5 Welcome to the Azure World (Part 03)
The new-born baby just confirmed what the worst jokes made by the people have predicted.
Even his parents thought their child as handicapped. He wasn't answering to any stimulus. Didn't react to loud sounds, shiny things, strange smells or things that could hurt him.
The baby only knows how to cry for hunger. He didn't give even the sense of security that the cries of the baby can bring. The cute, tiny little being could die at any time by cold, for example, without no one knows...
Elizabeth, in anguish, started to blame herself for the problems of her kid. She didn't know what to do. How can she, the brute gorilla, has a weak child and a crippled husband?
She didn't blame him for his weakness, but how can she still be risking her life at army with that condition?
The worst part seems like Luke was running of the problems drowning himself on his old notes.
...
After struggling alone for three months she started to loath and blame Luke, she only has time to see his kid once in a week. He only come home to bathe and, sometimes, eat. Then he leaves home again.
...
Six months from the birth and two since Luke ran away, she received a letter from the army calling her back to serve.
The letter gave her another option, be destitute of her patent and have more two and a half years of licence. It's not coincidentally that this period was selected.
The doctors stated that his son's lifetime should last at most three years...
She could only accept while cries alone.
...
Ten months from birth.
Luke comes back. He lost his right arm, is skinnier than ever. Seeing the man whom she learned to hate, but used to love, at this condition Beth brought him back to their home.
When he was inside, he passed out.
Now she needs to give care to two burdens...
...
Eleventh month
After caring both her man and son for a month Beth became exhausted.
Even in this condition, she could note that her husband's body is extremely sickly, looking like he didn't eat properly since he has gone away.
When Luke wakes up, with a shine on his eyes, he said: "Love, finally I found out the cure"
He, after all problems she carried alone, said the only thing she wanted to hear. She has no choice other than doubt.
"How can you try to fool me like that? We shared our secrets, our problems but you let me to shoulder this pain alone... You run away to let me see our only kid die!"
"Honey, he will not die"
"All the best doctors, powerful cultivators of this region came to see Arthur, my grandpa made his efforts to help me. How a man who barely stayed at his side can say that he can be saved?"
"Honey, I know why you are behaving like this. You don't want to grow any hope, you are trying to be prepared to lessen the pain...
But you know that mine origin is not shallow like the people from this region. I have been studying since I was crippled by my kin. When I felt that little struggle to live coming from our son I give my best to find the cure myself.
Maybe you don't know but I discovered his problem since the beginning."
"His problem? What is his problem?"
"He has a soul so much stronger than his child body, the simplest cure is to wait for the soul enter in synchronization with his body. It may happen tomorrow or never happen...
To lift his chances, I came back for seek the people whom I called friend from my past for a soul technique. I got one..."
"Your arm?" She cried. "He took your arm as a payment? Who... Who... Oh no, you begged him, I'm right, your Grand-grandfather?"
"Arthur is our only son, my arm didn't even have the same value of one of our son's nail. If he asked for my life I would have given it to him. The only way he could give me this technique safely was making sure that I got worse than before."
His Grand-grandfather was the one who protected he from lose his life on past during his calamity, whom secretly take him out of their clan and who send them some spare resources to help in cultivation. The problem wasn't to seek help but the risk to be found by others.
The name of the technique is "Swimming against the River" and the complete copy have three volumes with a total of twenty-eight scrolls, Luke only got the first three scrolls of the first volume.
"How this technique will cure my baby? He can't even see and talk, how will he cultivate?"
"I will use a dark ritual named 'Soul Transfer' to input mine soul power in his body and strengthening him meanwhile I can try to help in the adaptation process. "
Elizabeth already knew about the Dark Rituals, normally only the most desperate mortals choose to use them for have power as exchange with life, health or even the soul. "What is the cost?"
"The ritual will keep him perfectly fine he will only absorb a fourth of each amount of soul energy I infuse in his body. After the end of the transference I will suffer soul torment for the double of the time I need to collect that amount. Upon that I must burn my lifetime for the time that process last."
"You will spend four times the amount of energy you can give and after the process finishes and you will be tortured and have your lifetime shortened? Are you certain that this really can heal our kid? I don't want to lose both of you."
"I don't have a choice. But we can try to have more than one kid, you know?"
"I don't dare, I'm sorry, my Dear"
"I understand. Going back to the method: The first volume is called "How to Swim" and can prepare us to break the first two shackles of the mortal soul, but with just three of four scrolls we can establish a stability after broke the first one. I will need three months for finish them because I used to learn this method. You must study this too since it will improve your comprehension."
So, with this new hope he and his wife started to train themselves.
…
In the first birthday of the little Arthur he gave his two desperate parents an unexpected big present. He, for the first time, showed signals to develop the five senses.
Every other people remind them that with this age other kids can already crawl and even start to walk or make the first sounds.
They absolutely didn't care. If their child can recover a little before even the Soul Transfer so, with this method to help, he will become a normal boy in just a short time.
