Chapter 9

Aricia snapped out of her memories and approached the book, picking it up from where it floated and she left her mental scape.

Back in the real world, a fragment of light appeared before her, floating above her outstretched hand.

"Is that it?"

Sylphid asked as she spared a glance in her direction and Aricia nodded.

"Well, you might wanna start the process now, we can;t stay here forever."

At her words, Aricia took the fragment and placed it above Alex's head and recited a chant.

"Insert text"

At the end of the chant, a stream of light connected the fragment to Alex's head and the fragment followed the stream until it eventually sipped into his head and Aricia removed her hands and panted.

Her role had concluded, now she could only wait and see if Alex could stand the power of the art, so she joined Sylphid in circulating the energy around Alex body and after a short period, the kids body glowed, a golden aura enveloping the area and the two ladies could feel a slight force pressing against them, trying to push them away, but it dissipated before it had an impact.

Aricia smiled before she spoke.

"It was successful."

Sylphid nodded before she stopped circulating the energy around his body and yawned.

"Then our work is done"

The pond stopped glowing and the peace returned to the garden. Sylphid changed from her elven form back to her fairy form and rested on Aricia's shoulders.

"Let's get him back to the room"

Aricia complied and took the boy from the pond back to the room where she properly dried him and changed his clothes before setting him on the bed and tucking him in.

"How long before he wakes up Bell?"

She asked her fairy companion who had found a spot on the bed beside Alex to sleep

"That is a question I cannot answer, it's all up to him.

The process he underwent is a very taxing one and he'll need some time before he gets accustomed to his new body"

'Not to mention he just got contracted to a spirit king, he'd still feel some burden especially considering his condition even after the true seal was used'

Bell thought to herself, yawning once more before she called out to Aricia.

"Cia, you might not be feeling it now, but you went through a strenuous process to, get i here and sleep before the stress catches up to you"

Although still worried about Alex, Aricia nodded at Bell's words and climbed atop the bed, cuddling beside Alex and sleeping just as they always had, and soon she fell into a deep sleep.

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Alex found himself floating in the middle of nowhere, his surroundings full of emptiness and could only be likened to the void.

It was different from when he became blind and he could see nothing. Here he could see, but nothing was in sight.

"Where am I?

Eric? Liz, Tim?

Is anyone here? I'm scared!"

His small figure trembled as tears rolled down his eyes. He had always been afraid of the darkness and being alone and the current situation set him one edge. He silently cried until he heard footsteps echoing in the distance.

He quickly stopped crying and called out, running towards the distance he felt the footsteps coming from.

"Wait for me, someone's there right? Don't leave me alone!"

As he ran, the surroundings changed from the darkness and void, to inside a small shop. Alex was confused trying to understand the situation, but he was happy he was no longer in the dark and empty void.

"Wait, I can see"

The young kid thought to himself as he inspected the shop. Chairs were arranged around a round table and each table was located a distance away from the other. The decor and colors used indicated this was a shop themed towards kids and females, but at the moment it was empty.

He put aside his curiosity about why he could see and moved from the table area towards the counter at the end of the room. The counter was as tall as him but that wasn't what caught his attention, it was the cakes and pastries that were lined up neatly in the insides of the counter that had him drooling.

But the sound of a bell ringing and a door opening sent him out of his trance, a group of girls wearing the same uniform entered the shop, all laughing as they discussed and rang the bell on the counter.

"Hi Mr, We're back, you're still alive right?"

The female in the lead called out, causing the other ladies in her group to burst into laughter. Alex walked towards them and tried to touch them and ask some questions but he slipped through them instead.

"What?''

He screamed and the next moment, a young man popped out from the other side of the counter through a door on that side, saying the same words in sync with Alex.

"What?"

The male was an elf with a gentle smile on his face that grew wider when he saw the group of girls waiting by the counter.

"Ahhh, Maddie, welcome, I see you brought your friends today, what can I get you guys?"

"Yeah Alex, they insisted they must find the shop that made such delicious cakes"

The group conversed with the elf but Alex stared in horror.

"Just what is happening"

He said as he tried to touch the girls, the objective and even the desserts that were displayed in the shop but he slipped through them all, he was no longer in the mood to listen to their conversation, instead he tried to get their attention.

"Don't waste your time young Alex"

A deep voice that carried traces of despondency in it called out from behind the young Alex, lifting him from behind and setting him on a table on the side.

"They can't see or hear us, after all it's just a memory."

"What?"

Alex asked as he turned around to look at who it was that spoke and lifted him. It was a male elf with short blond hair and deep blue eyes. Alex was hit by a sense of deja vu as he cold swore he had seen that face before.

His attention was drawn to the group that was now being served slices of cake by the young elf beyond the counter and it finally hit him. The elf standing beside him looked just like the one beyond the counter. He was about to open his mouth to ask a question when the elf looked at him and shook his head.

"I know you have a lot of questions that would have to wait, we don't have much time, so just watch and follow me okay?"

The strange elf spoke as he rubbed Alex's head and Alex nodded his head in affirmation. Alex knew he should be wary of strangers, but he felt a familiarity with the strange elf before him so instead he listened to his words.

"That's good. Now let's get moving"

He helped Alex down from the table and held his hand, guiding him out the shop. On opening the door and stepping out Alex noticed that the surrounding hand changed once more. If they were in the heart of the city previously, they were currently in the outskirts but this time the surroundings were very familiar.

"Yes it looks very familiar because it's a place we know very well, it's where we grew up after all, where it all started, the orphanage."

The elf spoke as if he read Alex's thoughts. He walked towards the orphanage and Alex followed after him, the images of the kids running around passing by him.

Alex recognised most of these kids, they were his friends, classmates and playmates afterall. He stretched his arms out to stop one of the kids and ask what was going on, but just like before, he slipped through them so just gave up and caught up to the strange elf that had gained some distance from him.

The elf stopped after he got to a garden at the backside of the orphanage where Alex could see himself laying his back against one of the giant trees in the garden and reading from a book and conversing with master Eric.

"Wait, how can I be here and there at the same time and why isn't he blind. Now that I think about it, why can I see here?"

He asked a bunch of questions in rapid fire but the strange elf didn't spare him a glance. His attention instead was fixed on the older elf that sat at a close distance away from the young alex that was reading the book and discussing with the young elf.

He then turned around and left the area.

"Come on, let's go, and as for the answers to your questions, like I told you before, as long as you follow me, you'll find the answers to them"

Alex could only shrug his shoulders and follow after the elf once more, and just like before, after they took a few steps forward from their location, the surroundings changed once more.

Alex raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky, lightning streaked across the sky and heavy rain was falling. The sounds of the rain hitting the asphalt had a soothing feel for Alex, especially since the rain had no effects on him, even though the heavy rain fell on his body, it just slipped through him.

Eventually the novelty wore off and he moved, following after the elf that was once again at a distance from him.