Chapter 49: Game
The small boat rocked gently over the black, toxic water, an eerie silence stretching across the endless dark waves.
The island, drifted further and further away, as if it were alive, teasing them, refusing to let them reach it.
Nely knelt at the center of the boat, her hands pressed against the wooden planks. Thin wisps of her Neba flickered at her fingertips, glowing faintly as she worked to reinforce the structure, trying to make the vessel sturdier, more resistant.
The effort took a toll, though, her Neba reserves weren't limitless.
Just as she was about to push more of her Neba into the boat, a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
"Hold on."
She turned, startled, to find Ned crouching beside her. "What are you doing?" Nely asked, furrowing her brows.
"Saving you some energy."
Before she could protest, a soft, green glow radiated from his hands as he pressed them against the wooden surface. The planks beneath them shimmered, the cracks sealing themselves, the weakened parts of the boat strengthening as if they were alive.
Nely's eyes widened. "You—"
"My ability is healing," Ned explained, glancing at her with a smug grin. "And not just for people. Anything that was once whole, I can restore. Even something like this." He tapped the boat lightly, and the very air around them seemed to hum in response.