Samuel was not allowed to think about what just happened before he was forced unconscious. He didn’t really experience any pain, but his mind instinctively knew he was about to, so it disconnected itself. Since the system didn’t exist anymore, Samuel would not be at risk of having to experience the nothingness again.
The soul is mostly independent of the body, but in some severe instances of physical trauma, it can still be damaged. If this were to happen and the soul does not disconnect from the body, then it will slowly be harmed in the same way as the body. In other words, Samuel’s soul was suffering right now. It was being eroded to such an extent that the soul-healing carpet was insufficient in healing it. Sylvia naturally picked up on this change.
“What kind of curse or backlash can cause such extensive damage to someone's soul? I will not be enough to heal him. What would people think if the person I am supposed to protect and supervise were to die on my first day?” Sylva was developing a weak sense of nervousness at the thoughts she was having. The best course of action would be to have some of her seniors or teachers heal him, but none of them would do it for free. She was uncertain if the price to save Samuel would be worth it. At the same time, the damage to her reputation would also cost her greatly. She was in quite the conundrum.
"Goddammit, I’ll ask senior Lilly to help. Maybe she will take pity on him after hearing his story and give me a discount.” Sylvia got to her feet before opening the door to the interrogation room. “Calching, I will need to take Samuel away for more extensive treatment. Don’t worry, he’s in good hands.”
“Of course he is in good hands, Lady White. Yet it still pains me that I cannot apologize to him for my behavior. Can you bring him to see me after his recovery?”
“Sure. Goodbye.”
Tapping into the pathways of the realm, she left as quickly as she arrived. When she arrived mere minutes later, she found herself standing in front of a massive garden filled to the brim with flowers and herbs. In the center of the garden stood a magnificently carved wooden hut. The hut was not big by any means, yet it gave off an imposing but serene feeling. Sylvia proceeded to walk towards the hut, with slight hesitation. What if she asked for an extraordinary amount of resources? She didn’t even have enough for herself, much less for two.
Sylvia was about to knock on the door, but before she could, the owner of the hut called, “Sylvia, come in. There is no need to knock between sisters.” Upon opening the door, Sylva was greeted by a figure lying lazily on a green couch, sipping an unknown white beverage from a cup. “It’s been so long, Sylvia. What, are you too important now to visit me?”
“No, not at all Lilly. It’s just that I’ve been too busy. Between the facade, cultivation, and deepening my comprehension of alchemy, my life has just been hectic; I'm sorry.” Just to make sure she would not be given a higher price, Sylvia opted to speak in a trembling, sad, and miserable tone.
“Poor you; I remember when I had to do that job. It must be hard on you. So, what have you come here for? Is it the guy in the carpet? Brilliant way of transporting someone, by the way.”
“Yes, he is a victim of heavy mental manipulation and the backlash is constantly injuring his soul, so much so that I myself am no longer sufficient to heal him. You are one of the best healers in the Shattered Realm, could you please help him? I am supposed to be his supervisor, and If he were to die, I would have no place to show my face any longer. Please, sister Lilly.” Begging alway works, as Lilly was nearly moved to tears by this complete nonsense. What a kind individual!
“Put him down on the table there, and wait while I get some herbs.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Do you not need to take a look—”
“There is no need, these herbs work for all soul injuries.”
Lilly turned into a gust of wind as she left through the door, left open by Sylvia. How great was this situation? Samuel would gain a lot of power when he wakes up, and the injuries he was supposed to suffer would be healed. He was simply too lucky. What was strange however, was the fact that neither of the two ladies seemed to realize the changes to Samuel’s body. It was constantly breaking down and rebuilding itself, yet two of the most powerful individuals of the Shattered Realm were left ignorant to it. It was bizarre to say the least.
When the time passed neared the minute mark, Lilly burst into the hut, holding a myriad of different herbs, flowers, and berries. She did not cast another glance at Sylvia, rather she ran directly over to Samuel, before she pulled out a cauldron. She threw all the herbs into it before lighting it on fire with pure green flames which appeared out of nowhere. The berries were dropped into Samuel’s forced-open mouth by invisible hands, while the flowers were spread over his body, covering him in his entirety. A fragrance so intense it could revive the dead surged throughout the garden, and further. The fragrance came from the cauldron, or rather the herbs in it. The herbs, however, were not herbs anymore. They had all merged together to form an elixir. Without wasting a single instant, Lilly poured the elixir into Samuel’s mouth, allowing it to trickle down his throat. Yet it never made it to his stomach, as an invincible force devoured it on the way.
“Lilly, was that the Soul’s Gluttony elixir!? How can you use something so valuable?” Sylvia was shocked to the core. How could she ever pay for this thing? Even if she were to work in her position as Lady White for a century, she would not be able to afford this elixir. Not only that, even the rest of the flowers and berries were far out of her price range. She would be in debt! How pitiful it is to be in hundreds of years worth of debt at the tender age of 22. Sigh.
“No elixir of a lower potency would be capable of healing his soul. Hell, it’s not actually enough, causing me to use supplementary flowers and berries. I do not know what power is capable of causing such a backlash, but if it’s that of an enemy, then you need to be careful. The wielder of this power would presumably be at the Pseudo-Transcendance stage.”
“What? I need to inform teacher Nicholas immediately. This assailant is instigating the Lokola Empire. If what you said is true, then the entire Cyan continent is at risk.” Without saying goodbye, or lingering any longer, Sylva jumped into the realm’s pathways again, rushing to inform Nicholas at her greatest possible speed.
“I hope I won’t be forced to make an appearance. Sigh.” Lilly was clearly a recluse. She lived in the middle of nowhere, with no trace of civilization in sight. No social person could stomach this. Since Sylvia, one of her only friends, left in such a hurry, she was at a loss for what to do. There was some stranger lying on her table, covered in flowers, for fuck sake. The situation was much too bizarre, even for a healer.
“Where am I?” Before Lilly could continue to wallow in uncertainty, a spirited voice echoed from the flower man.
“Ahhh!” A scream so high pitched it cracked the windows of the hutt left her mouth, which in turn scared Samuel, causing him to scream.
“Argh!”
“Ahhh!”
“Argh!”
This standstill of screams continued for a whole five minutes before they finally settled into an awkward silence, where they simply stared at each other. Lilly was baffled at Samuel’s awakening. His soul was in such a state that even if he were not to awaken in a year's time, it would not surprise her, yet awake he was. Samuel, however, was more muddleheaded than anything. From one confusing situation to another, his brain was simply incapable of making sense of what was happening.
“None of this makes sense. I remember meeting some guy, losing the system, keeping the rewards, waking up in the carpet, falling unconscious, and now waking up here; none of this shit makes any sense. Also, who the fuck is this banshee, and why is she looking at me as if I am some ungodly monstrosity? I'm very handsome, alright?” These were the thoughts rushing through Samuel’s head. There is not a single person on God’s green earth that could possibly call him self-centered or delusional.
“How are you awake?” asked the now whispering voice of Lilly to the selfless savior that is Samuel.
“Because I’m awesome. On a more important note, where are we? Wait, why am I covered in flowers?”