"Okay. Please." Elera answered with a small, slightly hesitant nod.
Riku focused, calling upon his basic healing magic – the same gentle light he'd used to mend minor wounds in Elowen. A soft, warm golden glow enveloped his hands. He reached out slowly, placing his palm just above one of the crimson patches on Elara's arm.
The light flowed, and Elara gasped softly, not in pain, but in surprise at the warmth. Riku concentrated, pushing the healing energy towards the mark. But nothing happened. The crimson stain remained, vivid and unyielding beneath the golden light. If anything, it seemed to pulse faintly, almost mockingly.
He tried again, focusing more intensely, channeling more mana. The golden light brightened, but the result was the same. His healing spells, which he was sure would have cured a torn limb already, seemed to have no effect whatsoever on these crimson manifestations. It was like trying to wash away a dye that had seeped into the very fabric of her being.
