Kaelen knelt beside Tiara's bed, his hands hovering over her bandaged wounds. The medical ward was quiet except for the soft breathing of other patients and the distant murmur of healers working through the night.
"Let me help," he said softly.
Tiara's eyes fluttered open. "Kaelen… you don't need to…"
"Yes, I do." He placed his palms gently over the worst of her injuries. "You got hurt because of me. Because you were trying to help us."
The Aether responded to his call like a warm current flowing through his veins. He could see the damaged tissue beneath his hands, the torn muscles and bruised organs glowing faintly in his enhanced sight. Carefully, he drew life energy from the plants on the windowsill, from the moss growing between the stones, from the very air itself.
Color returned to Tiara's pale cheeks. Her breathing deepened and steadied. The tension in her face eased as pain faded away.
"There," Kaelen said, pulling his hands back. "That should help."
