"Where do you think he came from?"
Matilda asked . She kept her eyes fixed on the unconscious man lying on the bed, her brow furrowed. She studied the bruises on his skin and the way his chest barely moved.
Isa chewed on her fingernails, her heel thumping against the floorboards. "I told you, Grandma. I found him at the bottom of the river." She stopped pacing and looked at the older woman with desperate eyes. "I don't know who he is. I just want to know, can we save him?"
The room went silent for a while before grandma Rose tapped her stick against the ground, a sign that her mind was made up.
"We shouldn't interfere, Isa," Rose said coldly.
"Grandma!" Isa's voice cracked. "We can't just throw him out! He is unconscious. If we leave him, he's a dead man. What kind of people do that make us?"
"We are people who survive," Rose snapped back.
She pointed her stick at the man's mangled side.
"Look at those wounds. They are fatal. He is already a ghost; he just hasn't stopped breathing yet. Why waste our magic on a man who is already gone? He is not our responsibility "
"He is my responsibility because I chose to save him!" Isa snapped. She glanced at the man on the bed, her heart racing. "And he is not a dead man."
But looking at him, she wasn't so sure.
He was as pale as bone. His breathing was so shallow, it barely moved his chest. Every few seconds, the sound of his blood hitting the floor made a drip drip sound.
She turned back to her grandmother, her voice softening.
"You were the one who taught me that every life matters," Isa whispered. "If there is even a small chance to save him, shouldn't we try?"
Rose looked at the stranger, then back at Isa. The hardness in her face began to melt. She leaned on her staff and sighed.
"There is no guarantee, child," Rose said quietly.
She looked over at Matilda, who was already reaching for her medical herbs. "Your grandmother Matilda and I are old. Even if we combine our healing magic, it might not be enough to mend a body this broken. But..." Rose paused, watching the man's faint struggle for breath. "We can try."
"I will use my blood magic. I can heal him with it."
The air in the room turned cold. Both grandmothers froze, their faces turning pale with fear.
Rose was the first to find her voice. "Have you no regard for your life?" she hissed, her hands shaking.
"Have you forgotten what happened three years ago? You played with that forbidden power and nearly died. You could have been gone, Isadora!"
Isadora looked down, chewing on her lower lip. She knew her grandmother was right, but the words stuck in her throat.
She knew the laws of the Nine Kingdoms. Each of the nine kingdoms had people who had special magic. But across all nine lands, there was one golden rule:
No one should have the powers of the rare and forbidden four dark magic
And she just happen to have one of them
The blood magic
Anyone caught using it wasn't just a criminal; they became a target. If one of the nine kingdoms found out what she was, they wouldn't just arrest her. They would hunt her down until there was nothing left.
"I know, Grandma," Isadora whispered, her voice trembling. "I know the risk."
"Nine years ago, I lost my daughter, your mother," Rose said, stepping closer. Her voice filled with pain. "And three years ago, I almost lost you, too. If your sister Amelia hadn't rescued you, and if I hadn't been at that river waiting, you would be dead right now."
Rose grabbed Isa's shoulders, her eyes searching Isa's face. "Your gift is special, child. But the world doesn't see it that way. They never will. You cannot show them this magic. You cannot use it to help anyone."
"But Grandma..." Isa's voice was small. She looked at the dying man. "Are we just supposed to watch him die?"
"You don't even know him, Isa!" Rose snapped, getting more frustrated . "Matilda and I will try our best. We will use our magic to save him. But you? You must never use your blood magic. Ever."
Matilda nodded slowly. "I agree with Rose. We are old, but our magic still has power. We can save him, or at least try. Rest now, Isa. Let us handle this."
Isadora looked from Matilda back to Rose. She saw the fear in their eyes and knew she couldn't win this fight. She nodded silently, not wanting to upset them anymore, and walked out of the room.
Inside her own bedroom, she sat on the edge of her bed. The light of the full moon entered through the window, turning everything silver. She looked down at her hands.
She thought of the man downstairs, bleeding out in the dark. Slowly, she clenched her hands into tight fists.
Isadora hadn't used her blood magic in the village for three years. The only place she felt safe was the Northern Spring, where she used her power to play with the river sprites.
She remembered the day she escaped her kingdom Nabeera. She had used her forbidden magic to save her sister, Amelia, and had barely escaped with her life. Her own father, King Amethyst, had branded her a monster. He sent word to all nine kingdoms: An evil blood witch is on the loose.
