The petals pulsed with a faint light, like it was a heartbeat, even though the heart in its center was dormant. In the center of the petals, what I would liken to a face, looked us over. With no real body language or face, it was hard to tell what its intentions were, but since it exploded out of that poor girl not too long ago, I can’t assume it's here with friendly intentions. I wanted to reach for my sword, but a pleasant smell in the air made me listless.

I turned to Kyme and his eyes were beginning to glaze over. He began to hold the woman out in front of him, almost as offering her to this plant. The tendrils reached up forming a kind of hand. Kyme began slowly walking toward it. If I didn’t do anything, then all the answers I wanted from her, and maybe even our lives, were going to end here.

I can’t reach Kyme, so I channeled my power onto myself. There was a chance it would free me and not knock me out. Once more, the air grew cold. As the temperature dropped, the smell dissipated, and the plant faced me and I felt my energy return. One of the other small flowers on its body shifted and aimed at me. A small spike appeared and launched it directly at me.

“Get down!” I shouted as I hit the floor.

It was aiming at me, but I hoped my shouting would snap Kyme out of it. I looked and he was on his knees and brought the young woman close to him again. I reached for my sword, but the plant had already closed the distance on us.

It started to wrap the many thin tendrils around me, and they began to tighten. I felt stinging sensations on my skin where they touched, almost like small jolts of electricity. The pain itself was bearable, but my body was paralyzed. The main head of the plant started to open, and inside a seed with a small spike. It tilted downward, ready to launch itself into my chest.

This must be what it did to those two before they showed up here. As I put that piece together, it put one together too. It figured out that I had undone it already. That if it did it to me, I would be okay. The seed was pulled back, and a large spike took its place, aimed straight at my head.

I closed my eyes. I couldn't move, and I didn’t need to see my own death. Just then, I felt a tug. Kyme had grabbed the spike and pulled the plant, along with myself, away. It loosened its grip on me and latched onto Kyme. Kyme wrestled the spike, trying to get it to look in any direction other than at any of us. I started fumbling and got my hand free enough to go for my sword. The plant sent an electrical shock through its tendrils that stunned both of us.

The plant’s head was free, and with that, sent the spike through Kyme’s eye into his skull. I channeled my power again, but even after I used it, there’s a chance I wouldn’t even be able to do anything. If I was going to die either way, at least I’d die fighting.

I felt in control of my body again, but I felt like I was in a haze. I didn’t have a lot of time. I grabbed my sword and swung, lopping off the head. Then for good measure, stabbed the heart. I don’t think it expected me to move, otherwise, I’d be like the brunette and Kyme.

The tendrils loosened and I fell to the floor. I was about to lose consciousness from healing myself or using it too much in a short amount of time. I wouldn’t be out for long, but it didn’t matter. I had been able to heal anything I came across, but I couldn’t bring back the dead. I couldn’t bring back Kyme.

A shriek brought me back from unconsciousness. Sylia stood at the door, staring at her father. I clutched my head as I stood up and went to shake off what tendrils were still attached to my body. However, they had already grown brittle and snapped off. A wave of nausea rushed over me, whether it being backlash from my power or seeing Kyme there dead I couldn’t tell. I rushed passed Sylia to the outside and vomited up what breakfast I had left in me.

Her sobs drowned out my sickness, and she was talking but it wasn’t coherent. She forced air into her lungs between each word, but it quickly left through her cries. I composed myself and walked back inside. I kneeled beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder as she was cradling her father. Her eyes were swollen and her cheeks were flushed. She kept switching her attention between me and her father. When she looked at me I could tell she wanted me to leave, but at the same time didn’t want to be left alone. I sat there and waited. She wouldn’t hear anything I said right now anyway, and while I knew I didn’t kill him, I still let him come up here with me. I felt like I was to blame, and needed to apologize.

After her sobs ended, we sat in silence. She jerked her shoulder to get my hand off of her. Not wanting to just sit there awkwardly, I got up and moved my patient back to her bed and sat down on the only stool in the clinic. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes became an hour.

