“What do you mean you can’t save her? You’re a priest. Work a miracle!” Kannith nearly shouted—slapping his palm down hard enough to cause an inkwell on Exarch Hollomus’ desk to tip over and spill its contents onto a cured leather scroll.

Ordinarily, Kannith would never behave in such a way. He thought it important to act with self-control and dignity. In fact, by most accounts, he was highly respected and regarded as a gentleman. It wasn’t just that he was a renown scholar, but a businessman with a surprising amount of influence and social acumen, especially for one born in the lower caste of Promethean society. 

The reason for his out of character behavior was simple: He was desperate to save his wife.

It wasn’t just that Salina was the love of his life, or the most beautiful woman on any world ever, but she was the mother of his children. His best friend. His closest companion. And, even though it seemed like they hated each other half of the time, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.

Besides, it wasn’t like he dragged her to a random temple and begged just anyone to heal her. Although, they tried that too. Once more, they had met with every healer, physician, and alchemist Kannith thought might be able to help. This time however, they had flown over a thousand kilometers via ark to reach the Holy City of Leonis. It sat at the pinnacle of Bio-kinetic Sciences, a specialized field of metaphysics focused on sensing and interacting with biological organisms. There were countless institutions and centers dedicated to the study and application of the Healing Arts behind its mighty walls. That fact alone is why they chose Leonis as their destination.

More importantly, some of the most talented healers in the Western Provinces called it home. The well aged man sitting across from Kannith, Exarch Patron Hollomus, was one of them. He wore intricately embroidered black and gold robes that were the symbol of his order: The Imperium of Light. The color black, which made up most of his attire, was absolute and represented the unknown; whereas, the gold in his outfit represented the light of consciousness shinning defiantly into the dark. As Exarch, Hollomus sat amongst the Imperium’s elite members. Beyond that, he was one of the most experienced and powerful healers in the world. That’s why Kannith found it so difficult to accept that there was no way to save Salina.

Running a hand through his hair, he took a shaky breath and said, “Forgive me. I really am grateful for everything you and all of the others have done to help Salina. It’s just… hard. Watching her slowly fade…” he shook his head, “…I can’t even describe how it makes me feel. She used to be so active and artistic. Smiling. Doing projects. Cooking and baking. She was the best companion a person could want—the best mother my children could hope for,” his voice cracked as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. “Now, she mostly sleeps or lays there feverish and sick. I just… I don’t know what else to do. Where do we go from here? Who do people turn to when even someone like you can’t help?”

Sighing, Hollomus wiped up the spilled ink and gave Kannith a sad look along with more disappointing news, “I’m afraid those are not easy questions to answer. While there are certainly those more capable than myself, Salina has already been pushed well beyond her limits. And, as you’re well aware, her sessions are taking longer but becoming less effective. It’s only a matter of time before she stops responding to them all together.” His voice softened, “If we keep pushing her, I fear we may do more harm than good.”

When Kannith didn’t respond, Hollomus continued, “I know this isn’t easy. Nearly two centuries ago I lost my own wife. Her name was Yune. She used to love to sing. I can even recall telling her that her voice was more lovely than a moonlit lake the first time she sang for me. And it was,” he assured as his eyes grew damp with memory. “Sometimes… in the quiet hours of the night… I can almost remember what she sounded like. Sadly, she passed giving birth to our stillborn daughter, Eona. I was devastated. Broken. Lost for years at the bottom of a bottle. Eventually, I found God in my grief. Not long after, I joined the Imperium, became a priest, and found purpose again. I have dedicated my life since to helping families like yours.”

The Exarch’s story struck a chord of melancholy and infinite sadness in Kannith. It forced him to confront the very thing he was struggling to avoid—the possibility of losing Salina. It simply wasn’t an option for him.

“I’m sorry. Truly. I can’t imagine how hard that must have been,” Kannith told him and meant it.

Hollomus responded by wiping away a tear and saying, “Thank you. Many would claim that its something you get used to. And, in ways, they’re right, but getting used to missing someone you love is like getting used to missing a limb. While you may eventually come to accept it’s gone—you’ll always know it’s missing.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” replied Kannith, who had lost his mother nearly ten years ago in a tragic ark accident. While he was eventually forced to accept she was gone, he could never forget she wasn’t there. “Again, I truly am sorry for the loss of your family, but after saying all of that, can you really expect me to just give up and walk away? To accept there’s no way to save her as an answer? Surely, there must be something more we can do—something we haven’t tried—some resource we have yet to tap?”

