Bound and Broken: An Isekai Adventure Dark Fantasy (Melas Book 1) by V.A. Lewis (autobiographies to read .TXT) 📕

Blinking, I asked, "What experience? You mean… being healed?"

Victor nodded his head. "Now, now. There’s no need to worry. You’ve only got a few bruises, a few small cuts, and a torn muscle. It only gets slightly uncomfortable for injuries like this." He spoke reassuringly.

Slowly, he turned the bottle over, and a translucent red liquid poured over my leg. I felt an odd sensation pass through me; it was almost like the pins and needle feelings you got after sitting down for too long. And at the same time, I could feel the tissues of my body— the flesh and the skin— mending, like a surgeon was sewing it all together.

Except there was no surgery. It was all happening by a healing potion: I saw my skin shift and cover the thin red lines on my leg; I felt the muscle underneath tense for a second and then relax back into normalcy; there was a sense of catharsis that washed over me, as the short moment of unease came and went, and everything felt better than before.

Victor finished pouring the potion over my right leg, and brought it over to the other. There were no muscle tears there, but there were a few cuts and marks still. So he tipped over the bottle, letting a few drops heal the very minor injuries.

I got up from the rock I was sitting on, and stood on my feet. I took a few steps and stretched my legs a bit.

"All better?" Victor asked.

"Mhm." I nodded my head.

It really did feel better; I probably got a mild strain back in Bys, and it must have recovered somewhat before I tore it again earlier. I swear, if I wasn’t in a life or death scenario and I tried to run, I probably would have collapsed in pain. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug!

But there were a lot of things I couldn’t have done if not for the urgency of the situation; I remembered sending bolts of magic at the guards in trying to escape. I never could’ve done that normally. I… didn’t kill them, did I?

No. The most I did was injure one guy’s hand. And it was not like it was a permanent injury— I didn’t even leave a gaping hole where my magic struck, just a cut! Not a small cut. Probably more like a gash. And even if I did somehow kill them, I had not other choice, right?

But still, my conscience was not clear. At all.

I sighed, and turned to Victor. At least I can walk normally now. I bowed my head slightly to the young man.

"Thank you," I said the words sincerely.

Victor grinned and nodded his head. "Ah, of course. It was my pleasure to assist the daughter of Lady Valeria. And it just occurred to me, you never gave me your name," he pointed out.

I raised my head back up, and met his gaze. "Melas. My name is Melas, Mr Victor." I smiled and put a hand out.

The young man blinked. He slowly took my hand, and bowed. "Please, Melas. There’s no need for formalities— Victor is perfectly fine. And although it is a rather abrupt question, I was wondering what you were going to do now?" he asked with a hint of a smile.

This time, it was my turn to blink. "Uh, what do you mean?" I asked in return.

Victor took a step back, and cleared his throat. "Ah, I understand that it is quite a difficult query— and I do apologize for pressing it— but I believe for your own safety it’s necessary to ask: what happens next for you?"

I stared at him blankly. It’s not like I didn’t understand the question; I knew perfectly well what he was asking me. But my mind was just drawing a blank at the moment, so I said nothing. And he continued.

"Right now, you’re safe with me, of course. But back in the city, you were in imminent danger of being killed for your… magick. And moments before that, you were in imminent danger of being turned into a slave."

My hand shot up to my face. I grasped at the mark near my eye, and grimaced. "Could you—"

"Unfortunately not." Victor interrupted me. He took a deep breath, and sighed. "That is the symbol of the Mancis Company, yes? They are quite famous for their slaves all throughout the Free Lands. And those they imprint their logo on are considered extremely valuable; removing it is no easy task."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Why not? If a healing potion can mend muscle underneath the flesh, why can’t it remove this stupid mark?"

"Sadly, it is more than just a mark. I know it may seem like a simple burn scar, but I took a look at it earlier. Try to think of a stamp and how it adds a layer of ink on top of a surface. Well, this works similarly in that it creates a layer of this complex mixture of liquid mana, black dye, and other substances, on top of you. Except that it seeps into the scorched skin left behind from the burns, and turns it into this hard darkened skin which… is your skin now."

"Then can’t I just cut it off and heal it back that way?"

"Well, going back to my stamp analogy: it’s a stamp that changes the paper, rather than simply layer over it. A regular healing potion would not affect it at all as it thinks everything is fine and that there is no problem at all. And if you were to maybe cut off the scarred skin, and try to heal with a potion, it would simply regenerate the darkened skin back, as most healing potions return your injuries