The moment Zane stepped out of the cave, the atmosphere snapped.
Celeste, Mira, and Asher were crouched in a loose circle, laughing softly as they counted mana crystals piled neatly on a cloth. The glow reflected off their faces—warm, victorious.
Then Zane's voice cut through it.
"Celeste. Bring the med kit."
No teasing. No sarcasm.
Just urgency.
All three of them looked up at once.
And then they saw Luna.
Cradled in Zane's arms.
The smiles vanished.
They rushed forward instinctively, Celeste already fumbling for the kit at her belt. Asher stopped short the moment he got close enough to see Luna properly.
Bruises bloomed along her arms and side, ugly and dark. Small cuts littered her skin like she'd been dragged across stone. Blood still trickled faintly from her nose.
"She's hurt," Zane said simply.
Asher couldn't bring himself to look for long.
Zane's knees finally gave out.
Not dramatically—just… honestly.
He lowered Luna carefully to the ground, then staggered back a step himself. His breathing was shallow now. The black rose tattoo had crept up his neck, faintly glowing crimson, pulsing in time with his heartbeat.
He looked worse than he wanted anyone to notice.
A war had been fought.
Just not one they could see.
Then—
[You can heal her.]
Zane froze.
"…Huh?"
The system had never spoken to him like that before. Not so plainly. Not so directly.
He didn't have time to think.
He dropped to his knees beside Luna and placed his hand gently over her chest.
Asher reacted instantly.
"What are you doing?!" He grabbed Zane's shoulder and shoved him back. "You've done enough—!"
Zane was too weak to resist.
For half a second.
Then something in him snapped.
The shadows exploded outward.
A tendril slammed Asher into the cavern wall, pinning him there mid-shout, feet dangling inches off the ground. The stone cracked behind him.
Zane didn't even look.
He placed his hand back on Luna's chest.
Slowly, deliberately.
The infinity symbol bloomed in his left eye.
Blue veins lit up beneath his skin, spreading from his arm like living circuits, flowing into Luna—gentle, controlled, precise.
The effect was immediate.
Bruises faded before their eyes. Cuts closed as if time itself was rewinding. The bleeding stopped. Color returned to her face.
Celeste's breath caught.
Mira couldn't look away.
When it was over, Zane pulled his hand back, fingers trembling.
Luna's eyes fluttered open.
She sucked in a breath—then immediately turned her head toward him.
"Zane…?"
He was already moving away.
Zane dragged himself to the far side of the cave and slid down the wall until he was sitting, head tilted back against the cold stone. His arms hung limp at his sides.
For the first time in a long while—
He was tired.
Not just physically.
Everything hurt.
Luna pushed herself up despite Celeste trying to stop her. "I'm fine," she said softly. "Really. Please… don't worry."
Her eyes never left Zane.
The shadows pinning Asher loosened at last, retreating like a tide pulling back to shore. Asher dropped to his feet, shaken—but silent now.
The shadows returned to Zane.
Wrapped around him.
Protective.
And as the cave grew quiet again, Zane sat there with his eyes half-closed, breathing slowly—carrying the weight of things none of them yet understood.