It’s late when I wake up; I can tell by the light streaming in through my window. The time has allowed my Constitution and the healer’s Power to accelerate my recovery even further. Getting out of bed isn’t as hard as I thought it might be; my main feeling is hunger.

  I get dressed and grab some food at the staff cafeteria where I get more looks than usual and there’s some energy in the air, but nobody talks to me. I don’t know anyone well enough to know whether it’s because of what’s happened at Saint Marianne’s over the last couple days, or maybe the fact Auntie V is coming to our hospice today, or that I possibly look like I’ve been through hell, or something else. I finish up as quickly as I can and go back to my room then sit down on the bed and open the long overdue notifications from my almost murder and reclamation of the would-be assassins’ Soul Sparks. It turns out, 33 of them.

  Soul Sparks Reclaimed: 33

  Soul Spark reservoir: 33

  Would you like to allocate your Soul Sparks?

  (Y/N)

  Soul Sparks Allocated!

  Constitution +33 (133)

  Stamina +330 (1330)

  Stamina regeneration +33 (150 /min)

  Damage reduction index +0.33 (1.33)

  Health regeneration index +0.33 (1.33)

  I check out my Status to see the end result.

  Level 2! I never thought I’d see that in my entire life.

  I focus on it and can see that unlike everyone else, my Level is calculated based on the number of Soul Sparks I have allocated rather than the experience I build up. I spend a couple minutes trying to reverse engineer the formula and then focus on the Level in my Status and can see it’s based on the square root of the number of Soul Sparks I’ve allocated divided by ten. Some rough math tells me that my Levels are not going to be equivalent to other people’s so I can probably ignore them other than to be happy that people might stop thinking about me as a pampered, lazy Level 1 oddity for the rest of my life.

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  On a hunch I pull the Mana from my Mana pool and try to heal myself with it or circulate it through me, but I can tell right away I don’t know what I’m doing and my Mana zeros out before I accomplish anything. Maybe another time.

  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Auntie V and I don’t really know what to expect or how she’s going to be. The last couple of days have been crazy and I feel like maybe she’s one person who could help me understand what’s going on, but it’s been years since I’ve seen her. For as long as I can really remember she’s been called away across the Galaxy to defend humanity, or whatever she was doing. That’s the story I was told. I’d like to find out. My Mom’s Mom’s sister has been a sometimes close but mostly distant figure in my life. We don’t have a big extended family - mostly one child or even none for generations, since the time Powers arrived and our world changed.

  There’s a bit of a commotion outside my room so I open the door to see what’s going on. From what I can tell, all the staff and a good number of the residents, probably anyone that can manage to get out of their room, are gathered near reception. It’s so crowded they even spill out the door into the courtyard. Wheelchairs and walkers, IV drips, and even a few beds on wheels are everywhere. And a lot of grey hairs. Lucy, Bart, Teresa, Fabian - they’re also all waiting for Auntie V and stand out like sore thumbs amongst the people nearing the end of their lives. I’m guessing she’s arrived.

  I slide up near the door without any grace and lurk in the back after moving past some others. I’m tall enough that it's easy to see over them. We all wait together in anticipation.

  It’s not long before something in the mood of everyone gathered changes. Everyone stands a bit straighter and talks a bit less as something they can’t quite identify catches their attention and makes them feel different. They look bright eyed and more alert. I’ve seen that effect so many times when my Aunt is near and felt it myself. There are probably 50 or 60 thousand people in the world more powerful than Auntie V, but she is pretty special with an extremely rare Power - for most people, just being near her heals their wounds and makes them their best self physically; her Power works passively to heal and enhance people to whatever their peak is at their current age. Turning back the clock though, that’s still not possible, even for Auntie V.

  Being in her aura helps accelerate my healing and my spirits, even from a distance. It’s like a cool balm flowing through me. I’ve missed the feeling and it sure is great right now.

  Graceful, gracious, powerful despite her age. Auntie V strolls slowly through the gathering with a walker, her flame red hair brilliant amongst the crowd as they greet her and Fabian welcomes her to Saint Marianne’s. That hair, despite her being old - old enough I’m not really allowed to know her age or ask anyone about it - almost makes you think she has a fire Power. Her body, once known for its curves, is now stooped and frail.

  She’s a mixture of fire and earth, a woman whose aura literally uplifts everyone. I can see why a place like this would want Auntie V as a resident and I wonder if there was a bidding war, or how it was decided that this is the place she’s going to stay. She will certainly have an impact on the residents.

  I suddenly realize that with Auntie V here, the death rate of the people here in hospice is likely to sharply decline along with any Soul Sparks. I don’t begrudge the residents, but I’m going to have to watch things even more closely.

  Auntie V is accompanied by a woman in her 20s who’s carrying her bags and clearly has a strength-based Power, probably Tier 3 Minor or even Tier 1 Major. Another older man, probably in his fifties, is also with her. He’s not carrying anything as he thumps along beside the two women even though he’s massively muscled, with salt and pepper hair to his shoulders and a thick beard. I catch some intricate tatoos at the end of his long sleeves and at the base of his neck and my scrutiny seems to be noticed. He plants his serious, calm eyes on me and it feels like maybe I shouldn’t look too closely for now. I continue to linger around the back and watch, my height making it easy to see what’s going on.

