"She is bound to an ancient," Ambrose notes. "I guess it would be disappointing if that didn’t come with some perks.”

"Typhon can heal her?" Beck whispers, voice laced with awe.

“Was that you, Typhon?” I ask him, even though I already feel like I know the answer.

“No. That was you. It means your unbound power has finally manifested,” Typhon's mental voice carries a weight of significance. "The ability to mend. To heal. This is rare and valuable beyond measure. I suppose it is no surprise, as the four-eyed one states. I, too, have some ability to heal, as you saw on Confluence Day."

"How rare?" I ask in my mind, unable to tear my eyes from the seamless skin where a bleeding wound had been seconds before.

"Among the four base affinities? It is unheard of. True healing—not just accelerating natural processes but actually remaking that which is broken—it is a power that even kings would kill to possess. It is sought after more than the ability to call down pillars of fire or raise mountains."

My mouth goes dry. Just what I need—one more reason for people to come after me. One more target painted on my back.

Beck leans closer. “So… can Typhon heal me, too? Because I’ve got this thing on my back I think might be infected. Maybe he could take a look.”

“Shut up, Beck,” Mireen says.

My heart races with anxiety. This is dangerous—too many people seeing something they shouldn't, asking questions I can't answer. They are all my friends, but ever since my conversation with Voss, I can't ever fully shake the fear that anybody could be a siphon in disguise.

"Typhon, what do I do? They can't know what I am."

"Tell them it was me. They want to believe you are one of them. It is the simplest explanation, and humans love simple explanations for complex truths."

"It’s like nothing ever happened," Beck says, reaching for my arm to examine it. His fingers are surprisingly gentle for someone so large. "No scar. Just… nothing."

I put on a smile. "Typhon said it was him. He just thought the wound look bad enough to justify it. I guess he doesn’t mind letting me suffer small scrapes and bruises, though.”

Mireen shakes her head slowly, as if still in awe. "That's... incredible, Nessa. Do you think he could heal others, or just yourself?"

"Could I heal others?" I ask Typhon through the tether.

"In time, with practice," Typhon confirms. "Even now, perhaps, though it would cost you more. You do not just command the flesh to mend—you reforge it with your own essence. It is not without price."

"What price?"