Chapter 10: The Price of Healing and the Bonds of Blood
Chapter 10: The Price of Healing and the Bonds of Blood
I woke up under the weight of an overwhelming metabolic exhaustion.
Today marked three days since I had regained consciousness and four days of lethargic sleep induced by psychic stress. In total, it had been seven days prostrated in bed, barely able to move my legs without my muscles trembling with fatigue.
To my deep daily frustration, I didn't even have the energy to analyze the sweetness root Cindy had given me, let alone flip through my new astronomy book. My routine was boiled down to swallowing spoonfuls of a rustic meat broth offered by Thys. Although there were generous pieces of protein, the damn cooking still lacked a single gram of salt.
The heavy wooden door opened, and Thys entered the room punctually at the same time as always. Her countenance lit up upon seeing me sitting up on the mattress.
"I see you are more disposed today, young master Kaelen!" she exclaimed, arranging the trays. "I'm going to serve your breakfast, but I’ll give you fair warning: you will have a day packed with important visits."
I tried to force my vocal cords, but my diction still failed under the blockage of my physical trauma.
"Who...?" I babbled.
"Well... Monk Ethan is waiting to speak with you. The herbalist Cindy also came personally from the city to evaluate your health. Instructor Garrick wants to see if you can already lift a spoon without shaking. And, in the afternoon, you will receive a formal visit from the family of that child you rescued. Lord Varian Aurelius and his daughter Valeria will come formally to thank you. And they won't come alone; the entire House of Aurelius is crossing the gates. Can you stand up? Lady Sylvia asked me to perform a diagnosis of your mobility."
I tried to slide out from the bear furs to prove that my adult mind had control of the situation. However, as soon as my bare feet touched the cold stones, my legs faltered and I began to shake in a pathetic manner.
I sighed mentally, frustrated. By my biological calculations, it would take at least fifteen days for the nervous system of this six-year-old body to complete its cellular regeneration cycle.
If I only had purified glucose or real sugar to accelerate the energy burn... I thought, irritated.
Thys supported me gently by the shoulders.
"Calm down, young master. Don't force your legs. I will tell the Lady that your physical condition is still restricted. We will find a way to spare your strength."
I nodded positively and, pointing to the headboard, spliced the syllables together:
"Ne... new... book..."
"Alright, alright," she smiled, adjusting my pillows. "But you will only have time to read after you receive the monk and the herbalist, agreed?"
I knew Cindy would be great scientific company, but the monk... Heavens, I would give anything to delete that young man's memory with a telepathic pulse, I lamented in silence. Why did the people of that world need to be so fanatically indoctrinated?
#### The Mystery of the Other Children
About an hour and a half later, Monk Ethan was introduced into the room. The second he crossed the doorframe and saw me awake, his posture changed. It felt like he was standing before the physical manifestation of a cosmic deity. He walked with slow steps, knelt beside my bed, and joined his hands in prayer.
"Great savior... it is an immense honor for this humble servant to be able to contemplate you alive," he whispered, his eyes shining with an ardent devotion. "The feat you performed in front of the carriage was magnificent, worthy of an authentic apostle of the Light!"
Upon hearing that inflamed speech, the penny finally dropped in my mind. I remembered my father's warning the day before: I would have to take responsibility for the consequences of my psychic show. I brought my open hand to my face, massaging my temples with an air of deep nonconformity.
"Lord, I cry out for your wisdom," Ethan continued, drawing even closer. "Tell me... how are the stars in the superior firmament? How do the gods operate in the celestial planes? Tell me, have you already had a direct vision of eternal glory? Share your experience with our order!"
Looking at that young man's face began to awaken a cold fury in me. His theological ignorance and my own physical inability to deliver a lecture on quantum physics left my hands tied. I truly didn't know what to do with a fanatic of that calibre.
I stretched my tiny hand into the air, in a command for him to shut his mouth. I adopted the psychological tactic of a spoiled child, turning my face in the opposite direction, and formulated the words slowly:
"You... do not... keep... secret. No... talking... anymore."
On the inside, the Teia professor gave a wicked and calculating laugh at the performance. Ethan’s face contorted and his eyes watered with guilt.
