53: The void formed between Void and Vivienne

"Void! Open the door!" Zoe shouted from outside Void's room.

"I know, cupcake. You've just healed your cuts and regenerated your eye, but I know you're still heavily injured inside!" Meisheng added.

"Darling, I've brought the doctors. Now please open the door!" Anette pleaded. While they were at it, Astrid pushed the three of them aside and gave the door a forced kick, breaking it down.

"I don't know what you're thinking, boy, but I can't let you die or do something terrible now after you protected my daughter, throwing away the pride of being a swordsman!" Astrid said.

"Wait… What? Are you in your right mind?" Meisheng asked, grabbing her collar.

"What are you asking? I've decided to marry him. Do you have a problem with that?" Astrid responded, to which Zoe drew her blade.

"Are you kidding me, huh, hag? I accept we all have an age gap with Void, but you're already in your late thirties!" Zoe then took a deep breath, retracted her blade, and went inside where Void was lying on his bed. "Anyway, I have many things to look over now."

"Darling? Are you okay?" Anette asked, shaking Void, who was unconscious. Thinking he had some kind of panic attack, she gave him CPR, which was more like a kiss. The next moment, Void was banging his hand on the bed, and seeing Void's struggle, Zoe pulled Anette away.

"He's just exhausted, you snake-headed fool!"

After the doctors helped with his wounds and cracked bones, Void was sleeping on the bed, his hands treated. The doctor came out, her face obscured, likely darkened by the mask she wore, as she explained his condition to the four of them.

"Void's condition is critical. The poison has reduced his mana capacity by destroying the nerves that were creating it and piercing the points that were his main source of mana!" The doctor packed her things as she spoke.

"And to protect that little girl, he changed the mana compound1 of his body. Maybe the nerves in his hands weren't strong enough to do this so fast; that's why they burst. Another problem is that he punched the holy blade continuously. Even though he was using the overflowing mana, he has broken the bones in his fingers, too." The doctor turned around, picking up her bag and handing it to her assistant, her hands in her cloak's pockets.

"Luckily, I was able to save him in time, but it's important for you to give him time and not include him in fights until he fully recovers," the doctor finished, waiting for any of their queries.

"Will... Is... Is there any chance we can restore his mana capacity?" Astrid asked. Even though she had a cold, rude demeanor, her tone hinted at serious concern for him.

"There is." At the doctor's revelation, everyone's eyes glittered with relief, but not for long.

"But it only has a ten percent chance of working perfectly. Unfortunately, compared to the complexity and strength of Void, even if I consider it, it would be a risk as he may lose his specialty over ice! And the worst that could happen is that he may turn into an ugly monster or might die." As the doctor revealed the possibility, even though it wasn't clear, everyone was too scared to agree.

"I see from your eyes that you won't risk the life of your love, and that does mean a lot," the doctor said while leaving. As she was leaving, she murmured, "Seeing you being honest and devoted to your savior!" The doctor left the room with her assistant as they were walking in the pathway.

"Milady, first you were trying to kill him..but now you even disguised yourself to save him..?" her assistant asks as they teleport through the portal, "of course…it's important for him to stay alive..till we meet again he's the only one i lived for up until now!" The lady disappears and with her and her assistant the portal too disappears.

After some hours, Void woke up. Zoe, Meisheng, and Anette were present, but Astrid was not there at the moment.

"Void, are you alright? I am sorry... I wasn't able to take care of you properly!" Zoe said, tears streaming from her eyes as she bit her lip, enraged that she failed to protect Void—and for another reason.

"I did see Vivienne adding something weird to his sweets, but I just thought she was playing with him. It's my mistake... I'm responsible for Void's condition!" she thought to herself.

"It's alright. I'm fine... We can't do anything... It's just... I turned out to be a failure as a brother, huh?" Void said, placing his hand slowly on his head, his grip tightening in Zoe's hand, showing that it was not something Void himself could understand.

"Honey... Do you know why she betrayed you?" Anette asked, her tone serious for the first time. It seemed she had found something more and could see that, too, in Void. As she continued, she said, "Are you going to forgive her just like that?"

"Of course he won't! Forgive me, I'm the worst... He gave me a chance even after I rejected being his fiancée. Even though he knows the truth, he still stayed nice to me before knowing... I wasn't able to save him when Leonard came... nor was I able to bring him out, but..." Vivienne said.

She was currently in her room, which seemed to be destroyed, maybe because of her anger. Her hair was messed up, her eyes had dark circles, and they looked like the life in them had been leached out. Arcane, Alfrin, Aoi, and Cassey, who were there beside her when they found out Void was poisoned by Vivienne, were all enraged but came just to understand why.

"Even though he wasn't fully recovered, he stood up to Her Majesty, fought Fiola, proved himself innocent, and saved you all... And what did I do all this time? I roamed around Leo, stuck by his side, bad-mouthed Void... Do you know why he never said 'I love you' beside Aoi?" Vivienne continued. At her question, Aoi replied.

"Because he lost interest and is no longer focusing on love. Instead, he's doing everything and going the way Aunt Maria says," Aoi said, at which Vivienne revealed:

"That's not true... He has low self-esteem, even though it's not visible. But he fears opening up, and I caused that by constantly taunting him. I didn't realize it back then, but now it's visible as he stays around you all," Vivienne said, placing her hand on her head. One shy boy who was present in the room at that moment placed his hand on her shoulder as a sign of sympathy.

"Do you know, Arcane, of Void's secret, which he shared with you? Or which he let you know?" Her question rendered Arcane speechless.

"No... I don't know, as Master never let me know."

"And now I've crossed the limit. I was lost in the desire to have Leo back. Trust me, he may be forgiving and kind enough to give chances to people, but..." Vivienne tried to finish.

"Not now! I might lose control and beat her until... until she fears even glancing at me!" Zoe, Meisheng, and Anette hugged Void together, trying to help him with his outburst.

The battle had ended, but the real arc had begun; promises, trust, relationships, and bonds were now on the line...