Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter-106. The blessed

[Raven]

Asher peered at me, his gaze lingering longer than usual, before turning toward the distant walls with a heavy sigh.

"I can't believe you are saying this," Asher said.

I lowered my eyes.

"Me too," I admitted, my voice quiet. "I can't believe I want those people near Ezra again, but... my knowledge, my experience, my powers... they're not enough to heal Ezra. The curse is interfering with the treatment. Nothing's working. I... don't know what to do. There's no way I can neutralize the curse's resistance. I've tried everything."

"Everything?" Asher's voice sharpened, and he turned to face me. "Really? Have you really tried everything? Or are you just too afraid to try everything you've got? Afraid that you'll make it all worse?"

"What do you mean? Do you think I'm holding back because I'm afraid of making things worse?" I shot back, my frustration rising.

"Yes," he said, his tone unwavering. "Because there's a way to slow down the curse and neutralize its resistance, even though it's temporary. But that method... it's only effective if you're willing to do what it takes, even if it's difficult." I shook my head, disbelief creeping in.

"The only way to even slow it down is if we have a dragon's blessing. But forget about blessings - we don't even have dragons in hell."

"Not alive, no," Asher said, his voice low and steady, "but dead, yes. And they're here because they want to be here. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to bring their skeletons into Hell or display them in the lounge of Helxton." I stared at the carpet of leaves crushed beneath my shoes, the memory of Helxton flooding my mind. My heartbeat quickened as I recalled everything that had happened there.

Asher placed his hand on my shoulder, studying me intently as though waiting for me to realize something important.

"Dead or alive, a dragon's blessing can always help," he said.

"But no dragon has ever blessed a demon. Not just demons, it takes celestials centuries, sometimes lifetimes, to receive a dragon's blessing. The dragons have only ever blessed a select few, and they're all in paradise." Asher smiled, a soft laugh escaping him as he lowered his head.

"What's so funny?" I glared at him, my frustration building.

He didn't answer right away. Silence hung heavy in the air, each second stretching like hours. My chest tightened, my impatience growing with every passing moment.

Holding my gaze, Asher said.

"Raven... it's time you step out of my shadows and see your own light."

placed his palm

The heart of a true healer. The heart that is blessed by a

your mind? When did that happen?" I

"Follow me."

with thousands of thoughts. Every moment I had spent beneath the dragon skeleton in Helxton flickered in my mind. We

I clenched my fists, trying to keep

remember. Where did you go that night? What questions

That night...

***

peace was Helxton. I felt more alive with the dragon's dead skeleton than with alive people walking in skin

I went there again, carrying all my emotions, all

I never wanted to feel that helpless

was: what would I do if Ezra

else. Each time, all I received in return was a sense of lightness,

kneeling before the dragon skeleton. Numb. Lost. Defeated. And then a soft crack shattered the heavy silence both within and around me. Before I could lift

***

of my memories, I stared

dragon's claw fell, and

holding my gaze. "There is no greater healer than a dragon, and they chose you. They responded to the purity of your heart

before," I muttered, the words

the first time and it happened to you. It saw something in you that even you failed to see. It's time, Raven. Time to respond to your calling, to

my head, averting

But why me? I am... nothing." I rubbed the back of

lips curled into a faint, knowing

are Raven Xipher and you will meet yourself soon enough. The reason it could have never been me is that Asher doesn't have what it takes to heal others. Asher was - and will always be - inferior to

his face for mockery, for any trace of sarcasm - but there was

burning sensation rose in

saying it.

urgency. "Through you, many will find their purpose, their second chances, their new beginnings. So

through my hair. My mind swirled with tangled thoughts, and I bit the

The old ways won't work on him. That's why you need to

of wind that rustled around me, my mind felt less cloudy. But there was an unfathomable restraint within me, as if there were invisible shackles holding me back from setting free