This cave holds countless mysteries. We only know a small part of it.
"My grandfather once told me this," Ira said softly.
Kaal looked shocked. "So… which one is yours?"
Just as Ira opened her mouth to speak, a voice echoed faintly thought the cave.
"Kaal… Kaal! Where are you?"
Kaal and Ira both turned toward the sound.
"It's someone calling my name," Kaal said, confused.
The voice came again, louder this time. Kaal's eyes widened.
"Oh—it's my dad."
He looked back at Ira, "I guess I have to go.
I'll see you next time, Ira," he said with a small smile, then turned and jogged out of the cave.
Ira watched him go, quietly whispering, "Goodbye, Kaal…"
She smiled gently, the warmth lingering for a moment before her gaze fell to the ground.
To the place where his blood had soaked the stone.
To the place where she had healed him.
Something clicked inside her mind
A memory suddenly alive.
Flashback – Ira's past
Smoke curled in the air.
A little girl ran through the haze, tears streaming down her face.
"Mom! Mom!" Ira cried. "Mom, help him!"
She spotted an old man, barely breathing, bitten by a snake. He lay motionless on the ground.
Without thinking, Ira screamed for help.
Her mother emerged from the smoke—white hair flowing behind her, red eyes glowing like embers buried in ash.
Without hesitation, Ira's mother knelt beside the man and placed her hands on his wound. As her fingers glowed, healing light poured from her palms into the old man's body.
And then—
Flowers bloomed.
Out of the dry, cracked ground, delicate blossoms began to grow—right where the healing touched.
Ira's eyes went wide.
Later that night, she asked quietly,
"Mom… last year, when you healed me after the same thing happened… why didn't the flowers bloom then like today?"
Her mother smiled and gently said, "because Ira, at that moment, I had just healed the twin wounds left by the snake's fangs. And your blood denies all poison but that old man not."
Her mother went on, her voice steady.
"Listen closely, Ira. That man was poisoned. Healing someone who is poisoned by monsters is different from healing other injuries. And only someone blessed by the gods can truly do that."
She brushed a hand over Ira's Gray hair. "You were blessed, too. This hair is proof of that."
She smiled again, her voice full of quiet wisdom.
"Mastering this power takes time, Ira. But when your heart is ready, use it for those who need it most. And then flowers will bloom for you too."
Back to the Present
Ira's gaze stayed on the ground.
There wasn't even a single flower bloom.
Her fingers trembled.
"So… I haven't mastered it yet." She whispered.
Ira's eyes widened—not in relief, but confusion.
That's not the point…
The point is—
if I only healed the wounds, not the venom?
Then how—
How is he still alive…?
Slowly, she lifted her head and stared toward the mouth of the cave—where Kaal had vanished.
Her hand clenched tightly over her heart.
"Kaal…" she breathed.
"Just who are you?"
To be continue...