Soon after, the Red Crows were released. Those magical birds were hunters. They could smell blood magic from miles away and report back to the King's men.
The crows stayed away from the Northern Spring because they were scared of the sprites. That was the only reason she could use her powers there.
Even though she hadn't seen a Red Crow in over a year, she still felt their eyes on her. She had to keep her secret buried deep.
"Curse these powers!" she groaned. She collapsed on her bed and stared at the dark ceiling.
Her body hurt. She had spent the entire day carrying bricks and climbing mountain paths. She was stronger than most, but she was still human. She was exhausted, but her mind wouldn't stop racing.
How could she sleep when a man was dying downstairs and she had the one power that could save him?
Isa eventually fell asleep. But the next morning, her body moved by habit. She woke up before the sun, bathed quickly, and pulled on her work clothes.
"Grandma Rose! Grandma Matilda! I'm heading out to work!" she called out. She sat on a wooden bench, pulling the leather laces of her boots tight.
Matilda rushed into the room, looking confused. "Work?"
"Yes, work," Isa said. She grabbed her gear, neatly packed in a cloth wrap and swung it over her shoulder. "Winter is coming. The mountain paths will get dangerous, and food will be hard to find. We need to save up now. I will be back before sunset."
She gave a casual wave and turned toward the door. She was ready to face the mountain air, but Matilda's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"There is no work today, Isadora. Have you forgotten?"
Isa paused, her hand on the doorframe.
"You came home yesterday and said you were paid well," Matilda reminded her, crossing her arms. "You said you earned enough coins to rest for the rest of the week.
Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
As soon as her grandmother spoke, Isadora's face fell.
She let out a low groan and rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit foolish. She dropped the bundle from her shoulder, and it hit the floor.
"I am so used to working every day," she said with a small, embarrassed smile. "It is just a habit now. I will stay. We can spend the day together..."
Suddenly, Isa's smile vanished. Her heart gave a little thump as she remembered.
"Grandma... the man from yesterday. Is he...?"
"He is awake!" Rose called out, standing in front of the door.
Isa's eyes snapped toward Rose. "He is?"
"Come and see for yourself," Rose replied.
Isa looked at Matilda, who nodded with a warm smile. She instantly felt relived. She hadn't realized how tightly she had been holding her breath.
It wasn't just about kindness. If the stranger had died, it would be impossible to explain his body to the village authorities. A dead man in her house meant questions and questions led to secrets being uncovered.
She didn't need any more problems.
"I will go see him," Isa said. She didn't wait for an answer before rushing past her grandmothers.
She walked down the corridor toward the guest room. But as she reached the door, she stopped. Her heart was suddenly beating fast. She felt nervous, though she couldn't explain why.
The door was slightly open. She raised her hand to knock, but she hesitated. Her fingers hovered in the air for a second before she slowly lowered them.
She pushed the door open just a bit. A gust of cold air rushed out to meet her. This room was always the coldest in the house because it sat right above a small, rushing stream.
Isa stepped inside. Her movements were slow and cautious. She kept her head bowed at first, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Then, slowly, she looked up.
The man was sitting up. He leaned his back against the stone wall, his head lowered down.
The morning sun came through the window, hitting him directly. The light shined on the stray hairs on his head and the pale skin of his shoulders. He looked like a statue carved from light and shadow.
Isa took a small step forward, her eyes wide. She couldn't look away.
"H…hello," she stammered. Her voice felt thin in the cold room.
The man didn't move at first. Then, after a few long seconds, he slowly lifted his head.
Isadora's breath hitched. Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. She had never seen anything like him.
His long, jet-black hair fell across his face in messy waves. Even with his skin so pale and a few bruises on his cheeks, he didn't look human. He looked like a masterpiece. Every line of his face from his straight nose to the curve of his jaw was perfect.
But it was his eyes that truly shook her. They were piercing silver. They were so bright and calm that it felt like he was looking directly into her soul.
Usually, Isa could read people easily. She could see their kindness or their greed just by looking at them. But this man was a blank page. His face was cold and empty of emotion. He looked like an angel who had lost his way and tumbled down to earth.
Isa felt a bead of sweat roll down her forehead. Her breathing became shallow as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
And then, it happened.
Something she had never felt before.
Something strange and impossible.
Her heart skipped a beat.