"Ahr, Yes, thank you." Kael's voice was still rough and weak. Thankfully, drinking gave him a little time to collect himself. He still felt slightly awkward about his staring when the cup was moved away again but quickly shoved those feelings into the cage where he kept his emotions. "You are... Sarah, right? Are you the reason I am still alive?" She nodded, placing the cup back on the table next to his bed. "Mhm, that's right. Though, you kind of saved yourself, if I am being honest. Pretty sure I would have died if it wasn't for your help. How could I let you die after all of that?" - "Haha, not sure how much help I actually was, but I guess distracting the Thrizon and Jason from time to time was somewhat helpful." Her smile grew a little stiff at the mention of Jason and the monster, but she caught herself quickly, returning to her warm demeanor. "You did quite a bit more than just distract them, but that discussion can wait, I think. You must have questions, go ahead and ask. I will try to answer you as best as I can." - "What happened after I passed out? How did I get to wherever this is?"

The story that followed sounded crazy. After smacking Jason over the head with a long metal stick, the boy lost consciousness and was now kept in some secure ward of the central hospital. Kael could only shake his head at his resilience, magical or otherwise. The Thrizon had apparently been losing energy from the moment it appeared and only managed to sustain itself through its connection to Jason. The cube was some kind of conduit apparently. "And so, after you knocked him out, the fight was basically over. The Thrizon returned to the cube, and I rushed to your side, trying to help. When I saw the state of your injuries, there was not much I could do. You were losing too much blood. So I did the only thing I could think of, I froze the wound while your body did the rest."

She told him that he survived primarily because of his physical talent. Even unconscious, his body would naturally cycle mana, supplementing his mundane regenerative capabilities with magic. That was also how he could fight for that long in the first place. After that, she had called her family. Apparently, he was not in a hospital at all. The room he was in was part of her family's mansion, and the operation had been performed by her uncle. The uncle, a renowned surgeon and mage, had stitched him back together about a week ago. Since then, Kael had been resting here. When he asked about his faint memories of someone taking care of him, she blushed a little, confirming Kael's suspicions. The blush looked good on her. He thanked her again for her help, only for the blush to deepen a little.

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"Anyway! That is how you ended up here. Are you ok with me asking a few questions?" Exhaustion was catching up to him by the minute, but he could not really deny her, could he? She had been very open and forthcoming. How could he not reciprocate? "Sure, go ahead. Do keep in mind that my magical knowledge is very limited." - "That is no problem." Her smile, when she spoke, was dazzling. She then produced a pen and writing pad from somewhere and got ready. "Let's start with the basics then. My name is Sarah Junge, what is yours?" - "Kael Barkley" - "How old are you? Is there some family you want us to inform?" - "15, I think," - "You think? You don't know your age?" - "No, I do know how old I am, but my birthday may have passed while I was unconscious." - "Oh! Wait, let me..." She pulled out a sleek metallic smartphone from somewhere below his vision and unlocked it. A few moments later, Kael went from 15 years of age to 16. Nightmares as a birthday present is a new low, he thought with no small amount of sarcasm. "Happy belated birthday, Kael." - "Ah, thank you." Their exchange was awkward, and he was happy when she quickly returned to asking questions.

While they started with relatively easy questions, they soon entered into a territory that Kael was uncomfortable with. When she had asked if there was anyone he wanted to contact he came close to mentioning Barbara. That alone came so far out of left field that it threw him for a loop. Then the questions dove deeper into where he came from, how he knew magic, why he was there, in the streets, and why he decided to step in. Maybe it was her soft voice, reaching him without a trace of judgment. Maybe it was her pretty face and caring attitude. Maybe it was the influence of what he had experienced while unconscious. Regardless, whatever it was, it broke all of his mental barriers. What was the worst that could happen, right? "Haaa, your questions are hard to answer without context. If you have time, why don't I tell you the story from the beginning?

And so he spoke. From the time his parents had been declared missing to his shameful escape from the only place that had accepted him for who he was.