"Oh, Miss Mei? I am afraid she is out and has not yet returned. Why don't you ask Arion? Maybe he will have an idea when she will return."
"Arion…" Silvi's parents suddenly remembered that Arion had also gone along with the other youngsters, but they did not see him among Cayden's group.
They wondered if they missed him out because of being worried too much about their daughter. So Silvi's mother, Sana, asked her friends standing behind, "Can you go and find out if Arion returned with them? Also, one of you, please go and search for Mei."
"Of course," They instantly rushed back towards the group crowded together who were trying to come to terms with the precious lives they lost today...ones they would never see again.
Some of them went in search of Mei and brought her back with them. They felt that she might not have even gotten the news of the disaster that happened here.
"Can we come in and lay her down in the patient room and wait till she returns?" Sana asked Shun.
Shun immediately sidestepped and gestured to them to enter, "Of course. Don't mind asking me for any permission. I am just a guest, but I am sure Mei would also want you all to wait till she returns."
The couple wondered how this injured guest ended up here. But that question only remained in their minds for a moment before they focused on their daughter's precarious condition again.
They quickly laid Silvi down on the clean mat and sat down with worried expressions, desperately praying that Mei would return fast.
Cayden and Nena got back to the place where their homes were but were surprised to see the destruction that had happened.
They saw blood strewn on the walls and some people wailing over corpses that they could barely identify due to the horrifying condition their corpses were in.
However, Nena and Cayden were able to identify that these corpses were victims of the Jawfiends, similar to the ones they had faced and ran away from minutes ago.
The smell of death and blood permeated the air, spreading a pungent scent across the whole place, making the noses of those who stood nearby wrinkle.
There were also the corpses of Dreadlings laying here and there, which the retired Dreadslayers obviously killed in the Fok Grove Ward.
However, the people here were saddened to see many of their fellow people dead, ones they had lived with all these years. Suddenly seeing them dead seemed like a nightmare for these youngsters.
Cayden and Nena still couldn't process what had happened to Ina and Arion. And the self-loathing that followed because of their deaths made their hearts feel as if a mountain was pressing upon them.
But they didn't wander around for too long since they were worried about Silvi's condition and quickly moved towards Arion's house.
However, they were worried when they learned that Mei had not returned yet and saw how Silvi was still lying on the soft mat with her body completely sweating and the blood on her arm turning darker by the minute.
Shun moved to a side, and when he heard about what happened from the bystanders, he was surprised to know that Arion and Ina died to the Dreadlings.
'I wonder how she will receive this news…' Shun mused, thinking about Mei, especially since Arion was her brother. After knowing what happened, he moved to a corner, away from everyone's sight, and sat down with a flat expression, making one unable to guess what he was thinking.
"She is back!"
A person shouted as they came inside Arion's house, making everyone's eyes lit up with hope and relief.
"Mei is back?!" Sana got up frantically, hearing the news, and rushed out of the room to personally accompany Mei back to treat her daughter while her husband stayed in the room with Silvi.
Meanwhile, Mei's expression was full of confusion, and she was worried after learning that the Dreadlings made a sudden appearance and attacked the Fok Grove Ward.
She was worried about Arion but didn't worry too much, knowing that Yuro was with Arion and the others should be there too.
But she had no idea that all these retired Dreadslayers were not present the moment the Dreadlings made their first appearance since they were preoccupied in the neighboring ward.
Those who knew what happened to Arion had complicated expressions when they saw Mei, not knowing how to break the news to her.
Kisho and the others who knew Mei well had their brows furrowed the entire time, wondering how they should go about telling her.
There were a lot of people severely injured, including Silvi. So, most of them were confused if they should tell the truth now or after since too many people were suffering and needed Mei's attention.
Sana quickly shot forward from behind and grabbed Mei's hands, "Mei, please, come quickly. Silvi is in a severe condition."
Mei knitted her brows and quickly followed Sana while others who were about to open their mouths to tell her about Arion closed their mouths, thinking that maybe they should indeed break the news to Mei after she treats Silvi since her condition was precarious.
Even after having a tiring day, Mei's fame as a Healifier was not for nothing and was able to lessen Silvi's suffering quickly.
She didn't ask about Arion since she still thought that Yuro was with him and nobody mentioned anything about him to her. And seeing Sana's desperation and worry, she wanted to help heal Silvi before anything worse happens to her.
Mei had treated a lot of injuries related to Dreadlings and thus was not surprised seeing what happened to Silvi but instead felt sympathy for her, wondering how much pain she had to undergo.
Soon enough, she was able to stabilize Silvi's condition. However, she told Sana and her husband that Silvi wouldn't be able to use her right arm for a long while and would also depend on her prana refinement.
Not seeing Arion for all this while, Mei suddenly asked, "Where is Arion?"
Everyone's expressions fell while their heads drooped or turned sideways as if feeling bad that they did not break the news to her earlier.
"Mei!" Yuro called out just as she rushed inside the room. She was preoccupied with searching for any traces of Dreadlings that could have possibly survived and heard what happened to Arion only after she returned.
She was shocked and saddened at the news and quickly rushed towards Mei's house, knowing that she returned.
She was feeling immensely guilty for leaving Arion alone and wanted to take responsibility by talking to Mei herself.
Mei had a puzzled look seeing their expressions, but subconsciously, flickers of worry began to seep into her thoughts.
"What happened, Aunt Yuro?" Mei asked in a concerned tone, seeing Yuro's flustered expression.
Yuro's mouth opened and closed a few times as if hesitating to say something.
But she finally clenched her fists and said, "Mei...Arion is.…"
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A/N :- Guys, show this novel some love by dropping powerstones and help it stand out in the contest, ty :D