NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54: Healing
It didn't take long for them to reach the apartment building, but every step felt heavier than the last.
The hardest part was the stairs. Jace's hand clung to the rail while Serai supported his other side, her disguise flickering faintly as she strained under his weight.
By the time they reached the door, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breath came uneven.
Inside, Serai guided him carefully toward the sofa. He collapsed into it with a groan, his head falling back.
His chest rose and fell too fast, and his vision blurred. Shapes lost their edges, colors dulled. Even his hearing dimmed, like he was sinking underwater.
Serai hovered over him, her voice small. "You want water?"
Jace blinked up at her. "What?"
She tried again, leaning closer. "You want water?"
His brow furrowed. "What?" His voice was sharp this time. "I can't hear you. Speak louder."
Serai frowned, frustration flashing across her face. She opened her mouth again, but Zin cut in before she could repeat herself.
[She's asking if you want water.]
Jace shut his eyes tightly. "Then why can't I—"
[Because your senses are fading.] Zin's tone was flat, direct. [Your cells are breaking down faster than before. Hearing, sight, touch… all of it is weakening. This isn't just exhaustion. This is decay. You're an alien, yes, but you grew up on Earth. Your body adapted to its limits, its weaknesses. And now, after what you did with your power, you're aging like a human, only faster.]
Jace's chest tightened. His fists clenched on the couch, his knuckles white.
Serai crouched low, studying him with worry, her hands twitching as though ready to heal him again.
She didn't understand Zin's words, not fully, but she could read enough from Jace's face to know something was wrong.
Zin's voice came again, this time audible through the TV speakers. He patched the translation for Serai's sake.
[He said yes. Water.]
She nodded quickly, hurrying into the kitchen to fetch a glass.
Jace stared at the ceiling, his body sinking deeper into the sofa. The ache spread through him like rust eating metal, quiet but merciless.
His body felt heavy, almost fake, like the weight of his limbs didn't belong to him. He clenched his jaw, forcing the words out.
"Zin… is there a way to make my body stronger? If this power is already tearing me apart, then it won't be safe for me to copy any more powers. Not like this."
Zin's response carried a sharper edge. [I don't have direct access to data from your homeworld. But scanning your body has given me clues. I've compared it against the humans you've passed by, and against Eva when she was still powered. Their bodies are solid. Built for this environment. Yours is not. Yours feels… like a projection. A construct. Every organ, your lungs, your heart, your bones, reads as though it's imitating function, not truly built for it.]
Jace's brow furrowed. "Wait… my lungs? You're saying I don't need oxygen?"
[Possibly. But since you grew up here, your body may have adapted to survive like a human's. That imitation has kept you alive—but it isn't stable. You are more energy than flesh. Your cells act like conduits, not bricks. That's why they're breaking down.]
Jace forced himself upright against the sofa, pain crawling through his muscles. "That still doesn't answer my question. How do I get stronger? How do I make this body solid? Durable. Normal. Like… like my kin's, if I even have any."
Zin's voice dropped lower. [That… I don't know yet. But I'll find a solution. I'll study the scans, map the patterns, and test theories. For now, your priority is survival. We stop the decay first. If you keep pushing your energy the way you did today, you won't last long enough to worry about strength.]
Jace exhaled sharply, frustration mixing with fear. "So I'm breaking apart because I used my power the wrong way?"
[Yes. Enhancing your entire body instead of releasing bursts forced every cell to burn faster, age faster. You skipped the growth your body needed to handle it. Like forcing a candle to burn from both ends. It gives light, but it won't last.]
Jace leaned back against the sofa, his breathing shallow. "It was your idea, Zin."
[ I know. But as a scientist— correction, as an AI, I test every possibility. This one confirmed my suspicions. ]
Jace's eyes narrowed. "Which are?"
[ That you have more leeway with kinetic energy than you realize. But for now, focus. The immediate step is stabilizing your cells. She can try to heal you, but… she'll need her full strength. That means dropping her disguise. ]
Jace glanced at Serai. Her human illusion flickered faintly already, but now she straightened, nodding without hesitation.
"She says she'll do it," Zin translated through the TV speakers.
Jace hesitated. "Are you sure it's not dangerous for her?"
[ I thought you were selfish, Jace, ] Zin teased. [ Looks like I was wrong. ]
Jace groaned. "I'm… not. Just—look, let's start this thing before I fall apart."
Serai's skin began to shift, her borrowed human form melting away like water running off glass.
The soft caramel tone faded, replaced by a glowing blue luminescence.
Her hair vanished strand by strand, replaced by delicate, flowing tendrils that pulsed faintly with light. Her black eyes locked onto his, unwavering.
She lowered herself to her knees beside him. Her hands hovered over his chest and stomach before settling firmly against him.
A glow spread from her palms, thin white streams of energy flowing like threads from her body into his. The sensation was strange, warm, almost ticklish, but heavy too, like being filled from the inside out.
Jace's head rolled back, his eyes closing as he muttered, "Feels… weird. Like something pressing against every cell."
[ Good. That's her energy linking with yours. It's working. Keep her focused. ]
Jace forced his eyes open, looking at Serai's face. The strain was written there, her brows tight, lips pressed thin, her glowing skin dimming slightly with every passing second.
"You can do this," Jace said hoarsely, his hand gripping the couch to steady himself. "I believe in you."
Her eyes flicked up to his, and the flow suddenly doubled, streaks of light pouring faster into him.
He gritted his teeth, the warmth surging through his veins like fire, forcing his head back against the cushions.
Minutes passed. His senses began to sharpen again. The blurriness in his sight lessened, the sound of his own breath grew clearer.
[ It's stabilizing. Keep going. ] Zin's voice hummed, sharp but encouraging.
But then, abruptly, the flow weakened. Jace's eyes snapped open in alarm just as Serai slumped forward. Her head landed heavily against his chest, her tendrils brushing his arm as her body went limp.
"Serai?" Jace's voice cracked. He shook her lightly, panic flashing through him.
Her glow flickered, dim, faint. She had given too much.