Enarys arrived at the rain forest where she had left Nathan with his grandfather. It had been a month since Nathan had begun to learn about their culture. Although it was all just camouflaged training.
A month was a short time, but at the same time it could be a long time considering the circumstances.
Enarys arrived at the spot where she had last met her grandfather and looked around for him, but there was no sign of him.
"Did something happen?" wondered Enarys when she saw that her grandfather was nowhere to be seen.
A few seconds later, Abel revealed himself from behind a tree. His body was dirty just like the first time they met, and he was yawning tiredly.
"Grandpa!" cried Enarys happily approaching him but not touching him.
"Ah, Enarys" said Abel somewhat surprised, though it was no surprise to say that he already knew she had come to the forest.
"Has it been a month already?" asked Abel.
"Yes... I figured a month was enough. Should I come back in another month?"
Abel scratched his head. "No need, he should be ready. We even finished a few hours ago"
Enarys nodded silently and finally they both walked towards the makeshift hut Abel had made before going down into the sunken forest.
There Enarys stopped in front of Nathan, who was lying on the ground with his face hidden among some plants. His body was limp, and his weak breathing was barely noticeable.
"What happened?" asked Enarys to Abel seeing that Nathan was in a deplorable state. His body was full of wounds and scars.
Abel sat down on some nearby logs and whistled absently. "I... maybe I overdid it"
Enarys looked surprised and stunned at her grandfather. "I brought him here for you to train him, not to take him to death's door"
"It's not my fault! I was motivated, I thought he'd be different from the others. His grandfather was an amazing person, I figured he would be too" Abel said crossing his arms.
"You say that like he let you down" Enarys looked at Nathan.
"It's not that... it's just that the usual doesn't work with him" Abel denied, while Enarys noticed some confusion in his words.
"What do you mean?" asked Enarys, confused by how hesitant her grandfather was.
Abel grunted silently looking to explain himself, then smiled slightly as an idea popped into his mind.
"If I had to describe it with one word, it would be insane... yes, that boy is insane" Abel said with a slight smile he couldn't hide. "Compared to his grandfather's coolness when he fights, this kid prefers to be more aggressive and think things through less. Something I personally prefer"
Enarys noticed some pride in her grandfather's words and sighed. Then she looked at Nathan again and massaged her forehead in annoyance. "Lux, help me"
A light appeared from Enarys' chest, which transformed into a large hand of light that grabbed Nathan, lifting him almost a meter off the ground.
"I'm leaving" Enarys said after a long sigh. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at her grandfather. "By the way, in three months the fish will come to visit"
Abel frowned dropping his attitude from before. "What is Arthur planning to do?"
Enarys stood for a few seconds looking at her grandfather in silence. "He's your son, you should ask him yourself"
"I don't consider a person who is not able to face his problems head on a son" Abel scoffed.
Enarys simply lowered her gaze and sighed quietly before turning away. "Just... remember, in three months"
Without another word, Enarys walked away, and Abel was left alone with his own thoughts.
***
One day after Enarys picked Nathan up from the forest, he woke up abruptly and looked up at the ceiling with his breath coming fast. He blinked a couple of times remembering what had happened and then looked around trying to see where he was.
'Nathan!' shouted Amelia when she saw that he had woken up.
Nathan groaned from the headache he felt that had been intensified by her scream. Then he waited for the pain to pass and sighed. "I'm alive..."
'Are you okay?' asked Amelia looking at the state of his body. She had materialized into the sphere of light and was watching.
Nathan looked back at her and smiled slightly. 'I'm fine... How long did it was?'
'If you mean how long we were apart, a month. If you mean how long you slept, barely a day' Amelia explained.
"A month?!" shouted Nathan in surprise. "Shit... it felt like it had been over a year"
Suddenly Nathan grunted again from the pain he felt all over his body. 'Ugh... damn you Abel'
'How did it go?" asked Amelia. Without speaking for a month or seeing him, Amelia had no idea what Nathan had done with Abel. She couldn't read his memories if he was asleep, so she had to wait for him to wake up.
'How did it go? ...Horrible. That old man doesn't know when to stop. Day after day it was just trying to survive... I'm even surprised I'm still in one piece'
Amelia laughed lightly listening to Nathan speak, who felt a weight at his feet, only to see the Luschvik sleeping peacefully on the bed at his feet. Nathan frowned at the sight of the creature. "Is it just me, or is it bigger than before?"
Amelia nodded. 'Yes... it may be slow growing compared to animals and even humans, but apparently it's been feeding very well'
The Luschvik was now the size of a medium-sized dog, twice as big as it was before Nathan went to train with Abel.
Suddenly Nathan frowned again and looked at Amelia. 'Go back to the bracelet'
Amelia nodded and the orb of light disappeared. Then the door to the room Nathan was in opened and in walked a nurse, who, seeing that he was awake, quickly smiled at him. "Good night"
Nathan looked at the window on the other side of the room and noticed that the curtains were open and revealed the night sky. "Ah, good night"