Jane floated in and out of consciousness for what felt like days. Pain anchored her to the waking world, sharp and burning, but each time she slipped under, she was pulled back by voices—familiar ones.
"Keep pressure on it—don't let her slip away!"
"Dammit, she's lost too much blood."
"We can't heal this, not without—"
When she finally woke fully, it was to the faint hum of machinery. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim lamplight of the hidden base. She tried to move—and froze.
Her right arm was gone.
In its place was something else: sleek metal gleaming in the lantern glow, wires hidden beneath polished plating, etched with runes faintly glowing red. Fingers flexed stiffly, almost like real ones, a faint hiss of pneumatics with every movement.
Jane gasped, her chest tightening.
"You're awake."
She turned her head. Across the room stood her friend Mira, a witch with oil stains on her cheeks and tools still in hand. She gave a tired smile, though her eyes shone with worry.
"It's not perfect," Mira said softly, moving closer. "But it'll keep you alive. We fused runic channels with tech—we had to improvise. You'll… get used to it."
Jane stared at the arm. Metal where flesh used to be. Her stomach twisted, a mix of grief and awe. Slowly, she flexed her new fingers. They responded, awkward but real.
Levi stood in the corner, wings folded, hair black once more, horns gleaming faintly in the dim light. She said nothing.
Jane finally whispered, her voice trembling, "I… lost my hand."
Mira crouched beside her, squeezing her shoulder gently. "You didn't lose. You lived. That's what matters."
The words barely registered. Jane's gaze drifted back to Levi. The Demon Queen's crimson eyes softened, just barely.
"You bled for me," Levi said quietly, her voice low, carrying the weight of something unspoken. "And now you rise stronger."
---
The room was crowded that evening. Mira hovered by Jane's side, adjusting tools and tightening straps around the joint. Beside her sat Ryn, a shifter with pale blue eyes, watching the door as though expecting pursuit. Two other witches, Lena and Harrow, whispered in the corner, their gazes flicking nervously to the shadow against the wall.
Levi.
She stood apart, wings folded, hair black once more, eyes gold again though still sharp enough to make the others avert their gaze.
"Why is she here?" Harrow whispered harshly. "That's the Demon Queen. The same one who burned half the world eighteen centuries ago."
"She saved Jane," Mira snapped, not looking up from her work.
"She endangered her," Harrow shot back. "If the dragon's hunting her, then all of us are targets."
The argument swelled, voices sharp, fear rising with every word.
Jane finally raised her voice, quiet but firm. "Stop."
The room fell silent. She flexed her new hand, the metal fingers clinking softly. Her gaze drifted to Levi, who watched her with that unreadable stare.
"She saved me," Jane said again, her voice shaking but steady. "Whatever she's done in the past… if she hadn't been there, I'd be dead."
Levi tilted her head slightly, the faintest ghost of a smile tugging at her lips.
Harrow muttered something under his breath and turned away. Mira gave Jane's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before standing, muttering about needing more parts. One by one, the others drifted back into the tunnels, leaving the firelight chamber quieter.
Only Levi remained.
Jane sat back against the rough stone wall, the fire casting shadows across her pale face. She lifted her metal hand, watching the flames dance across its polished surface.
"It doesn't feel like me," she admitted softly.
Levi stepped closer, her presence filling the space like a storm contained. "Steel or flesh—it matters little. You endured. That is what makes it yours."
Jane glanced up, meeting those golden eyes. "You make it sound so simple."
"It is simple," Levi said. She crouched in front of Jane, wings folding neatly against her back. "You bled, you survived, you rose again. That is power. That is what your enemies will fear."
Jane's cheeks warmed, though whether from the fire or Levi's words, she couldn't tell. She looked away quickly, embarrassed.
"You talk like I'm… more than I am."
Levi leaned in slightly, her voice dropping lower, smooth as silk. "You are more than you believe. I see it."
For a moment, the weight of the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the firelight, the soft hum of Jane's new arm, and Levi's eyes burning into hers.
But outside, in the endless dark of the tunnels, the hunt had not stopped.
---
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