CHAPTER 84: BREATHING LIFE INTO TRUTH

Josie

I blinked at him. "How did you know?"

Varen didn’t flinch. He just shrugged, casually, like this wasn’t earth-shattering information.

"We’ll talk about all that later," he said calmly. "Right now, you need to tell me what to do."

There were a thousand questions racing through my head, but I forced them down. His eyes were steady, unwavering. Whatever answers he had, they could wait. The boy inside that room couldn’t.

I took a long, slow breath, willing my heart to stop pounding so violently. Then I looked at the body still clinging to life in that sterile room. There wasn’t time for confusion or fear. There wasn’t time for second-guessing myself. This wasn’t about my anxiety or the unknown. It was about what was right.

I faced Varen. "I need sandy soul. One piece of wood. And one leaf. Just one."

Without hesitation, he nodded and left, his strides confident. I stood alone now, pacing slightly. My palms were sweaty, and my stomach was knotted.

What if I couldn’t do it?

What if I made it worse?

I clenched my fists. I had no idea how to channel life through a dying plant—through anything. I wasn’t trained. I didn’t even know the full scope of what I was. But I had to try. That boy had to wake up. He was the only link we had to the truth, and I couldn’t let him die. Not when I could do something about it. Not after everything.

I swallowed my panic and kept breathing through the fear.

Minutes passed, each one feeling like an eternity, and then Varen returned. His hands were full—he’d brought exactly what I asked for.

"Sandy soul," he said, holding out the powdery soil. "Wood. Leaf."

I nodded, taking each item one by one, my fingers trembling. I sat on the floor next to the boy’s bed, not caring who saw me. I placed the leaf in my hand and gently rested the wood on my lap. Then I sprinkled the sandy soul into my other palm.

I closed my eyes.

Moon Goddess, I whispered in my heart, please... please help me. Let this work. Let me breathe life, not death.

The moment my fingertips touched the leaf, I felt it—the surge of something ancient and raw. It shot through my body like lightning, wild and untamed. The leaf twitched, then shriveled in my hand, its green fading to brown in seconds.

"No," I whispered. "Don’t die—"

But before the dread could settle in my bones, I heard something—soft, gentle, and impossibly human.

A sneeze.

My eyes snapped open.

The boy.

The boy had sneezed.

Varen and I stared at each other.

He blinked. "Was that—?"

"Yes," I breathed.

The door burst open. The doctor came rushing in, oblivious to what we’d just done. She glanced at the vitals, her brows rising in disbelief.

"This—this is impossible," she muttered. "His vitals are stabilizing. He’s... he’s out of danger."

A shaky smile pulled at my lips. "It’s a miracle," I said softly.

She nodded, still in a daze, and walked back out, muttering about alerting the medical team. I stood up slowly. My knees ached, and my body was drained, but something inside me felt lighter.

Alive.

I walked out into the hallway, still reeling from everything, and then I saw him.

Kiel.

He looked pale, shaken. His arms were crossed like he didn’t know whether to run or collapse. His eyes found mine, and though they were full of emotion, I couldn’t throw myself into his arms.

Not yet.

But I looked at him with something close to understanding now. I knew it hadn’t been him—not truly. He hadn’t been in control, and the truth of that was becoming clearer. Slowly, but surely.

And I would find a way to help him out of that mental cage he was trapped in.

No matter what it took.

Varen appeared by my side a few moments later. He cleared his throat.

"Hey," he said. "You’ve done enough for now. But... can we talk?"

I was exhausted. My head felt like it might split open. But I nodded anyway. "Yeah."

We walked in silence to the garden just outside the clinic. It was quiet, with only the sound of rustling leaves and our footsteps in the grass. I lowered myself onto one of the benches and waited.

Varen leaned against the tree behind me, his arms folded.

"There’s a lot we know," he said finally. "Kiel... well, he didn’t exactly keep everything to himself. After what he saw, he told us."

I turned to him, surprise flickering in my chest. "He told you?"

He nodded. "We’re triplets, Josie. Everything we do—we do together. That includes leadership and decisions."

I stayed quiet, processing that. It made sense. The three of them were never apart for too long, and even their authority was shared. I just hadn’t realized how much they trusted each other.

"And you believed him?" I asked cautiously.

Varen exhaled, then gave a half-smile. "At first... I wasn’t sure. But then we started digging. Trying to learn more. We were looking for ways to help you, even before the scandal blew everything up."

My chest tightened. "You were?"

"Yeah," he said, stepping forward. "We don’t fully understand what your gift means, or how deep it runs, but we knew we couldn’t ignore it."

Just then, Kiel appeared from the corner path, his jaw tight and his eyes hard.

His gaze landed on me, and there was something almost accusatory in it.

"What were you doing with him?" he demanded. "After everything that happened in the office?"

I stared at him, stunned for a moment. Really? That was what he led with?

I forced myself to focus. I could feel Varen tense beside me, and I hated that the conversation we were having was being cut short like this. I didn’t want to disrespect him, not after everything. So I reached out and touched his arm gently.

A silent thank you. A silent we’ll continue later.

Then I turned to Kiel. "I was investigating," I said simply.

He looked confused. "Investigating what?"

I crossed my arms. "The celebrant’s mother told me that Michelle said I was outside that night... and that’s how she got you to leave the party."

He frowned, clearly not remembering. "I don’t recall leaving willingly."

"Exactly," I said. "You weren’t acting like yourself. Something was off. I noticed it then, and I notice it now."

I paused, then pointed toward the clinic.

"The boy in the ward—the one who collapsed—he’s our only chance of knowing what happened that night. He was there. He saw something. I know it."

Kiel rubbed his temple. "So you brought him back to life to get answers?"

I nodded. "He deserves to live. But yes. I need the truth, Kiel. We both do."

There was a silence that stretched between us, full of things left unsaid.

Then Varen spoke quietly, his voice like gravel and ice.

"He must live... to die again."

I turned toward him, startled.

"What?" I whispered.

He didn’t elaborate.

And I was left staring at him, a knot twisting in my stomach.