Chapter 3

The night sky was lit by the broken moon shining alongside its fragments. The result of a dramatic exit by the brother gods. 

Sitting on the floor at the back of his home, Corvus focused on a small plant in the ground. His hands cradled it with as much care as possible, focusing on his breath. More importantly, he focused on what he could feel. 

Tissue components, cellular components…he could feel it all. With all the control he'd managed to gain, he channeled his aura through his hands. 

His senses flared as he felt even more feedback than usual, his sensory ability rising with each second.

The plant felt malleable, flexible.

Grabbing onto that train of thought he made an attempt to control it. It wasn't until he felt leaves brush his face that he realized that he'd gotten lost in that feeling. 

Opening his eyes, he found that the small sprout had now bloomed. Correction, he made it bloom. 

'I figured it out!' He thought in excitement, wiping off the sweat on his forehead. 

***********

Year 18

It's been a while since I discovered my semblance. 

I have the ability to manipulate organic matter that I touch. Plants, fruits, even people. From inducing cellular regeneration to altering biological systems, I can do almost anything to the human body. 

There is one exception; it doesn't work on me. I can't manipulate my own biology. I'm basically Remnant's version of Panacea. 

That put a dampener on my mood for a while but it's not all bad. I pass it off as a healing semblance which reduces my workload by a very considerable amount. 

It also had the side effect of giving me a reputation in Saunus. Our settlement received more travelers and visitors seeking healing. 

I have a feeling that'll bite me in the ass sooner or later.

************

Just because the medical center was doing much better didn't mean that those who ran it were doing any better. 

Kairo's displeasure now held some resentment to it and Corvus' indifference to it only fueled those feelings further.

Neither side seemed ready to make peace with the other. 

With his ability to heal with but a simple lay of hands, the medical center was rarely filled up. Only when the warriors returned from scouting did it get filled up. 

Such as now. 

There was a small crowd outside the center as the men hauled their wounded on flat wooden platforms into the building.

Quickly looking over the five that were hauled in, he moved over to the one that looked most severe and began from there. 

The man looked like he'd been through hell. His arm was limp and swollen, a myriad of holes at his side that were reminiscent of beowolf bite marks. That alongside the parts of his legs that seemed to face the wrong direction. 

Placing his hand on his chest despite the blood, his palms glowed faintly. He controlled the cells to regenerate at high speed, the bite wounds closing before his eyes.

Next was the arm which adjusted the socket joints back in their right places before dealing with the inflammation. 

As he dealt with the legs, the man's irregular breathing stabilized. In a few moments, he looked as good as new, barring the blood still on him. 

"Take him to one of the beds to rest." He said, already moving to a different person to begin healing them. 

The men didn't hesitate as they sprung into action to move their healed comrade inside to a bed. 

He repeated the process for the four others who were in need of critical help before moving to the ones with lighter wounds. 

By the time it was all done, he let out a breath of relief, wiping the sheen of sweat off his forehead. While his aura reserves were above average, they weren't inexhaustible.

"The men of this village have you to thank once more." A voice he recognized as Stannis said from behind him.

As he opened his mouth to speak, the man spoke up once more. "Don't try to downplay your impact. We all know a lot of us wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for your magical hands."

He was silent for a while before speaking. "Why do you do it? How do you go out and fight knowing there's a chance you could die out there?" He asked Stannis. 

"Well if I had to say, it would be because of this place. My wife and son live here as well as my friends. Each trip I make into the forest is to make sure they're safe and that they stay that way." The warrior answered with a small huff as he walked to sit down beside him. 

"And if you die? No amount of healing I can perform can bring you back from the dead." Corvus argued. 

A satisfied smile crept on the man's face with his answer. "If I die then at least they'll know it isn't safe and they'll get out of here. I'll die happy knowing that they're able to live another day."

Corvus' eyes widened at that. That spat in the face of his very goal, survival. Perhaps it was because he wasn't born a fighter that he couldn't understand it. 

He was a coward, that much he knew for the longest time, but at least he'd be a coward that survived.

Footsteps brought him out of his thoughts, looking up to see Boran walking up to them, a small pouch in hand which he tossed to him. 

The clicking of the coins as they hit his palm was satisfying. 

"Well I'll be seeing you, kid." Stannis said as both men along with the others left, making their way to their various homes. 

Xx-Xx-Xx

The rest of the day was uneventful with him just sitting in the medical center waiting for patients that didn't come. 

With his semblance, the number of sick and wounded people in the settlement had been reduced to practically zero which meant that his healing sessions became less frequent.

Once it was dark, he closed up for the day and made his way home. 

Entering, he found Kairo seated at the table. From the strong smell that lingered in the room, he could tell that the man was drunk.

Shaking his head without a word, he silently made his way to the kitchen to put together something to eat.

Corvus' growing familiarity and expertise with his semblance reduced his need for a helping hand, furthering the gap between them as Kairo's time at the medical center lessened over time. 

He ignored the dirty look the man gave him in his drunken state, taking his food with him into his room. 

Xx-Xx-Xx

As morning came, it wasn't the ray of sun shining through the window that woke him up. It was the banging on his door that did that. 

Groggily getting to his feet, he trudged towards the door, yawning widely as he did. The smell of booze still lingered around the house. 

'Passed out, again.' He thought, seeing Kairo asleep on the floor, cradling an empty bottle. 

The banging intensified, making him wonder how anyone could sleep through it. 

'Who could be making all that noise so early in the morning?' He thought, unlocking and opening the door. 

All forms of drowsiness left his face as he laid his eyes upon the man outside. Clad in shining armor and an insignia boldly visible on his chest, a knight from the kingdom of Vale stood with an impatient look on his face. 

'Knights have never traveled this far. Never thought I'd see one up close.' The children had heard stories about the great kingdom of Vale and its brave knights. 

In his eighteen years on remnant, he hadn't seen one until now. 

"Corvus, I presume?" The man asked, impatience showing. 

"Yes?" Corvus asked more than said in surprise and confusion. 'What did I do?' he wondered. 

"You have been summoned by the king! Pack your things, we shall leave at once!" The man commanded in a tone that brokered no argument. 

"What?"