Chapter 52: Unorthodox Methods

Grace kept quiet about her vision as they continued through the forest. What was she supposed to say? “Hey everyone, my medallion just got super hot and showed me an angel being eaten by plants”? They’d think she was losing her mind.

The group moved in tense formation, Diana taking point with her sword drawn. The forest grew denser, the path narrower. Every rustle made them tense, ready for another plant-zombie attack.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, Diana suddenly dropped back, falling into step beside Petriel. She leaned in close, whispering something Grace couldn’t hear. Petriel’s eyes widened, her face turned bright red, and she nodded rapidly.

The conversation lasted less than a minute before Diana moved back to the front. Grace stared after her, confused.

[What was that about? Is she still giving Petriel a hard time?]

When they stopped to check their bearings, Grace sidled up to Petriel.

“What did Diana say to you?” she whispered.

Petriel jumped, nearly dropping her staff.

“Oh! Um. She… she apologized.”

“Diana?” Grace blinked. “Apologized? Are we talking about the same Diana? Tall, grumpy, would rather die than admit she’s wrong?”

“She said sorry for b-being harsh,” Petriel mumbled, looking at her feet.

“Huh.” Grace tried to imagine Diana actually saying the words “I’m sorry” and failed. “That’s… unexpected.”

Petriel nodded, still not meeting Grace’s eyes.

“She also said I should—”

“Movement ahead!” Diana hissed, cutting off whatever Petriel had been about to say.

Everyone tensed, weapons ready. But instead of plant-zombies, they heard something much more human—groaning and calls for help.

“Please! Anyone!”

Diana stepped forward cautiously, sword still at the ready.

Around the bend in the path lay a small clearing. Four people were sprawled on the ground—three men and a woman. All were injured, with cuts and gashes visible on their arms and faces. Their clothes were torn, and one man’s leg bent at an unnatural angle.

“Travelers,” Mara whispered, her healing instincts already kicking in. “They must have been attacked by those plant creatures.”

“Or it could be a trap,” Diana countered.

“They need help,” Grace said, already moving forward.

“Grace, wait—” Diana tried to grab her arm, but Grace was already out of reach.

“Hello!” Grace called. “We’re here to help!”

The travelers looked up, hope and relief washing over their faces.

“Angels,” the woman breathed. “Thank the goddess.”

Mara and Petriel followed Grace, while Diana cursed under her breath and took up a protective stance. Alia and Zephyr hung back, watching the surrounding forest for threats.

“What happened?” Mara asked, kneeling beside the man with the broken leg.

“We were traveling to Rosewood,” the woman explained. “Those… things… came out of nowhere. Plants that moved like people. We fought them off, but…”

“You’re lucky to be alive,” Mara said, her hands already glowing with healing energy.

Grace moved to the second man, who had a nasty gash across his chest. She concentrated, summoning the warm feeling she’d practiced with Mara. Golden light gathered in her palms as she pressed them against the wound.

“This might tingle a bit,” she warned him.

The man nodded gratefully. Grace watched as the wound slowly closed, leaving fresh pink skin behind. It took more concentration than she expected, and by the time she finished, sweat beaded on her forehead.

[I still need more practice. That took way too long.]

She glanced over to check on Petriel, expecting to see her using her staff to heal the third wounded man.

Instead, Grace’s jaw dropped.

Petriel was straddling the man’s lap, her hands on either side of his face, and she was… kissing him. Not just kissing—she was practically devouring him, her tongue visibly pushing into his mouth as blue healing energy flowed between them.

[WHAAAAAAAT!?]

The man’s wounds were closing rapidly, much faster than Grace’s healing had worked. His broken arm straightened with an audible crack, and the cuts on his face sealed in seconds. The whole time, Petriel kept kissing him, a faint moan escaping her throat.

Golden text flashed in Grace’s vision:

「Skill Observed: Intimate Healing (Lvl. 4)」

「Description: Healing amplified through physical intimacy」

Note: Observed skills can be unlocked through training

Quest Gained!

