"Hold still, you idiot," Valeria ordered, her voice fierce but trembling.
She pulled out a mundane, physical med-kit. Gauze, antiseptic, and medical tape. Items she had carried since her first day as a low-level recruit, back before they were gods.
Alvian looked at her, his vision swimming slightly. "The cheat codes... they don't work on them," he admitted, his voice carrying a vulnerability he hadn't shown since his previous life. "I can't edit the damage away."
Valeria didn't hesitate. She uncapped the antiseptic and poured it directly onto the wound. Alvian flinched, his jaw locking tight against the searing, entirely un-magical pain.
She pressed a thick pad of gauze against his side, her hands moving with practiced, brutal efficiency.
"Good," Valeria said, her grey eyes locking onto his. She tied the bandage tight, her touch firm and grounding. "You were losing your mind in the code anyway. You were starting to look at us like we were just numbers on a spreadsheet."
