Chapter 33: The King’s Memory
The morning after Hollowbridge reeked of ash and spores.
Elric knelt beside a young boy they found hidden in the bell tower—half-conscious, body tangled in creeping vines, eyes glazed with infection.
"Rootblight," Elric muttered. "It's spreading through breath now."
Keera backed off, shielding her face. "Is that contagious?"
"Not if I burn it out in time."
Elric unrolled his medical kit. Dried silverleaf, serpent's extract, and a small syringe filled with anti-curse serum he'd brewed weeks ago—intended for monsters, not children.
Lira hovered nearby. "You sure that won't melt his veins?"
"Only if I miss," Elric replied, drawing the dose.
He injected the serum directly into the boy's neck vein. The kid jolted—screamed. Vines pulsed red, then cracked like burned rope. Elric slammed a sealing sigil on the chest, locking the infection under the skin.
The boy breathed. Shallow, but real.
"Still think I'm just a third-rate doctor?" Elric smirked.