Category: Compassion

Objective: Have Petriel teach you Intimate Healing

Rewards: +5 Compassion, Skill: Intimate Healing

Petriel finally broke the kiss with a pop, leaving the man dazed and completely healed. She wiped her mouth delicately with the back of her hand, then turned to find everyone staring at her.

“What?” she asked, suddenly self-conscious. “I-It’s an efficient technique.”

“That’s… that’s not normal healing!” Grace spluttered.

“I-It’s a perfectly valid technique! Intimacy… channels divine energy quite effectively,” Petriel explained looking down at herself.

“But…” Grace gestured wildly. “But… you… he…”

Petriel finally met Grace’s eyes directly for the first time—and immediately looked away, blushing furiously.

“I-I trained with both the Sisters of Compassion and the Sisters of Love,” she explained quietly. “My healing works best when… combined.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of this,” Mara admitted.

Alia bounded forward, suddenly very interested.

“Can you teach me that? The kissing healing thing? I’m great at the kissing part already!”

Zephyr pulled her back.

“Not now, Alia.”

The man Petriel had healed was still sitting on the ground, looking dazed and happy.

“I feel… amazing,” he murmured.

“Oh, I bet you do,” Diana muttered with a smirk.

Grace couldn’t stop staring at Petriel, who was now checking the man’s arm with clinical detachment, as if she hadn’t just had her tongue down his throat. The shy, stuttering healer who could barely make eye contact had transformed into a confident professional—then just as quickly reverted back to avoiding Grace’s gaze.

[What is happening? Who IS this girl?]

“All stable,” Mara announced, standing up. “We should keep moving. Rosewood can’t be far now.”

“Wait,” the woman said, getting to her feet with Mara’s help. “Let us take you there. It’s the least we can do after you saved us.”

“We know a safe path,” one of the men added. “To avoid those plant-things.”

Mara exchanged glances with Diana, who shrugged.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

As they gathered their belongings, the woman hesitated.

“You’re not with the other angel, then?”

Grace froze. Mara tilted her head.

“What other angel?”

“The one who arrived in Rosewood three days ago,” the woman said. “Tall, green hair. Like hers, but darker,” the woman pointed at Petriel. “Doesn’t talk much.”

“We weren’t informed of any other angels in the area,” Mara said slowly. “Are you certain?”

“Absolutely. She’s been helping the sick in the village. Doing a fine job too, from what we heard. Said she was sent from the Dominion.”

Diana’s hand tightened on her sword.

“Description doesn’t match any of our Sisters.”

Mara’s expression hardened.

“No, it doesn’t.”

“The Veil?” Grace whispered, just loud enough for Mara to hear.

“Possibly,” Mara murmured back.

The travelers led them down a hidden path that wound through the densest part of the forest. As they walked, Grace kept stealing glances at Petriel, who studiously avoided looking at her.

After the third or fourth glance, Zephyr sidled up to Grace.

“Curious about our shy friend’s talents?” she asked, voice low and teasing.

“I… that’s not…” Grace felt her face heating up. “It was just unexpected.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Zephyr smirked. “The quiet ones are always full of surprises. Wonder what else she can do with that mouth.”

“Zephyr!” Grace hissed.

“Just saying. You might want to find out.”

“I don’t—that’s not—ugh!”

Zephyr laughed softly and dropped back to walk with Alia, leaving Grace flustered and confused.

[I’m not curious. I’m not. It was just… surprising. That’s all.]

The forest began to thin, and through the trees, Grace could make out the first buildings of Rosewood. It was larger than Oakridge, with proper stone buildings instead of wooden cottages. Under normal circumstances, it would have looked charming.

But even from here, something was obviously wrong. Many of the buildings had the same vine-like growths they’d seen on the plant-zombies, creeping up walls and across rooftops. The sky above the village had an unnatural greenish tint, and several trees within the village boundaries had grown to massive, twisted proportions.

“It’s worse than we thought,” Mara said grimly.

“We’ve been managing,” one of the men said. “The other angel has been a godsend. She’s set up a healing area in the town square.”

“Take us there,” Mara commanded. “I want to meet this… angel.”

Grace felt a chill run down her spine that had nothing to do with demonic presence. If the Dominion hadn’t sent another angel…

Who—or what—was waiting for them in Rosewood?

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