"Nooooooooo!"
Cal's voice tore through the night, raw and shuddering with grief. He held Lily's tiny, broken body in his arms, the warmth leaving her by the second. Her breathing had already stopped, her skin pale with the shadow of death. Her little hand—so light in his—hung limp. Cal was utterly devastated.
Then, without warning, a subtle tremor coursed through the air. A faint, almost imperceptible pulse emanated from Cal, resonating with the voidreach energy that lay dormant within him. Unbeknownst to him, this latent power stirred in response to his anguish.
His hand, the same hand that had reached out to her moments before she died, suddenly tingled. He didn't see it happen. Didn't understand it. But Lily's chest rose—just slightly—then again. Her wounds, deep gashes across her stomach, slowly began to knit themselves together, cell by cell, inch by inch. It wasn't fast. It wasn't clean, but it was real.
Her mouth opened in a desperate gasp as if her lungs had forgotten how to breathe. Her eyes twitched and then blinked open. She cried softly, weakly.
Before he could begin to process what happened, a sudden flood of headlights illuminated the street, cutting through the blood and ruin like divine judgment. A convoy of black SUVs surrounded them from every side. The insignia of The Ledger was emblazoned in white on every door.
Doors opened in unison. Armed agents flooded the area like shadows. The last of the adrenaline drained from Cal's body. He didn't resist as strong arms guided him up, careful to not hurt the still-healing gash across his side. Someone took Lily from him, gently, delicately, rushing her to emergency care.
And then—
From the lead vehicle stepped Selene Virelle. Her heels clicked against the pavement, her coat trailing behind her. Her expression was cold, her eyes a storm of fury and disbelief. She didn't say a word. She didn't have to.
The scene froze around her presence.
Fade to black.
____
Three Days Later,
A faint beeping. Clean white lights. The distant hum of life-support machines and the muffled steps of nurses across the tiled floor.
Cal sat upright in a hospital bed, though nothing about him looked remotely healthy. His body was wrapped in fresh white bandages, patches of synthetic mesh aiding the healing process. A dull ache throbbed through his torso and head. A thin tube extended from a clot-patch on his right arm, attached to some steady-flowing nutrient bag.
His eyes didn't lift from the floor. He sat with his fingers interlocked, head bowed slightly, as if still processing a nightmare that hadn't ended. His breath was shallow, but even.
The door creaked open.
Selene entered. Her usual poise was present, but her steps were lighter than usual—softer. Her sharp eyes glanced around the hospital suite, taking in every detail, before settling on him.
"You should be resting," she said softly.
Cal didn't lift his gaze. His voice came low. Gritted. "How's Lily?"
Selene folded her arms, leaning against the wall. "Better than you, honestly."
Cal's fingers twitched slightly.
"She's alive," Selene confirmed. "Breathing. Responsive. Still weak, but recovering well. Her vitals stabilized the first night. No trace of Arbiter power. No anomalies."
He raised his head now. "Then… I really did it?"
Her expression shifted—not with anger, but with somber resolve.
"There's no other explanation. No one else touched her. You were the only variable." She stepped closer now. "Whatever it was… it came from you."
Cal blinked, trying to breathe through the revelation.
"How?" he asked. "How could I…?"
Selene sat across from him on a nearby chair. Her tone remained calm, informative, like a surgeon explaining a risky procedure.
"We have theories," she admitted. "But only that. The best guess is that you used Voidreach to reverse her injuries or restore her life force."
"Her life?" Cal asked. "Like—literally?"
"No. Not life itself. But maybe the moment of death. The moment time claimed her. You stole it… back. Or perhaps rewound her state to just before it happened. Either way, it's not something we've seen before."
He swallowed hard.
"Then why couldn't I save the others, Mr. and Mrs Mason??"
Selene sighed, choosing her words carefully. "Perhaps their injuries were too severe, or too much time had passed. Your abilities are still evolving, and we don't fully understand their limits."
"I know who killed them," he muttered. "the one behind these monsters"
Selene didn't answer immediately. She simply nodded once and turned toward the door.
"Get some rest. Recovery first. Then training." Her voice echoed off the walls as she exited. "And Cal…"
He glanced up.
She looked over her shoulder, her expression unreadable.
"You did well."
Then she was gone.
Cal exhaled and leaned back against the pillows. His eyes traced the sterile ceiling, but his mind was far away—back in that ruined house, with blood on the walls and vengeance in his veins.