Dawn arrived quickly, though she desperately prayed for the night to go on just a bit longer. Sleep hadn't come easy. Not as she lay awake, tossing and turning, wondering when the war would finally end. Shutting her eyes, she let the tears fall to her shoulder, absorbing into the comforter beneath her. 

The pain of it all twisted her heart, confusing her. Without a doubt, she helped her people. Nadia didn't want to be a soldier. She prevented death when she could. Sending them back to the frontlines just for them to return to her more broken than before. Allowing them to kill someone else. That wasn't why she treasured her extraordinary ability.

The sun's rays poured in through the cracks of the white canvas tent. It warmed just a little despite the cold weather. Birds chirped from the rustling leaves of the treetops. Music as it all played harmoniously together. Such a quiet, peaceful morning. And yet, her heart still raced. There was an aching, rancid feeling crawling its way from the pit of her stomach and constricting around her throat. Holding her hands in prayer, eyes squeezed shut, she prayed to God above not to send her to combat. Ignorance was bliss, as the saying went. And she wanted nothing to do with the frontlines. 

A sudden knock came on the door, making her jump out of her skin. The tremors within only worsened, but she cleared her throat anyway. She wiped her eyes dry and ran her fingers through her bright blonde hair until she was presentable enough to meet the King. On her feet, she kept her posture straight. She rested her hand on the handle with one deep breath in and a long breath out, frozen until the trembling in her hand was under control. 

"Master Vazeer Klavier Arx has summoned you," spoke a younger man in the last of his teen years. He wore the official dark brown uniform of the Carpathian military, the insignia for the Fourth Division proudly stitched to his right shoulder. He stood stringent, hands together and behind his lower back. An expression as smooth as glass, unblinking, Nadia could barely read him.

Nodding, she stepped out of her room. Like the others, she wore the same military uniform. However, instead of an insignia, she wore a Vazeer coat draped over her slender shoulders, embroidered with an artistic design, the shades of green conveying her Healing magic. 

She followed the Fourth Division soldier out of the medical unit, navigating the makeshift camp of a dozen other canvas tents. All of them were identical, just big enough to fit four people stacked on top of each other. They surrounded the mobile medical unit, a larger wooden shack where the Healers worked, and soldier's rested. Efficiency was of the utmost importance for the Carpathian military. Especially when it came to Healing injuries. 

Nadia and the young man entered Arx's tent, her eyes lingering on the cane he leaned on daily.

"You may leave." Arx motioned to the young man, who bowed to the older Vazeer and exited through the opening of the canvas. 

Arx took a step forward, his expression harder than usual, as he gestured to the set of two chairs between them. He took a seat only once Nadia had. On the table between them, Arx had already prepared some tea. Pouring some in her cup first, then his, Arx leaned back, that cane of his rested against the arm of his chair, and his bad leg stretched out.

"You had a good night's rest, I hope?" Arx began, taking a sip of his tea with a satisfied sigh. "Please, have some. It will calm your nerves. If there was one thing to gain from our unfortunate time with Ezterra, it's tea."

Nadia leaned forward for hers, taking a sip of the sharp and bitter yellowish liquid. 

 Arx let out a soft chuckle, his eyes staring at the bits of leaves at the bottom of his cup. "It is said by the Ezterrian people that the tea purifies the soul."

She nodded, though she knew that wasn't true. Carpathian culture didn't drink tea. Only after the Ezterrian colonization did the indigenous people share their religious ceremonies. Drinking tea strengthened one's bonds to The Mother, the Goddess of life, Ravsha. A name that is synonymous with freedom, according to their native language. 

Nadia loved to sit in the corridors with her twin, listening to Arthur tell stories about his people. Ezterra sounded like such a wondrous, magical place. Trees as tall as Carpathia's city, Arthur would say, waves of the sea as high as the moon, and sands as white as snow. She smiled fondly at the memory, wondering if Arthur was happy now, finally back in his homeland.

"Litis has produced a Healing stone," Arx said, bringing Nadia back to reality. "I'm unable to say just how many they have, but they are Healing their soldiers now. With how their magic works, one stone would be all they need. If every one of their men and women is given one," Arx leaned forward, his brows furrowed as his voice turned gravely, quiet as he finished his thought. "Litis will become unstoppable." 

A chill ran down Nadia's spine, hairs standing on end. Unlike Nadia, who grew tired of using her magic, those stones followed no such rules. Litis would eventually overpower them. The war would be lost. Her homeland would be stolen, and…who knew what would happen after that.

"We need to Heal faster," Arx said. "You will go to the frontlines and Heal during combat."

Nadia felt numb. Her hands tingled, and she could barely breathe. Nonetheless, her golden eyes met with her Master's, and she nodded. "Understood," no wavering in her voice at all. 

Arx closed his eyes, nodding. He got to his feet with a tap of his cane with each slow step. "I knew you would. You're an intelligent woman, Nadia. However, I am aware that losing you would hurt this army far more. Which is why,” He turned to the opening of the tent. “You may enter!" His voice was loud, projecting, and from the shadows entered a girl. 

Her skin was as smooth as porcelain and pale as a ghost. Purple silks wrapped around her white dress, the seams stitched with golden thread. Hair so brightly blonde, nearly white as the dress, flowing well beyond her waist. Despite no uniform, there was no mistaking who this person was. If Nadia were a prodigy of her Healing magic, Adeline Vos was a God. 

A blood manipulator.