Kai was halfway through sharpening another punji stake when a shape dropped down beside him with the quiet thud of boots on dirt. Tarni flopped onto the ground with a groan, leaning his back against the same thick beam that supported the stilted house.

"Hey, mate," Tarni said after a long breath, brushing his hair out of his face and giving Kai's pile a nod. "That's a great-looking stack of punji stakes. If I was a goblin, I'd be shitting myself right about now."

Kai snorted, already halfway into rolling his eyes. He opened his mouth to deliver some sarcastic jab—probably about how Tarni should've been working instead of supervising from a height—but the words stalled in his throat.

There was blood.

Not a lot, but enough to make his stomach lurch.

A thin, dark stream had trickled down Tarni's forearm, catching on the hairs and smearing across his skin in a way that screamed something tore.

"Whoa! What happened to your arm?" Kai blurted, dropping his machete and reaching instinctively.

Tarni glanced down like he'd only just noticed. "Ah. Some evil barbed wire jumped out and got me as I was walking past. It was a full ambush," he added with a crooked grin.

But Kai was already moving. He pressed his hand to Tarni's shoulder and willed the skill to activate. A soft, golden pulse lit up his fingers for a second—and then the wound vanished.

No scar. No blood. Just clean, healthy skin like nothing had ever happened.

Tarni flexed his fingers and gave an approving nod. "Thanks, mate!"

"Yeah, yeah. No problem," Kai muttered, wiping his hand on his pants and grabbing the next stick. Another scratch, another scrape. Just another minor injury to patch up. Story of his life.

But Tarni didn't move. Instead, he shifted and reached across, resting a hand on Kai's shoulder and gently turning him until they were facing each other.

"Oi. Look at me."

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Kai blinked, confused, but didn't pull away. Tarni wasn't smiling now. His tone was lower—calm and firm, but not heavy.

"No, you don't get it. Thanks, mate. For real. For saving my life."

Kai froze. "Wait, what? I thought it was the potion…"

Tarni shook his head slowly, his gaze unwavering. "Nah. Listen. I've taken hits before—more than a few—but that? That was different. I could feel it. Inside. I was bleeding out. I remember thinking, 'Well, shit, this is how it ends.' Every time you healed me, it pushed that feeling back. The edge of death, it just... moved further away. You bought me time. That last heal, before Zane gave me the potion! It held me together just long enough."

Kai stared at him, throat dry, mind racing.

"You were there," Tarni continued. "You stepped in when I needed it most. I don't think I would've lasted ten more seconds without you, let alone long enough for Lily to find the red. And even if she did, I don't think the potion would've worked as well or at all. You gave me that chance, mate."

He paused for a second, letting the words sink in. Then, with a grunt, Tarni stood up and extended a hand toward Kai.

Still stunned, Kai reached out automatically, and Tarni hauled him to his feet in one strong pull. And before Kai could find something to say—something that might dismiss or deflect it—Tarni pulled him into a hug.

A real hug. Warm, grateful, solid.

"Thanks, mate," he said again, this time soft enough to make it stick.

And just like that, the weight Kai had been carrying—the doubt, the frustration, the nagging sense of not being enough—shifted. Not gone, but different now. Smaller. Lighter.

He hugged the man he had called uncle all his life, even though he was his Dad's best friend and not his brother.

"Yeah," Kai said, voice barely above a whisper. "You're welcome."

From the other side of the yard, Lily slowed her steps as she returned from fetching water. The two figures beneath the house caught her eye—Uncle Tarni standing tall, one hand on Kai's shoulder, the other wrapping him in a hug.

She stopped mid-step, her arms still holding the bucket, water sloshing gently with the sudden stillness.

Her brother, quiet and distant for the last couple of days, leaned into the hug with his chin down, shoulders tense like he didn't quite know how to handle it—but he wasn't pulling away either. And Tarni—Uncle Tarn—was serious, not his usual cheeky self. He said something softly she couldn't hear. But it seemed to be enough.

Lily blinked, surprised.

She wasn't used to seeing Kai like that. Not since they were kids. Not since before everything got complicated.

She ducked her head with a little smile and quietly turned away, careful not to make a sound. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin a moment that had clearly been too long coming.

Back out in the yard, Bell called out, "Lily? You need a hand with that?"

Lily shook her head and lifted the bucket higher, her smile growing. "Nah, I'm good."

She didn't mention what she'd seen. She didn't need to. But in her chest, a warm feeling settled—something quiet and hopeful. Her brother was healing more than wounds out here. He was finding his place.

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