Ardyn stared as Luke gently took his hand and moved his fingers across the palm, pale blue lights shining from each one. The sight srized Ardyn for a mont. Even though it was bright due to the sun, this shade of blue stood out, the color so vivid and soothing.
The next mont, Ardyn felt a soothing sensation on his palm, one that flowed through his arm like water. It was hard to describe; it was like a mixture of tenderness, warmth, and uncertainty, as if the thoughts of the wielder poured into him. It was a feeling similar to the one he had felt when Evan had shown him his magic at the lighthouse yesterday, a magic with an essence so pure and disarming that it made him relax considerably.
But with Luke, it was just slightly different. It was more pronounced, more nuanced, more complex. There was warmth and empathy, but there was also hesitation and confusion.
It was strange. Even though Luke was healing him, it felt like Ardyn was able to get a glimpse of the man’s inner thoughts and emotions. As if this was just the tip of the iceberg, the icing on the cake of what Luke was really feeling right now.
Then, as quickly as the sensation surfaced, it faded away, the lights going out from Luke’s fingers like candles being extinguished.
Luke pulled his hand back and looked solemn. He didn’t seem satisfied with what he had done. It was as if he wanted to do more, but couldn’t.
Ardyn looked down at his palms. The tiny pieces of rock had already fallen to the ground, and his skin was now free of wounds. So blood was still there, but now his hands didn’t hurt as much.
As Ardyn felt the pain coming from his back, his thoughts suddenly shifted to the excruciating pain that he had felt during the car accident that led to his death. Thinking about it took him by surprise, because after everything he had gone through today, his death was the last thing on his mind. There had been this feeling of alienation from everything, as if this world was just so kind of simulation.
But now, surprisingly, he felt like this world was actually real. There was a feeling of acceptance on his part, and he slowly began to adapt. The sight of magic didn’t scare him as much anymore, and the thought of monsters being real and tangible didn’t unsettle him any more. Not after all that destruction and death.
There was also this eerie sense of calmness in his heart despite everything, like it was preventing him from going insane. Was it because of Luke’s — his Summoner’s — current proximity? It was as though—
"I can only manage to heal your hands," Luke said quietly. He seed to be staring at the wounds on Ardyn’s back. "How’s your head?"
"My head?" Ardyn questioned.
Luke nodded. "I tried to heal you earlier, but I’m not sure if it had any effect. Are you feeling anything weird? Any kind of dizziness?"
Ardyn was silent for a while. He rembered Luke reaching out to him under the rubble and putting his palm to the side of his head. He rembered the feeling of disorientation fading a bit, and even though he wasn’t even 90% healed, the feeling of Luke’s magic had given him warmth and the strength to keep going.
Just like the feeling of the man’s magic flowing through his injured hands just now, still lingering in his bloodstream even after the wounds had healed. It was truly fascinating.
"No. I feel fine," Ardyn said honestly. "I think my back suffered the most. It hurts more than the wound on my head."
"What about your legs?" Luke looked down at Ardyn’s pants, trying to see if there were any bleeding areas. "Can you walk?"
Ardyn swallowed. "They just feel a little weak from being in that position for a while. I’ll rest for a bit, and then we can go."
"Let... Let help."
The two of them turned to Leon, who had just spoken.
Leon still seed reluctant to do anything, but the fact that he offered showed that he was willing to make so exceptions. He also seed to be in shock sohow, like he had seen sothing unexpected.
At that mont, Ardyn rembered Evan’s words from yesterday, how he felt that Leon was sohow held back by his father, that the Duke had him under his control.
Now that he had discovered that Leon was in fact a Guardian, and that he had lied to Evan and Elyana about it, Ardyn had an inkling that it all had to do with the Duke. That the reason Leon had stopped himself from saying or doing anything was because the Duke had warned him not to.
Everything began to make sense now. When he thought about it that way, it was only natural to co to such a conclusion.
"Do you also have healing magic?" Luke asked. It was rare for Guardians to possess healing magic, as the gods usually blessed them with offensive abilities to deal with beastspawns and the Calamity itself, but it was not unheard of. Throughout history, there had been a few instances of Guardians possessing magic that could be used for defense, offense, and support at the sa ti.
Leon shook his head slowly. "I don’t, but maybe my magic can help soothe his wounds and reduce the swelling and inflammation."
Ardyn’s eyes went wide. "You can do that? How?"
Leon didn’t say anything, but he reached out and opened the palm of his hand. At that mont, the air around them seed to grow colder, as if a winter breeze suddenly blew through on a hot sumr day.
A luminous glow enveloped his palm, and the magical energy drew closer, condensing into a delicate ball of crystalline ice.
Ardyn’s jaw dropped. So this guy wielded the power of ice! Seeing it right in front of his eyes was so fascinating. It was like watching a magic trick up close.
Back in his world, it was only a fantasy, but here, it was a reality.
Hold on... he suddenly thought with a small frown. I feel like I’m missing sothing here, but what?
Leon let the ball of ice float slightly above him, and then, in one swift motion, he clenched his hand into a fist, causing the ball to explode and shatter into a thousand shimring fragnts.
"It will have a cooling effect on the pain," Leon explained. "You’ll be able to walk better, just until we get to the carriage. I left it near the gates so we have a way out."
"Wait, you’re leaving with us?" Ardyn questioned, surprised to hear such words from the guy’s mouth. "You’re not staying? I an, I assu that you ca here for a reason. You wouldn’t have known that we were here, right?"
Leon shook his head. "My reason doesn’t matter anymore. Now that I’ve t you again... I already know who you are."
That statent made Ardyn freeze in place. "What?"
"My father told about his suspicions. He told everything he had gathered so far." Leon’s lips stretched into a thin line. "You’re... the Otherworlder, aren’t you?"
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