I stared blankly ahead. He reached over, grabbed a towel from the rack, and wrapped it around me. I didn’t even react. The numbness was starting to creep over me, increasing my heart in ice. He carried me to the bed and sat me on it, my legs hanging off the edge. Getting on his knees, he snapped a finger in front of my face. I didn’t even blink,

“Coryn, hey, stay with me.” He said, his voice loud and pleading. He cupped a hand around my face, begging me to look at him to see him. I fought through the fog, clouding my brain. His hand was warm and helped beat back some of the numbness. My eyes focused, finally looking at him. “You’re a survivor. Don’t let this break you. Don’t let him win.” He pleaded now that he had my attention. I opened my mouth, my voice hitching,

“But he’ll just do it again tomorrow.” I said my voice broken. His eyes hardened,

“No. he won’t. I’m getting you out of Grave as soon as possible.” His voice was steady and sure.

“Won’t that make you a traitor?” I asked, scared for him. His laugh was harsh and brittle,

“I’ve stood by and watched the inhumane things that happen here for too long. It’s time I put a stop to it, to him, to them.” He said. I knew who he meant, both Axl and Dante.

“But they’re both powerful mages and fighters.” I said, looking at him. His eyes grew hard again, his broad shoulders filling out as he stood up.

“They are nothing compared to me. I think it’s time they remember who I am and what I can do.” He said, his voice defiant. I stared up at him as the War of Shadows came back to me. We were both younger then, probably five years ago. Usually, no one died in our battles. Why waste a life when you could convert the life to your side?

This battle was different Kenna’s predecessor and Nico’s father pit their forces against each other, resulting in an unimaginable amount of bloodshed on both sides. All three brothers begged for their father to put a stop to it, but he wouldn’t. And when the ground ran slick with blood, and we’d lost 1/4th of our people both sides put together, the youngest son of Grave shadow’s rage broke. The wave of power that had rolled off him leveled everything in its path, halting the war and killing Kenna’s predecessor. Nico’s father was already dead by the greatest warrior of Sentinel's hand.

Dante stepped up to lead Grave, and Kenna stepped up to lead Sentinel. The two leaders agreed on no killing to keep the loss of life in the past. I gazed up at him again. The same 16-year-old, now in his early 20’s stared back at me. His eyes bleak as he remembered the lives he had taken to end the killing. I reached out, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him towards me. I hugged his rigid form tightly,

“You don’t have to walk this path alone, I’ll protect you.” I said into his shoulder.