Narrator: Grey Zoria.
"One of our friends here is injured, so, you better heal him quickly," Adelphia said as she pointed at me with her thumb.
"You can leave it to me, Lady Brand." The man in the suit reply, still bowing.
"I will," Adelphia said, before turning back and leaving. She shot me a smirk while leaving making me feel a little uneasy.
When she left, the man in a black suit and white shirt higher his head and starts talking "My name is Wilson Wykes, I will escort you from now on as the butler."
When Gerrard nod, Wilson turned and lead our way. We walked next to the stairs until he called one of the many maids that were cleaning, "Marie, please escort the guests to the bathrooms and bring them proper clothing."
What a strange man. He tells us that he will escort us, then let someone else do it?
The three of us follow the maid, but Wilson puts his hand in front of me stopping me in my place, "Please wait, sir. Your injuries take priority."
"It's Grey," I said after I nodded.
Wilson moved to a nearby door, and I followed him to the inside. The room from the inside was full of beds on both sides of the room. Between every two beds, there was a small bedside table.
"Please stay on one of the beds here, mister Grey. I will bring the doctor at once." Wilson said, before leaving the room and closing the door after him.
I went to the second bed on the right and rest on my back, spreading my arms next to me.
"Ahh, finally somewhere to rest," I say with a loud voice since there is no one else in the room.
"A lot has happened." I began muttering to myself, "How am I supposed to explain all of this to Nuri? Will she hate me for that?" I bury my face in my hands "Of course she will. I brought her in a different world, put her in danger of death, and there was even a knife pointed toward her neck."
"Looks like you completely forgot about the mayor's offer." I suddenly hear a voice that I can't determine its direction.
I sit up immediately and look around me searching for the source of the sound until I look next to the bed to find Bo on the ground.
"What?" I shouted while holding out my hand to reach Bo. I hold Bo in front of my face and point my free index finger at him.
"Since when were you hearing me?" I asked with my face beginning to turn red of both anger and embarrassment.
"I didn't leave you in the first place," Bo answered nonchalantly. Which made me even angrier and embarrassed, so, I avoid this conversation by leaning him on the small bedside table on my left. It was a little trick that I learned from Gerrard.
I was very tired that I totally forgot about Bo, and I thought of nothing but Nuri. And I can't stop thinking about her till now.
"So, what now?" I asked more to myself than to Bo.
"Just let them heal your injuries for now. My mana will only hold for about 30 minutes then your wounds will be open." Bo answered me.
"Can you tell me more about magic and mana?" All my anger and embarrassment disappear as I asked Bo, "I saw different types of magic and even used your magic, but I know nothing about it."
"Okay I will tell you what I know, but you have to know that magic here is different from magic in the world I came from." Bo's tone became serious as he answered.
"Mana are very small particles that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It is present everywhere in the atmosphere around us, but only a few numbers of people can sense, use and store it in their bodies. These people are called mages. These people have the ability to use mana in two ways." Bo explained, "First, changing the properties of the mana particles, for example, if a mage changed the mana's properties to that of water molecules the mana will turn into water. Second, moving the mana. Mages can move the mana in the surrounded area freely, and that's how they fire a spell. If you just changed the mana properties to that of water it will simply fall on the ground, but if you can move the mana after changing it into water you can make a water current that flies in the air, and that's what we call a spell." He continued.
My head began to burn from all the information that Bo said at once.
"So, mana is present in the air, and mages can use them. These mages can change the properties of mana to form a spell and can move the mana to fire the spell." I simplified the information Bo said loudly to remember them.
"You can say that."
"So, what about these magical symbols that they use?" I raised an eyebrow and lowered the other as I asked Bo.
"Magical symbols?" Bo asked with confusion.
"You know that symbols they form before firing a spell," I said as I tried to draw them with my fingers.
Bo sighed "I told you magic here is different from my world."
What a disappointing answer, but I guess it can't be helped. Losing hope, I rest my body on the bed.
Both of us stayed silent for a couple of minutes before the door opens with a faint sound. I sat up immediately and looked at the door to find Wilson entering with an old man wearing a white coat and carrying a black bag in his right hand. That man was very old that his back was bent forward.
"Thank you for waiting, Sir Grey." Wilson bowed slightly, "This is Dr. Hugo Franklin." He introduced the old man next to him as he looked up.
"Please to meet you, Sir Grey. My name is Dr. Hugo Franklin and I'm the person in charge of your treatment." The old man said with a warm smile on his face as he bowed his head.
Seeing his smile, I couldn't resist smiling too. I got out of the bed and stood next to it.
"Please don't exhaust yourself, Sir Grey." The doctor said with a worried tone as he walked towards me.
"Don't worry about me, I can stand up perfectly." As I say that the doctor stands still in his place and his warm smile, which faded out of worry, returned.
"My name is Grey Zoria. I'm pleasured to meet you too, sir." I said bowing my head in the same way he did.
"Please, don't treat me so formally, Sir Grey." The old man bowed his head again.
"You ask me not to speak formally, but you keep calling me Sir Grey?" I raised a brow and lowered the other as I spoke.
"You are officially a guest of his highness, the mayor himself." Wrinkles appeared on his face as he spoke uncomfortably.
My blood boils at the doctor's words. I hate to admit it, but he is right. The only reason for us to be here is because of the mayor. The old geezer that had put me in a near-death situation is the same person who brought that doctor to treat my injuries.
I bite my lips from anger and decide to end this conversation fast.
"As you wish, Dr. Hugo." I said as I turned to the bed, to avoid eye contact with him, and sit on the bed, "We can begin now, right?"
"Indeed, we can." Dr. Hugo said as the wrinkles on his face disappeared, "Please rest on the bed."
I rest on my back and Dr. Hugo stands next to me and starts to study my body. He started to test my injuries in different ways like knocking on it, putting his hand on it, using a magnifier lens, and various other ways.
"Amazing!" He finally talked after a couple of minutes. "You used the mana to stop your wounds from bleeding. As expected from an honor soldier chosen by his highness personally."
"Honor soldier?" I wondered loudly.
"He most likely means that you will participate in the war," Bo answered my unasked question.
"Don't you know what an honor soldier is?" Dr. Hugo was confused that he stopped testing my injuries.
"It's not officially announced," Bo said to me in short, but it's enough to be understood.
"No, it's not like that. It's just that his highness didn't officially announce me as one." I answer Dr. Hugo hoping that he will find nothing suspension.
"Oh, I see. You don't like being called an honor soldier until you are officially one. Am I right, Sir Grey?"
"Exactly. You got it right." I answered nervously since he was the one who explained the excuse, not me.
"Very well. Then, let's move to the healing part now. Please release your mana."
Bo released his mana at once, opening my wounds and weakening my body at the same time. I instantaneously felt an unbearable pain flowing through my whole body, causing me to clench my fists at the edges of the bed and biting my upper lip until it started bleeding.
Suddenly a comforting feeling flows through my body, making me calm down and free my fists and upper lip. I could feel my wounds closing and the bleeding stops.
All my thought began to fade away one by one, Nuri, the mayor, Nuri, the war, and Nuri. My vision turned dark as my senses became dull. I finally close my eyes surrendering to my body and fall asleep.