The next morning, Elena woke to fire in her chest.
Pain bloomed like molten lava beneath her ribs, sharp and relentless. She lay still for a moment, eyes squeezed shut against the agony.
When she finally forced herself upright, the bandages wrapped around her chest were soaked crimson, the black rot of the curse seeping deeper into her skin. A shaking breath caught in her throat as she carefully peeled the strips away, the cool morning air biting at raw flesh.
Alone by the riverbank, the world was quiet except for the soft rush of water and the distant calls of birds. Elena bent low, dipping a rag into the cold current, then pressing it gently against the wound.
The stinging water pulled at her, but she welcomed the brief relief.
As her fingers touched the water's surface again, a shape caught her eye.
At first, she thought it was a floating log tangled in reeds. But no- it was a man, half-submerged and waterlogged, drifting with the current, barely breathing.
A surge of instinct made Elena reach out.
But then she saw the colors he wore. Blood red and harsh white, with the sigil of the Inquisition.
Her hand dropped, trembling.
She sneered. Inquisition. The enemy.
The ones who had hunted them, killed their kin again and again.
She turned away, her breath ragged.
But then-
A heartbeat thundered through her veins, foreign and unyielding.
Guabancex screamed inside her mind, a voice of storm and fury:
GO. SAVE HIM.
Elena's head shook, desperate to reject the command.
"No," she hissed. "He's Inquisition. The enemy. The ones who tried to kill us."
The voice roared louder:
WE MUST SAVE HIM.
NOW!
Her will buckled.
Before she knew it, she was moving, barefoot and unsteady, into the cold river.
Knees plunged beneath the surface. Water rose to her waist. She shivered as it pressed higher, chilling to the bone.
Elena's teeth clenched, pain radiating from her chest as she sank deeper, heart pounding as raw flesh split anew under the strain.
Finally, she hooked her arms under the man's shoulders and pulled with all her strength.
The river fought her, cold and unrelenting.
The brackish water stung the open wound, and each breath she drew was ragged and shallow.
She gasped, a sound like a shudder through the trees, as the curse writhed beneath her skin, growing sharper with every step.
When Elena collapsed on the muddy shore, Aurora and Niegal came running.
They had noticed her absence and feared the worst.
She lay there, trembling, blood pooling beneath her, magic crackling weakly at her fingertips as she struggled to breathe life back into the drowning man.
It worked, and the stranger took a shuddering breath, but her strength failed; blood bubbled at her lips, her chest heaving.
Niegal roared, a fierce, desperate sound, and swept her into his arms.
His healing mana wrapped around her like fire and silk.
"No, I-I'm fine-"
"Shut up, you stubborn woman," he whispered, voice breaking, eyes fierce and wild. "Why would you do this? Who is he?"
Elena's eyes fluttered, weak but unyielding.
The man's eyelids flickered open.
For a moment, his eyes glowed a piercing blue.
He whispered hoarsely, barely audible:
"Nanichi… beloved… you came."
Then he collapsed against Aurora, who caught him gently.
Niegal's gaze darkened as he stared at the stranger, suspicion burning in his eyes.
Elena's breathing was ragged, but her gaze lingered on the man with something that unsettled the rest of them.
There was no time for questions.
The Sanctuary was only a day's march away.
The camp stirred as they prepared to move.
The stranger was lifted onto a stretcher.
Niegal carried Elena bridal style, his grip firm but trembling.
"Let me help you," he whispered close to her hair, his heart breaking.
She hissed in reply, voice faint and sharp.
"Too… angry… no…"
Esperanza and Juan exchanged worried looks.
"Will she be okay? Is there anything the goddess can do?" Juan asked softly.
Esperanza bit her lip.
"I'm… not sure. I think Guabancex made it worse."
Juan and Phineus shared a silent glance before turning toward the trail ahead.
Elena's last conscious thought lingered on the man she had saved.
Why did Guabancex care so much for a half-drowned Inquisitor?
Niegal's eyes narrowed.
When the stranger opened his eyes once more, the blue glow was gone.
He blinked weakly at Niegal before slumping back under his own weight.
El León Negro growled low and fierce, a dark shadow stirring beneath his breath.