Reincarnated extra refuses to die

Arc 2. Chapter 2-3

I was lying on my back, staring at the dirty ceiling with its wooden rafters while Lucas healed me. My nightgown was up and my drawers on plain sight but that didn't matter to either of us. I was... just there, watching, letting myself be handled and barely even blinking.

I... stabbed myself. Somehow while I was sleeping, I left my bed, took a knife from the kitchen, headed towards the barn and... huh.

There was a dull pain in my abdomen, but I supposed that was to be expected. I was actually surprised I didn't feel more. Adrenaline, perhaps? Or maybe it's because of Lucas' magic. How does healing magic work? Does it only heal or it also functions as some kind of antalgic?

"Elaine" Lucas called me, but his voice sounded far away. Mechanically, I turned my head to face him. He was still pale, and his eyes reflected concern. He grabbed my hand and slowly placed it over my abdomen. I didn't put up any kind of resistance, my limbs feeling as if they were made of rubber. "I... am reaching my limit. You said you have a sensory affinity, no? That's part of life magic... surely you are stronger than me at healing..."

I continued to look at him, simply listening to him. His limit, huh? Must be difficult for an elemental mage to use healing magic. But do I really have a greater ability than him? I feel nothing now. The pain is gone. Does that mean I am already cured?

Lucas bit his lips, placing both hands on top of the one on my stomach. "Heal yourself, Elaine. At this point, you should be able to finish what I started" he pleaded. I slowly blinked, and that was what made Lucas snap. "Elaine, wake up already!"

Without intending to, I startled. Heal myself? Ah, yes, he did ask me to do that. But can I? I just started using magic and...

"I..."

"Elaine!"

I bit my lip and poured mana through my hand at his insistence, closing my eyes to better concentrate. Lucas nodded, guiding me with kind words.

"That's right. Search for the damaged zone with the mana. Find the source of greatest injury. Now imagine you close the wound, that your magic mends your organs and skin. Yes, exactly like that."

I frowned and moved my hand, feeling the injured zone just like he told me. The external wound was closed but the internal one was still bleeding. I didn't understand how I knew that but I just... did. It was as if my magic could tell me without me seeing what exactly was going on. I pushed forward more mana and I felt both with my magic and my body that the wounds were being healed, returned to how they were supposed to. Lucas let out a sigh of relief, placing his hand on me when I was over, probably to ascertain I healed everything I had to.

He smiled. "This is good. You are definitely a lot better in this than me. Maybe healing magic is a close affinity?"

I looked at him, blinked again, until, finally, the gravity of the situation dawned on me, hitting me like a truck. I quickly sat up, glancing down towards my nightgown. It was covered in blood, just like my skin. When I lifted the hem of the garment and touched my belly, there was nothing there that implied I had been cut open before.

"This... this is... how?" I kept touching, rubbing roughly, my fingers pressing the marks of the seal until my nails made half-moons on my skin. Lucas grabbed my hands and pulled away, much to my desperation. "Lucas! What the hell happened? I was in the dreamscape from before, when the viscount transferred the demon to me... but this time the demon was there too! He did this to me! He made me do this to myself! Why...?" I stared at him, feeling tears forming behind my eyelids. "Why did I do that?"

Lucas looked troubled and more than a little scared. "I don't know. Did you try to contact the demon?"

I shook my head. "I would never! Not after what we've read! This..." I started sobbing, without being able to control myself. "Why did this happen...?"