Third person’s POV

The river kept moving, smoothly and indifferentltly, not caring that it was drowning someone, carrying the silk-wrapped weight farther from the bank.

Then something shifted beneath the surface.

A figure cut upward through the water with strong, efficient strokes. She had been swimming the quieter stretch of the river, getting soaked deep inside the water, the way she often did when the Bloomhold drills left her restless and she wanted distance. The heavy thud of something large hitting the water had changed her course at once.

She broke the surface near the sinking bundle, caught the edge of the silk, and pulled it toward the shallows with practiced strength. Once the weight scraped against the muddy bank she dragged it fully onto solid ground, water streaming from her short training wrap and the dark hair plastered to her neck. She tore the wet silk open, shoved the heavy stone aside, and pressed two fingers firmly to the side of the man’s throat.

A pulse. Faint, but present.

Lily’s expression remained calm. She knew exactly how to take of this situation without breaking a sweat. She drew her hand back and struck him hard across the face.

Stefan gasped awake with a violent sputter, water and blood spraying from his mouth. Pain flared instantly across his broken nose and every bruised rib. He rolled onto his side, coughing, groaning, his vision swimming. When it finally cleared enough to focus, he found a familiar face kneeling over him.

"Lily..." he croaked.

She frowned slightly, water still dripping from her chin.

"What is the Alien doing here? You were meant to remain in the palace." she said calmly.

Stefan pushed himself up onto one elbow, then into a sitting position, every movement sending fresh spikes of pain through his torso. "It’s nothing," he muttered, his voice thick and nasal from the damage to his nose.

Lily did not look convinced, but she did not press. She simply reached down, closed her hand around his wrist, and pulled him to his feet in one smooth motion. Stefan staggered, grit his teeth, and nearly went back down.

"Fucking hell!"

"Is something wrong with you?" she asked, polite and formal as ever.

He let out a short, pained laugh that immediately turned into a groan. "Of course something is wrong with me. My nose is broken. My body feels like it was used as a practice dummy. Everything aches." he vented loudly despite his chest protesting.

Lily studied him for a moment, her expression remained unchanged, as if the words themselves were mildly puzzling. Then she inclined her head.

"What may I do to help you become well again?"

The System chimed softly at the edge of Stefan’s awareness.

[LILY — RELATIONSHIP INTERFACE UPDATED]

Loyalty: 20%

The notification only deepened the anger already burning under the pain. Stefan’s head snapped up as if he could glare the System into existence.

"Are you serious right now?" he snapped under his breath. "I almost died... again and you are giving me loyalty percentages? You couldn’t have done something useful while those three were turning me into paste? No teleport, no shield, no warning - nothing?"

[The information is provided for host to use to his advantage,] the System replied, calm and unbothered.

"I don’t need information," Stefan growled, still keeping his voice low enough that Lily would only hear nonsense. "I need a working nose and a body that doesn’t feel like it has been kicked down a flight of stairs. You never said anything about getting beaten half to death and thrown in a river when I signed up for this."

[Host possesses items in inventory that may assist. Host should also understand that events of this nature will continue. Preparation is advised.] The system informed Stefan simply, flatly that only made Stefan more angrier.

Stefan opened his mouth to continue the rant, but Lily’s voice cut cleanly through it.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She had been watching him speak rapid, angry gibberish at the empty air for several long seconds, her head tilted slightly in quiet curiosity.

Stefan forced himself to stop. He exhaled slowly through his mouth, tasted blood, and straightened as best he could. The System’s earlier note about her loyalty sat in the back of his mind like a small, usable weight. Twenty percent was not nothing. It was a starting point.

He looked at her properly.

"I have a use for you," he announced.

Lily blinked once. "What may I do?"

"But first I need to fix myself." he said almost to himself.

Then he pulled up the inventory with a thought, found the healing oil, and purchased three vials in quick succession.

[RECKLESS SPENDING OF AP DETECTED]

[Host is advised to be prudent in spending.] The System issued a mild note about spending but Stefan just huffed and ignored it completely.

"Shut up and let me work," he muttered. "I don’t even know how broken I am yet."

He uncorked the first vial and poured the cool liquid generously over his hands, then pressed it carefully along the shattered bridge of his nose. The relief was immediate and sharp - heat spreading under the skin, cartilage knitting, the worst of the swelling beginning to recede. He used the second vial across his ribs and stomach, the third along his shoulders and the side of his head where the final blow had landed. All the while Lily stood silently, watching without comment, water still dripping from the ends of her hair.

When the last of the oil had been absorbed and the worst of the pain had dulled to a manageable ache, Stefan lowered his hands and looked at her again.

"Come with me."

"To where?" Lily asked.

He paused. A quick, irritated glance went to the empty air where the System usually presented itself.

"Twenty percent loyalty and she still won’t just follow?" He gritted.

[Loyalty does not equal automatic obedience,] [Host must still apply effort.] the System answered.

Stefan huffed out a breath, then turned back to Lily with a smoother expression.

"I need your help with something. Come with me and I will show you exactly how you can be useful." he said.

Lily considered him for a moment then said; "I have only a few heartbeats to spare before I must return to Bloomhold."

Stefan gave a short nod, already calculating.

"I can work with that."

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