Chapter 38: 38 - Warnings

Leaning towards her, he picked her up, despite Maria's warnings. All he saw was his daughter's arm, bright red with blood, and nothing could steer him away from tending to it. For an injury of such scale, Ari didn't show any level of pain as he wiped her arm with a gentle stroke of a washcloth, all along fueling his world spirit to heal the babe's arm. The green wisps of his magic encircled her arm and shaped itself into the brand of flame and fangs.

The arm was unmarked under the blood. No cuts, no open wounds. His wide eyes stared at her arm as Maria spoke.

"It's not blood. It is a mix of ink from Cochineal beetles and saffron from Soma"

"Beetles? But why? I… I don't understand what possibly were you trying to DO MARIA!"

"I was wrong, I thought I could bind her brand with the ink, cancel it out from beneath her skin using my magic as guidance, but the brand," she sniffled her tears back as her throat bobbed to keep talking.