“Kingsley, what happened?” The eternity of silence was finally broken. Her voice was still shaking as she spoke.

“I wish I had an answer for you. I might have a bit more insight, but I’d have to go check something, if that’s okay.”

She didn’t acknowledge me. Her head was still down and her tears continued to drop onto Kyme’s face. I walked out of the clinic and circled around to the back of the building. The sheet that I laid over the dead girl was now to her side. There was a crater in her chest where the plant bloomed, and her heart was missing. Her skin had deflated lines that traced along her entire body. I placed the blanket back over her and went back inside.

“I’m so sorry Sylia.” I began as I stepped back inside. “I think whatever killed that girl is what killed Kyme. I thought it was done, but whatever it was, it was able to use parts of her corpse to move freely. I know this explanation sucks and doesn’t help, and I’m sorry.” Her silence was deafening, but I couldn’t anyway. “I imagine it came from The Pale, which makes the news even worse.” I wished I had more to tell her, but to be honest, I wasn’t even sure she heard me speaking to her now.

I felt my body getting weak again. Sylia’s scream woke me up before I had a chance to recover from my power’s backlash. If the other girl had been easier to treat, I’m sure that Sylia would’ve woken her up too. My body went to its knees. I didn’t feel like I was going to pass out, but moving was going to be tough for a little bit.

Sylia gently placed Kyme on the floor and grabbed something to her right. As she walked towards the sleeping girl, I saw that she was holding the same spike that was lodged into Kyme, and placed it directly over the girl’s heart. I tried to stand, but my feet wouldn’t get beneath me. I was too weak to stand, and because of my inability to do something, someone else was about to die.

“Don’t try to stop me, Kingsley. This damned woman brought that thing into our town, and it got my father killed!” The hatred dripped with each word she spoke. “I’ve now lost both parents to The Pale. I know your ability to heal is otherworldly, but I can’t risk anyone else I care about.” Her voice faltered as she plummeted the spike into the woman’s chest and removed it. For the third time today, blood was spilled in the clinic, but this is the fourth time today I saw someone die.

“You short sighted idiot.” I sighed as I finally gathered the strength to stand. “I know you are hurting, but if there is more, then we won’t know until it’s too late. You were right to worry, but thinking killing her was the solution is stupid.”

“We’ll be fine, Kingsley.” Her voice was now unbelievably cold. “We’ll send out our patrols to scout the nearby area for anything suspicious. I did what needed to be done. I’m going to Hixton’s to tell him to prepare for my father’s funeral. I’m also recommending to him that we burn the bodies of the girls.”

I never would’ve thought Sylia could be that cold. I knew I had to follow her. Hixton wasn’t an incompetent leader by any means, but he had more of an irrational fear of The Pale than anyone I knew. He might even deem it best to burn down the whole clinic. I tossed sheets over the girl and Kyme before rushing out and locking the door.

I had only ever been to the town hall once. Usually, Rosaline went for any meetings and relayed the information to me. It was the second largest building and it had a large open area for where meetings were held. Hixton Bragg was our current town leader. We didn’t call him and those before him anything but a leader because neither nation had any ownership of our town. They didn’t want us either, since it felt like Pale activity was higher here. The downside is it made it harder to get any aid when we needed it.

Hixton himself was a scrawny man, with patchy hair. He was extremely paranoid of The Pale, after he read all the literature from the few denizens that came through and told us about it. He also claimed to have been there and back, and due to the horrific sights he saw, was adamant about arming citizens and teaching them how to defend themselves. His paranoia is what got him discharged from the capital guard decades ago, but that same fear helped save two lives today, well, one now.

It definitely made you wonder why he is here though. He’s never once tried to burn the tree, then again the town would probably kill him if they tried. It was here before us and it’ll be here after. I always wondered why he’d choose to be so close to the tree though. I think he believes he’s doing us a service by keeping an eye on it.

