Chapter 13

The jostling of the past day had settled down as Randell stood at Jamie's bedside, skeptical on the doctor's assessment.

Despite him being a trustworthy member of the mansion since the Marquis was a child, Randell couldn't take Doctor Imire's words at face value. The older man was knowledgeable in medical skills were that of a top experts, but the boy's situation wasn't something to take lightly.

He had never heard of anyone who had contact with an Uhyer and lived without any permanent damage.

"Although there were no written cases I could show you, I have seen cases where an uhyer's touch did little to nothing."

"Then why was the boy in a coma? Why does he have a fever?" Randell questioned. In the short period of knowing the boy, Randell had placed him in the corner of his heart reserved for important people. He and the General were men who were destined to never have any children. Even if the relationship between the two had been hidden from the boy until now, he still saw the child as his own. 

Yet, now this child is bedridden, feverish and comatose for no comprehensible reason according to the doctor.

The doctor had thought of this all day, going through several reference books to find an answer. There wasn't anything substantial, but the condition of the child did not show anything of 'unusual' concern.

"I believe that the contact only disrupted the child's mind. Of course, this cannot be confirmed until he wakes up, but if the uhyre had devoured his soul and vitality, the young master wouldn't just have a fever. He would be showing signs of necrosis and organ failure," the doctor assured.

Yet, it seemed as if that assurance was imperceptible as all Randell and the four girl servants could hear was 'organ failure'.

Seeing their collapsed expressions, the doctor had to sigh and explain again. "There aren't any signs of necrotization, the young master had probably suffered a mental shock. Again, we will have to wait until he wakes up to see any other symptoms. Until more could be determined, the young master must take the prescription at proper intervals."

Packing up his tools and medicines, the doctor left to go and read more case studies. He'd been working for nearly an entire day without rest, but there was still much to explore. What's more is they needed to determine whether the thing that the young master encountered was really an uhyre...

On his way back to his residence, the doctor shook his head . 'No, don't think too much. Hopefully, the thing is caught soon.'

After getting a proper analysis, Randell and the four maids sighed in waving relief. In some way, this was good news... Unfortunately, this did nothing for the sleeping boy. 

~

The fireplace crackled lowly, fighting autumn's night wind blowing through an open window. The General was still leading the guards throughout the city, Randell returned to the study to complete the remainder of the work, and the servants stood outside for the night, allowing for their young master to rest well.

Jamie was tucked into bed, his skin now cooler when earlier, he felt like the blood in his veins had turned into magma, melting him from the inside. Since yesterday, an intangible part of him felt like it was being stretched taught. It was not only painful, but mentally exhausting. 

At times, he could hear the various conversations about him. Many mentioned well wishes for a speedy recovery while the remaining spoke of the uhyre. He wanted to wake up and say that they were all wrong. The legends were wrong. This world was wrong.

Yet, he didn't even know what this uhyre was. It obviously had something to do with Nyx and was of negative connotation. The book never mentioned anything about this, his assurance coming from a strange innate knowledge. But his mind always drove him back to sleep, showing him dreams that he'd all too soon forget.

Feeling like he had gone through a formidable battle, Jamie's eyelids began to stir from sleep. The fatigue was still there, but second by second, he was feeling lighter and lighter. The dreams in his mind turned vague. A field of green. A boundless azure sky above him. The scents of summer in the countryside filled his nostrils. Nostalgia and longing.

And then he was awake. Forgetting what once was. 

Jamie felt a familiar wet nose poking him, further sending him into a deja vu.

The little fox watched his master carefully. The animal had been roaming around the mansion like a tiny ghost since they've come to the Capital. Only in his courtyard would the ghost turn into Jamie's shadow, trailing close behind him like a tail.

Because it was his pet, the four maid servants had taken great care of it, feeding it raw meat, bones, and a few small fruits that their young master said was necessary for the animal's diet at every mealtime. The little fox would sniff their meager offerings disdainfully. He would stare at the girls whose eyes shone from the cute ears and fluffy tail, and reluctantly eat it.

When his master said he would be giving him better food in the future, he didn't think it would still be mundane things. It was truly miserable having an naive master.

Jamie looked at the glassy pair of eyes in the dark. The fox licked the face and nuzzled the boy in affection.

Still groggy, Jamie lightly scratched behind the tall ears. 

The little fox leaned into the touch, feeling reassured in his heart. The previous afternoon had nearly scared the animal to death. Before he even returned, the animal felt the change in the master.

The fox had been lazily lounging under the sun, basking in the remaining warmth before the beginning of winter. In the mansion, there was no need to curl up in bushes or burrows to sleep. Although it wasn't the forest, the fox thought he could get used to the human's sanctuaries. The yard had been peaceful. The older girls swept the yard of fallen leaves while the youngest went back and forth to fetch water from the well.

Then, in the midst of that tranquility, the energy in the fox's soul turned chaotic. His hackles rising, the fox leapt from his belly up position.

The girls who had been halfway done with their work saw the lazy fox jump about the yard, darting every which way until he sprang right into their day's work. The leaves puffed into the air before falling once again.

"Hey!" Lina was angered by the fox, throwing her broom on the ground to catch the naughty thing. The girl chased the black shadow about when Kana returned again with a bucket of water.

The fox felt like it was on fire. Chains on his soul roared like an avalanche in the midst of winter. Needing to calm this frenzied outburst, he ran in circles, loops, and whichever way he could. 

Then suddenly, a heat was partially extinguished with the splash of water.

The fox's tongue lolled from his mouth, collapsing back on the floor, but he finally took reigns of the energy, redirecting it to his internal power.

The girls gathered around the fox, Lina's anger changing to concern. "Maybe something bit him. We should probably check him for ticks and fleas," Pipa suggested. The two other girls agreed. And then, just as they were about to wash the exhausted fox, the news from the outside came.

The little fox heard the humans say that this was the work of an uhyre, but the small beast was unsure. His fate and soul was intertwined with his master's through the blood bond. If this was the monster's doing, he too should be cursed.

Regardless, his master was now awake and seemed to finally be clear-minded. The answers could be found slowly.

The fluff soft between his fingers, Jamie remembered how he felt the fox's presence in those brief periods of consciousness. The animal's company was comforting to him. Even when the thing sometimes looked aloof, his loyalty was truly moving when it mattered the most.

"Thank you for staying with me," Jamie whispered. The fox responded with a yip and another lick to his face.

As the master and pet comforted each other, the autumn wind blew again. This time, the fire could not combat the chill, wavering like a birthday candle. Jamie snuggled deeper into his quilt, not planning to go back to sleep.

A moment later, the fire was completely extinguished and the residual heat quickly dissipated. Jamie sighed. He knew one of the girls would be on duty outside and would frequently stoke the fire, but the light snores coming from the other side of the door made him get up to do it himself.

Crawling out from his warm quilt, Jamie shuffled his feet to the fire and prodded it with the metal stick. Small embers flickered like stars in the night sky, but none stuck long enough for a fire to grow.

Jamie tried for about ten minutes before debating whether to just go back to bed or wake someone up to help. And then the wind harshly blew once more before the chill ceased completely. With a sizzling pop, the fire came to life.

Jamie fell from his squatting position in bewilderment. The fox made another yip from the bed, this time the sound being more like a typical fox's scream. Jamie's head swirled around thinking that the flame might have come from the creature when his eyes collided with another's.