Early the next day, Tania woke Ellaria up , dressed her up and both joined uncle Roy downstairs.
All three ate their breakfast happily. The couple seemed in a rather good mood, they weren't able to cancel their genuine smiles .
That day, uncle Roy didn't open the bakery as usual nor did Tania busy herself with the dough. They quickly prepared themselves and took Ellaria to old man Gu house.
Apparently, a healer arrived in the city yesterday ,but not any healer, it was the young man who had healed uncle Roy injured leg days ago.
The couple were highly impressed when they saw him effortlessly heal the broken leg. Therefore, they strongly believed that Granny and uncle Dan would recover under the care of this talented young man .
As soon as the carriage stopped, Tania rushed toward the house.
"Old Gu, we're here" She reached out to the old man seating on the wooden chair "Where is the healer? Did he start the treatment? How are granny and Dan? Did they wake up?"
Being fired up with so much questions without getting the chance to even utter a single sound in this one sided conversation , the old man grunted "Silly girl, what the use of being so worked up ? Take a deep breath and sit down .The healer is with the two right now , we mustn't disturb him ,so sit down and keep company to this old man"
Tania apologized but her smile had never gone off her face .She sat down on a chair and put Ellaria, who had followed her inside, on her lap .
"Auntie, what is happening?" A sweet childish voice sounded out .
Tania looked down , and saw two black round eye filled with curiosity staring at her.
She patted Ellaria's head and said in a low voice" A healer has come to our city ,he will use magic to heal Granny and uncle Dan , if everything went well , you would be able to talk to them soon "
"Really?"Happiness bloomed on the girl face, Tania couldn't help but pinch her chubby cheeks.
"It's true, why would your auntie lie to you, silly? Magic is a powerful and mysterious art, it can create miracles! "Tania spoke with delight and excitement "Mages can control elements; they can fight the drought and calamities , it's them who are protecting us from the dangerous beasts , you can ask old man Gu he had interacted with mages and came across magic more often than me "
Ellaria shifted her gaze to the old man "Is that true ,grandpa Gu ?"
The old man nodded with a smile "That's true ,the days I was an adventurer I had met a lot of mages and talented fellows"
Ellaria eyes sparkled and looked with admiration at the old man "You were an adventurer, grandpa Gu? Could you tell me more grandpa , please"
"Sure" The old man agreed wholeheartedly . He couldn't miss a chance to recount his past achievements and experiences .
*****
The two adults and child were chatting together in low voices , the formers telling stories about legendary mages and the latter listened attentively .
Creak !
At the sound, the four pairs of eyes focused immediately on the bedroom door .
A young man came out with droplets of sweat covering his forehead .
Tania was the first to get up and walk to the healer .
Holding Ellaria she approached the youngster .
"It's a pleasure to meet you again , sir Jaymon"
Although the other party, was years younger than her, Tania talked respectfully .
Mages were glorious beings to the ordinary folks ,especially the healers .
"Did they recover from their injuries ? "
Jaymon looked at them with complicated expression "The male patient recovered entirely with my magic, however …..with my current abilities , I can't heal the old woman , sorry …"
The original joy had immediately cooled down at the healer next words , and the room went silent .
"It can't be , there must be a way .." Tania refused to accept it .
The young man opened his mouth to talk but quickly closed it.
There was indeed a way to save the old lady and guarantee a full recovery . Calling a high priest from the church will surely save her .
The people of the church of truth were undoubtedly the masters of healing .
But the words died down in the young man throat before he could voice them .
A high priest ! Stop joking ,even a priest would be difficult to bring over to this remote place.
When the adults were discussing the issue, Ellaria exited the house and went to the courtyard, she kicked a pebble angrily .
The small stone rolled on the ground until it hit, with a 'tank' sound ,a pair of black boots .
"Why the gloomy face ?"
Hearing the sudden voice , Ellaria lifted her head up .
A young man was standing a distance away , he had picked up the pebble she had thrown and was now playing with it in his palm .
"Was the world about to get destroyed? If so I didn't get the notice " He smiled jokingly .
Ellaria had never seen this young man before , she tilted her head and asked "Who are you ? Are you a friend of grandpa Gu?"
The young man smiled and instead of responding , he walked up to Ellaria and crouched down in front of her .
