27 THE STRANGER: PART I

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Ah, where am I…

The girl felt her body was so light that she was floating in the air. All the burning sensations she felt earlier were slowly subduing. She couldn't see a thing and only darkness was clouding her sight.

I must have died.

For she couldn't see, hear, nor feel a thing, she concluded that she was dead. But...

My Lady, wake up.

It was faint, but she could hear someone calling for her. It made the girl wonder whether she really has died and now hearing the voice of those who love her. It made her recall the first time she arrived in this world, the same cry, she heard from those people who loved her.

I guess, I was always destined to end up like this.

Only bitter thought resurfaced in the girl's mind. She regrettably felt annoyed that she didn't fight harder for her life. She thought she was now given a second chance to live a better life, but she then grabbed hold of it hard enough for her to keep living.

Out of the blue, she felt something warm. She couldn't explain it, but it felt like someone was holding onto her hand.

How come it felt so warm?

It bothers the girl why she could feel something when she has thought she did. In order to find out the truth, she thought of moving her fingers and trying to find that warmth.

Instantly, the girl's eyes, shook wide open as she realized she had survived.

'I'm not dead?' She turned around, examined her surroundings and recognized Serfred and Father Roland who looked bewildered at her.

"My Lady, you're awake?" Serfred went closer as he grabbed one of her hands as he wrapped it with both of his. "We- we were so worried."

"Tina, you worried us. Since you didn't wake up we thought you've…"

Athena looked puzzled by everything, she tried to grasp the situation but couldn't. She looked at Father Roland all perplexed and said, "I'm alive…"

"Yes, you're alive. Thank heavens you are." Father Roland tearfully smiled at the girl as he thought she really had crossed the light. For a brief moment he was sure the girl had passed since he was unable to hear her heart beating at all.

"Wha- what happened?" Athena breathed heavily as she felt confused by the situation. She was sure she had died, she was poisoned by the assassin.

"That we don't know the answer. One of the nuns came to check on you and brought you your food. However, when she started waking you up, you weren't responding. When she checks your pulse. She couldn't hear them, and so she went looking for us."

"So, I did die?"

"Well, we can't really say. Since, as you can see, you are awake. It's something we can't explain at all." Father Roland explained as he thought what happened to the girl is a miracle. To think she survived such lethal poison.

Serfred was crying silently whilst grabbing hold of the girl's hand. A single tear drop on the girl's skin as she realized the man was crying.

"Serfred, I'm sorry."

"My Lady, I thought you left me… I- I was so worried, I felt like my life was meaningless, since you've left." Serfred cried and dared not look at the girl.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't intend to leave you."

"I know, I'm glad you're back." Serfred peeked at the girl who was smiling at him. She was still pale and her lips were still blue and dry. But, at least her cheeks started to have some color already.

"It's good to be back."

Those were the girl's last words as she suddenly fell asleep. Serfred panicked since the girl suddenly closed her eyes, but with Father Rolands confirmation that she was just asleep put the man at ease.

The two of them left the girl to rest, and they stepped out of the room as they discussed with each other.

"Father, what do you think happened?"

Father Roland couldn't think of an answer as to how the girl survived, "I don't know, even if she is a Divine Healer, she shouldn't be able to heal herself."

"Hmm, you're right. Then how do you explain how she recovered?"

"Who knows, maybe we should be thankful that the Gods are watching over her."

"If there is indeed a God out there, I would like to meet him and thank him for what he did."

"My, my, why do soldiers like you always think that God is only a myth. Have you forgotten..."

"Please, spare me the lesson Father."

"Very well, you should go to Diana and inform her about the girl's condition."

"Then I'll leave for now."

When Serfred left and Father Roland returned to his room. A stranger that late night came secretly into the church.

We moved swiftly like the wind as he tried to reach the girl's room. As he opened the door and closed it, the girl's soft voice echoed.

"Hmm, Serfred, is that…" Athena was still out on her feet as she could barely open her eyes. Her vision was all cloudy as her throat felt so dry.

It hasn't even been an hour since she woke, yet her body felt like it was burning again. It felt as if she was not recovering at all and her inside were slowly decaying.

The stranger swiftly moved closer to the girl without speaking.

Athena wondered why no one was answering her. She was anxious as she wondered whether she was dreaming or not. Then, it came to her what happened before she lost consciousness of herself.

"Is that you?" She asked, yet again, no one said a word. Since the person was not responding at all, she didn't bother and decided to just get some rest.

The man moved closer as he carefully lifted the girl up and poured the potion into her mouth.

What he was pouring down the girl's mouth was a recovery potion in which he hoped will restore the girl's mana so that she'll be able to heal herself up. But, as he sensed and noticed the poison that was dormant before now resurfacing. He was unsure if the potion would work.

'How many poisons are in your body?' The stranger wondered as he couldn't clearly detect all of them. There was just too much that he couldn't even detect what type of poison they were.

Since the night, on which he saw the girl in the village center. He has recognized the poison dormant in the girl's body. Since they were inactive, he didn't worry because it will take time for the poison to resurface and it'll take years for the girl to die as long as they stay that way.

But, who would expect that after only a few days when he came to check on the village and the girl. He was taken aback when he detected the poison in the girl having suddenly resurface. He has been wondering what has happened for it to suddenly become active again. Apart from the poison resurfacing, he also noticed the mana following within the girl. It was then he realized why the poison had awakened.

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