With a leap worthy of a feline, Kenji jumped onto the bed in the area where Enatsu's feet were gradually stopping kicking. Although he was frightened, the merchant didn't have much energy at his disposal due to the injury.
Enatsu's glazed eyes looked at Yoichi, and his cheeks were bruised under the pressure of the gauze clutched in Takamori's hands.
For a moment, Yoichi thought back to the moment when Enatsu had used Rokuro to save Shioko. The spell cast by Ogai would probably have affected the archer on her chest, turning her into a Void Summoner capable only of obeying Gonshiro's orders.
Ever since he had met him, Enatsu had only been able to do good. Letting him die on a bloodstained bed after hours of agony would have been a real injustice.
All eyes were on Yoichi. Takamori was anxiously waiting for something to happen, and Enatsu, despite his fear, clenched his fists under the ice blocks, ready to endure the pain.
Yoichi took a deep breath, activating the power of his Oracle and letting the heat of the dragon flame burn in his chest and flow through his veins.
One scale after another, a fiery line ran down the little dragon's back, whose red eyes glowed for an instant. Unable to sense the presence of any enemy and sharing its thoughts with its tamer, Kenji knew that, for the first time, it would have to use its power to heal and not destroy.
Yoichi's arm made a strange noise as his skin was lifted from the thick black scales growing beneath it. Slowly, piece by piece, the entire right arm was enhanced by Kenji's skill.
Paying little attention to the biceps and triceps area, Yoichi concentrated mainly on the hand and fingers: the long black claws grew very slowly, becoming sharper and sharper.
Enatsu stopped screaming, knowing that he would only risk making the operation more complicated by getting too worked up. He didn't know if his friend was suited for such a meticulous and delicate job, but, apparently, this was the only solution to have his life saved.
The merchant took a deep breath, followed by more Blackblood boiling inside the wound. Black drops dripped down his sides, staining the bed.
Okay, Kenji. Now I need some help, Yoichi thought, communicating telepathically with his Oracle. Let a little bit of flame run down my finger, just on the tip.
A bead of sweat ran down Yoichi's forehead and cheek, trickling down his chin as if it were a stalactite in a cave.
Takamori was speechless as Kenji's primal flame glowed beneath the scales of Yoichi's one enhanced arm. Activating that power in an enclosed space where even the most minor details could be appreciated, the guild master noticed that the heat energy produced by Yoichi's body emitted a thin, blackish smoke.
The smoke, less dense than air, rose to the ceiling and dispersed around the room, releasing an unpleasant burning smell.
Knowing he had no more than a chance, Yoichi hardened the muscles in his arm, ensuring that the scales on his forearm and wrist did not rise. Had that happened, the fire burning beneath them would have risked burning other areas of Enatsu's body.
Unlike a normal fire, the draconic flame could not be tamed nor extinguished. Not even its creator could reduce its damaging potential: if even a small part of it fell in the wrong place, chaos would ensue and the merchant's screams would be drowned out by his last breath.
"Take courage, boy. You can do this," Takamori murmured, noticing that Yoichi was in a state of evident anxiety.
Sparks from the dragon flame splashed here and there near his wrist, ending up on the edges of the bed and creating small holes in the blankets. Seeing that scene, Enatsu closed his eyes, and his teeth bit down even harder on the bandage held by Takamori.
Finally, after a few minutes of absolute silence, during which the only sound was that of sparks burning the cotton fibres of the sheets, Yoichi was able to obtain the desired effect: the fire under the scales had decreased significantly, shifting most of the heat energy onto his hand and then onto his fingers.
Travelling through the veins in his arm and the spaces between muscles, the dragon flame superheated Yoichi's black claws, which became incandescent.
Kenji's red eyes pointed at Enatsu's wound. The little dragon was still on the bed, its paws spread and its body motionless. Its and its tamer's concentration was palpable.
This is it. I can feel the heat of the flame running through my fingers! Thought Yoichi, looking at his hand and bringing it very slowly closer to his friend's wound.
"Are you ready, brother?" Yoichi asked, resting his other hand on the mattress for further balance.
"Uuhm!" - Despite his fearful and constantly anxious nature, Enatsu acquiesced, squeezing his eyes shut and locking in his breath. Apnea, perhaps, would lessen the intensity of the pain.
The mere proximity to the glowing claw caused a strange chemical reaction to the young merchant's wound: from the edges to the central area, the Blackblood that had caused the infection began to boil like water in a cauldron.
The very heat of the dragon flame seemed to have interrupted the still state of the strange arcane substance. Without wasting any more time, Yoichi let the tip of his claw touch the wound.
Trying to keep his hand as still as possible, the young tamer plunged his finger into the central spot of the cut, at the point where the density of the Blackblood was greatest.
"UUURGH!" - Enatsu couldn't hold back a scream of pain, and his arms tried to move under the blocks of ice created by Ayaka, which were slowly melting under the heat generated by Kenji and Yoichi.
A large amount of Blackblood began to gush from Enatsu's abdomen like a fountain. Splashes of the dark sludge landed on Yoichi's face and Takamori's, who was forced to look away so as not to be blinded.
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