Chapter 30: Medicinal Bath

'Will it hurt?'

This question had been bugging Mikaela for days since he found out the day of his medical bath. Bianca had taken the chance a few days ago to brief him on the effects of this miraculous concoction recipe his mother had left. 

It was greatly beneficial for martial artists, it was even more effective if done at a tender age. 

It would regulate his body and help out in expelling impurities and cleansing his meridians. His joints would strengthen and his muscles would tighten. Excess fat would be expelled. Overall, it would increase the progress of his training. 

The moment he walked into the room, a wave of warm humid air slapped his face, the heat filling his lungs.

A brunette woman far taller than he was stood beside a waist-high huge basin at the center of the room. The stone tub-like bowl was filled to the brim. In her hand was a small pouch that she stared at with a conflicted glimmer in her watery ocean-blue eyes. She looked rather sensual at the moment in her indolent pose. 

"Mitchell, he should last in this for fifteen minutes, after that add this powder. Let him cool for a full minute. Take him out immediately after that!" Bianca explained, stuffing the pouch in his hands.

Her voice was firm with traces of exhaustion.

"Sure. Do you have a timer here?" he asked.

Bianca pointed at a timer on the side and smiled at Mikaela.

She left the room with a few words, "Bring Kaela to me when he is done."

Father and son having been left in the room with the intimidating stone basin in front of them, they went silent. 

There was a subtle medicinal scent coming from the liquid followed by an enticing fragrant scent. It had a tinge of exotic rustic whiff to it. If not for the constant bubbling, they would have believed it was safe to drink.

Mitchell faced his son, ready to give a heartfelt fiery rallying pep talk to convince Mikaela to go into the basin. Mikaela gazed at the vermillion fluid for a moment before silently taking off his robe, climbing up the stool, and hopping in. 

There was no trace of hesitation.

Mitchell watched this perplexed and stupefied.

'Wasn't he scared a while ago?' he wondered.

He dismissed this thought as his overreading of the situation.

In truth, his son left him with many wonders. He would act hesitantly for a long time only to decisively act when the moment was upon them, like right then.

"Pappa, the timer." He said before settling in the basic leaving just his nose out. Most of his head was submerged as well.

"O-oh." Mitchell fumbled and looked at the timer. 

Tick tock tick tock!

Time passed at a sluggish pace, or at least that was how Mikaela felt. The liquid flowed continuously without any stirring. It was uncomfortably slimy and gooey. It felt disgusting. 

His body was slightly hot but not to the point of burning or scalding. He kept repeating to himself that he had to get stronger, be better, be less of a burden, and protect his family. This was his motivation.

After a long while, his skin started tingling and his skin felt sensitive and irritable. Mikaela wanted to scratch every bit off but he clenched his little fists. It was only after a while that this feeling disappeared. At that time, his whole body was trembling imperceptibly. 

He now felt his body relax. His tense muscles, his chest, his joints, and his bones seemed to be at more ease. It felt like he was suspended in the air and floating. It was such a good feeling. 

He heard a sound in the distance before the former feeling of comfort and peace disappeared. Now it was replaced with torturing and excruciating pain. The itchiness was like a tickle in comparison to this.

His skin felt like it was torn apart, his bones broken, hair pulled off his skin, and his muscles smelted with hot iron. He was in insufferable torment. If it wasn't, then it had to be slightly proportional to that experience.

It came too suddenly, he could only gasp and pant being unable to scream. His throat was filled with this liquid being choked in his breath. It was simply horrible.

'It hurts! It hurts! Hurts so much, itchy, painful, can't breathe,...H-help.'

His scattered thoughts remained only in his brain unable to be conveyed in his choked drowning.

His eyes were stained in tears but he persevered and avoided jumping from the basin, not that he could even if tried. The moment he let the pain pervade, he lost all strength and lay limply, submerging completely into the basin.

A grip held his wrist and pulled him from the liquid making his body less heavy, but the sticky liquid still ate at his skin and bones. He shivered and trembled in pain, his mouth agape but failing to let out a cry for help. 

Mitchell held Mikaela in his arms, draped a towel over him, and rushed to find Bianca. Surprisingly, she was right outside the door. She cast a cleansing spell on Mikaela and took him from Mitchell's hands.

After calming down, he asked, "How is he?"

"In pain, so much of it, it is unbearable," she said softly. 

Bianca said gazing softly at Mikaela in her gentle embrace.

The child was barely a teenager but was forced to endure such pain, although just for a short moment, it wounded her heart. It was not something she wished upon the children but it had to be done.

With Mikaela's talent manifesting so early, the bath also had to be done so early. 

Her eyes threatened to shed tears but she resisted it. 

'It's the child in pain, not me, Bianca,' she thought.

"He did well enduring the pain. He is strong in his way," she continued.

"Can't you cast a healing spell on him?" asked Mitchell, panicked. 

"No, the healing spell with counter the effects of the bath as well… He has no choice, but to endure." Bianca responded after confirming Mikaela was breathing fine. She had done a full body checkup on him.

Mikaela's body still trembled in cold shivers as he bit into his lips and clenched his fists subconsciously. His mind still experienced the torture he was in a while ago despite having left the bath long ago.

"Is there no other way?" asked Mitchell. 

As a father, he was more pained to see his child suffer in silence. He wanted to do everything in his ability to help Mikaela.

"Put him to sleep. He can endure and recover better when he gets some rest." 

She wasn't sure about it but that was what Anette had concluded in the recipe. She had to follow it and not cast a healing spell on Mikaela. It has troubled her for so long because she knew the experience of this bath.

The conversation ended there. 

Mitchell took Mikaela and pressed gently on an acupuncture point behind his earlobe letting the child drift to deep sleep. He walked to the bedroom and placed him gently on the bed. 

A bitter smile appeared on his face while looking at his son. He felt more helpless than when Anette left. He didn't know how much pain the child went through but he would continue to train this child. Making him go through more pain and torture to gain strength in the fastest way.

Because their time was limited, because fate was against them, because they couldn't fight the world with faith alone.

'Is this fine?' He wondered, sitting by the bedside for a long time.