Chapter 47: Doing the Right Thing

I poured Calvin a cup of coffee and took a seat at the head of the table. The conversation that followed was slow and painful. Elise refused to leave the doorway of the living room.

She stood clutching the oversized gown tightly against her chest and spoke only in broken whispers. Instead of pushing her for details, we let Damara do the translating.

Calvin asked about the mage in the ruins, and Damara relayed the questions gently. Elise offered simple nods or quiet words in response.

It took nearly twenty minutes to get the basic facts. The mage was a rogue researcher who flooded the lower levels intentionally to trap the local monsters and use the isolation for his experiments.

The relic bonded to her was the only functioning core he could find. Calvin wrote every detail down with intense focus.

He set his pen aside and kept his voice low to explain the reality of his own situation. The guild did not just want the relic for research. A rare crystalline curse was slowly stopping his daughter’s heart.

He looked past me toward the hallway, his eyes full of desperation, and asked if the device fused to her chest could actually cure it.

"Calvin, stop," I said, my voice hardening as I stood up. "That is crossing the line. You can’t ask her to use the exact thing she was just tortured for. Not today."

"I can try to help her," Elise whispered.

I turned around. Elise stepped fully out of the hallway. She still held the gown close, but the hollow terror in her eyes had receded.

"Elise, you don’t have to do this," I told her, keeping my tone soft. "You just got out of that place."

"I’m a healer," she replied, her voice shaking but holding firm. "I can’t just hide in here if a little girl is dying. Not when I know I might be able to fix it." She looked up at me, her grip on the fabric tightening. "But I can’t go back out there alone. You have to come with me. All of you."

"Of course," Katrina chimed in from the living room.

"We wouldn’t have it any other way," Damara added.

"Thank you so much," Calvin said, a tear forming in his eye. "This may be her only chance."

The morning air held a sharp autumn bite as we stepped out of the house. A thin layer of frost coated the dirt road and crunched softly beneath our boots with every step. Orange and gold leaves drifted down from the canopy above to scatter across the waking village.

Calvin led the way at a brisk pace. The rest of us formed a tight protective bubble around Elise. She kept a white-knuckled grip on the back of my jacket.

She stayed pressed close to my side and kept her eyes locked firmly on the ground. Katrina walked a few paces ahead with her tail swishing in a slow rhythm to scan the quiet streets. Damara took up the rear to ensure nobody snuck up behind us.

The walk to the far side of the village passed in a tense silence. The tightly packed storefronts gradually gave way to scattered residential homes surrounded by tall wooden fences.

Calvin finally stopped in front of a modest stone house near the edge of the tree line. He pushed the heavy iron gate open and let out a shaky breath.

"We’re here," he announced, fishing around in his pocket, retrieving a small silver key. Opening the door, he let us in. "Shera is probably still in her bed. Let me drop in and make sure she’s ready."

Calvin left us in his living area. His home wasn’t particularly decorated. Only a few pieces of furniture sat in the living room, most notably a painting of Calvin, a woman, and a small child, hung above a fireplace.

I leaned in to inspect further when I heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, Calvin and his daughter had returned. She was bald and very skinny.

"This is my little Shera," he said, kneeling down and placing his arm around her. "She is truly my world. She’s all I have left..." he trailed off, whimpering lightly. "Elise, I understand it is selfish of me to force this on you. But please, heal Shera."

Elsie stepped forward, her eyes sharp. "I’ll do my best."

Calvin brought us to the room where she would try. Shera sat, raising her pants, revealing crystalline skin covering her legs. She showed us it had spread almost to her chest.

Elise knelt in front of the chair. She ran her hands over the growths climbing Shera’s legs. The room fell silent. Calvin stood by the door while I stayed right behind Elise.

"It’s freezing," Elise murmured.

Shera winced as Elise pressed two fingers against a patch near her knee.

"Can you stop it?" Calvin asked, his voice cracking.

Elise took a breath. She pulled the collar of the gown down just far enough to expose her chest. The glow of the relic pulsed beneath her skin. She closed her eyes and placed her hands flat against the crystals.

A hum vibrated through the floorboards. The light shifted from a pulse to a steady glow. Metallic veins flared to life under her skin.

Elise let out a gasp. Her body locked up as the light traveled down her arms and bled into the crystals.

The crystals hissed and spiked outward to resist the energy. Sweat beaded on Elise’s forehead. Her breathing turned ragged. She leaned forward and pushed her hands harder against Shera. The light flickered, drawing heavily on Elise until her skin turned completely pale.

A crack echoed off the walls. The light erupted and blinded the room. Elise let out a cry, refusing to let go of Shera as the flash swallowed them both. I threw my arms over my face to block the intense heat.

The floorboards violently shook beneath my boots, leaving everyone completely unaware of what was happening to the girls.