As everyone that occupied the crowds of the fighting festival eventually made their way out to return to their everyday way of life, Arcadia, Marcus and I made our way to a set up a campsite. Arcadia had gathered laid me down across the backseat of Marcus' car, letting me rest as she figured out a way to heal me. Marcus had gathered firewood from the few desert trees he could find, and naturally ignited the flame from his fingertips. The warmth and homeliness of the flame made me feel comfortable, in spite of all of the pain I was feeling. Marcus sat with his legs crossed directly in front of the fire, facing opposite to me. His head was hunched forward, supported by his two hands. He was preoccupied, with a heavy burden it seemed.
"He's burned really bad. We don't have any first aid or medical supplies, and we're in the middle of the desert." Arcadia anxiously paced up and down, her hands placed on the sides of her head.
"What about your water powers? Seems like a cliche to me, but doesn't hurt to try." Marcus suggested.
"I was taught how to heal back at the mansion, but I wasn't very good at it." Arcadia shrugged, and her arms slopped down and hit her hips.
"Give it a go. Worse case scenario, Karta dies." Marcus smiled.
"I can hear you, you know." I frowned.
"Quit your whining, they're only 3rd degree burns." Marcus said.
Both Marcus and I fell to silence, excluding the few whimpers I made from the pain of laughing. Burns kill, to say the least.
"Okay..." Arcadia said, taking in a deep breath as she scanned around the area.
Arcadia put down the two front seats so she could rest on her knees in between them inside of the car. She laid her hands flat on my torso, water crawling down her arm onto my stomach. The water at first stings as it made contact, but it slowly began to start soothing the pain. An emerald green shined from the water, and it reflected off of Arcadia's deep blue eyes. However, the water quickly crawled back up her arms, and my wounds weren't healed. Arcadia was breathing heavily, and seemed confused.
"Why didn't it work?" Arcadia looked at her palms, "It's exactly how they taught me to do it..."
"...Wait, I've got an idea." Marcus muttered to himself.
Marcus got up from his sitting, and walked over to the car.
"Do the exact same thing you were doing before." Marcus said.
"But it didn't work--?"
"Just do it."
Arcadia took in a deep breath, and placed her palms on my torso once again. The water seeped onto my stomach once again, but then Marcus placed one of his hands on top of Arcadia's. Speckles of flame appeared inside of the water, and it begins to start burning me, but the water wasn't boiling or evaporating. The wounds started closing up, and the skin returned to perfect condition. The water slowly disappeared into my body, rather than crawling back up Arcadia's arms.
"What... how did you know... to do that?" Arcadia asked.
"Phoenix tears. You guys never watched Harry Potter?" Marcus smiled.
"You're shitting me?" Arcadia grinned.
"...Apparently not?" Marcus shrugged.
"So you didn't actually know it was going to work?" Arcadia's grin turned into an open smile.
"Your point being? It worked, didn't it?" Marcus asked.
Arcadia shook her head as she looked back at me.
YOU ARE READING
Karta Stryker
ActionHope. Revolution. Words Karta would not previously embrace, but would soon have no other choice but become the very face of these things. His childhood scattered by memories of running away, being hunted down, but Karta doesn't remember anything bef...
