Kris cursed the fact that Nish had acted like such a jerk yesterday because he could’ve really used his powers right now. Especially after what happened last night, he didn’t want to scare Yrla by walking up to their table out in the open, but he had no choice. He walked over to the girl sitting on the bench with her breakfast in front of her and stopped at the head of the table.

"I need your help."

He didn’t know her name, but his look said it all.

She glanced up at him. Her smile faltered a bit, and she nervously glanced at a girl who looked so much like her that she had to be her sister. But the sister didn’t notice. “My help?” she repeated hesitantly.

Kris gestured impatiently with his head, not planning on wasting any time. She gathered her things and gracefully slid out from the bench. Holding her tray, she gave him a small nod. “Okay. What can I do for you?”

“Come with me,” he grumbled as he headed for the exit. With powers like hers, she had to know what he needed her for.

The girl nodded silently and followed him out of the dining hall. They stepped outside, and he walked towards the Lions' campus.

“I’m Fayr, by the way,” she said softly. “And you are?”

Kris had walked a bit ahead and looked over his shoulder. He wasn’t in the mood for exchanging pleasantries, but she’d probably cooperate better if he didn’t act like a jerk. “Kris.” He slowed his pace. “My boyfriend’s been poisoned, and if I go to the infirmary, they won’t give me the antidote. So if you could ease his pain a bit or maybe put him to sleep, I’d owe you big time.”

“Poisoned?” Fayr looked shocked. “But… That’s not how my gift works,” she said softly. “I can’t remove it.” She took a deep breath and forced a reassuring smile. “But I’ll do everything I can.”

Kris just nodded and walked into the Lions’ campus. “For your own safety, you’d better not talk about this,” he said as he headed upstairs. “Unless you want to end up like him.” He opened Fox’s bedroom door. Fire was sitting next to the boy on the bed and gave him a brief look before getting up to make room. Kris took his place. Fox’s eyes were closed, and his breathing was labored.

“It comes in waves of pain, starting from his stomach,” he explained to the girl.

“Hey,” Fayr said softly as she sat down on the edge of the bed. The boy didn’t even open his eyes, and a sinking feeling shot through her chest. That was not a good sign. “I’m Fayr,” she kept talking to him soothingly. “I’m here to help.”

She glanced at Kris for a moment, almost as if seeking permission to touch the sick boy. Her fingertips were already tingling as she tried to wake up her powers and direct them there. It hadn’t gone wrong in a while. She gathered just a little bit at first. She wasn’t very good at this new trick yet, but her mentor had said she could learn from every moment. And even if it didn’t work, it would still do more good than harm.

Fayr steadied her hand and then placed it carefully but firmly on the boy’s stomach. It immediately felt unsettling. The spark that jumped from her fingertips collided with a chaotically moving wall of… darkness? Even Fayr felt a bit nauseous from it, and she suddenly understood why Kris had already said she probably couldn’t heal him, only ease the pain. Because for this… for this you’d need about ten Fayrs.

Pulling the spark back was more exhausting than just dropping a drop on the glowing ember, so Fayr sent her piece of light toward the darkness. She gathered the rest of her power too, until the tingling in her fingers almost hurt. At the last moment, she decided not to fire it at the monstrous wall but instead directed it to the areas where the darkness hadn’t spread too much yet. Where things could still be fixed by her powers. It didn’t fight the poison, but it strengthened the boy’s resistance.

Kris had mentioned an antidote. So, the only thing Fayr could do for him now was buy him some time. Reverse the worst effects of the poison, neutralize the darkest outbreaks. And that was it. Fayr pulled her hand away. She hadn’t even been out of bed for an hour, but she suddenly felt exhausted. She felt his forehead with her wrist for a moment, then stood up. “I couldn’t neutralize the poison, like you said. It’s… too aggressive. So, instead, I bought you time. The worst symptoms will probably fade temporarily, but you don’t have long before they come back. He needs an antidote. Or… more healers.”

Kris hadn’t taken his eyes off Fox’s face. There wasn’t much change; he still looked like he was in a lot of pain. But he understood that the girl’s power needed time to take effect. He held Fox’s cramped hand, stroking his fingers and knuckles hoping his touch would help him relax a little. He had no idea how much Fox was aware of what was happening.

Eventually, he tore his gaze away from his friend to look at Fayr. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “For the relief. I owe you one. If you ever need help, I’ll be there.”

Fayr shook her head. “I don’t need anything in return—anyone would’ve done this. I only helped a little, that’s all.” She glanced sympathetically at Fox and then back at Kris. “I hope he makes it. That you find the antidote.” She hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the door. “Good luck.”

Zebediah had been clear, and the pain Fox was in left little to the imagination. But hearing it confirmed by a healer’s mouth made it even harsher. Kris gave the girl a nod, then turned back to Fox as soon as she left. He ran his fingers through his thick brown curls, leaned in, and kissed his forehead.

“Don’t worry, Foxie,” he said softly. “I’m not going to lose you.”

Though he wanted nothing more than to crawl in next to him and hold him tight, he forced himself to look away. He was asleep now. Besides, he still had a lot to do; he needed to make quite a few diamonds. The worse his concentration was, the harder it was to create pure ones. He turned his back to Fox, channeling his power to his fingertips, searching for the right composition, pressure, and heat, and then started making the gems.