Chapter 4
In Miles's home, the door to his room was closed. Leyla was seated at the kitchen table with Edric on her right, and a middle-aged woman sat across from her. This woman was Rena, Miles' mother.
Rena was a gorgeous woman who couldn't escape from the wear and tear of the rough years since her husband and two other children left six years ago. She was still a beauty with medium-length hair. The gray in her hair didn't take away from her beauty but added an allure to it instead, giving it a sort of platinum black color. There were obvious bags under her eyes, showing the lack of sleep, and small wrinkles across her forehead from all the long nights of thinking.
It had been three hours since the healer arrived. He was the only one with Miles while he did his work.
It was quiet in the kitchen. No one spoke for a long time as they were all worried about what kind of state Miles was in and what led to such a big change in his health this morning.
Rena looked up and spoke, "Thank you for showing up this morning. I fear what would have happened if not."
"It is nothing, Ms. Rena. I just went to meet Miles at the usual park before school, but he didn't show up. I decided to come to see if he had overslept when I heard the bang from when he fell to the floor."
"Oh. When did Young Master Edric show up?" Rena turned to look at the quiet teenage boy as she spoke.
Edric looked up at Rena but didn't speak. His face showed compassion; however, deep in his eyes, Rena felt there was something else.
"He followed me from the park," Leyla said frankly. Rena could tell she wasn't particularly happy to have him along.
Another half an hour passed in silence before the door to Miles' room opened. A middle-aged healer, dressed in a white robe, walked out, closing the door behind him. He sighed softly, his brow furrowed, showing how hard he was thinking.
"How is my son?"
Rena bounced up and turned toward the healer, glancing at the white badge with a single star on it. Her eyes, which were darker than a moonless night and seemed to have endless depth, bore into the mid-aged healer. Unable to handle the pressure of these eyes that seemed like they could see right through him, the healer looked down.
"I have run a check-up on the boy. He seemed to have been poisoned by something recently, and it flared up last night," the healer spoke in a low voice laced with anxiousness.
"Poison? What kind?" Rena and Leyla screamed out at the same time. Leyla slammed the table with both hands as she stood. Edric showed surprise on his face but didn't react much more than that.
"I cannot tell what kind of poison it was. It seems to have the ability to remove itself and evaporate after it reaches its highest effects, so it can't be traced if it isn't found early enough. I was only able to see a bit of remnant, but the rest disappeared before I could collect a sample."
"Well, then how is my son now? Will he be okay?" Rena asked again.
"Your son is sleeping now and should not be in any danger from the poison anymore. However, as I wasn't able to get a sample, there is a chance that it could be recurring and just be hiding beyond my ability to find it, so you might want to send your son to a clinic to be watched over," Jaxson, the healer, said with concern.
"Also, it seems like there is some damage to your son's spirit, but I can't diagnose exactly what the damage is. You would need to contact a mage or witch that specializes in light magic to take care of that kind of injury."
Rena bent her head down in thought, the weight of the healer's words settling in. The other three people in the room waited for her to respond.
After a few minutes of silence, Leyla spoke up, breaking the tension. "Thank you, Healer Jaxson, for coming on such short notice. If there is nothing more to be done now, we can show you out."
Leyla then turned and looked at Edric, who was still seated. Edric understood that Leyla was suggesting he show the healer out. Annoyance flashed across his face before it quickly turned into a gentle smile.
As Edric stood, he said, "Ah, yes, let me lead you to the front, Healer Jaxson." Gesturing to the entryway, Edric waited for Jaxson to walk parallel with him so that he could politely lead the way.
From behind, as they entered the hallway, they heard a voice. "I am very much appreciative of the two of you stopping by. Edric, for your concern, and Healer Jaxson, for your work. Young Master Edric, I would like you to leave after you show Healer Jaxson out as well. It would do better for Miles if the house was not chaotic with visitors right now."
Edric flinched slightly as he heard Rena asking him to leave. His expression faltered, though he quickly tried to recover. He turned around, saying, "Ms. Duke, I will, of course, leave if you wish, but I was here accompanying Leyla. You are not going to make me wait outside for her as well, are you?"
Leyla frowned lightly. "Edric, you are not my babysitter, nor do I need you with me. I will be accompanying Miss Rena until she asks me to leave. So don't stand around wasting your day waiting for me."
"Well, as it would seem, I won't be making you wait outside then, Edric. Thank you again for stopping by," Rena spoke again without turning around. Instead, she walked toward Miles' room, gesturing for Leyla to follow.
Edric's expression darkened for a brief moment before he opened his mouth to speak. "Is that how the commoners of the Duke household treat their guests? I am your son's friend as well, Rena."
Rena stopped and looked back at Edric with a gentle smile. "Edric, I think you forget who you are talking to. As a 2-star mage, I also have the status of a baron. You, as a young master of a baron household, naturally do not hold the same kind of authority as I do. Don't tell me that with the family that backs you, the secret I keep from my son could escape your ears?"
Edric didn't respond to Rena's question. He looked between Leyla and Rena once more before turning around and leading Healer Jaxson out of the house.
Rena and Leyla entered the room and quietly sat beside Miles as he slept. His face showed he was still in pain, but his body was calm, and he no longer screamed. They watched over him for a quarter of an hour before Rena spoke softly.
"I am unsure of who would target my baby. His talent was low, and he is such a sweet child. Have you heard of him running into trouble?"
Leyla's eyebrows scrunched up as she thought long and hard. Sighing after some time, she said softly, "I am unaware of who would target him. I have never seen him fight or annoy anyone. Even when he is with me and Edric, he is focused on how he can fix his body and start training to become a Magician or a Knight."
They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. Neither asked the other what they were thinking as both stared at Miles lying in front of them.
After some time, a small beeping was heard. Leyla lifted her right arm and looked down at the watch that notified her of an incoming call from her father. Standing up, she left the room to answer the call.
Rena sat still for a few more moments before sighing lightly. She wiped the sweat from Miles' forehead with a cloth left on the nightstand. Running her hands through Miles' hair, she mumbled, "They haven't found me yet, so they can't know about you. Just who would do this to you, child?"
Standing up, she then turned to leave the room. Rena glanced over her shoulder as she reached the door. Seeing the pain her son was in, she sighed one more time before closing the door. Noticing that it was close to 5 p.m., she walked to the kitchen to make dinner for her guest.
Unbeknownst to the two ladies, right after they left the room, Miles' body started to undergo many changes. His bones broke and came back together. His organs dissolved, then repaired themselves. His muscles tore and mended into a new form.
Every piece of Miles was broken and healed into a new, stronger form.
When his body finished reconstructing, two strong flows of air started spinning above Miles and entered into his skin at chest level. Each flow of air contained a different type of energy rushing into his body and filling it with power.
One stream seeped into the muscles and bones that were just reborn, while the other circulated through the meridians, which were twice as thick compared to the average genius predicted to break through the Twilight stage.
The surges of energy met again at Miles' stomach, twirling around each other before settling. Slowly, two orbs began to form. One was a deep purple and held mana. The second orb held inner energy and was a heavy gray.