I kept quiet as Sylia spoke to him, and waited my turn to speak. I knew that had I tried to interject too much, he would definitely take drastic measures. I saw the different emotions pass across his face as she spoke. Confusion, fear, relief, sorrow, and ending on near hysteria. He was weighing his options on what to do next.

“Kingsley,” he looked at me, his voice shaky, “be honest with me. I know you love that clinic, but I think maybe it's time we retired it and built a new one.”

“Absolutely not.” I responded sternly. “They’re dead and the plant is dead too. I’ll let burning the bodies slide, but only to compromise with you. I know you know they deserve more than that, but your damn fear won’t let you.”

“You thought it was dead before but look what it went and did! How can I trust your judgment now? I say we just-”

“One more word out of your mouth and I’ll put you through the worst hell you can imagine.” I stopped him before he could say something he’d regret.

I wasn’t about to let him burn down part of our home. I wasn’t about to tell him what Sylia didn’t know, about the strange smells the flower emitted. If I did, he would burn it to the ground and have me thrown in shackles until it was done. I wished I could’ve advocated more for the girls, it’s the right thing but I knew he wouldn’t budge on that. If Rosaline were here, she would be disappointed in me. The fact that Hixton wasn’t saying anything about the blood on Sylia’s hands made me furious, but I could see that Hixton was happy a potential threat was gone and wouldn’t push any further on it.

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“Fine.” He said. I could tell I rattled him, and it felt good. “If your wife didn’t live here, and you weren’t so useful, I would just burn it down anyway. In fact, I’d vote to have you exiled if I could, your powers be damned. Those with special gifts like you have to be drawing The Pale closer. Once I prove it-” I glared back at him and he dropped it. “Now leave, Sylia and I have a funeral to prepare for.”

The morning after next was Kyme’s funeral. The air around it felt heavy. During Hixton’s eulogy, he spoke of how kind Kyme was, and how Sylia was a hero. Although, when he told the people how she he she was the hero, you could feel the mood shift. Most of the townspeople didn’t agree with what she did, and their gazes made the summer air feel cold. She seemed unfazed by it all, because to her she did no wrong. After Kyme was interred, the bodies were burned. Hixton at least gave them that courtesy instead of doing so in silence with no gathering.

The clinic didn’t really see many visitors for the next couple of months, which wasn’t abnormal, but it felt like people were actively avoiding it at the moment. I had spent that time cleaning the blood out the best I could. I even made to makeshift stones for the two girls. Just because Hixton wouldn’t, doesn’t mean I couldn’t.

Sylia had left town the week after her father’s funeral. She stated her work wasn’t done. Enough people came in and out of her workplace, that she no doubt joined one of The Pale hunting coalitions. Those who devoted themselves to the hero's work of hunting down the things that came through to our side. She was pretty good with a sword, but lacked any level of a unique gift. Even without one, with her conviction, they’d probably happily accept her.

As usual, I started my morning by opening the clinic. Even if I wasn’t getting paid, the townsfolk still appreciated the open doors, so by being there I’d get the occasional care package to keep me going. Someone usually came by in the middle of the week to give me whatever food the town collected, and today was that day. I heard the door open, and I turned up to see a rather muscular gentleman, with shorter hair and tan skin and he towered over me.

“You the town clinician? You don’t look like who I’d been told runs this place.” He said as he looked around and walked towards me.

“That’d be the wife. I’m just keeping the place warm while she’s away.” I force a smile as I respond. I didn’t want to be rude, but the last time a stranger was looking for my wife, it spelled trouble.

“Shame. I heard a lot about her. Anyone else in this town treat people?” He asked, and I responded by shaking my head. “That’s a shame, didn’t think you’d lie to my face like that.

It was hard to hide my surprise. He wasn’t technically wrong, but there’s no way he could know about what else I did unless someone told him. The only two people around here who would’ve said anything about me are Sylia, who left, and Hixton, who would never tell a stranger about me. At least I hoped.

