The Dark Blade: Return Of The General.

Chapter 4: The Miracle

Jacob helped Anna onto the medical table, his movements precise and confident. She watched nervously as he prepared his instruments with the skill of someone who had performed this procedure countless times before.

"I need you to lie still and trust me completely," Jacob said, selecting several thin needles from his collection. "What I am about to do will seem strange, but every step is necessary."

Anna nodded, though fear made her heart race. She had endured so many failed treatments over the years that hope felt dangerous. But something about Jacob's certainty made her want to believe that this time might be different.

Jacob began placing needles at specific points along Anna's body - her temples, wrists, and various meridian lines that followed ancient healing traditions. Each needle was inserted with mathematical precision, creating a pattern that seemed to map the flow of energy through her entire system.

"The needles will help your body accept what comes next," Jacob explained as he worked. "They will also ensure you feel no pain during the process."

Anna felt a strange tingling sensation spreading from each needle point. Her muscles began to relax in ways she had not experienced since childhood, as if tension she did not even realize she carried was finally being released.

"Now I need you to close your eyes and focus only on my voice," Jacob said, moving to stand beside her head. "Do not try to understand what is happening. Just let it happen."

Anna obeyed, though curiosity made her want to peek. She heard Jacob moving around the room, gathering additional supplies and positioning equipment she could not identify.

Jacob began speaking in a low, rhythmic tone that seemed to vibrate through her bones. The words were in a language she did not recognize, but their cadence was hypnotic and soothing. Within minutes, Anna felt herself drifting into a state that was neither fully awake nor completely asleep.

Time became meaningless as Jacob worked. Anna was dimly aware of warmth spreading across her scarred skin, accompanied by a tingling sensation that felt like tiny electrical currents. Sometimes she thought she felt Jacob's hands moving over her face and neck, but she could not be sure if it was real or part of a dream.

In her altered state, Anna found herself remembering the night of the accident with unusual clarity. She could see herself as a young woman, happy and unmarked by tragedy. She remembered the exact moment she had decided to run toward the burning bus instead of away from it. She remembered pulling a boy from the flames, his face obscured by smoke but his eyes filled with gratitude and terror.

Thirty minutes passed before Jacob finally stepped back, removing the needles one by one. He studied Anna's face with the intensity of an artist examining his masterpiece, checking every detail to ensure perfection.

"Anna," he said gently, tapping her shoulder. "You can wake up now. Everything is finished."

Anna's eyes fluttered open, and she immediately noticed that Jacob was smiling in a way that seemed to light up the entire room. His expression held joy, satisfaction, and something deeper that she could not quite identify.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Anna asked, sitting up slowly. "What happened while I was asleep?"

"See for yourself," Jacob said, gesturing toward a full-length mirror in the corner of the room. "I think you will be pleasantly surprised."

Anna stood on unsteady legs and walked to the mirror, expecting to see the same scarred reflection that had greeted her every morning for fifteen years. Instead, she found herself staring at a stranger - a woman with flawless skin, symmetrical features, and no trace of the injuries that had defined her entire adult life.

She raised her hand to touch her left cheek, the place where the worst scarring had been. The skin was smooth and soft, with the same texture as the unmarked right side of her face. She turned her head from side to side, examining her neck and jaw line. Every trace of damage had vanished completely.

"This is impossible," Anna whispered, her voice breaking with emotion. "The doctors said the nerve damage was permanent. They said nothing could restore the destroyed tissue."

Jacob moved to stand behind her, meeting her eyes in the mirror reflection. "I told you I learned techniques that modern medicine has forgotten. What you experienced was a combination of acupuncture, energy healing, and cellular regeneration methods that have been passed down through very select circles for centuries."

Anna spun around to face him directly, tears streaming down her perfect cheeks. "How is this real? How did you do this?"

"That is my gift to you," Jacob said simply. "Consider it payment for a debt I could never repay any other way."

"What debt? We just met today."

Jacob walked to a cabinet and retrieved a small wooden box. Inside was a necklace unlike anything Anna had ever seen - a pendant shaped like a mountain peak with a sword thrust through its center, crafted from what appeared to be black gold and embedded with tiny diamonds that caught the light like stars.

"This is your second gift," Jacob said, fastening the necklace around Anna's neck. "Anyone who sees this symbol will know that you are under my protection. It will keep you safe when I cannot be nearby."

Anna touched the pendant, feeling its surprising weight and the intricate craftsmanship of its design. "Jacob, I do not understand any of this. Who are you really? How did you acquire these abilities? Why are you being so kind to someone you barely know?"

"You ask many questions," Jacob said with amusement. "But I suppose you deserve some answers."

Before he could continue, Anna stepped closer and looked directly into his eyes. "I need to apologize for how I treated you earlier. I accused you of terrible things and said cruel words. You could have abandoned me or demanded payment for this miracle, but instead you gave me back my life. I do not know how to thank you."

"You do not need to thank me," Jacob replied. "You have already given me more than you realize."

"I have given you nothing."

"You have given me the chance to finally do something right," Jacob said quietly. "You have allowed me to repay a debt that has haunted me for fifteen years."

Anna was about to ask what he meant when the door burst open without warning. A man in an expensive suit stepped inside, his face urgent with news that could not wait.

"Sir, we found the first artifact and identified the first suspect," the man announced before noticing Anna's presence. "He is planning to sell it at auction tomorrow night, and we have confirmed his connection to the conspiracy."

Jacob raised his hand sharply, a gesture that immediately silenced his informant. The man stepped back, clearly understanding that he had interrupted something important.

"I will be with you in a moment," Jacob said, his voice carrying an authority that transformed him from gentle healer to commanding leader in an instant.

As Anna watched this exchange, she realized that the mysterious man who had just given her a miracle was far more powerful and dangerous than she had ever imagined. The question was no longer who Jacob Krigg claimed to be, but who he really was beneath the careful facade he presented to the world.

And judging by the fear in his subordinate's eyes, the answer to that question would change everything.