"So, where's Ragh--"
Inna suddenly heard a cough by her side and she looked to her side to suddenly see Solomon there.
He looked absolutely horrifying that seeing him made Inna flinch in fright. It even looked like Death was behind him, waiting for him to keel over any time soon.
In fact, Solomon looked like Ulima not sleeping for a week after doing god knows what. He had the same dark circles around his eyes and his skin looked dull and clammy. He didn't have his usual mirth, instead, his eyes looked as though they were drained with life as a shadowy cast began to loom over his face. His cheeks were sunken in and he looked like double his age now. He appeared absolutely exhausted and his movements looked unmotivated as he made his way towards her.
Inna was greatly surprised by Solomon's strange behavior that she couldn't help but instinctively look at Granny Zai. Her gaze held multiple questions but Granny Zai just sighed in reply.
"Let's… start."
Solomon's voice was almost just a mere whisper as he softly grabbed the bowl by her bedside table.
Inna was immensely unnerved by him that she couldn't help but start at him with a weird expression.
It felt unnatural for him not to scold her because he always does it every time they so much as lock eyes. Their norm was always him finding ways to bully her and her always finding ways to bully him back.
That was their balance, their homeostasis, their… connection.
But now, it was like the man in front of her wasn't Solomon. Instead, it felt like she was looking at a ghost of a man, a man who lost meaning in his life.
"What happened?"
Inna unconsciously asked as she looked at Solomon with a worried gaze. Solomon looked at Inna's eyes, and after a second, he spoke softly.
"Right now, are you Inna? Or Ingrid?"
Instinctively furrowing her brows, Inna found the question strange but she still answered despite the confusion she felt.
"I… I'm both? I'm Ingrid but I prefer for people to call me Inna…?"
Her answer sounded more like a question at the end as she looked at Solomon with a confused expression. Solomon stared back at her clear green eyes which were filled with evident worry and he sighed heavily.
"I see... Sorry, I'm not feeling quite well. But don't worry, it's… nothing. Just… I'm going to help you replenish your magical energy, okay? So, just stay still, close your eyes, and try to get comfortable."
Inna was about to pry into it more seeing that it wasn't just 'nothing' but when saw Granny Zai shaking her head, she decided to keep her mouth shut instead. Following Solomon's instructions, she slowly relaxed into her bed as she closed her eyes.
In a few seconds, she could hear Solomon starting to chant as warmth enveloped her body. She could feel her body absorbing the warmth as it flowed inside of her from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She could feel her muscles humming with energy and her bones felt strengthened and reinforced. She no longer felt that heavy feeling before and instead, she felt as though she was floating.
Then, after a moment, she felt the warmth disappear but that same energized and floaty feeling remained as she slowly opened her eyes. Knowing that she can finally move, she immediately jumped out of bed and briefly stretched.
"That feels so good! It feels like I just got a full service from a spa!"
Inna giggled as she energetically moved around. She never felt so alive after that. It was like, she was purified from all the burdens she had in the world.
But her energetic didn't last long when she realized that Solomon was just staring at her with a smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes. Because of his depressing mood, her own mood had dampened as well.
And so, sitting back on her bed, she looked at Solomon with a serious gaze as she asked him.
"C'mon tell me. What's wrong? Tell your little disciple here!"
Solomon sighed as he rubbed his face with his hands roughly.
"What was the last thing you remember?"
Hearing his familiar question, Inna furrowed her brows as she looked at Granny Zai and Solomon interchangeably.
"Uhhhh… Granny just asked me that earlier… But I'll just answer anyways… Got drunk, passed out. That's it."
Solomon furrowed his brows.
"You don't remember waking up here?"
Inna gave him a playful look as she replied.
"Of course, I do. I remember that it happened minutes ago."
Solomon's eyes playfully narrowed at her witty reply. But it still held that hint of soullessness that made Inna's expression turn into worry.
"Ha, ha. Very smart, brat."
Then Solomon sighed as he gestured for Granny Zai to leave.
Granny Zai understood what he meant and she promptly left after a quick bow. Then, when he sensed that she was no longer on hearing distance, Solomon looked at Inna with a serious gaze.
"I'll be frank with what happened here for the past few days. I think you have the right to know, after all. And I believe you alone can answer the questions it brought up."
Inna gazed at him with confusion as she tried to figure out where the conversation was heading.
"What do you mean by 'what happened in the past few days'? Didn't I pass out for just a few hours?"
Solomon looked at her with a troubled expression while he tried to organize his thoughts. Right now, his mind was a chaotic mess and he had trouble finding the right words to explain properly what the situation was about.
And so, he decided to sit at the far end of the bed, a distance beside Inna to try and collect himself.
Then, after rubbing his palms on his face and doing a fee calming breaths, he began to fill her in on the happenings that she missed.