LEXI
I eagerly wait to hear if Layla is going to let me learn something new today. I can’t sit still properly. My fingers keep tapping the edge of my textbook and I have to keep forcing myself to stop because I’m probably going to drive her insane.
“Alright, let’s do it. You’re lucky I had a lot of paperwork to do earlier today.” She informs me, like she’s doing me a favour, which she is, but she looks amused too. Then she holds up her left hand. It takes me a second to even spot it. The papercut is tiny. Barely visible unless
you know exactly where to look. A thin little line, shallow and neat, like the paper only just kissed her skin. It looks like nothing. But I’ve
been reading. And the second I see that faint red line, my brain immediately does that annoying thing where it starts listing everything
that could possibly go wrong. Open wound. Contamination risk. Cleaning first, then healing. Do NOT seal anything before you’re sure it’s
clean. It feels almost ridiculous that something so small could be more complicated than a bruise, but that’s exactly what the book said. Bruises are contained. Cuts aren’t. Before she can even say anything else, the concern bubbles out of me.
“I thought you told me that healing other people is WAY more risky.” I say, squinting at her finger like it’s about to leap off her hand and
attack me.
“Are you seriously going to let me try to do a spell on you? You barely agreed to let me try to heal a bruise on Blake who was a totally
willing volunteer. Plus I never actually did it either.” I inform her. Layla’s expression doesn’t change much, she just gives a slow,
approving nod, like she’s pleased I’m taking this seriously.
“That is true. It is significantly more dangerous.” She agrees. My stomach dips.
“But… It’s mostly dangerous if the person healing is careless. And you’ve proven you’re not careless.” She continues smoothly, not letting me spiral. That… Helps. A little. I still feel like the stakes just doubled.
“Besides, I like to think I’m competent enough to heal any damage you might cause if you make a mistake.” She adds, lifting her brows
slightly. I make a face.
“That is not comforting.” I tell her flatly. Layla snorts softly.
“Don’t stress about it too much.” She says. Then she pauses, like she’s reconsidering her own sentence.
“Well, maybe a little. A bit of anxiety is a good thing. It keeps you cautious. It keeps you focused. It prevents complacency.” She amends. I actually smile at that, because she’s right. Being told I shouldn’t be nervous would make me feel worse, not better. Like there’s something
wrong with me for feeling it.
“In that case, YAY! This is exciting.” I say brightly. Layla laughs under her breath, shaking her head like she can’t decide if I’m adorable
or exhausting.
“Alright, alright.” She says,
“Since you’ve been reading ahead, I assume you already read the section on healing small cuts and wounds?” She asks. I nod quickly.
O
1/3
15:01 Tue, Mar 31
Chapter 78 78- Do Not Forget Dragons Love To Show Off Their Scars
Probably too quickly. I can’t help it, I want to prove I’m ready.
“Great.” Her tone shifts into tutor mode.
ค (52)
“In that case, tell me, what’s the biggest difference between healing a bruise and healing a cut?” She prompts. I clear my throat and try to
sound calm instead of like I’m about to sit an exam.
“A cut is an open wound. So it needs to be totally clean or there could be an infection. If it’s been open for a while, it could already be infected, and then that would need to be cleaned and treated first. Also… It includes healing damage to the skin itself, not just the capillaries below it.” I answer, more confidently than I feel. Layla’s smile widens immediately.
“Exactly right.” She tells me. And the way she says it, like she means it, makes my chest go a little warm with relief and pride all at once.
We spend the next fifteen minutes or so discussing the intricacies of cleaning impurities, dirt and debris out of an open wound. Layla is very clear that I am nowhere near ready to deal with infections yet, that’s apparently a whole separate layer of complexity involving identifying what kind of infection it is and treating it properly before even attempting to close anything. So we’re staying firmly in ‘small
wound‘ territory for now. She defines it carefully.
