Even though he had quite a good mood after his talk with Chen, by the time he arrived home it was totally gone.

When he was going home, far ahead of him -- just close enough to be within his sight -- he could see Aline walking together with that youth, who he met when he first talked with Aline a few weeks ago. Unsurprisingly he went mad with rage, but there was nothing he could have done there. Quin did not even have much chance at catching up to them, as he his left leg was still limp.

During school, there were a few times when his control slipped over the pain, and his mind had become a total jumble, but he managed to eventually recover. However this situation was a lot more difficult, and it was a miracle in itself that he was able to get home, without completely losing his mind.

At home, he sat down to meditate right away, in an attempt to calm down his mind. However, he utterly failed at it and only came back to consciousness in the middle of the night. Quin felt dead tired, what’s more, betrayed and humiliated and just wanted to have a moment of peace. Thus he thought that if this was not the time to take a painkiller, when would it be? Its effect lasted for half a day, so at least he would be able to have a good night’s rest. Quin quickly swallowed one and soon felt it kicking in. Although it did not lessen his pain entirely, the remaining part was so negligible compared to how it had been before that he had no complaint.

He had put a note on his door to tell his mother that he was not going to go to school and asking her to not wake him up. In the end, Quin got up around noon, refreshed. Although his constant agony had started only a few days ago, to him it felt like an eternity had passed since he was able to have a good sleep and a truly clear mind.

Alright, this should be the best time to organize my thoughts. I think I’ve still got about a few hours left without pain and that should be plenty enough. So Aline told me yesterday that she did not have any time for me -- not even a minute -- but I had seen her with that jerk. Still, it doesn’t have to mean that she’s with him or likes him at all. Yeah, maybe she really had a lot of things to do, and unfortunately for her somehow that guy was involved as well, giving her no choice. It’s not that she wants to be with her, but she has to. Deep down Quin knew that there was a lot of wishful thinking involved, but this was no different to the time when he had tried to be as optimistic as he could regarding the school. He could not get Aline and his love toward her out of his mind, so despite that this case had less chance to be true, Quin simply buried his head in the sand.

After speaking with Alinor yesterday, I really think that I should leave the city. It’s... I know that it was me who didn’t say anything to him, but he was so calm about it. I don’t know, but it feels like he doesn’t really care about me at all. Maybe I should’ve told him more? But still, if it were me, even if he tried to keep me uninvolved, I’d make sure that no one ever would get any idea about attacking my friend. I considered him my best friend, yet it feels like that we’re in truth just normal, average friends, or maybe just good acquaintances. Even though he said that he’d help me if I need anything, when I asked him the first thing he did was to ask me the reason. If I had asked him to do something more serious, like beating up someone then it’d be different, but it was just to tell something to someone. Besides, it would’ve been also different if he had asked me the same thing, but at least I could’ve seen in his eyes that he was ready to do it even if it was something really stupid or bad. Yet there was only hesitation in his eyes.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I don’t doubt that he would be willing to help me, but even after years of friendship, after all of the things I’d done, and after that I had never abandoned him or his sister, not even in the face of death, he isn’t willing to trust me. It’s just so disappointing.

I’ve got my mom and Leyn here, but I... I can’t bear to stay here, especially because they’re so good to me. Yeah, if Alinor had the same reaction as Leyn and not just saying ‘alright’...

Whatever, do I really have time to be sad and disappointed about someone, who doesn’t truly care about me? I’ve got limited amount of time left, so I should use it the best I can.

Alright, leaving the city, it is, but to where? I’ve never been to any other city and I don’t really want to move to one. Maybe a smaller town would be okay? But somewhere that’s quite far away from here. Hmm, Niohe said something about the healing properties of some of the spas, didn’t he? Perhaps I should look for something like that... Well, I don’t know any kind of spas, so I’ll go to the library to check it; a smaller town, away from Crows’ Road and with a good spa. Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about money, so I can even choose something luxurious.

So that’s done as well. Alright, after having breakfast I’ll visit the library to decide my destination and then afterward I’ll start to prepare the necessary stuff for the travel. I’ll go and talk to Leyn today or tomorrow, as well and then with mom... I can tell her that the Chief Healer told me about some great spa and that I’ll go there to recuperate. That won’t be even a lie either. Oh, right, I should buy a lot of expensive things to her, so that even when I’m gone she and father will face no hardships. Maybe just gold would be enough? No, it’s always safer to stand on more legs, so I think I’ll buy some jewelry and art as well.

Alright, there’s nothing else that comes to my mind, so I’ll start right away!

At their local library Quin found several helpful books and after a few hours managed to decide on his destination. The place he chose was called Hounxi, a smaller town, which was next to a smaller lake. This lake’s water was famous for its healing ability but also for its dangerousness, as it seemed that the energy inside it was extremely dense.

Healers only advised the usage of this water to cultivators in the Spirit Forming stage, and even then the daily treatment should not exceed three drops of water. One could realize how strong the healing energy it had was, from this fact alone.

Unsurprisingly the lake had no creatures living in it, and just entering it for a minute or two can cause serious harm to even Spirit Forming experts.

Although Quin was not in the Spirit Forming stage, the lake had a healing aura surrounding it, which was a lot less intense and could be enjoyed by average people as well.

There were a couple of other good locations that he had found, however, this was the farthest away and the only one which was only next to a smaller town, and not a bustling city.

The Duchy of Ade Lai spread over a relatively wide, but thin area in the northern part of the civilized world, with Crows’ Road located somewhere between the country’s easternmost part and its middle, and Hounxi in its westernmost part. It was a part which was settled only a hundred years ago and was filled with rural areas, used for cultivating crops.

Alright, it’s the perfect choice for me!