Chapter 93: Lesson: Healing Magic
Alan sat stiffly on the plush, overstuffed couch in the home of Steven Crowley, the former Hand of Light. The room was warm and inviting, yet the atmosphere was tinged with an air of quiet tension. Beside him, Sere carefully unwrapped the bandages from his right arm, her hands moving with practiced precision. Crowley stood nearby, his eyes watching every movement with the trained attentiveness of someone long accustomed to tending wounds and offering aid.
As the last layer of bandages came away, Alan’s arm was fully exposed to the open air, and he grimaced slightly as a faint sting spread across his skin. Crowley’s brows furrowed as he stepped closer, his expression softening with both concern and calculation. Alan’s arm was an angry shade of red, the skin raw and irritated, with patches beginning to peel. It had the unmistakable look of an acid induced burn.
He couldn’t help but wince inwardly at the state of Alan’s arm. While the injury looked painful and unsightly, his years of experience with healing magic and treating wounds told him it wasn’t as bad as it appeared. As a former priest who had worked side-by-side with other healers at the local hospital, Crowley had seen far worse—grievous injuries from accidents, burns from uncontrolled spellcasting, and scars left by the recklessness of youth. Compared to those, this was manageable.
Crowley: “By the light. Boy, what did you do to your arm? Did you stick it in a vat of acid?”
Alan: “Kinda? Um, I’m not sure if I can say exactly what happened.”
Crowley: “Ugh, you university wizards and your secrets. Never want to reveal your experiments you’ve been working to your doctors or healers. Even though it makes it harder to treat you.”
Alan: “I, um, already got treated by the doctor at the hospital.”
Sere: “The doctor recommended regular application of healing to help speed up the recovery process. I’ve been applying it to my friend for a few days now. I was hoping you could tell me if I have been going about this right.”
Crowley: “Well, how about you start applying some healing magic to the wound and we’ll go from there.”