Chapter 6: Magic
Leon's legs wobbled as he followed Saria out of the chamber, his mind still reeling from the ritual that had broken her curse.
The memory of her lips, her intense gaze, and the surge of magic that followed made his face burn and his heart race.
The inky energy from the goblin's death and the Solberry's warmth lingered in his chest, a strange cocktail of power and nausea.
He was a healer now, apparently, but the cost—killing a monster and... that with Saria—left him feeling like he'd been thrown into the deep end of a pool with no idea how to swim.
I'm still in way over my head, he thought, clutching the dagger Saria had returned to him, its weight a grim reminder of what he'd done.
Saria led the way through a heavy wooden door, her black ponytail swaying with her steady strides.
Her face remained an unyielding mask, her dark eyes fixed ahead, as if the intimate ritual hadn't fazed her at all.
Leon envied her composure; his hands were still shaking, and he couldn't stop glancing at her, his brain stuck on the image of her kneeling before him.
Focus, idiot, he scolded himself, shoving the dagger into his belt.