“A small wound is any cut or scrape you could reasonably treat with a bandage or a plaster. If a human doctor would recommend stitches, it’s no longer small. And if there’s significant tearing, depth, or contamination, that’s also beyond beginner work.” She explains. That’s straightforward enough. Clear boundaries. I like clear boundaries. Then she moves on to the order of operations, which she makes me
repeat back to her twice.
“Step one.” She says, holding up a finger.
“Assess. Check the depth, contamination and surrounding tissue.” I recite.
“Good. Step two?” She asks.
“Clean the wound. Remove dirt, debris, foreign material. Make sure nothing harmful is trapped inside before sealing.” I answer.
“Exactly. And step three?” She continues.
“Repair the tissue. Encourage proper cell alignment. Seal the edges together cleanly.” I say. She nods approvingly.
“And the most important rule?” She asks, eyes narrowed.
“Never seal anything before you’re certain it’s clean.” I answer immediately.
“Perfect.” She smiles. Finally, she lowers her hand and says I’m ready to give it a go. My stomach flips. I feel like five emotions at once. Nervous. Excited. Slightly terrified. Weirdly confident. Hyper aware of the fact that this is her actual hand and I am about to do magic to it. Layla offers me her hand again and I gently take it. Her skin is warm. Steady. Completely unbothered. I take a deep breath. Okay. Assess first. The papercut is shallow. Clean. No visible debris. No swelling. No redness beyond what you’d expect. Step two. I place my hand over the tiny cut and call up the magic the way I’ve been practicing. It rises more smoothly than it did in my first week here. There’s still that hum under my skin, but it doesn’t feel chaotic anymore. It feels… Organised. Removing impurities is a LOT easier than I
2/3
15:01 Tue, Mar 31
Chapter 78 78- Do Not Forget Dragons Love To Show Off Their Scars
52
expected. It almost feels instinctive. Like my magic already knows what doesn’t belong and simply nudges it away. There’s no resistance. No struggle. Just a gentle clearing, like brushing dust off glass. I barely have to think about it. That part comes very naturally. Which is great. Step three… Healing the skin itself is harder. The edges of the cut are slightly dried since it happened at least a couple hours ago.
It’s barely noticeable, but enough that they don’t want to sit flush together properly. I hesitate for half a second, remembering Layla’s
warning not to rush the sealing part. Okay, so… I’ll try to encourage it to hydrate first. I focus carefully, encouraging moisture back into
the tissue. Not flooding it. Just softening. Reconditioning. The magic responds, but slower this time. It takes more concentration to keep
it precise. I can feel myself wanting to hurry. Don’t hurry. Once the edges look healthier, I guide them together. Encourage alignment.
Close the gap. It seals. Mostly. When I pull my hand away, the cut is significantly improved. The line is faint now, almost gone, but not
completely. And the surrounding skin looks slightly dry compared to the rest of her hand.
“Hmm… Not bad.” Layla says thoughtfully. I smile, but my eyes narrow as I examine her hand more critically.
“Not perfect though. What did I get wrong?” I ask.
“Not wrong exactly.” She corrects gently.
“Just not quite perfect. The skin around where the cut was is still a little dry. As far as mistakes go, that’s mostly a non–issue. If someone is in pain and bleeding, they’re rarely concerned about mild dryness.” She adds with a smile. She lifts her hand, inspecting it under the
light.
“It’s nothing a good exfoliant and moisturiser wouldn’t fix.” She points out. I let out a breath.
“So… I did it then?” I ask, excitement creeping back in. Layla smiles warmly at me.
“Yes. You did it. Congratulations.” She says. My chest feels ridiculously light.
“I’ll approve you to practice this spell on your own. Again, don’t go healing other people just yet. Blake is fine, I suppose, if he’s still willing. I think you would be fine. But it’s generally a rule that first year students can’t heal others without strict supervision. I don’t want to push that boundary unnecessarily.” She reminds me. I nod eagerly.
“Okay, thank you!” I say brightly.
Comments
R Visitor
love this story. updating soon, I hope
7 days ago
43
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
