"We're going to have to start making you practice with Uther instead, Beck," Mireen says, moving closer to inspect my wound. As she bends down, something small and gray peeks out from her pocket, whiskers twitching. She casually tucks it back in with practiced ease, not missing a beat. "I think you've drawn enough blood for one day."

Ollie dips closer to my wound, his liquid body rippling with concern.

Beck looks genuinely distraught, his sandy hair falling across his eyes as he shakes his head. His massive bear elemental Uther materializes behind him, mimicking Beck's posture of contrition. "Fucking hell, I'm sorry, Nessa. You're so damn slippery and fast. I think I was swinging harder than I realized just trying to catch you before you could dodge, and⁠—"

"It's not as bad as it looks," I lie. The pain screams otherwise.

Ambrose adjusts his glasses with a professorial air. "Technically, practice blades can develop burrs if they're used enough. You probably caught her with a worn edge."

His water hawk Akaron perches on his shoulder, head tilted as if examining my wound from a distance. Like many of the elementals, Akaron has grown more substantial over the months, his watery form more detailed, more predatory. The temperament matches Ambrose's increasingly analytical approach to everything around him.

"Hmm," Ambrose continues, suddenly intrigued. He takes my arm gently, turning it to examine the cut. "The blade created a perfect bisection of the dermal layer, but the subdermal tissues remain largely intact. That's good."

I pull my arm back. "Glad my pain is academically stimulating."

"Sorry," he mumbles. "I've been doing some extra studying on anatomy and your wound is more informative than the sketches in my books." He takes a step back, but his eyes don't leave my wound.

A burning sensation spreads through my arm. Not just pain—something else. Heat flowing beneath my skin, gathering at the injury site.

"Interesting, angry human," Typhon's voice rumbles through my mind.

"What?" I wince as the burning intensifies. It feels like someone is holding dozens of candle flames just beneath my arm and they're inching closer. It's nearly unbearable, but...

"Look at your arm."

I pull my hand away from the cut. Instead of a gaping wound, I see the edges of my skin knitting together before my eyes. The blood flow slows, then stops. Within seconds, the only evidence of the injury is a thin white line and the blood already spilled.

"What the..." My voice trails off as I stare at my arm in disbelief.

My friends fall silent, all eyes locked on the miracle happening before them. Even their elementals freeze, sensing the significance of what they're witnessing.

"Did you just..." Mireen's voice is barely above a whisper. "Did Typhon do that? You said he healed Raith during Confluence day, right?”

I touch the newly healed skin, the phantom pain already fading. "I don't know."