They gasped, arching upward as the regeneration surged through them. Light, faint and golden, crawled over their bodies like threads being sewn back into flesh. Bruises faded. Wounds sealed shut. Color rushed back into their cheeks.
Asperia blinked—her fingers twitching as if remembering what it was to feel.
Mirea sat up in a jolt, chest rising and falling in sharp, uneven breaths.
Then—
"M-Maira...?"
Her voice was hoarse.
Maira burst into tears, dropping the tail as she flung her arms around her sister's neck, holding her so tightly it looked like she'd never let go again.
"I thought—I thought I'd lost you… I thought I'd never see you again!"
Mirea clung back, hiccupping, her face buried in Maira's shoulder. "I tried to be strong… I thought if I could just—if I just gave them time to run…"
"You did. You did, sis. I'm here."
On the other side, Asperia looked down at her own hands, then to her chest—where a spear wound had once been. It was gone.
