David watched as Mark fussed over Katie. Once the initial relief passed at her improving strength Mark’s medical training kicked in. He wanted to change the dressing and check on her stitches.

  They didn’t have a whole load of materials left to work with despite the well stocked medical kit but David could see his point. Katie looked better but she shouldn’t be.

  When Mark's hands moved gently unwrapping the bandage around her shoulder, everyone was paying attention, with Camila glaring at the guys to give her friend some privacy until, shamefaced, David and Charlie backed off leaving Mark to work with Camila hovering.

  David was more than curious about what he would see. How good was this healing? Had it stopped the bleeding naturally, would her stitches need to come out early? His stomach clenched as he imagined the worst possible; Blood. Raw tissue. The kind of wound that would take weeks to heal, assuming infection didn't kill her first but somehow held together by this new system resource Health...

  Mark’s low cry of surprise followed by soft urging to move her arm sounded good. Shocked but good. “I don’t understand. This is amazing. Can I call the others over babe? I think we need their help to figure this out.”

  "Madre de Dios, Katie... mira." Camila’s exclamation was perhaps even more surprising.

  Finally, Katie sounding almost scared “is, is it bad? It feels so much better and warm, like I rubbed Bengay on it…”

  “No, it’s fine, better than fine Chica. I agree with Mark we might need the boys to see this.”

  At Katies nod they approached. What they saw was a miracle in real time.

  The wound was healing.

  Not healed. Closing, resolving. Actively, visibly, like watching time-lapse photography.

  The edges of the gash that had nearly killed her were warm red, almost glowing with increased blood flow. Fresh pink tissue knitted together beneath the surface, visible through translucent new skin that looked impossibly delicate. As they watched, scar tissue formed in raised ridges along the wound's length, then smoothed, the body racing through weeks of natural healing in minutes.

  "Holy shit," Charlie breathed.

  Katie winced, her hand going to her shoulder. "It itches. God, it itches so bad."

  "That's good," Mark said, his medical training warring with the evidence of his eyes. "Itching means healing. But this..."

  He touched the warm skin gently, professional assessment overriding his shock. The flesh was hot beneath his fingers, radiating heat like a fever concentrated in one spot.

  "This shouldn't be possible."

  "Neither should zombies," Katie said. "But here we are."

  David's analytical mind kicked into overdrive, cataloging details with the same intensity he'd apply to a hot new game, or a quarterly financial report his boss was riding his ass about. The rate of tissue regeneration. The visible acceleration of natural processes. The energy expenditure required to sustain this level of biological activity.

  This wasn't just enhanced healing. This was magic rewriting the rules of human physiology.

  Charlie moved closer, his eyes wide with the kind of excitement David recognized from gaming all-nighters. "This is what health can do? Holy crap, is this like an attribute or do you have a skill now?” your Regeneration skill? The one you got from healing yourself with Health?"

  Katie nodded, looking pale despite the miracle happening on her shoulder. "Yeah. It's... intense. It’s a skill called Regeneration, I was offered it when I triggered the Obelisk due to the severity of my injury as soon as I bought health.”

  “I can feel it working. Like my whole body is redirecting resources to that one spot. Plus the Health and Stamina."

  "How much is it costing you?" David asked, the question emerging from pure analytical curiosity.

  "A lot." Katie's voice carried an edge of exhaustion that went beyond physical fatigue. "Both Health and Stamina are draining. It's like running a marathon on a caffeine high. I’m also getting hungrier and thirstier by the minute."

  She paused, twisting to try and see the patch of scar tissue continue to smooth. "But it's working. An hour ago I was dying. Now I'm trying to see myself heal. Where’s a mirror when you need one?"

  The weight of that statement settled over the group like a blanket. Magic was real. Not theoretical, not abstract, but viscerally, impossibly real.

  Camila knelt beside Katie, her usual assertive presence softened by something David couldn't quite name. Relief, maybe. Or wonder.

  "Dios mío," she whispered. "You really are going to be okay."

  Katie smiled, though it looked like it cost her effort. "Yeah. I think so."

  Mark sat back on his heels, running a hand through his hair. His deep voice carried a note of professional bewilderment.

  "In EMT training they told us that healing takes days, weeks or even months for bad injuries. Lots of stuff you never recover on your own.” His voice held notes of wonder.

  “Of course they mostly taught us to recognize it to tell the docs.” Here he paused. “Babe, I didn’t say earlier but you were a poster child for reconstructive surgery if you were ever going to move your arm properly again…”

  He gestured at Katie's shoulder, where the wound had visibly improved just in the minutes they'd been watching. "This is impossible. And it’s fast enough to see."

  "It's like a healing potion," Charlie said. "But you're generating it yourself instead of drinking it."

  David noted the way Mark's jaw tightened at the gaming reference, but the other man didn't object. Hard to argue with results when the evidence was literally writing itself across Katie's skin.

  "Does it hurt?" Camila asked.

  "Not exactly." Katie considered the question, her brow furrowing. "It's more like... pressure? Like my body is working overtime and I can feel the strain. Plus the itching is driving me crazy."

