The first attempt took three hours. Aria and Ezra worked in perfect synchronization, their healing lights interweaving as they guided the stolen gift back into its rightful owner. The pathways resisted, scarred and damaged, but Aria was patient. Gentle. Persistent.
Gradually, impossibly, the gift began to settle back into place. Not perfectly. There was scarring that would never fully heal. But present. Functional.
When the young man opened his eyes and created a small flame in his palm, his pyrokinetic gift restored, he wept openly.
"Thank you," he said through tears. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Aria felt her own tears falling. This never got old. The moment when someone reclaimed a piece of themselves they had thought lost forever.
The second restoration was more difficult. The pathways were more damaged, the gift more complex. They worked for five hours, pushing the limits of Aria's endurance. Several times they had to stop and rest before continuing.
