Kilamin’s POV

My head hurt as if it had been hit and filled with molten iron but the pain was dissipating, slowly. They told me I was unconscious for an hour or so. How did I suddenly gain consciousness? And why was Serene on the bed? Her bow was laying on the floor near my bed. What had happened?

I answered all of Mariela’s questions and she asked me to rest for the day. Artins and Lavaria were here too, was it that serious? And what had hit me? Was it Serene?

I was lost in my thoughts when I saw her head towards me. She was barely walking, Zeph was asking her to wait for a few minutes but she slowly came towards me and before I knew it she was hugging me.

"Are you sure you are alright? I was so scared. I am sorry, you got hurt because of me." She was on the verge of crying.

"Serene, what are you talking about?" I asked her as she let go of me and sat down on the chair, lying beside my bed.

"I think it will be better if we talk alone. Zeph please take Serene with you. Make sure she eats and rests, and stay with her. Call Ayrden too." Artins Sensei instructed him, and I could see the reluctance in her eyes. She didn’t want to leave.

"But, I want to talk to Kil..." Artins didn’t let her finish and interrupted her.

"Not now, later. I will talk to him first." Zeph tugged her arm, insisting that they had to go. She looked at me, her gaze held sadness.

"I will talk to you later, go with Zeph." I urged her and she nodded before getting up and walking away with him. She paused at the door and threw one final look at me before walking out.

Once they were gone, Artins filled me in on everything that had happened. My whole being felt furious and I was filled with rage at what he said but I tried to remain calm, I would gradually tell him that he had a made grave mistake.

"I always believed she can unlock new powers, that’s why I had been pushing her so hard in training, seems like she has unlocked a lethal one." I concurred.

"Yes, and the extent of the damage she caused you, shows that this power is purely for killing and destructive purposes. Your body had internal injuries but your brain was most effective. But it didn’t kill you, you were still alive but reduced to a vegetative state. It’s bone-chilling to think about what she can do if she learns to fully control this power." Artins was pacing, his hand under his chin, his brows furrowed. This showed he was apprehensive and anxious.

"Do we have someone who can control the outflow of powers and make them constrained within a given radius? We will need someone like that if we are going to teach her to deal with this new power." I felt anxious that this new power was beyond my scope.

"I have someone in mind and I will contact him today, and ask for his help," Artins replied, still deep in his worries.

"Right, but you made a mistake today Artins. You should have never let Serene use a healing arrow. There is a reason I haven’t introduced her to arrows in this specific category." I kept a straight face while talking to him.

"Why? She should be trained in every category."

"No, this is where you are wrong. Arrows she generates use her own energy and vitality. I think you know this but Arrows like healing, use up a lot more energy and she can’t replenish it on time. If she uses too much of her energy, it can prove fatal for her." I tried to explain the consequences.

"This was an emergency and only she could heal you, Kilamin. She can decide what’s right and what’s wrong for her, let her have this much freedom." Artins seemed a bit furious at my suggestion.

"Artins, I have known her since childhood. You don’t know her as I do, she cares too deeply for everyone. Now, that she has discovered she can conjure a healing arrow it won’t take much time for her to discover she can most probably conjure a "Life Arrow" as well. Once she will be able to do that, she will try to use it, in case anyone she loves, dies. This can prove fatal, she might die trying that. Do you think I haven’t thought of everything before starting her training? My life doesn’t matter as long as she is safe. For you, she is another student. For me, she is my future Queen, and I would prefer dying if it means keeping her safe."

Artins seemed a bit shocked at my revelation. His eyes were wider than before and his voice was a bit hoarse when he spoke again: "I didn’t think conjuring an "Arrow of Life" was possible. But seeing how she was able to conjure the "Arrow of Healing" in one go, I won’t be shocked if she would try that too."

"Artins, under no circumstances we can ever let her try that. She will die. Remember this." I tried to remain as calm as possible but inside I was raging. How could he put her life on the line?

"Hmm, you are right about this. We have to make sure she doesn’t go down that path. She did tell us that she has never tried to conjure the "Arrow of Death" because she has never felt the need to kill. But, considering the circumstances, we are heading into. I believe a day will come when she will try that." Artins was in a dilemma, thinking about the future. A future we were unaware of.

"Well, we have to make sure it never comes down to that point where she will have to make that choice. I will be by her side so she won’t have to bear the heavy burden of taking a life. I would gladly do it for her." Deep down I knew that was not possible. A day would come when she would have to take a life and that will change her forever.