Intertwined

Chapter 8 | Alive

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Chapter 8: Alive

When Lance woke up alive in a hospital ward, he was fuming. Someone had tried to kill him and nearly succeeded. Of course, Lance wasn’t quite sure what exactly he was angry at – the fact that the assassin had gotten close to killing him and wounded his pride, or that he had been careless in letting someone get that close.

Yes, you’re getting careless. You must be slacking, Dark commented in his head. On a typical day, Lance would have been very annoyed to hear something like this from his mentor, but today, he was forced to agree. He had, after all, nearly died from the poison on the blade.

He sat up. The pain was entirely gone. Lance frowned, reaching a hand up to his neck. He felt a thin scar where the wound had been. A Healer had probably healed it.

“Where is Niko?” he asked to no one in particular.

From where she was curled up on a couch, Jade looked up. “Hi,” she said shyly. Lance noticed that she had been reading the book of legends, Fates Intertwined. He wondered how the book had survived for so long, what with so many seeking it out. “Niko went out to get us lunch. He’s going to be testing me on this again,” she groaned.

“Why? What is going on? How long have I been out?”

“Three days?”

Lance resisted the urge to utter a foul word. That was before he saw what he was wearing. “What in the- ”

By the time Niko returned with lunch, Lance was in an even fouler mood. He had caught up on what he had missed out on in the three days he spent in the healing facility’s deep healing slumber. Jade had a lot of updates for him. Apparently, she had been learning more about Aviasce, his home realm, and their legends, including that of the seven realms and the three keepers. Niko had tried to teach her how to fight, but failed – Jade had kneed him in the balls and ran off laughing after he disarmed her, much to the amusement of his girlfriend, Kara, whom she had also met. Kara was human, like her.

Niko had also taken Jade back to the human realm, to see her family. They were doing well; they were living happily in a countryside mansion, with a new puppy, albeit having entirely no memories of her.

“I guess it’s better for them this way,” Jade had told him wistfully. “I’m adjusting to the life here, though. Niko told me I have this sort of internal system which deals with shock that’s helping me not to get too overwhelmed by all this, which explains why I don’t feel as confused, shocked or scared by Aviasce now. According to him, usually only you avia, the titanus and the sierens have this mental shock-absorbing system, but he thinks it’s because I’m an arrèdulenn.” She’d even learnt to pronounce it right.

 Jade seemed to have accepted the fact that she was possibly a Keeper, and that she was needed unless the tests proved negative. Of course, if she really was an arrèdulenn, it would mean she had vast powers insurmountable to him, fueled by the old magic of the realm. Lance did not like the thought of that. He did not like the thought of someone being more powerful than him at all.

“Where are my clothes?” Lance exploded as Niko walked in.

Jade giggled. “He refused to get out of bed because he is embarrassed to be found wearing a hospital gown,” she told Niko. Jade turned to Lance. “You’re so vain, for a guy.” Lance glared back at her and pulled the covers higher up so that only his eyes peeked out. He knew this was childish, and heavens forbid anyone hear him admit this, but he was, indeed, vain.