Aralyn's POV
I didn't even bother looking back at Serenessa after she disappeared behind her curtain. My hand was still aching, and still covered in blotchy brown patches that looked like they belonged to a corpse, not to someone who was supposed to be alive. And I couldn't stay in that room another second.
I slipped out quietly, hoping the door would close without making a sound. The hallway outside was as I expected, quiet and cold, which somehow made the burning in my palm even more noticeable. I cradled my hand against my chest as I walked, trying not to cry.
It was still rotting, not spreading anymore, but still… rotting away.
I needed to find Velmira. She was the only person who had been remotely helpful since I got here, so maybe she'd know what this was, maybe she could reverse it, and maybe, just maybe, she could help me get a different room.
Because there was no way I was spending another night sleeping ten feet away from Serenessa.
The problem? I had no idea where I was.
I stepped into the hallway and looked in both directions, and everything looked pretty much the same, including the corridors, and the doors that looked too identical to be helpful.
I stood still, biting my lip, and trying not to lose it. I didn't even know which direction I'd come from earlier with Velmira because my head was too foggy to remember.
My rotten hand throbbed, and a wave of tears threatened to spill over, but I swallowed them back, taking a deep breath.
"Okay," I whispered to myself. "Just walk. Someone has to be around, and someone has to know where she is."
So I started walking.
The halls were quiet, way too quiet for a place that was supposed to be full of students. Maybe everyone was in class, or maybe I'd accidentally wandered into a part of the building where I wasn't supposed to be.
Whatever the case, I kept going.
I passed tall windows with views of other wings of the academy, staircases that led who-knows-where, and doors with symbols carved into them that made no sense to me.
There was nothing familiar at all, until I saw her.
She was standing at the end of the hallway with her back turned to me, and completely focused on something in her hands.
Her hair was the first thing I noticed. It was green, long and wavy, like the color of freshly grown vines in spring.
I hesitated, unsure what to do.
She looked busy, but my hand hurt, and I didn't know where else to go.
So I swallowed my nerves and called out softly, "Um… excuse me?"
She turned slowly, and I immediately noticed something else, her ears.
They were long and pointed, just like Velmira's.
My heart skipped.
"Hi," I said quickly, stepping a little closer. "Sorry to bother you. I'm looking for someone, and her name's Velmira. She… was supposed to help me get settled here."
The girl studied me for a second, her bright green eyes scanning my face, and then dropping down to my hand.
Her expression shifted. "What happened to your hand?"
I hesitated. "It's… kind of a long story."
She raised a brow. "Is it a story that ends with you accidentally touching a cursed relic or making a blood oath?"
I blinked. "No. It ends with my roommate threatening to rot my body if I didn't leave the room."
She stared at me. "Ah, so you got assigned to Serenessa."
My jaw dropped. "You know her?"
She nodded with a sigh. "Everyone knows her. You're lucky she didn't melt your eyes off, since she's not exactly friendly."
That… was putting it mildly.
"I just want to find Velmira," I said. "She's the only person here who's been easy to talk to, and I was hoping she could help fix this—" I lifted my hand, "—and maybe help me move to another room."
The green-haired girl studied me for another moment, then gave a soft nod.
"I'm Elyra," she said. "And you're not the first person Serenessa's threatened."
"Great," I muttered. "That's so comforting."
Elyra actually smiled at that. "Come on. I'll take you to the healer first because that hand looks awful, and after that, I'll see if Velmira's around. If not, I'll leave a message for her."
Relief flooded my chest.
"Thank you," I breathed. "Seriously, thank you."
As we started walking down the hall together, I kept glancing at my hand.
The pain was dull now, but the sight of it still made me sick. I didn't even know what Serenessa had done, if it was magic, a curse, or something else entirely, but I couldn't walk around like this forever, and I couldn't stay in that room with her.
Elyra didn't say much as we walked, but her presence alone was enough to help me feel less insane. She didn't seem surprised by anything I told her, and that made me feel a little less crazy.
The walk with Elyra felt longer than it probably was, mostly because my mind wouldn't stop racing, and every step we took through the halls just reminded me how lost I was here.
We finally stopped in front of a door framed by vines, and Elyra looked over at me before gently saying, "This is the Healer's Corner."
I nodded, even though I didn't know what to expect, while Elyra pushed open the door, and I followed her inside.
The first thing I noticed?
No one here looked like me.
There were people with wings, some folded tightly behind them, and others extended lazily like they were just taking a break from flying. A few had long, pointed ears like Elyra and Velmira, and one woman who passed us was so short she barely reached my waist.
It hit me fast and hard again that I really didn't belong here, and I suddenly felt like a weed in a garden full of glowing flowers.
Still, I didn't ask questions. I wanted to, desperately in fact, but the last thing I needed was to offend someone by asking if they were part-angel or part-tree. So I kept my mouth shut, my eyes down, and followed Elyra like a scared kid on the first day of school.
She led me to a corner where a winged woman stood organizing some pale green bottles on a shelf.
The woman turned the second she saw Elyra, her gaze flicking straight to my hand.
"Serenessa?" she asked without missing a beat.
I froze. "How did you—" I started, but the woman cut me off gently, her voice calm.
"Let me see your arm."
I stepped closer and held it out slowly, watching her face for any reaction. Her eyes narrowed just slightly, like she was confirming something she already suspected.
"What's your name, child?" she asked.
"Aralyn," I said quietly.
She paused, and then frowned.
"Ahh," she said softly, almost to herself. "So it is you."
I blinked. "Wait, what does that mean?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she gently took my hand in hers, and her touch was warm, and nothing like the cold pressure I'd felt from Serenessa.
"You must be scared," she said, not unkindly. "Rot magic is not something the body welcomes, and Serenessa, well… she never did learn to temper her emotions."
"Okay, but, what do you mean it's me?" I asked again. "You said it like you knew I was coming or something."
The woman glanced at Elyra, who just gave her a small shrug, then turned back to me.
"We've been told someone would arrive soon," she said. "Someone who came through the Gate of Life."
I blinked at her, remembering the mirror. "You mean the mirror?"
She nodded once. "Only a chosen few can see it, and fewer are brought through it."
I didn't know what to say to that.
She placed both hands over mine, and a warm, tingling sensation spread through my arm. I watched in awe as the color started to slowly shift back to something closer to normal. The pain dulled, and then disappeared entirely.
"It won't heal all at once," she said. "Serenessa's spell lingers, but the damage won't spread, and you'll regain full feeling in a few hours."
"Thank you," I breathed, staring at my hand. It still looked a little discolored, but at least it didn't look like something from a horror movie anymore.
The healer stood, brushing invisible dust from her robes. "Be careful with Serenessa. She's powerful, but she's also… troubled."
"I noticed," I muttered.
Elyra chuckled softly beside me.
"Come," she said gently, "Let's go see if Velmira's around, and maybe she can help you get a new room before Serenessa decides to curse your other hand."