Chapter 57: Human vegetable.

Lucas's POV

The room smelled like smoke and ash. My heart stopped when I saw her lying there, right in the middle of it all. Amaarae. Her skin was covered in burnt marks, her clothes singed and torn. For a moment, I froze, unable to move, my mind refusing to accept what I was seeing. Then panic took over.

“Amaarae!” I shouted, rushing to her.

I dropped to my knees beside her and shook her. “Amaarae, wake up! What the hell happened? Come on, open your eyes!”

She didn’t move. Her head lolled to the side, her face pale except for the angry burns streaking across her skin. My hands hovered over her, trembling. I didn’t even think about calling for help. No ambulances, no hospitals. Hospitals couldn’t fix this—not with what I suspected.

“Damn it, don’t do this to me,” I muttered. I leaned down, pressing my ear to her chest. Her heartbeat was faint, but it was there. She was alive, but barely.

I couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever.

I bit down hard on my wrist until I tasted blood. My blood had power—enough to heal, enough to bring her back. I pressed my wrist to her mouth, tilting her head back so the blood would flow down her throat.

“Come on, Amaarae,” I whispered. “Take it. Heal. You’re stronger than this.”

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, she coughed violently, her body jerking as she spat the blood out. It splattered across the floor, dark and wasted.

“No, no, no, don’t do this,” I said, shaking her again. Her eyes fluttered open for a brief second, and relief flooded me.

“Amaarae,” I said, leaning closer. “It’s me. You’re okay now.”

A smile plastered across my lips and my eyes glistened with tears.

It made me recall how I killed her mother.. she died in my arms after taking a sip of my blood.

I was quite lost in my thoughts and I didn't know when..

Her hand shot up so fast I didn’t have time to react. Her fingers closed around my neck, squeezing hard enough to cut off my breath.

“Amaarae,” I croaked, clawing at her hand. “It’s… me.”

Her eyes burned into mine, wild and furious, like she didn’t even recognize me. I gasped for air, my vision starting to blur.

I was shocked, I pulled at my wrist out of her mouth as I thought about where she got the strength to attack a vampire lord but she almost killed me.

Then, just as suddenly as she’d grabbed me, she let go. Her hand dropped to her side, and her eyes rolled back as she fell unconscious again.

I scrambled away, coughing and rubbing my neck. My wrist throbbed where I’d bitten it, and I stared at her, my mind racing.

“What the hell is happening to you?” I whispered.

I tried again—every magical trick I knew—but nothing worked. My blood didn’t heal her. Spells didn’t wake her. It was like whatever had a hold on her was stronger than anything I could fight.

I had no choice. As much as I hated it, I had to take her to the hospital.

Amaarae had been in the hospital for over a month now. A month. And there had been no change.

“She’s in a coma,” the doctor had said, over and over. “Her vitals are stable, but there’s no sign of improvement.”

But I knew better. I’d seen the way her body trembled sometimes, the way her fingers twitched out of nowhere. It wasn’t just a coma. Something was happening inside her, something the doctors couldn’t explain.

I sat by her bed every day, watching, waiting, hoping she’d wake up. But she didn’t.

One night, after another long, silent visit, I left the hospital and headed straight for the outskirts of town.

The hut was old, hidden deep in the woods where no one dared to go. The door creaked as I pushed it open, and the smell of dried herbs and earth hit me immediately.

An old woman sat by the fire, her back to me. She didn’t turn around as I stepped inside, but her voice was sharp and clear.

“You’re late, Lucas.”

I froze. “How do you—”

“I know why you’re here,” she said, finally turning to face me. Her eyes were milky white, like she was blind, but they seemed to see right through me. “It’s about the girl.”

I nodded, stepping closer. “Amaarae. She’s… she’s in a coma. Burned. Unresponsive. Nothing works—not magic, not my blood. Nothing.”

“And you’re desperate,” she said, her tone flat. “Desperation makes people reckless.”

“I don’t care what it takes,” I said firmly. “I’ll do anything. Just tell me how to save her.”

She tilted her head, studying me. “Do you even know what’s happening to her?”

“No,” I admitted. “That’s why I’m here. You’re my last option.”

The woman stood, shuffling to a shelf lined with jars and dried plants. “Magic like hers doesn’t just disappear. It burns, Lucas. It burns until there’s nothing left. If she’s trembling in her sleep, it means the magic inside her is still fighting. But it’s tearing her apart.”

I clenched my fists. “How do I stop it?”

When she heard my words, her back that was turned to me suddenly turned with a sharp turn and it was her face with her sharp eyes. She stood up, grabbing her cane as she said with a heavy tone,

“ There's no stopping it.”

I paused.

I was initially following her but I stopped and my gaze could burn through her back as I said, “ What do you mean?”

She turned to me with a cackle, showcasing her crooked and decaying teeth that made me cringe inward but I kept a straight face with puckered lips.

“ She's fulfilling her destiny.” She said with her back facing me, when she suddenly took a sharp turn and said,” She's been stopping it but it manifested harder than ever and there's no stopping it.”

I looked at her with a hard look, taking a deep breath and massaging my head then I forced the words out because I knew what she wanted to hear..

“ Please.”

“ Please help me.. I need her.” I couldn't believe I said such.. I looked at her face humbly with my palms clasped.

She nodded her head with a smile, grabbing her cane and moving forward.. She said, “ Come here, little boy.” I followed behind her and she headed to a big pot.

She flicked her finger and I saw Amaarae.. there was something in her palm and she said,