Now , at the same eye level ,he looked straight into her pitch black eyes .
Ellaria eyes were also fixed on the young man's face . He had good features, his curly hazelnut hair scattered over his fair forehead, and his eyes gleamed under the sun, now that he was up close , Ellaria detected a faint redness in those gray irises. His looks were definitely above average and could attract the attention of many girls , but ….
Although he was smiling and seemed amiable , he carried an obscure aura that kept others from appraoching too closely .
The two locked gazes for a moment before Ellaria snapped awake .
She took three steps back , distancing herself from the weirdo in front of her .
'What wrong with him ? Is he a human trafficker , a pervert or something ?'
Witnessing her wariness, and feeling puzzled at the strange look she threw at him , the young man got up , and reassured her "I may not be a friend of the grandpa you talked about , but I mean you no harm little girl , in fact , I came here to help you"
Ellaria came to a realization .
'The guy must be a scammer , but why bother come here ?'
The people living here were mostly poor villagers who lived through farming and hunting . They earn just enough to fill their stomachs and buy warm clothes for winter .
Although Ellaria thought of getting rid of him , she restrained herself ,acted like a frightened kid , and carefully said hesitantly "Auntie always reminds me to never talk to strangers especially… …weird people" As she spelled her two last words , she intentionally swept her gaze over him .
The young man's lip twitched ,
Weird , what did I do to be labeled as a weirdo ?
He went through his early actions in his mind and didn't find anything abnormal about them .
He coughed dryly "I'm not one of those weird people"
Ellaria took another step back "They always replay that, auntie says that criminals always deny their awful actions and act like innocents " .
"True , then how do me distinguish the truth from the lie ? People have secrets , hidden faces, even little girls could bring surprises " The young man grinned, throwing back the same meaningful gaze at Ellaria "That what makes the world interesting "
Ellaria had heard enough , without a word , she turned around and prepared to run toward the house but his next words froze her to a stop.
"I know where the orphans are"
Hearing those words Ellaria halted her tracks and faced him again . That sentence echoed in her head again and again .
Seeing her reaction , the young man chuckled . In the end, he managed to pick her interest .
With a swift gesture of his hand, two boxes appeared at his feet .
"The first box contains the current location of the orphans" he pointed at the one on the right and continued "and this one store an angel tear , a divine artifact that could cure any disease and mend any injury "
Then the young man glanced at Ellaria "You can pay a price and take one, but only one , when you make your choice the other would be immediately destroyed "
Ellaria frowned .
Her dark expression made the young man smile widely "Pick your choice , I will give you half a minute to consider"
'Is he serious ?'
That was Ellaria's first thought .
'Do you think he is speaking the truth , Fluffy ?'Ellaria looked at the boxes on the ground ' Is there really what he pretends in those two boxes ?'
[I can't tell master, divine artifacts are impossible for ordinary people to own , moreover, something is obviously off with this stranger, I think we shouldn't get involved with him further, he gave me a strange feeling of discomfort ] Fluffy who had never left Ellaria side , spoke candidly while eyeing the smiling young man [But, if what he says is true, we can't let this chance pass by ]
Fluffy voiced his opinion , then glanced at Ellaria, it was her choice.
A cruel choice a three years old girl had to make.
'This guy is a psycho'
How can he force her to choose between saving the life of the granny who lovingly raised her and the lives of her brothers and sisters whose situation is unknown. Moreover, she can 't possibly snatch the boxes away, if it was really a divine artifact, this person before her was definitely not simple , if she attacked ,she might just throw herself at death doors .
The thought of the young man being one of those who kidnapped the children also crossed her mind, but it was to illogical, why would he come back here and willingly gave her information? Are they wishing to play hide and seek with her ? It was absurd!
Ellaria hardened her expression and looked coldly at the young man .
"What is the price ?"
"Mmh, I can't expect much from a little girl , can I ?"He stroked his chin , deep in thought "What about a favor ?"
"A favor ?" Ellaria lifted her brow .
"You'll be indebted to me , in the future if we meet again , and I ask you to do something, you can't possibly refuse my request "
Seeing Ellaria frown deeply, he quickly added "Of course, I'm not that unreasonable, I won't request something improper or out of your capabilities "
Ellaria scoffed.
