Chapter 11 - The Magic of Healing

Warm sunlight pressed through the shutters, spilling golden lines across the guild room’s wooden floor. Aiden stirred, his body heavy, his mind dragging itself from darkness. His eyelids fluttered open, and for a long moment he wasn’t sure where he was. Then the sharp scent of herbs and the familiar creak of the guild hall’s timbers grounded him.

He blinked, focusing on the ceiling above. His body ached, every muscle sore as though he’d been trampled. When he shifted, a sharp lance of pain ran up his side, forcing a hiss through his teeth.

“You’re awake.”

Aiden turned his head slowly. Sitting in a chair by his bed was Jaxson, leaning forward with his arms crossed on his knees. Relief softened his otherwise serious face.

“How long…?” Aiden rasped, his throat dry.

“Three days,” Jaxson replied. “You’ve been out cold. Honestly, I wasn’t sure when you’d wake up.” He sighed, shaking his head. “You looked worse than you really were. Burns, bruises, exhaustion. Painful, sure—but all treatable.”

Three days. Aiden’s chest tightened. He sat up too quickly, the motion sending a sharp sting across his back. “Valerie! How’s Valerie? Is she—?”

Jaxson’s hand shot out, steadying him. “Easy. Don’t tear your wounds open again.” He hesitated, then added, “Her injuries were worse than yours. Pretty severe. But they got her to a doctor in time. She’s been resting. Chloe’s been by her side most of the time. Avery too, checking in when she can.”

Relief hit Aiden like water in a desert, but guilt came right after, heavier than the ache in his body. His mind replayed everything—the fireball, Valerie gasping for breath, Chloe’s desperate cry for a doctor. His hands trembled against the sheets.

This is my fault. Every bit of it. My pride. My rage. I put her at risk. Again.

His throat burned with words he couldn’t say aloud. What does she think of me now? Does she hate me? Maybe she should.

A knock came at the door. Before Aiden could answer, it opened. A man and woman stepped in, both with calm, practiced movements. Their hair was touched with gray, and their expressions carried the kind of steady warmth Aiden hadn’t seen in weeks. They wore healer’s robes, plain but well-kept, marked with the guild’s crest.

“Good,” the man said, his voice deep and even. “You’re awake.”

The woman smiled. “Let’s give him some space, Jaxson.”

Jaxson stood, giving Aiden a short nod. “I’ll check in later.” With that, he slipped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

The two newcomers approached the bedside. “I’m Robert,” the man said. “This is my wife, Gloria. We’ve been the guild’s doctors since Maximus took over.”

Aiden blinked at them, surprised. “You… you two are married? You seem so… comfortable with each other.”

Gloria chuckled, brushing back a strand of silver hair. “I’d hope so. We’ve been married for fifty-four years.”

Aiden’s eyes widened. “Fifty-four?!” He’d heard of couples here being married a year or two, maybe longer, but this… Maximus had never mentioned anyone married that long. “I didn’t know there were couples like you here.”

Robert chuckled. “Sounds like something our son would forget to mention.”

They stepped closer to his bed. Gloria’s eyes softened. “Tell us, are you in pain anywhere?”

“My lower back,” Aiden admitted reluctantly. “It still feels like it’s on fire.”

“Let’s take care of that, then.” Robert and Gloria moved behind him, gently helping him sit forward. Together, they placed their hands on his back, their fingers interlaced. Their voices dropped to a murmur, perfectly in sync. “Restorative Spring.”

A pulsating green light flowed from their palms, soft and soothing. It washed over Aiden like cool water, seeping into his aching muscles, dulling the sharp edges of pain until it melted away. His breath caught. Relief unlike anything he’d felt in days spread through him.

When the glow faded, Aiden straightened, stunned. “That was… Heartlink magic. You know how to use it?”

Robert nodded. “Of course. We’ve practiced it for years.”

Aiden’s eyes widened further. The pieces clicked together, why Maximus had believed so strongly in their mission, why he defended Heartlink magic’s potential. “So that’s why Maximus put his trust in us. He’s seen it succeed before.”

Gloria’s smile turned wistful. “When we first married, we were curious like every other newly wedded couple. We tried Heartlink right away and failed over and over. We even gave up for a while. It was… too much. Trying to learn new magic and building our relationship at the same time was straining on us both. We had to take a step back.”

Robert chuckled, shaking his head. “But when we figured out our relationship, the thing that mattered most to us, we decided to try again. And that's when it began to flow.”

“Restorative Spring became our go-to spell,” Gloria added warmly. “Healing was what we wanted to do since we both felt medicine was our calling.”

Aiden frowned in thought, curiosity breaking through his guilt. “Restorative Spring? Where did that name come from?”

Robert laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I made it up. It just sounded right. It can soothe many at once or focus deeply on one patient. Like a spring that never runs dry.”

Aiden chuckled faintly. “I wish I’d been the one to name a spell like that.”

“You’ll have your chance,” Robert said with a grin. “When you and Valerie grow in your Heartlink, you can name the other forms yourselves. I only ever named the one.”

For a heartbeat, Aiden allowed himself to feel excited. But the weight of reality fell over him again. His chest tightened. “I don’t even know if Valerie will want to speak to me. Not after what I did. Maybe she never will.”