"Lord... I beg for your forgiveness," he gaggled, deeply shaken. "I am sworn to report miracles of great magnitude to my superiors. I would have concealed what happened if we were alone, but the involvement of other people caused the news to go totally out of the fortress's control. Many people saw the child walking away fine after your carriage."
I sighed mentally. The young man was technically right. The one who had broken scientific protocol and made a mess in the urban market was me, regardless of being inside the carriage. The laboratory had been exposed by my own moral choice.
"You know that our order is rigidly forbidden from uttering lies," continued the monk, pointing to the necklace with a metal insignia he wore on his chest. "This talisman of mystical conduct emits a red light if we utter any falsehood. I can omit details if I am not interrogated, but if the bishops put me under oath, I am bound by the laws of the sacred to speak the truth."
The gears of my geek brain spun instantly. A magical lie detector based on biological reactions or soul contracts? That was a technological item of priceless value for my future studies in applied engineering. I turned my eyes back to him and granted the childish truce:
"For... now... I forgive."
"Thank you, lord! Thank you!" Ethan bowed, relieved. "Do not fear the temples' bureaucracy. All the monks on this frontier will do everything to safeguard your safety, even if it costs our own lives. Our order’s historical mission for many centuries has been to protect and guide the apostles who arise in the world."
I was irritated by the persistence of the religious label. I tried to scream that I was a man of science and not a divine envoy, but my damaged vocal cords distorted the sound, and what came out of my mouth was something truncated like:
"Not... an... apostil!"
Ethan bit his lips, trying to hold back a laugh at the clumsy pronunciation of the six-year-old child. My fury escalated a level.
"Do not worry, young master. We will work hard to win your total trust over time," he composed his posture and pulled a carved dark wooden box from within his robes. "I came to deliver an official gift on behalf of our order. It is a trio of ceremonial daggers. One forged under the frequency of fire, one under the frequency of ice, and one tuned with light. The initial plan of the archdiocese was to bring a dagger for each of the primordial elements, but unfortunately, stock was limited, as the other blades have already been distributed to the other children."
I froze on the mattress. My eyes widened.
Other children? I computed the data with precision. So there are other vessels with biological anomalies or psychic gifts being cataloged throughout this world?
Ethan noticed the shock stamped on my childish features and nodded gravely.
"Yes, young master. There are other prodigy children manifesting signs in distant cities and neighboring kingdoms. Our order watches them closely, guides their steps, and, in cases of extreme political vulnerability, we take care of their safety. Well, my visiting time has run out, and my only objective today was to deliver your artifact. I hope you like these blades."
He deposited the box upon my sheets, made one last bow, and withdrew from the room. I opened the wooden lid slowly and contemplated the metallic and runic gleam of the three daggers.
Although they had a religious purpose for the natives, to the Hundred-Handed Warrior, they were perfect physical tools. Ethan had no idea, but he had just given me the ideal atomic catalysts to begin my secret tests of Pyrokinesis and Cryokinesis without exploding my own veins.
#### The Herbalist's Diagnosis
With a little less than an hour to go before lunch, Thys returned to the room with a light smile.
"Young master, the herbalist Cindy has just arrived to see you."
"Wa... waiting..." I replied, genuinely happy with the visit from my only supplier of advanced literature.
Cindy entered the room. Away from the dusty and dark environment of her antique shop, she didn't look as old as the torchlight had suggested. She wore a long dress of sober fabrics and boasted a wide-brimmed pointed hat, extremely characteristic of the botany and alchemy practitioners of that era.
Looking at that rustic silhouette, I thought to myself: She really has all the visual aesthetics of a comic book witch with that hat, but she carries an air of fascinating scientific mystery.
Cindy stopped at the bedside, crossed her arms, and let out a sarcastic little laugh that made my skin crawl:
"You know, young master... it is a tremendous lack of politeness to think such stereotypical things about a lady who came to evaluate your health."
My expression contorted instantly, as if I had chewed a whole lemon. I looked at her with narrow eyes of pure suspicion. I am absolutely certain that this woman has the latent ability to read minds or capture psychic brain waves!
She let out an even merrier laugh, amusing herself with my outraged countenance.
"Young master Kaelen, every time we meet, you make my day! You don't need magic to be deciphered; it shows right on your little boy face when you talk."
