"Ryan!"
Ryan froze in place when he heard the sound and did not turn around.
he said without looking at her.
"Sister"
Mira walked around him until she stood before him. She was smiling. Her eyes were bright.
she said. Her voice was soft, happy.
"I haven't seen you in a year, You didn't tell me you were coming."
Ryan scratched the back of his head.
"I didn't think I'd come here either. I wasn't sure, so I didn't say anything."
He said nothing else. He was looking at her face. She looked tired, pale, but her smile was genuine.
And as they stood there, Mira raised her right hand and placed it on his right shoulder – a gesture of affection.
She did not know his shoulder was wounded. She did not know the wound was still open beneath his shirt.
Ryan felt a sharp sting, a sudden pain that shot through his shoulder.
"Ah..."
He stifled a groan, but his body trembled slightly. His facial muscles tightened for a moment.
Mira noticed. She looked at her hand. Then at his face. She saw the pain in his eyes.
She pulled her hand away quickly.
she asked.
"What?"
"Did I hurt you?"
Ryan said, but his voice was strained.
"Nothing."
She looked at her hand.
Her fingertips were stained with blood.
She froze for a moment. After that She looked at his shoulder.
On the white fabric, a small red stain was spreading. Blood.
Then she looked at her hand another time. Her fingertips were also stained with red.
"Ryan..."
she whispered, her voice tremblin".
"You're bleeding. Your shoulder..."
"It's nothing."
She looked into his eyes.
"Don't lie to me, Show me your shoulder"
He hesitated. Then he turned his right shoulder toward her slightly. Mira gently lifted his collar.
She saw the white bandage. And the blood that had seeped through it.
Ryan sighed
If he pushed her away now and didn't allow her to look at his injury, it would only make matters worse, so Ryan decided to do as she asked.
Mira grabbed his arm but He did not resist.
"Come with me."
He walked with her through side corridors to a small room.
Mira opened the small wooden door and gestured for him to enter. The room was narrow, its walls lined with shelves of old books, a small desk cluttered with papers, and a single window overlooking the academy's back garden. The smell of dried herbs and aged paper filled the space.
"Sit."she said, pointing to the only wooden chair in the room.
Ryan sat. He almost groaned in pain but stifled his voice. His right shoulder throbbed beneath the white shirt the innkeeper had lent him – the small bloodstain had spread slightly, visible on the pristine fabric.
Mira stood before him. She said nothing. She reached into the desk drawer and took out a small wooden box. She opened it. It was neatly organized: sterile white bandages, honey-colored ointment in a glass vial, a bottle of water, and a folded clean cloth.
She looked at him.
"Take off your shirt."
He did not speak. He raised his arms very slowly, avoiding straining his wounded shoulder. He pulled his head out of the high collar, then let the shirt fall over the back of the chair.
The scars appeared.
They were everywhere. Old burns on his chest and arms – some white and smooth like wrinkled silk, others still pink and rough, scars from a fire that had nearly consumed him years ago. Beside them, fresh bruises and superficial cuts from his fight the night before.
Mira bit her lip. She did not comment. She did not ask. She simply took the cloth, wet it with water, and approached him.
She began cleaning the wound.
The wound on his right shoulder was deep, not from a sword but from a sharp wooden splinter that had pierced his skin when he crashed into the wall. Its edges were torn, the surrounding skin red and inflamed. Dried blood clung to the old cloth he had used as a makeshift bandage – a piece of the torn shirt he had worn the night before.
she said quietly.
"This will hurt."
She rubbed the damp cloth gently around the wound. The cold stung the injured skin, and Ryan felt a sharp prick. But he did not move. He did not groan. He stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the opposite wall.
Mira lifted the cloth and looked at his face.
"You can scream. No one can hear us here."
"I don't need to."
She shook her head and returned to her work. She removed the dried blood with gentle circular motions. Her hands were light, tender, like someone used to caring for the wounded
After she finished cleaning the wound, she did not reach for the ointment.
Instead, she raised her right hand and opened it above his wound.
Ryan paused. He looked at her hand. He was seeing her do something he had never witnessed before.
From her palm, thin green roots began to grow slowly – fine as silk threads, light green in color, almost translucent. They moved toward the wound, touching the torn edges.
Ryan felt a pleasant coolness, completely different from the sting of water or ointment. It was like a gentle breeze on a hot day, or fresh water on burned skin. The pain did not disappear entirely, but it lessened noticeably.
Ryan whispered.
"The plant element."
"Yes." said Mira, her eyes focused on the wound. "It's not as strong as the light element for healing, but... it helps."
The green roots continued to extend, covering the edges of the wound gently. Mira was concentrating intensely, her forehead tense.
After a few moments, the roots shrank and returned to her hand. They disappeared as if they had never been there.
The wound was still there, but the inflammation around it had faded. The skin was no longer fiery red, but a light pink. Even the bleeding had stopped completely.
"This..." Ryan looked at his shoulder in amazement.
"It won't heal completely today." Mira said, taking the ointment. "But it will be much better by morning."
She spread the ointment around the wound, then wrapped the white bandage around his shoulder carefully – not too tight, not too loose.
"Done."
She stepped back.
he said quietly.
"Thank you."
Then after a moment of silence, he added:
"I didn't know you could do that."
"Not always." said Mira, sitting on the edge of the chair opposite him.
she looked into his eyes.
"The plant element helps in healing, but it is not like light, as healing with the plant element consumes a large spark."
Ryan noded
After that. A short silence followed .
Then Mira sat on the edge of the chair again. She looked at him with her green eyes.
she said.
"Ryan."
Her voice became more serious.
"How did this happen?"