Left alone with my unconscious mother in the silence, my mind went blank. I didn't know what to think. After a few moments, a tear I wasn't aware of rolled down my cheeks and fell on my thigh. As if on cue, everything dawned on me and I started to weep like a child. I gripped the bedsheets with all my strength until my knuckles turned white. My head was down as if I was unconsciously trying to hide my tears. The teardrops soaked the floor beneath me.
As I cried with anger, sorrow, and regret filling my heart, I felt a touch on my hand. Realizing my mother might have woken up, I quickly rubbed my eyes slightly, and a small frown appeared on her face. Thinking It might be because she had just woken up, I didn't worry too much and asked trying to keep my voice steady, "Hi Mom, are you awake?" She didn't answer for a few seconds before a pained moan escaped her lips.
She then panicked, realizing something was wrong, I quickly got up, shouting, "Nurse, nurse, there's something wrong with her, come quickly PLEASE! HURRY UP!" as I opened the door. The guards standing outside also panicked and tried to get in, but the nurses quickly appeared and ushered us out as a doctor, followed by a few other nurses, entered my mother's room.
The remaining medics followed their colleagues and locked the door from inside. Panic seeped into me as I sat on the waiting bench. My face contorted to an unrecognizable degree before I forcibly pushed my emotions down and straightened my expression with difficulty.
Mr. Roger walked over and sat beside me. We sat in silence for a few moments before he hesitantly asked, "How are you coping?" with worry and sorrow evident in his voice. I contemplated for a few seconds and answered, "I'll be alright," as I started to think about how cruel fate was.
'If I had approached my parents immediately upon learning they were alive in this life, I would have spent time with my father before he died,' I thought; however, I knew it wouldn't have made a difference based on the law of cause and effect. The cause of my father's death now was because I went to meet with my parents carelessly. It would have been different if I had approached them earlier. I had underestimated my enemy and I had to bear the consequences.
"Why would fate do me dirty like this," I muttered in a low voice. If some deity was playing with me, I swore I would take revenge. As thoughts of deities crossed my mind, I wondered if they were the ones who made me transmigrate to this world. 'If that's the case, why would they, and why me?' I wondered.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Mr. Roger said, "If you want to talk, I am here for you," trying to console me. Not hearing what he said, a chuckle escaped my lips as I realized how stupid my thoughts were. 'It's probably because I'm overwhelmed by the myriad emotions I'm feeling,' I thought.
Misunderstanding my chuckle, Mr. Roger asked, "Ryan, are you okay? Should I contact a therapist?" worriedly. Noticing Mr. Roger still beside me, I said, "Oh, Jerry, you're still here?" with raised brows and continued, "No, there's nothing to worry about, I'm totally fine," reassuringly.
Staring at me for a few moments, Jerry nodded and turned to look ahead before suddenly turning back and said, "Y-you called me Jerry! Do you remember me?" with a hopeful tone. Realizing my slip-up, I answered, "N-No, I just heard some people here mentioning your name," with slight panic. Since Jerry was my father's lawyer, he knew a lot of personal things about our family, hence he knew I had lost my memory.
He contemplated my answer for a few moments before saying, "None of them call me by my first name though," scratching his head thoughtfully. Realizing how the situation was getting out of hand, I decided to change the topic and asked, "What do you think happened to Mother?"
After contemplating for a few seconds, he decided to let it go and responded, "I don't know, but the doctors will come out soon. We just need to ask them." I nodded and remained silent.
After half an hour had passed, the doctor emerged from the room. Jerry and I stood up hurriedly and bombarded him with questions.
"Is she okay?"
"What happened?"
"Is there anything wrong with her?" The doctor raised both hands, signaling for us to calm down, and said in a monotone, "Fortunately, her life is no longer in danger," with a slight smile.
I looked at him for a few seconds before asking, "So why was she in pain just now?" annoyance clear in my voice. The doctor's expression turned serious as he said, "That's because her body can't sustain mana anymore. That caused her muscles to convulse without mana causing her pain," his gaze alternating between me and Jerry. "What does that mean? Why can't she sustain mana in her body?" Jerry asked with a frown. The doctor then started explaining everything.
"The poison she consumed is called mana devourer poison. It devours the consumer's mana and cripples the mana channels," he paused before continuing, "Moreover, since the mana flow system in our body is closely related to the nervous system, it also devours neurons, resulting in paralysis in the best-case scenarios and death in the worst-case scenarios"
Listening to his explanation, my heart sank. I wanted to ask what would become of my mother, but the answer scared me. Jerry then asked, "So What is her situation?" The doctor nodded before saying, "Fortunately, Ms. Song didn't consume much poison, so only her mana has been devoured and her mana channels are only partly destroyed. That's why she won't be able to walk like she used to."
"She won't be able to walk?" I asked, panic clear in my voice. The doctor clarified, "Not as she used to. Since her mana core rank was high, her body was used to the mana unconsciously supporting her every movement. That's why she will face some difficulty before she gets used to her body. With therapeutic exercises, she will be able to walk like she used to, but with out mana. The only unfortunate outcome is that she can't use mana anymore. Her nervous system is completely fine."