A little trial by fire never hurts anyone, especially if they're a true believer. Or some sort of that logic.

Maybe Eve has other motivations for wanting to protect Nick, such as his usefulness is thwarting the Black Claw. Or maybe, it's possible that a small part of her remembers their past.

Exactly! You seem to be on the same wavelength as the producers right now!

That was my thought as well, that the stick could have a potential consequence for its healing. If there were a consequence it would likely be inflicted somehow on the user of the staff/splinter which in this case would be Nick. It could be that the consequence is that the person wielding the staff is weakened each…