Rielen had waited all night, but Hyla hadn't returned. It was like she couldn't catch her breath. Today was a rest day, so she decided that she would just volunteer herself as a Healer for the day, if that is what it took to get into the Healer's Area. She marched down the hall with purpose.
She found Hyla asleep in the waiting area. Rielen sighed, and approached the front desk. "I am here to see an Elite Academy student named Eon." The nurse shuffled through a mountain of paperwork and checked the mage's badge before showing her to the bed in the serious cases section.
Eon was asleep with a bandage wrapped around his abdomen. His chest was bare, as his status was being continuously checked. Karla came into the small alcove behind her. "Do me a favor when he wakes up, and hit him over the head for me. Stupid men fighting each other all the time." The last part she grumbled, as she moved on to the next bed.
Rielen did a status check on Eon. Nothing broken. Repair to a few organs was performed recently, but he should be fully healed soon. Relief flooded her system, and she reached out to hold Eon's hand. 'You are in so much trouble.'
Boys fighting in the Academy was a common occurrence in the Healer's Area. It was when they fought in the Elite Academy that the wounds started to be more serious. Since the King encouraged such behavior amongst young men, the Healers always grumbled when they came in to be patched up.
'If you're old enough to squabble, you're old enough to heal yourself!' Karla thought to herself. She looked at her student, who was sitting by one of the newest admitted. 'She can take care of him.' She quickly went over to the other young man admitted at the same time.
Several bruises covered his body, along with several broken bones. Most of the night had been spent repairing them. Bones could be fixed; they were just time consuming! This man was definitely worse for wear. He wouldn't be waking up for at least a few days with the concussion he had suffered.
This wasn't the most serious case she had seen. The competition in the Elite Academy was fierce, and stress ran high. Karla often worried about her student being the only woman in that kind of environment. In a lot of ways, your mana controls how your body reacts to stimuli.
Karla knew that Rielen was not meant to handle brute force, as she had done her physicals herself. If one of those men decided to be rough with her, she worried about the damage it could cause. On the contrary, she had a lot of potential for mana output.
About midday, Eon finally woke up. His stomach burned slightly as he shifted on the bed. He looked around at the unfamiliar area he had found himself in. There was a pressure on his leg where he found Rielen passed out, with a worried expression in her sleep.
He had been avoiding her because of a nasty rumor that had been spreading amongst the young mages of the Elite Academy. Now that he knew the consequences of what could happen to her due to their relationship, he thought the only way to protect her was to distance himself.
He had even stopped attending the almost daily events with her. The boys had gained some confidence, since he had spent all his time with Rielen, and were back to their old ways. He lifted his hand up and caressed her cheek.
Tracing the outline of her cheek, he felt the tension of the last few weeks slip away. Karla strode into the tiny area that surrounded his bed from the others. She gave him a look and left. Karla had been treating Eon since early on in his Academy days. She knew it was useless to scold him. She remembered back to the time where she had asked him why he was sent here so frequently.
"I have something I want to protect," he had told her. She supposed that if there were any excuses to get hurt so much, she could accept that one. She wondered how her student had met this boy. She smiled to herself, remembering a time when she had loved someone herself. She shook her head, dispersing the memories, and went about her day.
Rielen had woken up to a conscious Eon. After scolding him for getting so hurt, she helped him gather his things and leave the Healer's Area. He let her have her way and followed behind her. He had learned early on to listen to a Healer. "I don't want to hear another word about you fighting with someone," she told him. "I will be checking on your wounds everyday until I am satisfied!"
Rielen had learned this attitude from Karla. Helping in the Healer Area since she began her training with Water Magic had taught her about how serious an injury could become if not treated properly. Plus, she could not help but take the opportunity to force Eon to see her.
Ever since they were little, Eon would always be scuffed up from fighting with the boys in the village. He never told her why he fought so much. He would always smile and distract her with a new rock, or bring her a flower. It was an unspoken agreement between them.
When she asked her mother about it she replied, "Boys have their own battles." Rielen still didn't understand. Part of the reason she learned Healing Magic was to be able to take care of him when he got hurt. She made Eon get into bed and take off his shirt.
Perhaps she didn't see his face warm up, or ignored it. She unraveled the bandage that was applied at the makeshift hospital they called the Healer's Area. She ordered Hyla to bring her a certain labeled ointment on her desk, and fresh bandages.
Hyla was used to this side of Rielen. Ever since she started training in Water Healing Magic, Hyla had assisted, and learned first aid alongside her. Karla had been insistent that this may one day save someone's life.
Due to the pinpoint accuracy of Rielen's Water Magic, she was a very skilled Healer. Normally, this would mean she would be assigned as a medic on the battleground, or assigned officially to the Healer's Area at the Palace. Karla definitely hadn't expected her young apprentice to go to the Elite Academy. It had become obvious that Water Magic was not the only magic Rielen possessed.