Somehow she felt that the term reasonable didn't fit this young man
" What if I want both boxes ?"
"You can only have one , Even if you offer me two favors , I will reject " he replayed same smile plastered on his face .
Ellaria pondered about it.
"I will accept on one condition" She glanced at him seriously "I would have the right to refuse the request if I found it troublesome "
"Sure , however , if you refuse , you would own me two favors instead of one"
Tsk
"A favor , that won't put my people at sake or go against my morals"
The young man showed a complicated expression "I hope your 'morals' aren't like those of righteous fools , if it's the case, we may have a small issue"
"I'm not a saint, But I refuse to hurt people without reason " Ellaria replied coldly.
Her answer seemed to please the young man, he grinned "Then we have a deal, what is your choice ?"
Ellaria bit her lip and said "Angel Tear"
"Wise choice"
The young man handed a box to her , and took the other in his hand . The box bursted into flames and turned into ashes along with its content .
Ellaria looked at him.
Turns out he was a mage.
Ellaria shifted her gaze to the box in her hand . It was the right decision .She opened it.
Inside was small crystal .
[This is a divine artifact]Fluffy exclaimed in shock , he had came across those artifacts in the past, and all of them emitted a special aura , Fluffy felt it on the crystal , it wasn't a lie , this was real divine artifact !
Ellaria sighed in her heart, the young man was telling the truth .
Ellaria closed the lid and turned to the young man .
"Who are you?"
He smiled brightly "You can call me Zayn"
Although it wasn't what she truly wished to know, Ellaria nodded "Ellaria"
"Ellaria, what an uncommon name, unique" Zayn chuckled "So little Ella , Let's make a vow"
Ellaria's expression twitched .
Since when were they so close , to call her by a surname .
"It's Ellaria for you "
Zayn played deaf and continued "Give me your hand to make the vow"
A vow is an eternal pledge binding two persons or more with the mana spirits as witnesses , if the concerned person ever happen to break the pledge , the world mana would punish him/her severely .
Ellaria had read a tale about it . The story of an esteemed king ,who after obtaining glory and power through the help of a dragon, refused to repay his debt and didn't fulfil the dragon's request , thus the vow biding them made the mana consume the king until he died tragically in the most painful way.
Ellaria narrowed her eyes "You don't trust me ?"
Zayn smiled "I don't want you to forget me once you grow up"
Ellaria stretched out her arm .
Zayn took the small hand in his . Her skin was tender and soft, he could feel the warmth against his cold hand . Zayn clasped their hands tightly.
Ellaria was taken aback by the coldness of his hand , but she eventually throw it to the back of her head .
"May the spirits and elements be our witnesses , I , Ellaria , vow to return the favor to Zayn , even if the earth shatter ,the forests burn, the oceans dry out and life ends , I will repay this debt"
After her oath , Ellaria chanted an incantation .
Following her childish voice, a light breeze blew around them .
After she finished , Ellaria reopened her eyes and looked at Zayn .
They locked gazes and said at the same time"May this vow connect us , to death and life, this vow will last "
Their combined voices faded out and the wind around them quieted down .
Two symbols appeared at the back of their intertwined hands , completing the vow and linking them forever until the day Ellaria repaid her debt .
When Ellaria withdraw her hand , the symbol already disappeared .
"Then , I'm leaving" Ellaria bowed slightly and turned around walking away without looking back.
"Don't you have any question you wish to ask ?" Zayn asked casually .
Ellaria stopped , but instead of answering she asked back "Will you honestly answer them?"
Zayn shrugged "I don't think so"
Ellaria didn't add another word and hurried back . She had to stay away from him , she deeply wished to never see him again !
Inside the house , the three adults were still discussing with the healer.
Granny state made them restless, they refused to give in , all four were trying to find a solution . They were so focused on working their brains that they didn't notice the exchange outside .
Ellaria took the opportunity to enter the bedroom .
Uncle Dan and Granny were laying on their respective beds , like the last time , nothing changed .
However , Ellaria noticed that Uncle Dan breathing had stabilized and his complexion had improved greatly .
But unfortunately, his right hand was forever gone and Mr Joyson didn't have the capabilities to regrow limbs .
Ellaria made a promise in her heart . When she became an influential figure , she would found a high ranked healer to get uncle Dan's hand back .
