Page 58 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
“Hello, Daniella,” Drevan rasped. “I’ve only been alive for two-hundred thousand, so… no p-pressure.” He smiled as if this were the time for his smug jokes.
“Save your strength,” Dani snapped in a matter-of-fact tone that I hoped she didn’t use on her young patients at Children’s Hospital. “Was this caused by a Dualistic Blade?”
“Precisely,” Drevan said.
“Luce, get towels from the bathroom and bottled water from the kitchen,” she ordered.
I was back in a few seconds, hugging several clean towels and water bottles to my chest. I dumped them in front of me as I kneeled. Dani grabbed a big towel and tucked it under Drevan’s side, then she opened a bottle of water and poured it on the wound to clean it. She used gauze from her bag to dab at the gash, gaining a better view of what she was dealing with.
Without the glowing life force obstructing the injury, I realized it was much bigger than it’d appeared at first, and not only that, it was also much deeper. But most shocking of all was what lay beyond the ragged opening. If there had been any doubt in my mind that Drevan was not from this realm, it was completely erased at that moment.
His insides were not made of tissues, tendons, organs, and I doubted he even had bones. If anything, his entrails resembled the depths of an active volcano. Fire and light swirled inside of him as if itching to burst out. The understanding that he was made of something entirely different from me shook my very bones and left me feeling off balance.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Dani repeated to herself as she closed her eyes and brought both hands within an inch of the gaping wound.
I stood and took two steps back, so afraid for his life, so torn up inside that I could scarcely stand to watch.
But watch, I did.
My sister closed her eyes and started reciting something in a language I didn’t understand. After a minute, her words seem to repeat, a chant circling over and over in a loop.
Beneath Dani’s hovering hands, Drevan twisted, his legs kicking, his short, pointed claws digging into his palms. He stared straight up at the ceiling, the golden light in his eyes entirely gone and replaced by an inky darkness that soon leaked through the corners of his eyes, staining his face.
Dani threw her head back, her lips moving quickly, sweat dripping down her forehead.
A slight wind picked up inside the room. My hair stirred. The curtains swayed from side to side. Five minutes into my sister’s chants, the room began to groan as if the beams inside the walls would tear through the drywall.
I pressed a hand to my mouth as a scream threatened to spill. I knew better than to interrupt my sister when she was using her healing powers. More times than I could count, she’d healed my bruises, scrapes, and cuts, but not without first ordering me to be quiet.
“Talk at your own risk, Luce. If I lose my concentration, I might end up sealing your lips instead of your cut.”
A bloodcurdling scream tore out of Drevan. I feared the wound might be too much for my sister. But just as his agony reached its peak, the gash began to seal itself shut. The fire and light within Drevan swelled, filling the hole. When whatever had spilled out of him seemed to have been replaced, his skin started knitting itself at the corners. Slowly, the healing magic moved toward the middle, zipping him close until only pristine skin remained.
Both my sister and Drevan slumped down, spent.
His chest rose up and down forcefully for a moment, then gradually slowed, his expression turning from distraught to peaceful.
I was ready to slump down on the couch myself, but instead, I hurried to Dani’s side and helped her off the floor. After depositing her on an armchair, I grabbed one of the water bottles, opened it, and offered it to her.
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. See if he’ll drink some.”
I sat on the floor and, cupping the back of Drevan’s head, pressed the bottle to his lips. He drank a few sips, swallowing audibly and wincing as if it pained him. His eyes blinked open and met mine. A tiny flame burned in the depths of his pupils. The whites were back to normal. I smiled weakly, wondering if he could sense my relief. I wanted to kiss his forehead and smooth his hair back, but instead, I pulled away, feeling exhausted.
“He’s going to be all right?” I said, though it sounded like a question.
“He is,” Dani assured me.
“And you?” I sat on the sofa across from my sister.
“I do this all the time. This was just a little harder than usual. Nothing a strong cup of coffee won’t fix.” She rose and disappeared into the kitchen. I heard water pour, the refrigerator open, a spoon clink.
Closing my eyes, I laid my head back and thanked the witchlights Drevan was alive.
“… impressed by this. Amazing work.” Drevan’s voice seeped into my subconscious, along with a delicious aroma.
“Am I going to regret it?” That was my sister.
What was Dani doing in New York?