“Now that I know it’s you who helped me, we need to talk.” He placed my hand on my shoulder to keep me seated, as he took a seat on the bed across from my chair. “Although, it’s been a little bit since we met. My name right now is Luca.”

“Kingsley.” I hesitantly responded.

I didn’t know what to think of what’s going on. He wasn’t armed, and he wore plain clothes, so if he did truly know about my power, he at least wasn’t a royal guardsman to draft me into the coalitions. This man was a complete stranger, but something about him felt familiar, like I knew him from somewhere.

“Confused? I supposed that makes sense. Kingsley, how much do you know about supernatural gifts?” Luca asked, releasing his grip on my shoulder.

“Not a lot. I know it’s rare.” I said. It wasn’t a lie, but he asked with a purpose. I knew that about one and a hundred thousand people would have some kind of gift. I knew I was probably one of them, but I wasn’t ready to let that slip.

“Is that so?” He responded quizzically. “One in about a thousand are gifted. Something that makes them stand out from the rest, supernatural geniuses or beings of pure power. One in ten thousand are tuned.” He waved his hands as if to conjure something. ”Those who can manipulate things like fire, water, the ground beneath our feet.” He looked into my eyes, as if trying to peer deeper into me. “One in one hundred thousand are blessed. They have something that is beyond imagination. I know you can do something amazing, you prevented me from dying to that plant after all. Although, I don’t quite know how I died.” My look of confusion on my face had him chuckle. “Still don’t get it? I’m like you. I can do something beyond your wildest dreams, and because of it, I’m the hero.” His voice welled with some kind of pride.

I had heard stories of the hero from time to time. They all couldn’t get it straight on who they were or what they looked like. They all usually had some kind of gift or another. They said they knew about each creature from The Pale and how to hunt and kill them.

“You don’t quite look like what I’ve heard the hero looks like.”

“I’ve taken many forms throughout history. My last form was only seen by a few people, you included.” He deliberately spoke as to get me to put the pieces together.

“Wait, are you saying-” I started to ask.

“Yes. When I die, I take over someone else’s body. It has restrictions, but every time I die I get a new body. I get to keep all my knowledge, and whatever gift they may have, stays with them for me to use. I only wish I was able to keep them when I move on, it’d make my life a lot easier. Not only that, I've had some pretty wild powers in the past. Now it’s your turn.”

It didn’t look like I was going to get out of this. I couldn’t take them in a fight, and if on a whim they decided to kill me, I couldn’t come back from that. I had to be able to consciously use my power. While I knew my power well enough, I knew I couldn’t lie to them about it. They seemed to be able to see through my lie and half-truth both times we’ve spoken. Maybe their current host had some kind of lie detection gift.

The hero may have a lot of renown, but I didn’t feel like I could trust them. I knew at the end of the day, they had served directly under the ruler of Rittlow for generations, each king or queen worse than the last. They’re the reason gifted people were taken from their homes, they wanted them all registered and to serve the nation directly, now I at least have an idea as to why. This current king, King Barclay, had really doubled down on collecting gifted as well as raising taxes. He said it's to keep the army and hero well fed, but we all know he’s just greedy.

Luca had noticed my hesitation. They placed their large hand around my throat and easily lifted me into the air. My feet dangled below me and a wicked smile crossed their face. Their other hand reached behind their back and they drew a small knife.

“Listen, I’d much rather do this the easy way. It’s time to talk, or you’ll just have to show me.” Their voice drained of any emotion but their smile was still wide, like they’d said this line once before, or maybe even a thousand times before.

I nodded in agreement as they dropped me to my feet. My feet gave out and I fell to the floor. I instinctively grabbed my throat and attempted to catch my breath. They not so gently helped me up and forcibly sat me back on the chair before taking a seat again themself.

“I can heal just about anything.” I wheezed. “So long as the person isn’t dead, I can fix them.”

