The infirmary smelled faintly of herbs, potions, and… smoke.
"Honestly," I muttered under my breath, hands glowing with soft green magic as I hovered them over Godric's chest, "how do you two manage to nearly kill yourselves inside the castle?"
Godric groaned from the bed. "It was a perfectly reasonable experiment—"
"You tried to outmatch Salazar in a live duel indoors," I cut in flatly. "That's not an experiment. That's stupidity with extra steps."
"Hey," Salazar snapped from the next bed, though his voice was weaker than usual, "he started it."
"I did not—"
"Enough."
My voice cracked through the room like a whip, and both of them immediately went quiet. Good. I did not have the patience today.
Beside me, Helga worked calmly, her hands glowing with a warm golden light that was far steadier than mine. Where my magic was sharp and precise, hers was gentle and nurturing, knitting wounds together with an ease I couldn't quite replicate.
"You're being a bit harsh," Helga said softly, though there was amusement in her tone.
"They blasted a hole through two corridors and nearly collapsed a support arch," I replied, not even looking up. "Harsh is appropriate."
I focused again, my vision sharpening as I activated my enhanced perception. Magic unfolded before my eyes like threads—currents of energy flowing through Godric's body, disrupted and tangled from the backlash of whatever idiotic spell he'd attempted.
There.
I adjusted my control, guiding the healing magic with precision, weaving it carefully through the damaged areas. Broken tissue began to mend, internal damage stabilizing as I corrected the flow.
"Try not to move," I said, pressing a little harder than necessary.
Godric winced. "You enjoy this, don't you?"
"Immensely."
Helga laughed quietly beside me. "You are improving, Seraphina. Your control is incredible."
"I have advantages," I replied simply, eyes still tracking the magical currents. "I can see where things go wrong. Makes fixing them easier."
Salazar huffed. "Show-off."
"Idiot," I shot back without missing a beat.
Helga moved to Salazar next, her magic flowing like sunlight as she repaired the more severe damage. I assisted, correcting smaller disruptions, stabilizing the flow where needed. Together, we worked seamlessly—her warmth balancing my precision.
After several long minutes, the worst of the injuries were gone.
I stepped back, letting my magic fade, and crossed my arms. "There. You're both alive. Try to keep it that way."
Godric sat up slowly, testing his movements. "You know, for someone so small, you're terrifying."
I raised an eyebrow. "And yet, you still managed to get yourself injured under my watch. Impressive, really."
Salazar smirked faintly. "She does have a point."
"Don't encourage her," Godric muttered.
Helga shook her head fondly. "All of you are impossible."
I turned slightly, already heading toward the door. "I have better things to do than babysit reckless idiots," I said, though there was no real bite left in my tone.
As I reached the doorway, I paused for just a second.
"…Try not to destroy my castle next time," I added without turning around.
Godric laughed. Salazar scoffed. Helga smiled.
And just like that, things felt… normal again.
I exhaled quietly as I stepped into the corridor, already thinking about my next experiment—about my lab, my research…
…and, briefly, about Luna.
Then I shook my head.
"Focus," I muttered, disappearing down the hall.