THE ASHES OF LIGHT ✔

Chapter Nine: Red

The door to the Infirmary swung open, just as Red was finishing up with a patient.

"You're good to go—come back in a few days so we can check up on your ankle," Red nodded to the patient, turning to look at the visitor. She blinked in shock as she realized that it was Valencia, here for her healing lesson. Was it already that time?

Red glanced up at the clock on the wall. Time seemed to be passing quickly today, unlike the usual days that dragged on without end.

"Valencia," Red greeted her, "meet me in my office, it's the room up the stairs, and I'll be there in just a second."

Valencia nodded and headed to the back of the Infirmary, up the staircase that led to Red's office.

Red sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears. She had a bit of paperwork to finish up from her earlier patients, but she supposed that could wait.

As the door to her office slowly closed, Red thought about Valencia. Would Valencia be as good as Ashton was? If so, would that put Red's job at risk? Saying Ashton was good at healing was an understatement—he was a genius. Most of the advancements made in healing were thanks to him and his research. If Valencia took after him, it was likely that Red would be left behind in the dust, forgotten.

Red shook the thoughts out of her head. This was her new student, and she was here to teach—regardless of any connection they may share with Ashton.

She grabbed her clipboard and headed up the stairs, closing the door to her office behind her.

It wasn't a large room by any means, and the fact that Red left up Ashton's decorations made it feel even smaller. The desk was covered in stacks of paper that Red had yet to get to, and the desk chairs filled up most of the remaining space in the room.

Valencia looked up eagerly as she walked in, but didn't say anything. Red sat down in her desk chair, setting the clipboard aside.

"You've never done Light Manipulation before, right?" Red asked, folding her hands together.

Valencia nodded, "That's right. How should I begin?"

Red pondered for a moment, trying to think back to the first time she healed something. She had been doing it her whole live, even before attending the Academy—it came so naturally that she really only needed lessons for the specifics.

"When you use Light Manipulation, you're controlling the light around you. If you really focus, you should be able to feel the buzzing of the energy—vibrations all throughout the air," Red explained, "then, picture yourself using that energy to heal something."

Red looked around the room, looking for an example. Her eyes settled on a scalpel, which she used to make a small cut on her arm.

Her hands began to glow as she focused on the energy surrounding her. Directing that energy towards the cut, the wound was completely healed in no time.

"That's so cool," Valencia exclaimed in awe, staring that the now-perfect skin.

"You try," Red suggested, making another small cut.

Valencia's eyes shut as she concentrated, her face scrunching up as she tried to feel the energy in the room. Red's heart skipped a beat. A part of her wanted Valencia to fail, not only to assure herself that her position as Elder of healing was stable, but also to selfishly assure herself that Valencia couldn't possibly be worthy of being Ashton's daughter.

Valencia sighed and opened her eyes, "I can feel the buzz that you're talking about, but when I try to direct it towards the wound, it just doesn't cooperate."