“Fix? How does that remove the Pale Briar’s seed?” They questioned. Although, at least now I know what that thing was called.

“When I say I can heal anything, it's more of an idea. Sickness, disease, that seed, it all is a foreign entity causing pain and death. My healing removes it.” They seemed to be expecting something else with my answer. “I don’t have any restrictions per se, but depending on the severity of it depends on how bad the backlash is when I use it on someone. The Pale Briar’s seed was a death sentence, so you were probably going to be out of commission for a day or two.”

Luca seemed satisfied with my answer now, so much so that they just got up and left without saying another word. I’d never heard any stories of someone not getting taken after their power had been discovered, especially those that could prove extremely useful to the kingdom. Then again, my power came with a major drawback that could prove more of a liability out in the field.

I still couldn’t be sure that Luca wouldn’t have the royal guardsman come for me. I wanted to just pack up and run, but I couldn’t leave this town on their own. I couldn’t just leave behind an empty home for Rosaline to come home too. We had chosen this town due to it not truly being aligned to any nation, but in reality, that hadn’t kept Rittlow from sending people into foreign territories to kidnap people who had the potential to be useful. I thought it’d be best to wait it out.

For about a month, I had heard nothing. I had no strange visitors show up on my doorstep, and there didn’t appear to be anyone asking for me in town. The townspeople didn’t even seem to know that the hero was here. The last the nation heard of the hero was months before our interaction with the Pale Briar, with their victory over some kind of beast. The heroes seemed to always revel in the spotlight, so it makes me think they’re going to wait for their big debut later on. Stories haven’t even circulated, the last everyone knew, they were a sickly looking woman who had immense pyrokinetic abilities.

As the days went on, it became easier to sleep. Each day without incident, made me feel like I was safe from whatever upcoming storm I thought was coming, and every time I had a prolonged period of quiet, it felt like that storm was brewing. I felt like I had gotten my first good night's sleep since the Pale Briar showed up, and the rain we had that night helped.

I stepped outside and was met by a very unwelcome sight. Two men stood outside my house, each with a sword on their side. One of them had mancales on his side and the other reached for me as he spoke.

“Kingsley Warrick, my name is Maxwell and this is Preston and we are of the Royal Guardsman. Your services are hereby ordered by-” the breath escaped him as I sucker punched him in the gut.

Preston reached down towards Maxwell before lunging at me. Sidestepping, he crashed into the side of my home. A hand had wrapped itself around my ankle and Maxwell tried to pull my feet out from under me. My other foot went up and kicked him in the face, just quickly enough for me to stay standing. Two arms had wrapped themselves behind me and lifted me in the air, my arms pinned to my sides and I flailed my legs hoping for any kind of purchase. Maxwell stood up and looked me in the eyes while he held his bloody nose.

“Kingsley Warrick, your services are hereby ordered by his majesty.” He forced my hands into the manacles, then took another set from Preston and shackled my feet together as well. I’m lowered to the ground and my shackles chain was grabbed in an attempt to pull me forward.

“I’m not going peacefully, you assholes are going to have to carry me there.” I said while I let my body become deadweight.

Preston walked over and threw me over his shoulder. I began to fight and scream for help, in hopes any of the townspeople would help me. I knew it was a futile endeavor, and I would never actually expect them to help. I wouldn’t want any of them to earn the ire of the king. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to scream and fight to make it hard on them though.

They got a good fifty feet away before I managed to somehow get free and fall to the ground. I tried to crawl away, but he grabbed me again and began to pick me up. Just for good measure, I spit in his face just to show my displeasure. To which he dropped me back on the ground.

“I don’t have to put up with this. You aren’t going to cooperate, then you don’t need to be conscious.”

“Oh come on Max! Can I call you, Max? I’ll be good, I promise! I don’t like pain!” I pleaded half-assed.

He leaned in to pick me back up, but I headbutted him in the face. He recoiled in pain before he struck me in the face. That was the last thing I remembered before I passed out.