  She touched the healing tissue experimentally, then jerked her hand back. "Still tender. But nothing like before."

  David's mind was already extrapolating implications. If one skill could do this, what else was possible? What other rules of reality could be rewritten through directed mana application?

  The thought was simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.

  A soft whine cut through his thoughts.

  Billy's head snapped up from where he'd been sitting with his back to the group, his weathered face transforming in an instant. "Bessie?"

  The dog's tail twitched. Just once, a slight movement that might have been missed if they weren't all suddenly focused on her motionless form.

  Then her paw moved. A slight flex of her leg, almost a scrabbling motion like she was digging or chasing something.

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  "Bessie!" Billy's voice cracked with emotion as he leaned closer. "Come on, girl. Come back to me."

  After a few seconds he rocked back with a huge smile on his face. “She’s dreaming. Chasing squirrels. She’s always loved that.” Billy's hand reached out and gently ruffled behind her ears.

  The tail started to wag. Just a twitch then she whined softly in her sleep.

  "Good girl," Billy whispered, gathering the dog into his arms as she shifted. "Who's a good girl? You are. Yes, you are. I know you’re tired, you just rest and Papa will watch over you."

  For the first time since David had met him, Billy smiled. It transformed his entire face, years of hardship and isolation falling away in the pure joy of even this limited reunion.

  Tears streaked down his weathered cheeks as Bessie slept on his lap.

  "My girl's back," Billy said, looking up at the group with wet eyes. "She's really back."

  David felt something tight in his chest ease. If Bessie could start to wake up, maybe everyone could. Then he paused. How had Billy known she was dreaming of chasing squirrels?

  Camila was the first to move, walking over to Billy with that decisive stride David was starting to recognize as her default mode. She knelt beside him, reaching out to scratch Bessie behind the ears. The dog barely twitched but she did react.

  "I'm glad she's okay," Camila said simply. "You've been so patient waiting for her."

  Billy ducked his head, clearly uncomfortable with direct praise. "She's all I got. Couldn't leave her."

  "Well, now you have us too," Camila said. "If you want."

  The offer hung in the air, tentative but genuine. Billy didn't respond immediately, all his attention on Bessie as the dog slept on his lap.

  But David saw the slight nod, the way Billy's shoulders relaxed fractionally. Acceptance, even if grudging.

  Charlie broke the moment with characteristic enthusiasm. "Dude, how did you know she was dreaming of squirrels? Did you like use your system to get some animal magic or something? Have you been practicing this whole time you sly old dog?” It would have sounded confrontational if not for the bubbling enthusiasm; it was clear that Charlie was geeking out as he too picked up on the unspoken part of the interaction between man and pet. “Can you talk to her telepathically? Do you have a status for her as well as you? She’s a Pet am I right?"

  The rapid-fire questions made Billy hunch into himself, overwhelmed by the attention. But Bessie's presence seemed to give him courage.

  "It's... a connection," Billy said slowly, choosing his words with care. "I can feel what she feels. Know when she's scared or happy or hungry, or dreaming. And she knows what I want her to do, even without words when I lend her my strength."

  He paused, stroking Bessie's head. "She's smarter now, I think. Very tired right now from all the change, kinda like when she was a little puppy, she could sleep through anything.” He smiled. We're... partners. Really partners, not just me and my dog."

  "That's the skill?" Mark asked, his tactical mind clearly working through implications. "Enhanced communication and bond?"

  Billy shrugged. "That's what the system called it. Beast Bond. Makes us stronger together."

  David's analytical brain immediately started categorizing. Combat applications. Scouting potential. The tactical advantage of having a four-legged ally who could go places humans couldn't.

  Then he caught himself. Billy wasn't a resource to optimize. He was a person who was doing this to be reunited with the creature he loved most in the world.

  Still, the strategic value was undeniable.

  Katie had finished examining her shoulder, moving it around without any obvious issues and it was becoming clear that she didn’t need a new dressing, though a clean shirt would probably help… the difference from an hour ago was staggering.

  She looked up at the group, her expression thoughtful. "So we have three people with skills now. Me with Regeneration, David with Halt, and Billy with Beast Bond."

  “I have firebolt!” Charlie jumped in, clearly excited. “I’ve only used it a couple of times but its super awesome!”

  "Four then," Camila summarized. “With Carl MIA and Sarah unconscious.” She sounded frustrated by the first and worried by the second as she glanced toward the still figure on the sleeping pad.

  The reminder of Sarah's continued unconsciousness and Carl’s departure dampened the mood slightly. How much longer until she woke up? Charlie had told them twelve hours or so before all this happened, was that estimate from the Help function of the Obelisk still good?

  David pushed the thought away. Sarah was in the safe zone, protected by the obelisk's influence. She'd wake up soon.

  "That's not bad for day one," Charlie said, some of his gaming enthusiasm returning. "I mean, in most MMOs you start small and simple and things ramp up fast! Just think what we will be capable of in a week, or a month!"

  Mark's expression darkened. "This isn't a game, Charlie. Katie nearly died getting her skill. That thing killed Mr. Lopez and almost killed the rest of us."

