The clearing had been turned into a workshop.
Mira's tools lay scattered across a tarp, vials of herbs glowing faintly in the firelight. Strange metal coils hummed where she had engraved runes into their surface, and wires twisted like vines between glass jars filled with alchemical mixtures.
Jane crouched beside her, watching intently as Mira tightened one final seal. The device pulsed with a low thrum, neither wholly mechanical nor magical—a hybrid of both.
"This shouldn't work," Mira muttered, wiping sweat from her brow. "But desperate times."
"It will," Jane said quietly. She pressed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, then glanced toward Levi.
The demon queen lay on a bed of cloaks, her black wings spread across the grass like fallen banners. Her hair was still streaked with white, her skin pale. But her golden eyes flickered faintly, waiting.
Mira positioned the device near Levi's chest. "The spell-runes will stabilize her energy. But someone needs to guide it through her body, or it'll tear her apart."
Jane's heart thudded. "I'll do it."
"Jane—" Mira started.
"I said I'll do it," Jane repeated, sharper this time. She flexed her robot arm, the faint hum of gears answering her resolve.
Levi's gaze found hers. "You risk much, little witch."
Jane shook her head. "Not compared to you."
Mira gave a final nod. "All right. Place your hand here." She pointed to a glowing rune etched into the device.
Jane pressed her metal palm against it. Immediately, the machine lit up, runes blazing bright red and blue. A surge of warmth flowed up her arm, mixing with the gentle tug of her own magic. It felt… alive.
She exhaled slowly, guiding the energy the way she would mend a cut—except this was no cut. This was a storm.
The current spread from the device into Levi, tracing along her chest, her wings, her horns. Her body shuddered, but the energy held steady, drawn and shaped by Jane's will.
"Easy," Jane whispered, focusing. "Just breathe with me."
Levi's golden eyes locked on her, steady despite the pain. She breathed when Jane told her to, followed the rhythm as if trusting her completely.
The white streaks in Levi's hair darkened. The faint cracks of light along her horns sealed shut. Her wings twitched, feathers trembling with life.
Then, with a sudden rush, the glow subsided. The machine dimmed, the runes fading into silence.
Levi sat up slowly, her strength returning faster than anyone had dared hope.
The group stared in stunned silence.
"That's… not possible," Harrow muttered, eyes wide. "She should've needed weeks to recover."
Mira looked from the device to Jane, then to Levi, her voice hushed. "It worked. But only because you two were in sync. The machine stabilized her, but you guided it perfectly, Jane. No one else could've done that."
Jane swallowed, suddenly aware of the way Levi's hand still rested over hers, warm even against metal.
Levi's golden eyes lingered on her, unreadable—but softer than Jane had ever seen. "You are full of surprises, little witch."
Jane flushed, pulling her hand back quickly, adjusting her glasses to hide her expression. "You needed help. That's all."
But deep down, she knew it wasn't just help. It was something more.
The fire crackled, shadows stretching long across the clearing. For the first time since the escape, Levi sat tall again, wings folding neatly behind her, her strength renewed.
And though no one spoke it aloud, they all felt the same truth: the bond between the witch and the queen had become something unbreakable.
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