I brought my hands to my cheeks, feeling the warmth of embarrassment. Damn it! I was betrayed by my own lack of facial muscle control again! I urgently need to create a neural block for these muscles.
"Well... jokes aside, you gave your parents a monumental amount of work," Cindy’s expression softened, adopting a professional and serious tone. "It’s going to be a true challenge to contain the rumors and control the flow of information about what happened at the market. But I came here today with a special technical mission. May I evaluate your chest?"
I furrowed my brow, feigning a boy's incomprehension, but unbuttoned the knots of my linen tunic, revealing my tiny chest. Cindy stepped closer and extended her fingers, calloused from handling herbs, gently touching the circular, blackish-toned scar that marked the center of my chest, exactly where the black arrow had collided.
The instant her fingertips pressed my skin, the herbalist's countenance darkened.
"Yes... now my diagnoses are confirmed," she whispered, her voice laden with a grim gravity. "Young master, do you understand the destructive power of this type of attack? The toxin impregnated into that iron tip was no ordinary poison. It was a complex necrotic curse, designed specifically to break the target's spirit and guarantee total necrosis and death of body and spirit. Those who manage to survive this collapse are extremely rare. Whoever orchestrated this attack wanted to be absolutely certain that the Vance bloodline would die on the road. And worse: the remnants of this curse continue to operate silently in your body, preventing your body from fully reestablishing and recovering."
I swallowed hard, understanding the scientific reason for my extreme weakness. It wasn't just the expenditure of psychic energy; my vessel was waging an invisible war at a cellular level against the toxins of the enemy Baron's curse.
"Your father and I are working secretly in the castle laboratory to synthesize an antidote that dissipates this curse," Cindy arranged my garments with maternal care. "All I ask is that you focus on your healing. And, for heaven's sake, do not remove this silver medallion from your neck under any circumstances, agreed? It is the only magical filter preventing the curse from advancing to your vital organs."
I nodded firmly, indicating I had understood the variables of the problem. She stood up, adjusting the brim of her pointed hat with a complicit smile.
"Good boy... Oh, and just so you know: new shipments of geography tomes and foreign chronicles have arrived at my shop. I believe your curious mind will love to devour those pages."
A perfect score! She hit my weak spot as a starved reader right on the head, I celebrated mentally, feeling my mood improve one hundred percent. Cindy caught my radiant enthusiasm, let out a final chuckle, and withdrew from the room.
#### The Golden Alliance of House Aurelius
The rest of the day passed in a strategic calm, until the conchs and trumpets of the fortress announced the start of House Aurelius's formal visit. Thys came running into the room to help me change my clothes. Throughout the entire process of cleaning and dressing, I felt my self-esteem plummet to the level of a crawling caterpillar: I felt like a completely limp and helpless ragdoll in the ultra-efficient hands of that maid.
To crown my physical humiliation as a former gladiator, Thys placed a small polished wooden cane in my hands. Seriously? Did I become a decrepit grandpa at six years old? I thought, looking at the object with an overwhelming urge to hurl it out of the stone window.
I took a deep breath, stabilized my psychic channels to maintain an erect posture, and marched slowly, leaning on the wood toward the noble visitor hall.
Upon crossing the immense oak arches of the hall, I came across the complete heteromorphic delegation gathered around the central fireplace. My parents, Arl and Sylvia, presided over the meeting with the typical imposition of border rulers.
My geek eyes immediately initiated a visual scan of the guests. Valeria, the feline little girl I had operated on inside the carriage, was completely recovered, exhibiting extraordinary vitality. She wore a human noble-cut dress made of fine, colorful fabrics. Although the attire was impeccable, seeing a creature with feline features and fur as entirely white as snow wearing aristocratic flared skirts completely broke the conventional clichés of the light novels I used to read back in Teia. My geek sense was activated at maximum level before that rich anthropological diversity.
Beside her, maintaining a protective stance, were her younger brothers, the seven-year-old twins Lucius and Marcus, two tiger-boys whose striped tails whipped the air with a curious agitation.
After the protocol greetings of the court and the formal introductions of bloodlines, Lord Varian Aurelius stepped forward. The imposing leader of the beast-men bore combat scars on the brown and yellow fur of his face, but his feline eyes overflowed with sincere gratitude when he addressed my father.
