Chapter 12

After a few minutes, Silvia finally managed to get Aiden to get up so she could take him away from that place. Nurses were constantly moving around them, and their looks, many of them filled with envy, were already bothering her.

The room they entered was small but organized. There weren't many pieces of furniture. Three chairs near the table by the window and a small couch where Aiden made Silvia sit down, only. No dirt was visible.

"How long are you going to keep doing this?"

With her wrists raised, the doctor waited. Aiden held them with his firm hands, as delicately as possible, fearing every moment that he might hurt her, although he knew it wouldn't happen easily.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?" the doctor questioned, who at that moment seemed to have become the patient. "I'm saying I'm fine."

Aiden didn't stop. From the wrists to the head, from the head to her chest. Something didn't seem right. Something couldn't be right. There were too many beds, too many wounded needing help. How could she be fine in the middle of all this?

"You..."

Silvia seemed surprised. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened briefly, just before she closed it again and turned her head away, avoiding looking into Aiden's eyes.

"I told you to stop!" he exclaimed, shaking Silvia's body briefly. "I said this would happen! Why did you have to be so stubborn?!"

His gaze turned back to Aiden for a moment, His eyes welled up with tears again. Silvia couldn't reply, nor could she continue to look at him. She turned her head again, this time closing her eyes tightly.

"...Enough." decreed Aiden, his voice full of confidence and apparent anger. "You will no longer work in this place."

Silvia turned, opening her eyes. That wasn't going to happen. Aiden immediately realized through her gaze.

The strong reign over the weak... He is strong. That's undeniable. But why, despite knowing this, does he feel so powerless? Why, knowing that he is only concerned, does she continue with this stupid idea of getting involved in this damn war?

His anger was evident. It could be seen in the expressions on his face. However, Aiden said nothing; he couldn't say a single word. Blood dripped from his lips as he pressed them with his teeth. In his hands, maintaining care and gentleness, Silvia's soft palms conveyed warmth and tenderness to him.

Seeing the blood trickling from Aiden's lips, concerned, Silvia quickly raised one hand. She couldn't touch him. He didn't allow it. Aiden turned his face slightly before her palm could reach him.

The doctor hesitated, retracting her fingers when rejected. She clenched her fist and looked at Aiden's sorrowful expression. This time determined again, Silvia brought her hands toward Aiden's face, who in response, jerked abruptly.

His eyes shifted to a random corner of the room. He didn't even want to look her in the eyes. After a brief click of his tongue, Aiden placed a small pot on the table, which he took from one of his pockets, and left. Without hesitation, without looking back.

The room became silent and even emptier. Rising, Silvia walked toward the table to pick up the small pot left by Aiden.

"..."

There was no noticeable smell or even a threatening appearance. It couldn't be poison. He wouldn't give her something like that. An ingredient? Is it something to be consumed?

"Hmm..."

As she dipped one of her fingers into the substance and put it in her mouth, a sweet taste she had never experienced before filled her palate for a moment.

"...This is... very good..."

After a few seconds, the sweetness had faded, replaced by a bitter taste that dominated her entire mouth.

Placing the pot with the unknown mixture on the table, Silvia sighed. Her chest ached, and a strange sadness engulfed her, causing drops to fall on her hands as she tried to calm herself.

Hasty steps and unanswered questions. Ignoring everything and everyone that came his way, Aiden walked out of the demonic castle without even realizing it. When he realized it, a sword was in his hands, and some of the knights' training dummies had been destroyed.

His breathing remained heavy, his mind a whirlwind of unanswered questions. There was nothing to be done. He couldn't stop her from joining the medical team even if he wanted to.

Stopping her from trading her life for others'...

"Damn it!"

One last blow was struck. The dummies no longer existed, not even the trunks that kept them upright. In their place, there was a huge hole caused by Aiden's sword swinging.

After driving the sword into the ground, along with his tears, Aiden fell to his knees beside it. He couldn't remain standing. His body was intact. However, his mind was on the brink of collapse.

The world is cruel. It gave him strength but not the ability to truly protect those around him.

What's the point of having power if you can't protect your most precious asset? This powerlessness... Feeling it is disastrous. It's not something I want to get used to... ever.

***************

With gentle movements overflowing with kindness, using a damp cloth, Riley patiently finished cleaning his mother's frail body.

Every step was taken with extreme care. Given her condition, one mistake, and he could easily break her entirely.

The arms and legs were the most challenging. With such a fragile body, he couldn't afford to force it in any way, no matter how ridiculous.

After finishing the cleaning, Riley picked up the small bucket beside him and headed for the exit.

"Goodnight..., mother..." he smiled as he said before crossing the door.

His steps on the stairs couldn't even be heard. Even though he knew it wouldn't happen. The desire not to wake his mother in the middle of her sleep was almost instinctive, preventing him from making any loud noise at that hour.

Leaving the bucket aside, placing it on top of the first piece of furniture he saw, Riley moved toward the small door next to the stairs.

It was a small room. A bed and a wardrobe, that's all there is. Although not messy, organization is not something to highlight about the place. There is nothing scattered around the room, but a cleaning could come in handy.

Unlike his mother's room, Riley didn't seem to have as much appreciation for his own. Because, although both lacked a large number of furniture pieces, when looking at Riley's room, the difference between the two becomes simply evident.

In it, cleanings clearly don't happen frequently. The cobwebs on the ceiling give that away. And although not filled with a large amount of dirt, the dust on the furniture and the floor is visible even in the moonlight.

Dust rose as he sat on his bed. Riley didn't mind. Crossing his legs, he closed his eyes and did what pleased him most during the evening. He went to his "own world".

Since mana cannot be spent carelessly, so that the inhabitants of this world can train their skills, a technique literally "universal" is passed on to the inhabitants of all realms.

Although the process becomes simpler and easier over time and with gained experience, something is required when the "first training" occurs; Absolute concentration.

If an error occurs in the first training, a single sound could simply lock you in your own consciousness, with no return. After all, it's not just a simple meditation; you'll be creating a new world in your mind. A world of your own.

However, Riley's first training occurred years ago. Now, accessing his own world or inner world is simple and easy to do. Concentration is still necessary, of course. But most of the restrictions and difficulties no longer exist.

With the large entrance gate to his realm before him, Riley smiled. Raising his arms, he opened the gigantic gate, generating intense light.

"Come on, Riley. What are you waiting for?"

The inner world was originally meant to be a place only for mental training. A way for the inhabitants of this world to overcome their limitations imposed by nature. However, it was never said that it could only be used for that purpose. No. No one had ever thought of trying something different.

"Hurry up! The food will get cold."

With a plate in hand and standing next to a small table covered with other delicious foods, with her long curly red hair and eyes of two distinct colors, black in her corneas and blue in her irises, Riley's mother, without showing any signs of weakness, smiled awaiting her son.

"Wait! I'm coming! Don't eat without me."

Smiling, Riley ran toward his mother. But that wasn't the same Riley who was outside, at least not physically.

His height barely reached one meter and a half, let alone one meter and eighty-one. Even his voice became more childlike as he crossed the large gate.

"Boy, be careful! You'll end up choking if you keep eating like that."

The differences didn't matter. That not being the physical world was just one among many other points to be considered. All that matters is that this is the happiest moment of his day. The highlight of his days for a long time.