Ethan's seventh birthday was just one and a half months away.
Preparations for the celebration were being made but it wasn't anything grand. A small banquet would be held to which the nearby nobility would be invited and the date would pass just like that.
The fact was that people did not give much importance to birthdays in Akarxia and even having a small celebration was considered to be lavish by commoner standards.
Everything was going well but Ethan was feeling more drowsy than usual for some reason. Other than that, his body also seemed to be getting heavier and he also had nausea once in a while.
There was always the threat of poisoning or an infectious virus so Ethan took it seriously and went to Aisha.
Aisha the worry-wart mother that she was, took the entire mansion on her head and summoned a doctor right away but nothing came up in the diagnosis.
Ethan still did not think that it was his uncle's doing as the symptoms weren't life-threatening at all. He just felt more drowsy which he thought might have been because of his weak constitution and all the study he was doing.
And as for weight, that could have been simply because he was eating more and not to mention that those were his growing years. Only nausea did not fit in the equation and Ethan had no choice but to sit and watch.
One evening, Ethan was with Earlene and the tutoring session for that day was over, Earlene was just about to step out of his room.
She turned around from the door before leaving and looked at Ethan whose face was especially pale, his eyes were sunken and he looked tired.
"What's wrong? You didn't pay any attention today," Earlene asked with concern.
Ethan stood up sluggishly from his chair feeling tired and said in an exhausted tone, "I. I'm not feeling well. I should rest."
"Well, take care then," Earlene said with a concerned smile knitting her eyebrows. She had also noticed that Ethan was recently in a bad shape but didn't know what she could do for him.
'Maybe I should give him a break for a week.' She thought and turned back once again to leave.
Just after a few steps, she heard a 'thud' sound of something falling on the ground along with the shattering of glass and a metallic clink from behind her, and hastily looked back.
What she saw was Ethan collapsed on the floor along with the shattered teacup and a fruit tray in front of his sofa chair and beside the sofa table.
Ethan was still conscious and seemed to be in a lot of discomfort as he was struggling to get up but had no strength whatsoever.
'Agh, what the.. Hell.. Is this..?" Ethan thought as he felt his mind slowly shutting down from exhaustion
Earlene's eyes widened seeing this scene and she quickly ran up to him in the utmost haste. She crouched down on the ground and supported him from his back and helped him to get up.
Ethan was tightly gripping Earlene's shoulders to prop himself up and stay firm on his feet. His face had a pained expression and his body was starting to sweat profusely.
Earlene touched his forehead with the back of her hand and found out that he was literally burning like an inferno.
"Hey! What's happened!? Heyy!! Say something.. Come on!" Earlene said lightly slapping Ethan's cheeks hoping to get a reaction.
Ethan was struggling so much that he could not even properly speak and eventually he slowly closed his eyes and went unconscious.
"HEY! SOMEONE'S HERE!?" Earlene yelled loudly as she held Ethan in her arms.
A servant who was nearby heard the yell and came running. He was shocked to see Ethan in an unconscious state on the floor with Earlene holding him and became stunned.
"Hey! Go get everyone here quickly! Ask for the doctor first! Go!" Earlene spoke frantically, "Yes!" The servant said while vigorously nodding and left as quickly as he came.
A few moments passed and the sounds of panic and alarm broke out in the mansion. Ethan's maids came running and first of all, helped him lay on the bed in the inner chambers of his room.
His body was getting extremely sweaty in the meantime and so a clean cloth and bowl of fresh cold water were fetched. Selene was also there and she was the one taking lead as she wiped the sweat off Ethan's face and placed a new cloth on his forehead after dipping it in ice-cold water.
Soon everyone arrived, and seeing Ethan unconsciously lying on the bed made them worry. Aisha who already worried about Ethan a lot was even more saddened seeing him in such a state.
"What happened to him?" Albaer asked facing Earlene, "I don't know what happened... He wasn't looking much good during the class and just as I was leaving... he collapsed on the floor." Earlene answered earnestly.
Albaer nodded and held Ethan's hand which was very hot to the touch. His face was pale as a paper devoid of any blood and looked as if he was dead.
Aisha despite being a strong woman could not bear to look at Ethan as he was now. Tears were threatening to spill out from her eyes but she controlled herself as Naenna was also present in the room and looked at Ethan with teary eyes and a worried face as she leaned onto Grandma White.
"Is.. He dead?" Luceryc peaked at Ethan's face and exclaimed, "You! Shut up!" Naenna roared in fury.
"Luce! Mind your tongue!" Alier scolded in a stern voice and forcefully pulled Luceryc back.
'What the hell? He looked dead so I just asked....' Luceryc thought feeling wronged.
The White Family's doctor also arrived and without wasting any time sat on the edge of the bed beside Ethan. He took his time examining him and after he was done, looked at Albaer and everyone else with an astonished expression and spoke,
"My Lord! It's a miracle! All the symptoms point to one conclusion only!" The Doctor said with an expression that was a mix of worry and astonishment.
"What do you mean?" Alier asked in skepticism.
"Idiots! Don't you realize what this is? These are the symptoms of Ancestral Awakening." Grandpa White said calmly.
The old man was indeed experienced in life as he did not panic like everyone else and was clear-headed.
Earlene's eyes widened as a light bulb finally lit in her head and she realized something. Everyone else was the same.
"What!? But how is that possible? It's way too soon even if we consider that he even can awaken the blessings. And Ancestral Awakening shouldn't be this brutal." Albaer said in complete disbelief.
He hadn't even considered this possibility since it was so rare but now that he thought it seemed like it was the case of 'Ancestral Awakening'
"Your Grace, that's not important right now, Premature awakening is fatally dangerous! Anything can happen from this point on but if Young Master makes it then he will have unimaginable prospects that's for certain. He must be a natural-born genius to trigger such a rare phenomenon," The Doctor said and stepped back from the bed.
Everyone was still worried despite knowing that the few who had their Ancestral Awakening at an early age than expected went on to become some of the most powerful people on Akarxia.
Alier's eyebrows twitched and he shot a glance at the unconscious Ethan, a strange light flickering in his eyes.