The clouds bundled together, creating a dreary yet pleasant ambience beneath them. A shade of sunlight peered through the gap of the cotton billow, landing mildly at one of the houses slum areas belong.
Normally, it would take hours for Sylas to wake up in such cloudy weather. However, at the thought of his mother's severe sickness, he couldn't bring himself to stay idle in his bed longer.
In a couple of minutes, Sylas entered his mother's room with a rather fresh appearance. "Mom, please bear with it a little longer, okay? The physician I invited would be arriving soon."
His eyes teared up a bit, seeing how his original energetic mother now lay motionlessly on the bed.
Sylas' mother's eyelashes gently trembled before unfurling, revealing a pair of unusual vigour violet eyes. At a glance, there's seemingly nothing wrong with her complexion. In fact, she looks healthier than her folks.
Were it not because of his mother's burning forehead, Sylas would also find it difficult to tell she was ill the whole time.
"Cough… There's no need for a physician. It's probably just a simple cold." Sylas' mother explained in a hoarse voice.
"Since when do cold symptoms look like this, mom? Even though I'm not broadly knowledgeable, I at least know the disease you presently contracted is not a simple cold." Sylas argued while moving his hands nimbly in changing the wet towel that was initially plastered over his mother's burning forehead.
"But… Cough… I remembered we had no savings left to afford hiring a physician." Sylas's mother said concernedly.
"That… You don't need to worry, mom. auntie Helen actually knows your condition and decided to help us." Sylas answered with an awkward smile. He had a guilty conscience the moment he said those words. People in slum areas mostly had similar circumstances, and it's rare for one to help the other one, even when one is in a dire state. That's why death is a common occurrence here.
He did ask Aunt Helen for help previously, but the latter was also short of money. Especially since her eldest son has applied in knight training which cost a lot of fortune.
In the end, he had to fish out money from his personal pocket. Originally, he would use that money to register for knight training. But, who knows, her mother suddenly got struck by an unknown disease, ruining his plan in the process.
In order to not worry his mother further, he decides to lie about the money derived from Auntie Helen. He knows that his mother was too softhearted and would feel bad if she learned that the medical bill was burdened on his personal savings.
And he guessed right. The moment she hears the money were given by Auntie Helen, her reaction isn't that particularly guilt-stricken.
"Oh, Helen did? I reckon her eldest son Richard had gone enlisted in knight training. How come she still had money to spare on us?" Sylas's mother inquired quizzically.
"Umm… She said her husband received a bonus from his employer." Sylas spontaneously created a lie.
"I see… Please convey my gratitude to her when you both meet." Sylas's mother said with a sweet smile. Her face looks joyous for some reason.
"Certainly, mom," Sylas replied, followed by a sigh of relief before continuing to converse about random topics.
They were in the middle of a conversation when knocking noises transmitted from the outside.
"It must be the physician, mom. Wait for me a moment." Sylas hurriedly stood up and went to the entrance door to fetch the guest.
When Sylas opened the door, he was welcomed by the sight of a middle-aged man holding a medium-sized suitcase. His eyes were keen and deep, and his whole persona exuded an inexplicable aura.
Adjusting his eyeglasses, the man asked in a neutral tone, "Is this the house of Ms. Vienna?"
"Correct, are you perhaps doctor Vincent?" Sylas tries to confirm the man's identity since the man looks suspicious from every angle.
The man hummed in reply.
"Please come in." Sylas immediately invited the man to enter the house and brought him to his mother's room.
"Mom, this is doctor Vincent. The doctor I called." Sylas introduced the man.
"Hello, I'm Vienna. Sorry for troubling you, doctor Vincent." Sylas' mother said apologetically.
"No worries, it has always been my job to help people who are in need." Doctor Vincent uttered with a curt smile.
"So, how long have you been suffering from the fever, Miss Vienna?" Doctor Vincent continued to ask while checking Sylas' mother's pulse.
"Probably a week, doctor. Weirdly, I didn't feel dizzy or fatigued throughout the period. Rather than getting my strength drained out, I feel abnormally spirited. Cough… Only two days ago did I finally experience the opposite. My head abruptly throbs and symptoms of a cold start to appear." Sylas' mother narrated softly.
"Abnormally spirited? Have you perhaps been exposed to divine power?" Doctor Vincent inquired with a frown.
"How did you know?" Vienna asked in shock and subconsciously glanced at Sylas who had an expression saying, "You didn't tell me about this, mom."
