It felt like an eternity later when Kael opened his eyes again. Utterly exhausted, even after just waking up, he looked around the room. If there was someone here wanting to ask questions he had no answers for, there was no knowing what he would be able to say. Thankfully, he was alone. The next few hours Kael spent contemplating. The tight ball of emotion and repressed memories that had rested in his chest had become unraveled and brought everything he had sealed back to the forefront at once. It had been a... challenge.

Kael felt raw somehow. A previously festering wound had been cleansed and prepared for healing, damaging and exhausting the rest of the body even more. There was no doubt that he was better for the change overall, but it would still take him a long time to heal all of the damage that had been done. In all of the pain and hurt, however, there was also something else, something so wonderful, that it made the process feel worth it even now. Most of the memories he had of the time when their parents were still around were of moments of failure. It was as if someone had cleaned his brain of all the mundane and happy moments they had enjoyed as a family. Those were now back. And oh boy, were they a blessing. Maybe it was the magic. Maybe it was just for now, but he remembered so, so much of his past in absolute clarity. Memories, entirely unremarkable and mundane, brought a calm and peace to his soul he only now knew he had been missing for a long time. There was still all the hurt, the troubles, and missed opportunities that had been there before. But they were now muted, contrasted with memories of a decent life.

Time passed as Kael dove into his recovered memories, putting more and more context around his recent decisions. It was already afternoon when he heard the door to his room open. The faint smell of lavender announced his visitor before he could turn around to look. "Hello, Sarah." He said, his voice sounding somehow more settled, stronger than he remembered. "Oh?! Are you back with us then? You had us worried there for a while, you know." He knew. How could he not? Everything he had experienced since opening his eyes in this room for the first time was just as clear in his mind as the first time he had heard Lucy call his name. Sounding halfway between apology and contemplation, he answered. "Yea, that was quite the close call, wasn't it? Thank you for everything you did, by the way. You have been taking care of me for such a long time, and I only now realize I have never thanked you for it before." - "Hah! Now you know my boundless generosity and geniality? You may bow before your queen now." The fake haughtiness and young master vibes she was portraying had him laughing despite his best efforts. It felt good.

"But really now, do you feel better? The doc said to let you sleep and recover, but even he was not sure what was going to happen." Another person that was genuinely concerned for him that he had disappointed. "Sorry for worrying you. It was all just too much. I had it locked away in some corner of my mind, you know, and when you asked me, what now," - "I'm so, so sorry for that. I knew that you were dealing with a lot and was careless. I can't apolog," - "No, Sarah, it's fine." - "It is NOT fine. You got to say sorry, so give me the chance to do the same. Sorry." He wanted to respond. Tell her that she had nothing to be sorry about, but seeing her pout when he tried, shut him up quickly. How could someone look so adorable? Eh?! Where did that thought come from, Kael wondered. He felt his face heat up a little as he looked at the beautiful girl pouting next to his sickbed. Get your head out of the gutter, Kael. "Anyway! Your question somehow unlocked all of that. It was... a lot to deal with. Thankfully, now I feel much better. Terrible, raw, exhausted, but better." - "Oh? Want to tell me about it?" He did tell her about it.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

They talked for almost an hour that day, only stopping because Kael became too tired to continue talking. A promise to talk more later was made, and Sarah left after arranging a light meal for him. By the time he had finished eating and was about to sleep, he was so tired that even thinking became slow. Despite his tiredness, however, somehow, his mind kept going back to a very recent memory, and Kael went to sleep thinking about a pouting girl.

The night ended, and Kael awoke again, feeling much more refreshed after getting some restful sleep. Looking out of the window, he saw the day was shaping up to be another nice late summer day, full of warmth and sunshine. A quick test of his body showed that while his mind might have suffered, his body had continued to heal. He put on one of the shirts and sweatpants that he had been provided. Downstairs he made himself a light breakfast of eggs, toast, and a quick salad before exiting the building and eating in the attached garden, satisfied to have cooked for the first time in what felt like ages.

He still had no answer to Sarah's question, but he was sure that he would get there one day. In the meantime, he would simply work on what he could. Breakfast finished, he cleaned the kitchen down and returned to the garden. There was not much he could do for now. Physical training was out of the question until his body had fully recovered from the recent injury, and cooking for the sake of doing it sounded absolutely awful to Kael. Food made had to be eaten. He did not know if there was a library or computer somewhere in the house, and wandering aimlessly through a house he was a guest in did not appeal to him. That left him with very few options.

So he sat down in the garden, closing his eyes, and focused on the magic inside, returning to the first, the only magic he knew: Gathering mana.