Kealie didn't know when she leapt from the overlook and found herself an even deeper reserve of strength, but within a breath of laying her eyes on the fallen Nerydian, she'd gone sprinting.

Her body threw her forward onto the ground without thought, skidding into the dirt beside him.

Nixian's breathing was labored and heavy, but that didn't stop him from laughing slightly when he looked up at her.

"You made it," he chuckled, blood still running down his chin.

A large bruise was budding on his cheekbone, flooding over into his eye and into his hairline. The scraping was minimal, but there.

Kealie didn't miss the cut on his neck where someone had tried to end his life, deep until it neared the jugular.

She was at a loss for words, scrambling to push him back into a tall sitting position and running a thumb over his cuts.

Adrenaline slammed through her mind, her hands shaking uncontrollably now.

"W-what... why... why?" She stammered.

Nixian swallowed roughly, clearing his throat. "You needed a distraction," he said. "I created one."

Panicking, Kealie glanced between him and the house, aiming to stand and get help.

He grabbed her arm, intercepting her momentum and pulling her back down. "It's okay, I'm okay," he breathed. "I'll be okay, Kealie."

Nixian's panting slowed until he was almost breathing normally. His hands were resting on a left rib, leaving him grimacing more with every breath. Through the soft groans, a quiet snap echoed inside his chest.

He sighed.

"Better now," he said, offering a reassuring smile.

"What do you mean?" Kealie asked, eyes wide. "Your ribs are broken, your face is-"

As she rambled, the bruising began to fade and his cuts knit themselves back together. Nixian looked haggard and exhausted, but alive. No longer on the brink of collapse or death.

Gone.

Healed.

Everything healed.

"I don't understand..." she muttered. "You were... I watched..."

Nixian's brows pulled together and he huffed a laugh. "I'm not human, Kealie. It doesn't take weeks and months to heal because I sealed myself."

She frowned. The term had only been used once or twice around her. Spoken quietly because of her curse.

Not everything was better, some of the deep scarring and bruises only softened.

But better he was getting.

Suddenly Kealie was more aware than ever of the scales on his face and the thin, long tail swaying behind him. She felt how his forest green eyes memorized every gesture, every movement she made. Those big eyes peeking out from beneath the sandy bangs she'd found intriguing, masking so much of who he was.

"You've sealed yourself then...?"

He nodded, still confused.

Kealie's hand drifted up to her necklace, to the permanent reminder of her humanity. More beautiful than handcuffs and yet more damning.

She didn't want to be alive, stuck in this body forever if it meant she was without the sea.

And she certainly did not want to seal herself this way.

"There has to be a way to undo this..." Kealie whispered, forcing herself to stand up.

Nixian quickly followed suit, swaying vaguely as he did. "We need to get inside, before they send more guards after you."

She faintly felt herself nodding, already stepping closer to the door.

"Should I be ready to break a few more bones?" he asked, chuckling.

Even if the question was serious, Kealie noticed that he often deflected with humor. What she couldn't distinguish is if it was to soften the blow for her or separate himself.

Still, Kealie shook her head and remembered the Caster's gentle touch and kind words.

"No," she said. "She's not our enemy."

"And you're sure? How long has it been since you've come here?"

Kealie reached out and knocked her hand against the old oak door and sighed.

She committed.

"Twelve years..." Kealie whispered to him.

Nixian opened his mouth to say something, to caution her, but it was too late. The steps clicked against internal hardwood floors swiftly, clearing the distance she imagined in seconds.

The door swung open and Kealie almost exhaled in relief.

A wild fireplace illuminated a woman whose frame was quite small and muscular. Her wild, lengthy brown hair spilled all the way down her chest, hovering just inches from her stomach. Those onyx eyes lined with silver gleamed when they landed on the pair outside her home.

The Caster looked between Kealie and her Nerydian friend, then back. Sizing them up before her eyes locked onto the necklace around Kealie's neck.

She laughed, raising her brows slightly as she shook her head. "You don't know how to stay out of trouble, do you, Dear?"

Kealie felt a weight lift from her chest as she barely huffed a laugh herself. "I guess not."

"In you go," the Caster smirked, opening the door wider. "Before anyone sees."

The shadows of tension closed in behind Kealie, suffocating her so much she didn't need to think. Her feet moved without question, carrying her into the house.

Nixian was not so trusting, his gaze encompassing anything it could land on warily. He assessed the woman before him as if she were about to slay them, clearly marking the points from where he would strike should she try anything.

Kealie had never seen him so stiff and cold.

Resembling something of a soldier.

The Caster eyed his features more than him, looking between him and Kealie with a curious glance.

Something changed, dancing in her gaze.

"Come in, Your Highness," she said softer, calmer. "They'll have a harder time finding you here."

Kealie didn't know if her heart stopped dead in her chest. She'd choked out a breath of air as she stumbled back a step, blinking at the man in front of her.

The Nerydian's head tilted to the side, eyes narrowing in on her. "Excuse me."

"I know who you are, Nixian Iyvers," the Caster said. She gestured inside and he walked in slowly, never taking his eyes off of her. "Just as I know your father is King Zale Iyvers of Aelusia."

Her head pounded, her eyes burned, and Kealie felt herself getting weaker by the second.

Nixian looked at her, eyes softening in apology.

"How do you know my father?" Nixian demanded as soon as the door was closed behind them.

She ignored him. The Caster turned to look at Kealie with her full intention, inspecting just how the girl had grown up.

"You found little ways to rebel, I see," she mused to herself quietly. "I supposed you'd come here looking for answers eventually. Though, I didn't think it'd be on your birthday."

Kealie shook herself slightly. "You remember?"

The Caster only nodded.

"How do you know my father?" Nixian asked again. Clearly annoyed with being ignored and tired of the avoidance he intercepted the woman's stare by stepping in front of Kealie.

"Once, a very long time ago, I had to hide his daughter."

Kealie felt like she was going to empty her insides all over the hardwood. She didn't feel the Caster's stare on her or hear the deafening silence. Only the truth compounding together in her head.

The gold and blue scales, long swaying tail he kept tucked away most of the time.

She knew without being told.

Everything she'd once inherited, just beyond her grasp.

The acid rose from her stomach and burned her mouth.

"My father didn't have a daughter," Nixian snapped.

The conviction in his voice sent Kealie stiff.

The Caster raised a brow at him before turning to her. Their eyes connecting for the last time sent Kealie over the edge.

She vomited all over the floor.

Word Count: 1,276                  Total Word Count: 11,575