Kiiro stands frozen for a moment clutching his stomach, his hand quickly covered by the warm feeling of his blood flowing over it. He felt stunned at what had happened, angry at himself for failing to kill her, his mind running wild with more questions than answers. How did she cause fires? From what he knew this shouldn’t be possible, yet there was no denying the still lingering burning sensation on his arm. The smell of iron hit him, taking him out of his trance and reminding him of his current situation. He needed to get back, now. Quickly slipping through shadows he moves himself as close to the town as he can. As he emerges he leans his body against a tree for just a moment, taking a sharp breath before going again. Using his power in quick succession like this wore him out quickly, but he needed to get back before he bled out. Although he could power through the pain, he was struggling with ignoring the lightheadedness he felt. With one last blink he was at the outskirts of the town, Amara was standing nearby with a woman next to her, both of them looking in Kiiro’s direction. She’d been waiting for his return worried if he’d get himself in trouble and she’d been correct. They both quickly noticed the blood covering his hand and the dagger still poking out of his stomach, Amara’s eyes went wide with fear. Kiiro recognised the other woman, he knew her as the town's druid, Fildarae. They both rush over to him, Amara grabbing on to him and holding him up as he collapses into her.
“I got you.”
The druid is quick to crouch next to him, pulling out her small hunting blade and cutting away at the leather covering his wound. She grabs onto the handle of the dagger in his stomach and looks up at Kiiro as she speaks, her voice abrasive.
“How does a Shadowwalker even get themselves stabbed? Brace yourself, this is going to hurt.”
Without hesitation she rips out the dagger and covers the now open wound with her hands, her eyes flashing a light green as the cut slowly closes beneath her fingers. Kiiro lets out a loud groan in response, the pain, dizziness and exertion hitting him all at once. His vision fades and his body goes limp as he loses consciousness.
When he comes to, the first thing he sees is Amara standing over him, a concerned look on her face. He is in his room, lying in his bed. The bleeding had stopped and the wounds had been closed, but the pain still lingered. Seeing him open his eyes, she speaks up immediately.
“Kiiro! What happened?”
“Amara, listen-”
His voice was faint, barely above a whisper. He felt exhausted, struggling to get any noise out.
“You promised to retreat if things got out of hand, you could have died, I-”
“Amara!”
It took him great effort to raise his voice. Amara fell silent struggling to push her worry aside. With a deep breath he continues.
“They have a Lifegiver.”
Amara simply stares at him, stunned, unable to find any words. This didn’t make any sense to her, a Lifegiver was rare, beyond rare. A silence falls over them both, Amara staring deep into his eyes as if searching for an explanation for his words. After a long pause, she finally responds.
“There hasn’t been a Lifegiver for aeons, they… they couldn’t possibly-”
“She had a golden glow in her eyes, we both know what that means.”
Another silence stretches out over them as she processes the information. Her expression slowly becomes more serious as her eyes widen.
“I need to brief the others.”
Amara practically sprints out of the room, leaving Kiiro behind. He wanted to follow her, but couldn’t find the strength to move. Although druids could heal, it took immense energy from the body during the process. Frustrated, he closed his eyes, knowing his body needed to rest.
Kiiro opens his eyes to the familiar sight of his room, staring at the ceiling. He’d counted the grains in the wood many times before during sleepless nights. His eyes slowly traced over them as his mind went over the fight. He felt ashamed, although he couldn’t have predicted what happened. He was reckless to start a fight without knowing his enemy. She didn’t start a fire. His body relaxed as the thought hit him and he let out a faint sigh. The smell of iron still remained on his clothes, making him grimace. A knock on the door diverts his attention. Amara gently opens it and approaches him. She sits on the edge of the bed, nervously looking at him as she speaks.
“We’ve been in contact with the main city, they were just as shocked. They’re currently discussing what to do with this situation.”
“What is there to decide? We need to kill her as soon as possible before she grows any stronger.”
Amara looks troubled as she meets his eyes. She takes some time before responding, knowing he wouldn’t like what she was about to say.
“There’s… some divide on that.”
Kiiro looks at her confused as she takes a deep breath and continues.
“Some of the Elders agree with your statement, but… others think we need to keep her alive to try and capture her, see if we can use her.”
His brows furrow. A mix of emotions overtake him, but most noticeable is the confusion he feels at her statement.
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“What do you mean, keep her alive?”
Amara lifts her hands defensively.
“Kiiro, I understand where you are coming from, however-”
“Amara, we both know how dangerous that is, or have they forgotten?”
Her expression becomes stern as she takes on a more authoritative tone, seemingly irritated at his remark.
“No one has forgotten the dangers, however they also haven’t forgotten the benefits.”
“She’s actively trying to burn us down, what makes them think she’d ever help us?”
“It doesn’t matter what we think, however much power I hold here, this is out of my hands. The decision isn’t mine to make and it isn’t yours either.”
Her voice was assertive. He rarely experienced that from her. He lets out an irritated sigh as he attempts to sit up, quickly interrupted by Amara pushing him back down.
“No no no, no. You are staying right here.”
“I need to get out.”
She keeps her hand on his chest leaning her weight into it to keep him down.