Hollomus let out another weary sigh. These conversations were always the hardest to have. “I wish there were, but saving her will be far more complicated than you might expect. I’m not even certain that removing the child is an option at this point. It would likely rob her of the little time she has left.”

That was news to Kannith who was sitting upright before he even realized he changed positions. “What do you mean?”

He hated to admit it, hated that he and Salina had argued and fought about it, but he had always assumed they could remove the baby to save her if all else failed. However, if Hollomus’ revelation was true…

“Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait,” Kannith said, cutting off the Exarch just as he started to respond. “You’re telling me that there is no way to save Salina? None at all?”

This time it was Hollomus’ turn to look at the floor and apologize. “I’m sorry, Kannith. But what’s happening to her goes beyond my understanding. The child growing inside of her is extraordinary in many ways. He has not one but two hearts. If my theory’s correct, that’s why it’s been impossible to stabilize her blood pressure. Furthermore, he appears to run at a higher body temperature than we do.”

“And that’s why we can’t keep her fever down,” Kannith finished for him—the shock on his face evident. “Why hasn’t anyone told us this before?”

“Likely because they didn’t know what they were looking at,” Hollomus replied. “I imagine that prior to this he was too undeveloped to tell.”

Kannith was silent as he grappled with Hollomus’ revelations. Two hearts? Elevated temperature? Higher blood pressure? Beyond the obvious, how were they all connected? Clearly Salina carried a demi-human child, but that shouldn’t have mattered. They were fairly common throughout the world. So even if the man that attacked her wasn’t entirely human, the pregnancy itself shouldn’t have been a danger to her. Pushing it, however, was a moot point as Salina had made it abundantly clear that she would never give up the child—even at the cost of her own life, which was something Kannith struggled with. He couldn’t understand why she was willing to give up everything for a child that she most likely wouldn’t even get to hold. Still, he needed to understand how the possibility of not being able to save her existed at all, as he had studied records where more than half of people’s bodies had been regenerated. Surely, whatever was going on inside of her couldn’t be that bad.

“I still don’t understand why any of that would stop you from being able to remove him.”

Hollomus grew very serious and what he said next made Kannith’s hairs stand on end. “I know this is going to sound like a bit much, but whatever that child is—he very much want’s to be born. It appears his cells have been spreading throughout Salina. Mutating her. Altering her DNA. Making her more suitable to his needs.”

Kannith fell back into his seat. He felt like he was trapped beneath an ocean with the weight of his emotions pressing against him. Holding him under. Threatening to drown him. The feeling was so intense that it ached in his chest and shot through his arms down to his finger tips.

“This doesn’t make sense,” he was getting frustrated. “We should still be able to heal her.”

“Ordinarily, yes.” Hollomus held his palm face up and a shimmering sphere of translucent golden light appeared over it. “As you’re aware, most healing is performed through injecting life energy into another. We then guide it to fuel the regrowth of tissues, cells, and organs—encouraging the body to repair itself and return to its natural state. This, however, has proven largely ineffective with Salina. While we can heal some of the damage being done, it’s a battle of attrition. Furthermore, we can no longer return her body to its original state, as the changes taking place inside of her have fundamentally changed her biology on a cellular level. That’s the biggest reason that I’m not sure where to send you from here. I can’t think of anyone that has the knowledge or skill to revert her back to how she should be. Not anyone that’s still living, anyhow.”

Kannith didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand what Hollomus was saying. It was actually quite the opposite. He minored in biology at the University of Psychokinetic Sciences, where he and Salina had met, so he fully understood what Hollomus was attempting to communicate—he was just astonished.

“You’re telling me that her DNA is being rewritten by the fetus in her womb?”

Hollomus shrugged. “Something to that effect. Although, I suspect that too is an inadequate explanation.”

Kannith shook his head. First Hollomus tells him that there is no way to save Salina. Then all of that. How was he supposed to respond? And what was he going to tell Salina when she woke up? “If you’ll excuse me—I need some time to process. This is a lot to take in.”

Hollomus nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry to have dropped so much on you at once. However, you must know that Saving Salina, if possible at all, may require you to shift the stars themselves. May Avar’s light guide you.”