THE RETURN OF THE HEALER

CHAPTER 2 — “THE HUNT BEGINS”

The bells of Arkwright Manor rang like cold iron striking bone. Ray flinched at the echo, even though he stood far from the noble district. The sound still carried, accusation disguised as ceremony.

Lira cursed under her breath. “That’s faster than I expected.”

Ray’s voice cracked. “Those bells… they’re for me?”

“They’re a signal,” she said. “An alert to the guards, the mages, the hounds. When the Arkwrights want someone found, the whole district hears it.”

Ray’s stomach twisted. “Because I healed one man?”

“No.” Lira stepped closer, her expression tight. “Because you awakened a power they spent years burying.”

Ray ran a shaking hand through his hair. “Why seal me at all? What did I ever do to them?”

“Not you,” Lira said. “Your bloodline.”

Ray froze. “What do you know about my family?”

“More than you.”

“I don’t even know who I am anymore,” he muttered bitterly.

Lira opened her mouth to answer, but a woman’s scream cut through the clinic. “They’re coming! Guards, Arkwright guards!”

A panic rippled among the patients. Even the old man Ray healed stumbled to his feet. Lira grabbed Ray’s arm. “We can’t stay.”

Ray shook his head. “We can’t leave these people alone”

“You can’t save anyone if you’re dead,” she snapped. “Move.”

Ray hesitated for only a heartbeat before she dragged him toward the back exit. The alley behind the clinic smelled of damp wood and rotting trash.

Rain plastered Ray’s hair to his forehead as he and Lira raced through the narrow passage. Ray panted, “Why are you helping me? You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough,” she replied, not slowing.

“That’s not an answer.”

“Good. Maybe the right ones will come later.”

“Lira”

“Ray,” she cut in, “you can interrogate me if we survive the night. Until then: run.”

He clenched his teeth and followed. Behind them, armored boots thundered into the clinic. “SEARCH EVERY ROOM!” a guard shouted. “THE BOY CAN’T HAVE GONE FAR!”

Ray winced. “Boy? I’m twenty-one…”

“Arkwrights call everyone a boy unless they’re useful,” Lira muttered.

They darted around a corner, but skidded to a halt. Two guards blocked the path, silver cloaks gleaming even in the rain. Ray’s pulse spiked. “We’re trapped.”

Lira’s eyes narrowed. “Stay behind me.”

One guard stepped forward. “Ray Graham. By order of Duke Arkwright, you are to be detained immediately.”

Ray choked out, “Detained? For healing someone?!”

“Forbidden magic is forbidden,” the guard said flatly.

Lira laughed sharply. “Forbidden? Since when is saving a life illegal?”

“Since a powerless disgrace like him shouldn’t have abilities he wasn’t born with.”

Ray flinched. The words cut deeper than they should have. Lira muttered, “Alright. Screw this.”

She reached into her cloak. “Lira, what are you”

She pulled out a small vial and hurled it at the guards’ feet. A burst of blinding smoke exploded. “GO!” she shouted.

Ray coughed, eyes stinging as Lira grabbed his wrist and yanked him past the choking guards. They sprinted into another alley, the sound of angry shouts echoing behind them.

Ray gasped for breath. “You came prepared?”

“I live in the slums,” she said. “If you don’t have tricks, you don’t have a heartbeat.”

Ray didn’t argue. They didn’t stop running until they reached a crumbling stone archway deep in the outskirts. Beyond it lay a forgotten courtyard littered with broken statues.

Ray leaned against a shattered pillar, chest heaving. “Are we safe?”

“Safe?” Lira scoffed. “Not even close. But they’ll need time to track us.”

Ray looked around. “What is this place?”

“An old monastery,” she said. “Abandoned. Broken. But it has something you need.”

“What’s that?”

“Privacy.”

Her expression darkened. “And answers.”

Ray felt a chill crawl up his spine. “What answers?”

Instead of replying, Lira walked to the center of the courtyard and gestured for him to follow. “Ray… do you remember your earliest memory?”

He frowned. “Yes. I was eight. My mother took me to the royal physician. That was when my illness began.”

Lira shook her head. “That’s when your memories begin. Not your life.”

Ray stiffened. “What are you implying?”

She met his gaze. Her eyes were no longer gentle, they were haunted. “Your powers were sealed when you were five.”

“No.” Ray took a step back. “That’s impossible. I’d remember.”

“You can’t when they erase the memories that came before it.”

Ray’s blood ran cold. “My… my memories… were removed?”

“Yes.”

“By who?”

She looked away. “The same people who want you dead.”

Ray’s knees weakened. “The Arkwrights.”

Lira didn’t confirm it. She didn’t need to. “Why?” Ray whispered. “Why would they do that to a child?”

“Because they feared who you would become,” Lira said softly. “The Celestial Healer is not just a medic, Ray. He’s a force that disrupts balance, fate, curses, life and death. They didn’t want that power in your hands.”

Ray shook his head in disbelief. “If I’m what you say… why didn’t they just kill me?”

“Because your bloodline is protected by ancient laws,” she said. “Sealing was the only way to silence you without triggering consequences.”

Ray pressed a hand to his chest, where the strange warmth still lingered. “Then what happened today? Why did the seal… break?”

“Not break,” she corrected. “Crack.”

Ray’s voice trembled. “Why?”

Lira stepped closer. “Because you finally acted without fear. Because you saw someone dying and your instinct was to save them. The seal cannot suppress intent. And yours is strong.”

Ray’s throat tightened. “So this thing inside me… it’s waking up.”

“It’s been trying to for years.”

Ray swallowed. “If the seal continues breaking… what happens to me?”

Lira hesitated. “Tell me,” Ray demanded.

“Your memories will return,” she said quietly. “All of them.”

Ray’s heart hammered. “And my powers?”

“…They will too. But they will not come gently.”

Ray rubbed his face with shaky hands. “So what now? I’m being hunted, my past is a lie, and I don’t even know what I am.”

“You’re Ray Graham,” Lira whispered. “The last Celestial Healer. And whether you like it or not… the kingdom will come for you.”

Ray’s voice cracked. “Why help me? You owe me nothing.”

Lira looked at him steadily. “I once saw a Celestial Healer save a village from a plague,” she said. “He healed everyone… except me. I was too late. I watched him die using the last of his power.”

Ray blinked. “You knew one?”

“He cured my mother,” she whispered, eyes shining. “And before he died, he told me something I never understood until today.”

“What did he say?”

She stepped closer. “He said, ‘The next Healer will be hunted before he ever learns his name. Find him before they do.’”

Ray’s breath caught. “…He meant me.”

“Yes.”

Silence settled between them, heavy and electric. Then, A horn blasted in the distance. Lira’s head snapped toward the sound. “They’re sweeping the slums faster than I expected.”

Ray said shakily, “What do we do?”

Lira grabbed his hand.

“We run,” she said. “And you stay alive long enough to remember who you really are.”

Ray opened his mouth to respond, but a chilling voice echoed from the archway behind them. “No need to run,” it murmured. “We’ve already found you.”

Ray and Lira whipped around. A tall figure stood silhouetted by rain, wearing the silver cloak of the Arkwrights… and carrying a glowing restraint sigil meant to imprison magic.

Ray’s heart pounded. Lira whispered, “Ray… stay behind me.”

Ray whispered back, “Not this time.”

The figure stepped forward. “Ray Graham,” he said coldly, “your existence is a threat. Surrender.”

Ray’s hands trembled. The seal inside him burned. For the first time in his life… Ray didn’t feel powerless.