The Heavenly Hero Returns

Chapter 20: The Cost of Survival

The Infirmary – A Full Medical Evaluation

Jessica woke to the sharp scent of antiseptic and the distant murmur of voices. The world felt hazy, heavy, as if her body had sunk deep into the infirmary cot, unwilling to move.

She didn't try to sit up.

She couldn't.

Her limbs ached in a way she had never felt before—deep, raw pain settled into her joints, her wrists, her ankles. The faintest attempt to flex her fingers sent a sharp twinge through her hands.

She let out a slow, controlled breath. Overuse injuries. Hyperextensions. Sprains.

Not from impact.

From pushing herself too far, too fast.

A healer's hands brushed over her arms, cool magic seeping into her skin. The sensation was sharp at first, the pain spiking before dulling slightly.

"Sprains in both wrists. Mild swelling in the left ankle, borderline severe in the right. Several joints overstressed. Bruising along the lower ribs, though nothing fractured. Your muscles have taken extensive strain."

Jessica's gaze flickered toward the healer. Elaine Verdant.

She was methodical, voice detached, though Jessica caught the faintest hint of frustration beneath it.

"It's remarkable that you're even conscious. Most knights who overexert themselves like this wouldn't be awake for at least a day."

Jessica just exhaled. She didn't have the energy to argue.

Elaine's lips pressed into a thin line.

"You're lucky. The damage is severe, but recoverable. You need rest, or you're going to tear something permanent."

Jessica hummed noncommittally.

Elaine didn't look convinced.

_____

Tobias' Observation – The Problem With a Light Blade

A shadow loomed over the bedside.

Jessica didn't need to look to know who it was.

Tobias was standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then—

"Piercing them was easy, wasn't it?"

Jessica's fingers twitched slightly against the sheets.

Tobias wasn't asking. He knew.

"The monsters, I mean," he continued, voice even. "You had no trouble cutting them open. But you struggled to pull your sword free from their bones."

Jessica's jaw tightened.

He wasn't wrong.

It had happened more than once—the blade piercing cleanly, but getting caught. She had wasted seconds wrenching it out of thick muscle, out of bone, out of places it should have slid through without resistance.

She had adapted, of course. Kept moving, flickered when necessary, adjusted her angle.

But Tobias knew.

He knew exactly what the problem was.

"You never liked your weapon," Tobias murmured, more to himself than her. "Not even when it was slowing you down."

Jessica didn't answer.

Because he was right.

And the unspoken comparison lingered in the air.

If you had been using a heavier sword, your weapon wouldn't have been caught.

Jessica exhaled slowly, controlled.

She wasn't about to entertain that thought.