"Mom, did you secretly get interrogated by a priest?" Sylas couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows at the image of his innocent mother getting dragged into a mess that she doesn't even have knowledge of.
Other than a priest, who else had a connection to divine power?
He would be an absolute fool if he had no idea about the hearsay of the church's recent daring agenda. Based on the rumor that has been widely spread among the citizens, Sylas learned the church had secretly conducted a witch-hunting activity. Though, he never believed such baseless rumors in the first place since there was no direct evidence or witnesses.
However, the doctor he hired now suddenly asked the question that indirectly aroused his suspicion. This made him couldn't help but conjure a wild thought about the reason behind his mother's sudden illness.
"Sorry, darling, I lied to you. Just a day before my illness, I got visited by a priest at my workplace. The inquiry process was simple, so I had an inkling that it was not necessary to report the story to you." Sylas' mother explained in an awful face.
"Sigh… Forget it, as long as you're safe and sound. Sorry for interrupting your explanation, Doctor Vincent. Please continue." Sylas knew his mother's health was the priority. Hence, he professionally set aside his personal feeling in order to grasp the whole matter more precisely.
"Well, the disease your mother contracted is called Divine Overload. This usually happens to the people who get exposed to excessive divine power. The symptom mainly consists of abnormal spirit and stamina, high fever, etcetera. This is due to the fact the remains divine power lingers on the person's body, instead of going dissipate, resulting in a blazing sensation that affects both mind and body." Doctor Vincent elaborated before adding, "It's not a life-threatening condition. Normally, it takes someone fourteen days to be completely relieved from the illness. But if the patients have excellent metabolism, they stand a high chance to be healed faster than the estimated date."
Although he was beyond furious hearing the reason behind his mother's sickness was indeed because of the priest's work, a sigh of relief instantly escaped out of Sylas' mouth after hearing the illness was not particularly dangerous. "So, my mother would be automatically cured by the end of the next week, doctor?"
"You can interpret my words like that. Additionally, if you want to quicken the healing process, you can buy yourself a dozen of Eldias Flowers and boil a sprig of it twice a day. I reckon its price on the market was around 15 - 20 Delant per sprig." Doctor Vincent said thoughtfully.
"What? 15 - 20 Delant just for a sprig? I'd rather lie on the bed for a week than spend such large additional money. Please don't waste any more money than this, son." Sylas didn't know whether to laugh or cry hearing his mother's statement. Although what she said was reasonable, getting healthy as soon as possible was far more important for some people. As he fell into deep thought, an idea suddenly arose.
"Doctor Vincent, did you happen to have a knowledge of where I might find the flower?" Sylas asked after a brief pondering.
"I heard some people mention finding it around the entrance of Bryn Mountain. But, I don't recommend going there though. Not only you'd return empty-handed, but there's also a fair chance you'll get yourself involved in a dispute between the hoarder."
"I see." Sylas nodded his head solemnly.
"Alright, my job here is done." Doctor Vincent announced as he rose to his feet. Sylas was about to thank the man when he heard the former say, "Consider this as a gift of mine."
Doctor Vincent then proceeded to hand over a few sprigs of purple coloured flowers toward Sylas. The flower looks ordinary with seven petals surrounding its center.
"This… Don't tell me it's Eldias Flower?" Sylas tremblingly asked.
"Of course it is. What else would I gift to you?"
"Then we can't accept it. It's so expensive." Sylas shook his head vehemently, showing his refusal.
"That's right. I'm already grateful enough to the fact you visited us, even after knowing our circumstances." Sylas' mother hastily commented from the side.
"It's fine, like I said, just consider this as a gift. I got no use for this anyway." Doctor Vincent insisted and directly placed the flower upon the wooden desk beside the bed.
Sylas exchanged glances with his mother and understood that it would make them appear bad if they continued to reject the man's good intention. In the end, Sylas' mother compromised and replied with a brilliant smile, "Then, I'll accept this gift, Doctor Vincent. As a token of gratitude, please let me send you off personally."
"A sick person should just rest obediently on the bed. Just this young man will do." Doctor Vincent immediately declined Sylas' mother's idea.
"I'll be right back, mom." Sylas promptly escorted Doctor Vincent off his mother's room after a short adieu.
Reaching the exit door, Doctor Vincent paused at his steps and turned around. "I hope your mother gets well soon, farewell."
"Thank you doctor, I'm sincerely wish that as well. Goodbye." Sylas waved his hand.