Kael was halfway back to the Hollow when he heard the sound.
A thud. Not large. But wrong.
He paused.
Turned off the path.
And found Riven.
The boy lay slumped against the roots of a gnarled tree, one hand clutching his chest, the other digging weakly into the earth.
His skin was pale.
Too pale.
Veins like ink spilled across his neck.
His breath came in sharp gasps—then stopped.
Then started again.
Kael didn't call for help.
Didn't hesitate.
He knelt beside him and pressed two fingers to Riven's wrist.
Pulse—jagged.
Spiking.
Like something inside was tearing him apart from the center.
He unfastened Riven's outer robe.
Saw the swelling near the heart.
The faint purple lines.
Then the mark.
Small. Circular. Burned near the collarbone.
A sigil.
Faintly glowing green.
Kael's expression didn't change.
But inside, a memory surfaced.
Books.
Warnings.
Old herbal records buried under Elric's stricter teachings.
Lifesurge.
A forbidden blend of body amplifiers and spirit toxins.
Burns years of life in exchange for raw power.
Temporary.
Violent.
And irreversible if overused.
Kael moved fast.
Ground frostleaf. Crushed sourvine. A touch of blood from his own thumb.
Mixed, pressed, forced under Riven's tongue.
Held his jaw shut.
Waited.
The boy convulsed.
Then breathed.
Kael leaned back.
But didn't leave.
He waited until Riven's eyes opened.
Sharp.
Wild.
Then narrowed.
"You."
Kael nodded once. "You're welcome."
Riven sat up slowly, hand brushing the saber at his back.
"Don't," Kael said quietly.
"I wasn't—"
"You were," Kael said. "But you won't."
Riven's grip tightened.
Kael didn't move.
Just met his gaze.
"I know what you took," Kael said.
Silence.
"I know what it costs. What it does. And how to slow the damage."
More silence.
Then:
"You want something."
Kael didn't smile.
But something cold flickered behind his eyes.
"I want to not be the one lying here next time."
Riven's brow furrowed.
Kael continued, voice calm.
"I'll make you a stabilizer. Every month. Enough to keep you from dying. Or going mad."
"In exchange?"
"You don't talk about me. You don't move against me. And someday, when I ask, you repay the debt."
Riven studied him.
Then nodded once.
No handshake.
No words.
Just agreement.
Kael stood.
Walked away.
And for the first time since entering the Hollow, he didn't feel small.
Not entirely.
Far beneath his robe, the bottle pulsed once.
Not in approval.
Not in protest.
Just acknowledgment.