Standing before us was a man, wearing an endless smirk on his face. His eyes were impenetrable. I couldn't guess what he was thinking or what his intentions were. But, he did claim to be a healer. And that was what we desperately needed. "So … you're a healer?" Hanso asked, staring with suspicion."Yeah, I am," the guy replied. "I'm no professional though. I've only recently gotten this ability. The name's Aiden by the way," he put out a hand.

I shook his hand since Hanso just looked at it and left it hanging. 

Trusting strangers wasn't a good thing. So, I didn't trust him. Though he was our only hope, so perhaps I could just let him heal Miguel and then go his way?

He kept his mischievous look. "How can I help you?"

Hanso folded his arms. "No ... the question is ... how can we help you."

Aiden raised a brow and licked his lips. He tilted his head slightly as he gazed at Hanso. "I don't quite get what you mean?" his words seemed genuine. 

Hanso scoffed, carrying a hand to his face. "Come on, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm talking about. You weren't required to stick out like a sore thumb and step out of the crowd like you just did. You could have just remained hidden like the rest of the healers in the crowd—"

Aiden blinked his eyes a couple of times. "So?"

"So you obviously want something from us," Hanso continued. "People don't do things for free in this world. That's not the way humans work. We're selfish—"

"Then, I guess I'm not human," Aiden said, interrupting. "Now, can you guys be quick and tell me who needs my healing? I don't have all day. Things to do, man."

I wanted to believe he was doing it for free. But at the same time, I couldn't; just like Hanso. Still, I was able to muster enough trust to neglect my suspicions. So what if we were falling into another trap? If we were able to get out of one just now, then I was sure we could get out of another. If it's a fight we must fight. I was willing to step out of my comfort zone and simply bite the bullet.

I heaved, turning to Aiden. "My friend, Miguel, got shot in his left leg. He's right over there on that bench," I pointed, "he'll need healing if he hopes to close the wound. But first, the bullet pieces are to be removed. But then again," I pushed my glasses higher up my nose, "he was only shot in his thigh. It should be perfectly okay to leave the bullet fragments in his body. The surrounding tissue should encapsulate the bullet, preventing it from dissolving and leaching into the blood. But I wouldn't want him to live with bullet pieces inside him."

Aiden scratched his head. "Ahhh ... snap. I had no idea I had to perform a whole surgery. How am I even going to get rid of the bullet without any medical equipment?"

I clenched my fists. "We'll need to talk to Miguel about this."

***

We stood before Miguel. Miguel sat on the bench, shirtless. He had apparently ripped his shirt and wrapped it around the wound at his thigh. He leaned back comfortably on the bench with slit eyes, calmed as usual. 

I smiled at him. "We're back. I told you we would be successful. Standing right next to me is a full-blown healer. Well, he is a bit inexperienced, but I'm still really grateful we even found one."

"My demon instincts aren't inclined," Hanso said. 

Miguel shook his head, smiling a bit. "I see, I see. Thank you guys a lot for the help. You didn't have to but you insisted so I just ... yeah. There is one huge problem though," he looked particularly at me. 

"What's wrong?" I asked, raising both my hands. 

"You broke the first rule," Miguel said, narrowing his eyes at me. "The first rule, Ash."

"Ah, I know," I said with a low tone. "But it was for a good reason, wasn't it? You should be glad. But," I frowned, "there is still one major problem."

Miguel raised a brow. "And that problem is ... ?"

"The bullet," Aiden chimed in, "if I heal the wound, the bullet pieces will be trapped in there."

"And, I'm pretty sure that's not a pleasing thing to hear," I added. "Two options. You can either live with the bullet pieces in there and suffer little to no casualties or ..."

"You can have it removed and risk problems that can arise during surgery," Hanso chimed in. "I don't think surgery is worth it. We don't even have the equipment or," he glared at Aiden, "even a trusted surgeon to perform such an operation."

I grimaced at him. "That wasn't what I was going to say about the second option at all. You do have an excellent point there. But I want the best for Miguel. Sure, removing the bullet is the most painful way of doing things. But maybe it's the right way. Bullets needn't be removed if it doesn't affect major vessels or plexus. But we haven't examined the wound, so we don't know what the bullet's affecting. What's more, I've read somewhere that bullet fragments in the body can later spell mental deterioration when the lead gets into your bloodstream.

"Ultimately, the choice is yours, Miguel. I don't disagree with Hanso. Leaving the bullet in your body is the best thing to do in this situation. But I just figured I'd tell you what can happen if you do this."

"I don't care about the bullet pieces," Miguel said, "I don't even know if I'll live for more than a year again; so I'm pretty sure the lead poisoning won't get to me. I just want to be healed so I can walk again. After all, I am losing a lot of blood here."