It was a sensation they couldn't quite put into words.
Physician Finch, the eldest in the room, found himself taking an involuntary step forward. For a fleeting second, he felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and snatch the parchment from her hands.
Startled by his own impulse, he quickly asked, "Lady Lucia, what kind of magic is this?"
"A Talisman of Vitality Infusion," Lucia replied, casting a knowing glance his way. "It is my own creation. You won't find it in any church or abbey. However, my body is too frail right now. I can only draw it once. If you wish to study one, you will have to wait until my strength returns."
Her own creation!
Physician Finch had no idea what a Talisman of Vitality Infusion truly was, but based on the sheer, magnetic pull of its aura, he knew it was an artifact of unimaginable value.
Lord Roderick, however, understood the underlying message perfectly.
Lucia could only draw it once right now—meaning, it was exceedingly expensive.
Seconds later, Lucia showed them exactly why the magic was worth its weight in gold.
Pinching the parchment between two fingers, Lucia flicked her wrist, sending the talisman flying toward Eleonora.
To their utter disbelief, the parchment hovered directly over Eleonora's forehead, standing completely upright in thin air. Lucia gave her fingers a slight twitch. In a flash of light, the parchment sank directly into Eleonora's skin, vanishing without a single trace!
Poppy threw her hands over her mouth, her eyes practically bulging out of her skull.
Lady Forrester rubbed her eyes, looking at her husband in dazed confusion. "My Lord, did you just see..." The parchment disappeared right into Eleonora's head.
She trailed off. Her husband—a man known for remaining stoic even if a mountain crumbled before him—was standing there with his jaw hanging open wide enough to catch a falling apple.
Lady Forrester turned her gaze back to the bed. And as she looked, the miraculous transformation began.
The withered, blackened skin on Eleonora's hands was visibly healing.
Her sunken, hollow cheeks began to fill out, regaining their youthful plumpness as if invisible water was being poured into her veins.
The stark white streaks in her hair darkened, shifting back to a rich, lustrous brown, inch by inch.
Everyone in the room stood frozen as if turned to stone. Eyes wide and mouths agape, they watched the impossible unfold before them.
The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

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