“You’re hurt, you’re staying put.”
“I’m healed and I’m not staying in this room.”
Kiiro’s voice was frustrated. Amara lets out a deep sigh.
“Not fully, you need rest, you need to allow your body to recover.”
“I’m fine.”
He pushes her hand off and quickly gets out of bed before she has another chance to stop him. She was prepared for him to fight her on this and wasn’t backing down. She stands as well positioning herself next to him and looks him firmly in the eyes.
“Kiiro, you are resting, that's an order.”
“Amara you cannot keep me locked in here”
He starts walking towards the door, but she blocks his path.
“I swear, do not make me tie you to this bed, I will do it.”
“We both know that wouldn’t work, it would take me little effort to get out.”
“Then I will have to knock you out.”
She leans closer with that last sentence, their noses barely touching. The room goes quiet as they both stand unwavering. He knew she wasn’t backing down and that if he didn’t she might actually try and tie him down. He wasn’t keen on resting, but couldn’t deny that his body would need time to fully recover. After a few moments he breaks the silence with a stiff tone.
“Fine.”
Amara relaxes, relieved to finally have gotten through to him. She gives him a smile as she walks to the door. He doesn’t move from his spot, but simply watches her as she leaves. As soon as the door closes Kiiro lets his body relax, his shoulders slumped as he lets out a deep sigh. Guess I might as well get used to my temporary imprisonment.
Kiiro stood by the window feeling the gentle breeze, deeply lost in thought. He couldn’t stop thinking of his encounter, her image burned into his mind, like he could still see her golden eyes in front of him. Her movements, her figure, the sound of her voice as she let out a scream, it all replayed in his head over again. Not only did she hold immense power, she was a skilled fighter. Getting to observe a Lifegiver was something most would never experience. Part of him couldn’t help but feel intrigued at her existence. That golden glow was almost… mesmerising. The sound of his hand hitting the wall knocked the thought out of his head. He couldn’t let himself view her like that, whatever the Elders decided he knew what needed to be done. What he needed to do. He couldn’t let her live and risk his hometown in the process.
A knock on his door snaps him out of his trance. As he turns around he isn’t met with who he would have expected. Instead of Amara’s familiar face, he finds himself looking into Fildarae’s eyes. Before he has a chance to fully process why she is here she speaks up.
“Amara sent me, not here on my own volition.”
“Right.”
An awkward silence fills the room as Kiiro turns back to his window. Fildarae lets out a sigh as she walks to his bed and sits on it, getting herself as comfortable as she can. He lets out a scoff.
“There is no point in keeping me locked up in here.”
“The point is that you’re too stubborn to admit that your body needs rest.”
Her quick response makes him turn to face her, studying her. Her pointed ears just barely poke out under her long green hair. Her sharp features come with an even sharper tongue. The two of them barely ever interacted and both would have been happy to keep it that way. His tone is flat as he speaks.
“I was doing fine on my own, I don’t need you here.”
“Hah! Rich coming from the guy who came back yesterday with his guts almost spilling out. You’re welcome by the way.”
Kiiro lets out an irritated exhale, making Fildarae send him a stern look. After a moment of silence between them, she decides to continue.
“I don’t enjoy being here either, but Amara gave an order and unlike you I actually listen to her.”
Her tone was sharp and judgemental. He furrows his brows at her comment, wanting to say something back, but he holds his tongue. The air fills with a thick uncomfortable tension. It was almost like it was clinging to him, only making him further uneasy. Although he had changed out of the bloodsoaked clothing, he still sensed the sharp smell as if it was ingrained in him. The occasional cool wind blowing through the window allowed him temporary breaks from the scent, replacing it with the pleasant smell of the woods and various flowers that had started blooming. Only for the calming nature to be drowned by the constant reminder of his failure all over again as the wind halted. In an attempt to calm the atmosphere he decided to break the silence, partly also to distract him from his mind. His tone is more gentle than before.
“I don’t see why Amara felt the need to send you.”
Fildarae seems mildly surprised by his change of tone, but doesn’t question it. With a deep breath she answers, her own voice also milder.
“She’s just worried about you. She absolutely adores you, not that I understand why.”
Kiiro can’t help but let out a chuckle, much to her surprise. She stares at him with a puzzled expression for a few seconds, looking like she had something she was going to say. In the end she decides against it. The air started feeling lighter, making him slowly relax. After another moment of silence, she lets out a sigh and stretches her arms.
“Since I’m on watch duty to ensure you don’t do anything stupid, I’m going to get myself comfortable.”
With that she stands from her seat and undoes her clothes, making Kiiro quickly look away from her. Her eyes flash a light green as body slowly starts twisting unnaturally and hair starts growing all over her. Her long green hair shortening and gradually turning black. She becomes smaller and smaller, her limbs morphing into new shapes. After a few seconds, a small black cat sits where she had stood. Shaking her head and slightly adjusting to her new shape, she jumps back on the bed and stretches her body to its full extent. Kiiro glances back at her with a disapproving look on his face.
“A cat? Really?”
She growls at him before she lays down and curls into a ball on his bed. Feeling defeated, he returns his gaze to the window and loses himself in his thoughts again.