Lord Arl Vance took the floor, utilizing the large map extended across the oak table to contextualize the geopolitical importance of that secret meeting and align the coordinates of our territory [local]:
* Northwest: The Heteromorphic Kingdom, the home territory of the proud House Aurelius and the beast-men peoples.
* West: An immense dense forest and dangerous, unexplored swamps that served as a natural barrier.
* East: The prosperous commercial port city, vital for the outflow of goods.
* Southwest: The neighboring territory controlled by Baron Kenneth of Ghalia, the political rival who had orchestrated the poisoning and the ambush on the road.
* Center: The Vance Castle-City, functioning as the great military barrier, the shield of the kingdom, and the convergence point of all these forces.
"If it weren't for the immediate and surgical intervention of my little Kaelen inside that vehicle," explained my father, pointing to the borders on the map, "the Aurelius heir would have passed away before we even crossed the first patrol. The regeneration miracle he performed stabilized the wound in a way that not even high-tier healing magic or the natural regeneration of draconian warriors could achieve."
I was surprised to hear the mention of draconian heteromorphs. The geopolitical board of that planet contained many more biological variables than I had mapped out in the illustrated manuals.
Lord Varian Aurelius took a firm step forward and struck his right hand against his striped-furred chest, making a declaration that would seal the frontier's future:
"As a sign of an imperishable alliance between House Vance and the trade routes of the Heteromorphic Kingdom, I bring this bloodline gift for young master Kaelen," announced the feline leader, gesturing for his servants to carry heavy chests to the center of the hall. "These are raw focus crystals and rare spices extracted from the northern mountain ranges."
#### The Price of Healing and the Bonds of Blood
"So you remember me when you're training with swords," Valeria winked her feline eyes complicitly. "My father said we will return more times to trade the sweet roots you asked so much about at Cindy's shop. We have many of them in our valleys."
Before I could formulate a verbal thank you, the two seven-year-old twin brothers, Lucius and Marcus, took a step forward. Their striped tails swayed from side to side as they stared me up and down with deeply curious expressions.
"Do you really fight?" asked Lucius, tilting his furry head.
The other twin, Marcus, completed right after, narrowing his eyes:
"Looks like it... he has a weird air about him, the look of someone who knows how to fight."
"Do you want to fight us now in the yard?" challenged Lucius, flashing his childish little claws with enthusiasm.
I looked at the two hyperactive tiger-brats, then looked down at the wooden cane I was leaning on with my muscles trembling from fatigue. Fight? Are you playing with my biomechanical structure? I can barely stand without collapsing to the floor! I thought, feeling a comical despair.
I gathered the remnant of air in my lungs and tried to speak emphatically, shaking my free hand:
"No..." I stuttered, making a face of pure denial. "Not... now..."
Valeria let out a little chuckle at her brothers' audacity and pulled both back by their tunics, reprimanding them in silence.
I held the small polished bone object against the palm of my hand, feeling the weight of destiny’s gears finally turning in my favor. I had conquered the raw material for primitive sugar, secured blood allies and crucial logistical routes in the neighboring kingdom, neutralized the immediate risks of church interrogation thanks to Katriny's protective intervention, and, above all, transformed my biological parents into the official guardians of my psychic secret.
After the conclusion of the formal banquet and the warm goodbyes from the House Aurelius delegation, I was carried back to my room. The afternoon sun was beginning to hide behind the immense stone mountains of the frontier, painting the sky and clouds in shades of violet, orange, and gold.
I collapsed onto the soft bed, feeling the entire weight of physical exhaustion from that six-year-old body that had performed true quantum miracles over the last few days. I adjusted the protective silver amulet over my chest, closed my eyes slowly, and let the comforting silence of the castle cover my exhausted geek professor mind.
Volume 1 of my survival laboratory was officially closed. I had conquered the secret of the elemental daggers, guaranteed the protection of Monk Katriny, turned my parents into shields against the church, and, above all, conquered an alliance of blood and steel with the commercial power of the beast-men.
Baron Kenneth of Ghalia thought he had destroyed the Vance heir; he was about to discover that he had merely opened the doors for the Hundred-Handed Warrior to redraw the map of that world.
