Uzi drifted off sometime after Dr. Voss dimmed the lights and threatened to sedate him if he tried sitting up again. Sleep came heavy; dreamless; the kind that stitches wounds in the dark.
When he opened his eyes again; morning light slanted through the shutters in bright bars. The old man in the next bed was gone; the flowers remained; scent softer now; almost bearable.
Dr. Voss stood three beds over; bent over a sailor whose leg was wrapped in glowing bandages. She adjusted a dial on a humming device; blue light pulsed across the man's skin.
Uzi pushed up carefully; the shoulder protested but obeyed. "Doc. Kael; the guy who came in with me. Where is he?"
She didn't look up right away. "One minute;" she squeaked; voice muffled behind her mask. She finished calibrating the device; patted the sailor's good knee; and pulled the curtain around him.
Only then did she turn; peeling off gloves as she crossed the ward. Without a word she stepped out the door. Thirty seconds later she returned; a small envelope pinched between two fingers.
"This came for you an hour ago;" she said; handing it over. "From your friend. He's already discharged himself; typical male nonsense; but he left this at the desk. Woke up two weeks back; same day he scribbled this out and hit the post office across the way. Left town that afternoon; haven't seen him since."
The envelope was rough paper; sealed with a smear of orange wax. A single word was scratched on the front in sharp; slanted handwriting: Uzi.
Dr. Voss folded her arms; stubborn curiosity burning behind her glasses. "Well? Open it. I'm off shift in ten minutes; and I'm not leaving until I know he didn't abscond with hospital property."
Uzi broke the seal. Inside was a folded sheet and something small wrapped in cloth. The note was short; but raw; written in Kael's own hand: Uzi;
You didnt need to write it twice, but, I guess to make sure. The thought is Uzi's mind would piss him off toamrrow morning for being rude.
Thanks for pulling my ass out of that fire. You saved my life back there; no two ways about it. I'm a thief; always have been. Needed the coin to bust my brother out; he's rotting in some hellhole called the Pocket. Dictatorship run by shadows; no one knows who's pulling the strings. I've got to train; get strong enough to break in and drag him out.
Some bastard tossed me like trash into the middle of nowhere; left me for dead. I scraped by; found that poison knight lurking in the woods. Thought killing it would toughen me up; prove I could handle what's coming. Failed bad; nearly got shredded. Then you dropped in; turned the tide.
Headed north to grind. If you're reading this; you're alive. Good. Debt's mine now. Find me if you need payback ; Kael
The cloth held a single bullet; glowing faintly yellow; the same color as the rounds he used to form his rifle.
Uzi stared at the page; piecing it together. The toss into nowhere; that had Rathra's stink all over it; or one of his crew. The Pocket; Solus's prison state? It fits. Guilt twisted in his gut; Kael had been collateral in Rathra's chaos; just like him. But the thanks; the debt; the brother... Uzi didn't know what to think.
Uzi folded the letter slowly; the paper crinkled loud in the quiet ward.
I need to get stronger too; he thought; the bullet warm in his palm like a tiny heartbeat.
Dr. Voss cleared her throat; arms still crossed; one foot tapping. "You know; I really need to know. I watched your bones literally stitch themselves together last night; fractures aligning like someone hit rewind. If you won't tell me how you got carved up like that; fine. But at least explain the healing. That's not normal; not even for mana-enhanced tissue."
Uzi exhaled through his nose; long and tired. The room smelled of antiseptic and those cloying flowers. What was the point of hiding pieces anymore?
"Alright," he muttered. "Why not."
He kept the god part locked tight; no halo; no Otherworld; no Rathra dropping him like trash. Instead he started where the lie could feel like the truth.
"Old man out there; Guntic; found me half-dead on the road. The whole forest was burning behind me; smoke everywhere. I'd already been stabbed; shoulder through to hip. Guntic patched what he could and dragged me into the wagon."
Dr. Voss's eyebrows climbed higher; but she stayed quiet; listening.
"Then we heard screaming. A guy named Kael was fighting something; a big knight made of living poison. Armor dripped acid; every touch ate flesh. Kael was losing badly. I jumped in; got slashed again; foot crushed; knuckles burned to the bone. Thought I was done.",
He lifted his scarred hand; turned it in the light.
