Chapter 216: A new home
Damon grinned despite himself. "Now that’s the stubborn old man I know."
Sylvara let out a choked laugh that sounded suspiciously like a sob. She quickly wiped her cheeks, nodding rapidly. "Thank you. Thank you," she whispered.
Damon uncorked the vial with a soft pop. Carefully, he tilted it and let three shimmering drops fall into Artimius’s mouth. The old man’s lips moved as if tasting thunder.
Then Damon lowered the rest of the vial to Artimius’s chest, just over his sternum. As soon as the liquid touched skin, it evaporated into threads of pure light and slipped beneath the surface, vanishing like mist into dry earth.
The change was instant.
Runes not of any earthly language flared across Artimius’s chest and arms, burning white one moment, then deep gold the next. Damon could feel something rippling outward from the old man’s body.
Artimius arched, his eyes rolling back for a second as golden filaments laced through his aura. His body trembled. But this time, it wasn’t death clawing at him. It was life, dragged back from the edge and stitched into place with ancient threads.
After what felt like an eternity held in a single breath, Artimius slowly opened his eyes. Not pale. Not glazed.
Clear. Focused. Alive.