  "I know, I know." Charlie held up his hands defensively. "I'm just saying, we're making progress. Learning how the system works."

  "At a hell of a cost," Mark muttered.

  David watched the exchange, noting how the potential for argument dissipated almost as quickly as it arose. Charlie backed down instead of doubling down. Mark's irritation faded rather than escalating.

  It should have turned into a fight. Charlie defending his gaming knowledge, Mark pushing back about real-world stakes, voices rising in the stress and fear of their situation.

  Instead, Camila took a breath. Charlie nodded thoughtfully. Mark's shoulders relaxed.

  David noticed it peripherally. The constant edge of panic that had ridden him since waking up had dulled here in the park. Not gone. The memory of Mr. Lopez's twisted form was too fresh, but it was muted. He felt safe here.

  Then he dug into it more – why didn’t he want to go home in a crisis. His brain immediately flashed to his Mum’s kitchen, he wanted to be there, so badly. After a second he realized that he didn’t have nearly so strong a connection to his apartment, it was more like his college dorm rooms. It felt temporary but still his home in a sense.

  He would rather be here than there, it felt more like being back in the house he grew up in here than there.

  It really shouldn’t, he literally never saw this place before and was having by a margin the worst day of his life, he should be seeking the familiar and yet he wasn’t. Out of all of them only Carl had made a decisive break for home. Now David was betting he would be back.

  He had lost track of the conversation while he dug at something, something that he couldn’t quite articulate yet. It felt important too. Then he was pulled back.

  "How did you get your skill?" Katie asked him. "I got mine from healing myself with the obelisk's help. Charlie practiced his spell like a thousand times. But yours just appeared and you were using it earlier, you saved me with it..."

  David considered the question. "Quest reward. I completed 'Earn Your First Skill' by bringing Sarah into the safe zone. The obelisk gave me a choice of four skills, and I picked Halt because it seemed like the best crowd control option."

  "And it saved our lives," Camila said firmly. "Without that spell, that thing would have killed all of us."

  The statement carried weight that made David uncomfortable. He'd made a choice based on logic and his gaming knowledge. The fact that it had worked felt more like luck than skill.

  Katie shifted position, testing her shoulder's range of motion with careful precision. "The system really does work like a game. Skills, resources, leveling. But the consequences are real."

  She met David's eyes, and he saw the shadow of her near-death experience in her gaze. "We need to remember that. Every choice matters because we don't get respawns."

  "Yes," David said. "Which is why we need to be smart about this."

  Camila stood, brushing grass from her running clothes. She'd changed at some point during the chaos at the apartment, David realized. Swapped blood-stained fabric for clean athletic wear.

  "Smart how?" she asked. "What's the plan, David?"

  The question caught him off guard. Not the content, but the way she asked it. Looking directly at him, as if he should have the answer.

  "I... think we need to figure that out. There is so much going on, so many things we could try to run to ground. I don’t think any one of us has all the pieces. Hell, I don’t think we have close to all the pieces between us. We need to figure it out together," David said. "All of us."

  Camila shook her head. "You've been thinking about this since you woke up. I can tell. You keep having that look people get when they’re working through a problem at work."

  Katie nodded in agreement. "It's true. You go very quiet and focused. Mark does the same thing sometimes."

  David felt heat rise to his face. "I'm not a leader. I'm just a guy who asks a lot of questions and tries to apply logic to weird situations."

  "That's exactly what we need," Camila said. "Someone who thinks things through instead of just reacting."

  “OK, here is where my head is right now. First, we need to work together – it’s too dangerous to do anything else. Second, WE need to be doing something – we are awake and even the monsters are still mostly asleep. Third, related to that – we need to pool information, I bet half of you don’t realize why I said that, we need everyones thoughts. This is too big and complex. Any one of us could miss something critical and get us all killed.”

  Camila glanced at Mark and Katie, then at Charlie and Billy. "Carl took off on his own. Fine. His choice. But the rest of us need to decide what we're doing. Together."

  The mention of Carl's departure hung heavy in the air. They all felt it. The fracture in group cohesion, the first real split in their ad-hoc survival party.

  “I have a feeling Carl will be back, don’t write him off. That is one of the things we need to think about actually.”

  Camila’s dismissive gesture seemed half-hearted to David and from the look on Katie’s face surprised her a little too…

  "Before we plan anything," Katie said, "we should probably talk about the system. Make sure we all understand what we're working with."

  She gestured at her healing shoulder. "It literally saved my life, and until it did we didn’t even know the option existed. I learned a lot from almost dying and then using Health to survive."

  Charlie brightened immediately. "Yes! System knowledge sharing session! This is exactly what parties do before tackling new content."

  Mark sighed but didn't object. Even he seemed to recognize that understanding the tools they had access to was critical for survival.

  Camila settled back onto the grass, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Okay. Let's talk systems. But let's also talk about what comes next. Because Sarah needs us, and there are probably thousands more people out there who need us too."

  She looked at David, and he saw the same weight of responsibility in her eyes that he felt in his chest.

  "So let's figure out how we save them."