Ellaria strode toward Granny bed and looked at her worriedly. The old lady seemed to have aged since the last time she saw her, her face was pale and covered with sweat.
Granny was the second person she saw in this world after her rebirth .She raised her and made her experience the feeling of being loved and cherished by someone.
Even in her past life, Ellaria had forgotten that feeling after the death of her mother. She forgot how it was to have someone who cares about you and loves you .
Ellaria took out the nail sized crystal and put it on Granny wrinkled forehead.
As soon as it touched her skin, the crystal sank in her head and disappeared. Afterwards, a layer of light covered Granny whole body .It lasted for two minutes before dissipating.
The earlier wrinkles lessened, the pale face regained its colors and the frowned brows relaxed.
Ellaria held Granny's hand tightly with welled eyes .
The old lady slowly opened her eyes , the light was overwhelming as it made her squint her eyes slightly.
When she got used to the light , she looked at the little girl beside her .
"Ella.."Her voice was a little hoarse "My little Ella" The old lady smiled brightly.
Ellaria hugged her immediately without being able to restrain her tears.
"I'm here Granny, I'm sorry I wasn't there, I'm sorry I couldn't protect the others , I'm sorry I let them burn our house, I'm so sorry…"
"Oh, what are you talking about ?"Granny patted gently her back, she pulled herself back to see Ellaria's face "Why are you apologizing? What happened has nothing to do with you Ella ,if someone should apologize it would be me , I'm sorry, it was my responsibility and I wasn't able to protect you all "
Ellaria shook her head " No, I knew that you did your best to resist , I'm glad that you're alive and well, if you die I don't know what I would do "
"Oh, Little Ella" Granny smiled "I'm also happy that you managed to escape in time"
Granny looked toward the bed beside hers worriedly "What about Dan? Is he out of danger ?"
Ellaria lifted her head up and answered "Yes, Mr.healer treated him "
"I see, what a relief , what about Sol and Jane are they alright ?"
Ellaria remained silent for a moment before saying "Sol is dead "
Granny's eyes dimmed .
Seeing her sad expression ,Ellaria quickly added "And Jane is alright , she went back to her birth village , she needed some rest"
"Went back ?"Granny expression was complicated, no one could tell what she was thinking about .
"Is there something bothering you Granny ?"
"Not at all, I'm happy you're safe and healthy" Granny patted Ellaria's head affectionally.
"Oh…" A cry of surprise came from the door direction .
Tania came in followed by old man Gu and the healer, all three were surprised to see the awake Granny .
Although they didn't quite understand how granny had suddenly woken up with all her injuries healed , even the healer was puzzled , but at that time it didn't really matter to them as the most important was that Granny had recovered .Tania even cried in joy .
Mr .Jaymon had asked Ellaria some questions out of curiosity but unfortunately for him , Ellaria had no intention of informing him about the divine artifact , she only said that she was keeping company to Granny when the latter suddenly woke up.
Mr. Jaymon wasn't convinced .
All the injuries disappeared like if the earlier weakened old woman he exanimate was just his hallucination .
It was really a miraculous recovery , he didn't suspect a little girl like Ellaria and just left it as an unsolved mystery .
*****
The sky darkened and the wind became a little chilly . Granny and Dan stayed at the old Yun house to recuperate while Tania and uncle Roy went back with Ellaria to their house .
Ellaria laid down on her bed and entered the space .
"Can I ?"
"Of course, whenever you wish master" Fluffy replied happily .
"Then…" Ellaria went to the deep part of the hall and took the staircase .
At the end stood a huge closed wooden door. Behind was the second floor where the second stage of the puppeteers profession, Mind Control , could begin
Ellaria looked at fluffy , who nodded in response, then turned toward the door, she lifted her hand and put her palm on the door .
The next second , everything disappeared.
There was only darkness and silence around her .
"Fluffy ?"Ellaria called out , but no one answered.
At that moment , Ellaria felt like the entire world had gone leaving her behind.
Suddenly , pain assaulted her head , many voices echoed in her mind one after another at a terrifying rate. The surging pain made it feel like if her head was about to explode.
Veins on her forehead bulged, her face was red, she held her head with both hands and screamed in pain .
"Aaaaaaah!"