  My inspection of the events is swept away when Auntie V looks over and locks her gaze straight into my eyes and gives me a much frailer version of the warm, loving smile I remember so well from my childhood. She frowns and I suddenly feel healing energy flow through me in a rush, blowing away the cobwebs still in my head and the pain that’s been pressing on me since my attempted murder. And just like that, I’m completely healed. So much stronger even than the EDF trooper with a healing Power. She really is in a class by herself.

  Auntie V’s gaze is intense enough that a number of heads turn my direction to see what she’s looking at, but she breaks it off after knowing for sure we’ve connected and continues on with being the semi-celebrity that she is.

  There’s no doubt that Auntie V, used to the attention for most of her life, is totally comfortable to stop in the middle of the geriatric crowd and wait for them to quiet down other than the medical equipment and the occasional shout from someone who thinks they’re somewhere they aren’t. Now feeling in peak physical condition, I start slipping through the crowd with some difficulties. Too many wheelchairs, and old people with no real idea what’s going on around them to navigate. I head in the direction of room 300 while the crowd waits to hear what our new heroine says, and it’s not long before they’re all listening in a hush.

  “Thank you for such a wonderful welcome,” says Auntie V. Her voice is a lot weaker than I remember, or expected it to be. “You should know that not many people know I’m here, so perhaps we could keep it that way? No need for a whole lot of noise around here?”

  She gives a soft, kind grin and looks around the crowd to let everyone take in her words. I wonder how many of them can even hear her with the background noise and her soft tone. I’m not sure how many of the residents are coherent enough to understand what Auntie V is saying, but it’s clear enough to me and hopefully the staff of Saint Marianne’s… if people don’t make a fuss and spread word around that she’s here, Auntie V will heal those who want it. She can’t reverse old age, but her Power does allow her to heal diseases and issues that only a few other healers on the planet can.

  “You deserve some peace and quiet after so long,” one of the residents says loudly. I didn’t see who it was. While everyone’s attention is fixed on Auntie V and looking around to see who yelled, I finish making my way through them and turn back. Auntie V and her helpers are on the move again so I go to room 300. I don’t want my reunion with Auntie V to be in front of everyone from Saint Marianne’s.

  Once I’m there, I stand uncomfortably in the room and laugh at myself - what’s there to be nervous about? I sit down in one of the two comfortable chairs positioned near the bed and look around, wondering if there is anything in the room dangerous to me or my Aunt. If there is, it’s beyond my current ability to detect it. I take a few deep breaths and try to relax. Eventually someone enters the room and I find myself on my feet without thinking.

  It’s not Auntie V that comes through the door, it’s her companion. I look to the door again, but nobody else is coming through for now. Most of the bags Auntie V’s companion was carrying aren’t with her, just one big suitcase that looks like I could fit inside it easily. The woman glances at me, but she’s all business and ignores the fact I’m standing there. Instead she casually tosses the heavy case down with a deep thump and unlatches it. I take a couple steps toward the door and stop dead in my tracks when the woman locks eyes with me as she raises the lid.

  “Hi,” I decide to say, fixed by her stare. The intensity is an unexpected surprise more than anything.

  “Calrik?” calls Auntie V from outside the room and instantly she appears outside the door, her expression concerned. “Stay where you are.” It’s a request, but it’s clear she thinks I should listen to what she says.

  “Hey Auntie V,” I say with a lopsided grin and I wave to her.

  “Oh Calrik… I’m sorry for this. Just wait a minute. Maggie needs to check things,” she says.

  Maggie glances back at Auntie V and then pulls out several pieces of equipment and quickly sets them up, then grabs a screen in her hand and taps it quickly. All the equipment around her powers up and starts scanning everything, including me. Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of microfilaments shoot out from a watermelon sized black ball on a small stand and probe everything in the room like sentient fibre optic cable.

  Maggie holds up the hand not holding her tablet and a rapidly expanding globe of orange Mana pulses out from it several times. Sounds of electrocution and disruption from the places the filaments explore snap around the room and the Mana pulse seems to fry some things with damage, both in the room and from the sound of it in the room next door and above us in the ceiling.

  The sudden storm caused by Maggie abates just as quickly as it rose and she stands in the middle of it as the whole thing collapses down and dissipates. It ruffles my clothes and hair as it passes by and disappears. Calm and efficient, she packs everything back in the case, not even glancing at me. I feel like I should say or do something, but somehow I’m held in place without actually being restrained in any way.

  Maggie snaps the latches shut and lifts the hefty piece of the ground with no effort.

  “Clear!” she calls out into the hall and Auntie V appears again and rushes, at least for her speed, into the room, bypassing Maggie and enveloping me in a bony, warm hug before my brain and body can even kick into gear. Not that I’d move away, I’m just surprised. It’s a long, warm, heartfelt embrace from both of us. Long lost relatives.

  “It’s so good to see you again!” she says with such feeling that tears form in my eyes and I give her another quick hug. Auntie V’s other companion walks through the doorframe, taking up most of it as he glides through.

  “See you around Vitalis - buzz me if you need me, otherwise I’ll be back in two days,” says Maggie. She doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to stick around as soon as he shows up.

  Auntie V doesn’t pay much attention and stares at me instead.

  “Thanks Maggie,” she calls softly as Maggie exits the room and tosses Auntie V’s stuff into room 300 from the hallway. “It’s time we got caught up, Calrik.”

  “It sure is,” I agree.