Gloria pulled up a chair, sitting close to his bed. Robert joined her. They both looked at him with the patience of people who had lived long enough to see mistakes and mend them.

“Maximus told us everything that happened,” Gloria said gently. “It’s understandable to feel the way you do.”

Aiden’s frustration flared, sharp and bitter. “I just wanted to prove we were better than Zachary and Everly. That our bond was stronger than their twisted excuse for one. That Heartlink magic wasn’t broken. And what did I do? I nearly...I nearly lost her instead.”

Robert’s tone grew firm. “Oh, you mean their Rift magic.”

Aiden blinked. “Rift magic? What’s that?”

Robert folded his hands. “It’s what I call the toxic form of Heartlink. Misfires are normal when couples argue. It happens. But Rift magic? That comes when a bond rots from the inside. When a relationship is built on toxicity. Control. Cruelty. What Zachary and Everly have, it isn’t love, it’s a rift.”

Gloria’s lips pressed thin. “We’ve seen it before, more times than I care to count. Most couples separate before it gets that far. But sometimes… sometimes it festers.”

Aiden’s jaw clenched. He remembered Maximus’s words, Zachary’s father, the cold shadow of that family business. “So it’s not just them. It’s what shaped them.”

Gloria reached over, touching his hand lightly. “Listen, Aiden. What you and Valerie have? It’s real. Precious. You’ll argue. You’ll stumble. So do we, even after thirty-four years.” She smiled at Robert, who smiled back. “But when you remember what’s important, the bond always finds its strength again.”

Robert leaned closer, his voice steady. “You need to stop carrying this alone. Pride isolates you. Let her in, Aiden. Or the magic will never flow.”

Aiden swallowed hard, their words sinking deep. His chest ached, but not from wounds.

Robert finally turned to his wife with a tender look. “Gloria, why don’t you check on Valerie?”

Gloria smiled, rising slowly. “Of course.” She gave Aiden a reassuring pat on the arm before slipping out of the room, leaving him with Robert’s steady gaze.

Robert turned back to Aiden, his eyes steady. Aiden frowned slightly. “Why did you send her away?”

Robert settled back in the chair beside his bed, folding his hands together. “Because I wished to speak with you alone. You know, I see a lot of myself in you.”

Aiden blinked. “In me?”

Robert chuckled softly, though his gaze carried weight. “Before I married Gloria, I was hot‑headed. Reckless. Always chasing adventure. I’d throw myself into fights I couldn’t win just to protect someone else. At the time, I told myself it was about justice.” He shook his head, voice lowering. “But when I looked back later, I realized it wasn’t justice. It was pride. Pride in being the strongest. Pride in hearing the thanks and the cheers. Pride in knowing no one could put me down.”

Aiden lowered his eyes, the words cutting too close. Robert continued, his tone quiet but unwavering. “That carried into my marriage. Even though Gloria and I didn’t adventure much, I wanted to prove I was her protector. That I was the strongest. But that pride nearly killed us both.”

He leaned back, eyes distant, recalling. “We once went into a dungeon together. I was showing off, like I always did. And I challenged a monster too strong for us. Gloria begged me to retreat, but my pride couldn’t handle admitting I wasn’t strong enough to take it down. I attacked anyway. One of my earth spells struck a load‑bearing wall. The rocks collapsed and caused the dungeon room to cave in. Thankfully the monster died in the fall, but so nearly did we.”

Aiden stared, breath caught in his chest. Robert’s voice dropped lower. “We were trapped and too weak to use our magic to move the debris. Gloria was pinned, breath ragged, pale faced. I thought she’d die there, and me along with her. It was in that moment, I swore to The Creator, if we survived, I would shed my pride and live differently. No more proving myself. No more making it about me. Just serving others alongside her.”

He gave a faint smile. “An adventuring party heard the cave‑in and pulled us free. We were lucky. But I’ve never forgotten that vow.”

Silence stretched between them. Aiden looked down, shame burning in his chest. His voice cracked. “My pride… it almost killed Valerie. After everything, after being given a second chance, I still made the same mistake.”

Robert studied him, then gave a small, knowing smile. “That look on your face tells me you understand the price of pride. And that realization, that’s the first step in growing. As a man and as a husband.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “The guilt ate at me for years. That was until I finally decided to tell Gloria everything. And you know what she said? She bore no resentment for what happened. She told me she still loved me and to her, I was still her protector. Even when I had failed.”

Aiden’s throat tightened. “How… how could she forgive that?”

“Because love isn’t about never failing. It’s about choosing each other even after the failures.” Robert’s gaze was firm but kind. “You need to talk to Valerie, Aiden. Tell her what’s going on in your heart. Your guilt, your pride, your fear. Holding it in will only break you both. But speaking it? That could change everything.”

He rose slowly, stretching the stiffness from his back. “I’m going to go check in on Gloria and Valerie, but remember this, trust and honest communication are what keep a bond alive. Without them, Heartlink magic will never flourish.”

Aiden remained in bed, silent, his thoughts a storm. Robert’s words echoed within him, heavy and unshakable. He clenched the sheets in his fists. I’ll tell her. Everything. The guilt of the crash. The pride that drives me. All of it.

For the first time since waking, resolve flickered in his chest.