"My power's called holy magic. It purifies anything it touches; burns out poison; seals wounds. Works on me too; just... slower than it used to. That's why the bones knit; why the poison didn't finish me. It's automatic; I don't even have to think about it most of the time. Just not fast enough to keep up with everything trying to kill me lately."
Dr. Voss stared; mouth slightly open behind her glasses. Then she snapped the clipboard up like a shield; scribbling furiously.
"Holy magic... self-directed purification field... accelerated osteogenesis... of course; that explains the anomalous enzyme spikes and the residual light signature in your bloodwork." She looked up; eyes shining with pure nerdy hunger. "Can you show me? Just a little glow? For science?"
Uzi gave a tired half-laugh. "Maybe later. Right now I need clothes; boots; and a way north."
She deflated a little; but the caring side won out. "Fine. But you're eating first; then I'm running one more scan. And if you tear those sutures chasing strength; I will sedate you and bill you for the drugs. Understood?"
Uzi nodded; already swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.
"Understood."
Four more days of bed rest; needles; scans; and Dr. Voss's endless questions. By the end his shoulder only ached when it rained; the foot splint was gone; the scar from shoulder to hip had faded to a thin silver lightning bolt.
Uzi swung his legs off the bed for good this time; no dizziness; no stab of pain. He shuffled to the window and pushed the shutters wide.
Mandalo spilled down the hillside like someone had spilled a painter's box: white walls blazing in the sun; windows and doors painted cobalt and turquoise; roofs a riot of orange tile that glowed like embers against the sea. Fishing boats bobbed in the harbor far below; gulls wheeled white against the sky. In the center of town sat a wide, flat plaza paved in pale stone; market stalls already setting up; bright awnings snapping in the breeze.
It was gorgeous. For the first time since falling; Uzi felt something lighter than guilt in his chest.
He turned to grab the small pile of folded clothes Mara the baker had brought yesterday; ready to thank Dr. Voss and slip out before anyone noticed.
Dr. Voss noticed. She was waiting by the door; arms crossed; clipboard tapping against her thigh.
"Going somewhere?" she squeaked; one eyebrow arched so high it nearly vanished into her hair.
Uzi offered a sheepish grin. "You saved my life. Thank you; seriously. I owe you more than I can say."
"Perfect segue," she said sweetly; stepping fully into the doorway so he couldn't edge past. "Because healthcare in Mandalo isn't free; darling. Your bill currently sits at fourteen thousand six hundred and thirty-two crescents. That includes the mana-infusions; the imaging; the yellow-coat who cried when you almost tore your stitches; everything."
Uzi's stomach dropped straight through the floor. "Fourteen thousand... I don't have a single coin."
"I assumed," she said; smile turning wickedly cheerful. "Which is why you're on dish duty; laundry rotation; and mopping the ward every night for the next six months. Congratulations; welcome to indentured employment!"
Uzi opened his mouth; closed it; opened it again. "I... okay; fine. Chores. I'll pay it off."
Before he could sink into despair; the door behind Dr. Voss creaked wider. Guntic leaned in; cane in one hand; a fat leather pouch in the other.
"Or," the old man drawled; "you come with me instead."
He stepped inside; tossed the pouch onto the bed. It landed with a heavy clink.
"I'll cover the whole bill right now," Guntic said; eyes locked on Uzi. "If you help me with something. An old friend of mine; name's Rowan, got trapped in the burned section of the forest west of the Imperial ruins. He's got communication magic; barely scraped together enough mana to send me one message: a location pin and the word help. That was five days ago. Radio silence since."
Guntic's knuckles whitened around the cane. "The place is crawling with leftover war beasts; poison pockets; collapsing float-stone. I'm too old to go alone; and I'm not sending hired mercs who'll loot his corpse instead of saving him. You owe me a life debt anyway; kid. Help me bring Rowan home; bill's paid; clean slate. What do you say?"
Dr. Voss glanced between them; lips pursed; then stepped aside with an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. But if he rips those scars open again; I'm billing both of you double."
Uzi looked at the pouch; at the orange roofs outside; at Guntic's steady; waiting eyes.
The teardrop brand on his arm gave a single, warm pulse.
"I'm in," Uzi said. "When do we leave?"
Guntic's grin was small; tired; relieved. "The boat leaves at dawn. Pack light; bring that holy light of yours. We're going to need it."