"Miss, what's the situation? She kept touching her abdomen and her face distorted with pain. Will she be alright?" Kyle asked the healer after she finished checking Elena's body.

"She was suffering from sharp pains to her stomach. These pains were caused by cramping due to extreme stress usually from a traumatizing event of some sort. But don't worry, she will be fine." The healer replied, her head shaking as she said those words.

"Is the baby going to be alright as well?"

"That is the main issue I will be warning you today. Your wife was really lucky to have treatment for her pains so quickly after the cramps. If I had come a minute later, she wouldn't be able to keep the child."

"Then, the baby?!"

"The baby is fine...for now. If the mother is to be exposed to any more traumatizing events, then the consequences will be dire. You understand right?"

"Yes. I do."

"Good, here is a list of medicinal herb she should take for the next couple of days. If something comes up, be sure to notify me as soon as possible. Now then, I'll take my leave."

"Thank you Miss Healer!"

Once Kyle escorted the healer out of his house, he rushed towards his wife who was resting on the bed. Kyle pulled the blankets over his wife and brushed away some hair that was prickling her face. As Elena slept on, Kyle mused over what had happened today at the restaurant. He too heard that the school that his son was able to get accepted to turned out to be a fake school. What was going on? What happened to his son? Kyle worried that something might have happened to Aldred. However, he had a gut feeling - call it a father's instinct - that his son was still alive.

"My son is a natural born warrior. He won't be kidnapped or killed so easily." Kyle muttered under his breath and he stared at the wooden floor in a trance-like manner.

A stirring sound interrupted his train of thought. Kyle looked down at the source of the sound and smiled. His wife stirred peacefully and calmly in her sleep. Kyle caressed his wife's cheek and muttered, "Don't worry dear, Aldred will find his way home to us. We must believe in him. You must take good care of your health as well as the baby. Don't you want to surprise Aldred when he comes back home?"

..........

Two months later....

..........

It has been two months since the incident and Elena's collapse. Since that day, Kyle had strove his best to calm Elena down and to keep her and the baby healthy. He had fed her well, prevented her from doing any house chores, and gave her plenty of fluids and rest. But most of all...he kept any news of Aldred and the Nightingale Institute of Combat Magic from Elena. Kyle did not want his wife to hurt herself again. Of course that did not mean Kyle had stopped inquiring about Aldred and the fake school. He tried every day to ask around the Merchant Union for any information, but each time he failed to obtain any.

However, one day...he received a letter from a merchant he had befriended a few years ago. Kyle hurriedly grabbed the letter from the messenger's hands and shakily stared at it. After a momentary pause, Kyle ripped open the seal and took out the letter. Slowly unfolding the letter, Kyle mentally prepared himself. He glanced down and quickly skimmed the contents. As soon as he finished, his eyes widened with shock and dread. No! This can't be true! Kyle reread the letter but slowly, making sure not to miss any details however, the result was still the same.

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Kyle staggered back as his knees started to numb. In the letter, it detailed that the so called Nightingale Institute of Combat Magic was a fake school and was instead a front to kidnap weak and desperate children to be sold to slavery. This meant that his son was sold as a slave to who knows where! The chances of his poor son surviving as a slave was low. Kyle lamented at the distressing news. Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought about his poor child suffering at the hands of a slave owner. Suddenly, the door opened and Elena walked in. When she saw the teary-eyed husband of hers, she worryingly asked what was wrong. It was rare to see him cry.

"Nothing, dear. I just got some dirt in my eyes." Kyle wiped his eyes as he quickly and secretly crumbled up the note and threw it into the fireplace nearby.

However, Elena saw Kyle's movements and quickly dispersed the fire, preventing the crumbled note from burning. Elena rushed over to pick up the balled-up piece of paper and asked Kyle what it was. When Kyle did not answer, Elena proceeded to open the letter. Kyle panicked and reached over to seize the paper from her hands, however, Elena sidestepped and tripped Kyle to the ground. The pregnant woman opened up the paper and read the contents much to the dismay of her husband. Kyle scrambled to his feet and snatched the letter from Elena's hands...however, he was too late. Elena had already read the important portion of the letter.

"Elena...you need to calm down. Our son is a warrior. He can take care of himself. He-!" Kyle tried to pacify his wife as he could see the agitation about to surge and erupt from Elena.

However, it was too late. Elena was already in a daze, her mind blanking out as she ignored Kyle's words. She was trying to register what she had read in the letter. Something about Nightingale Institute of Combat Magic...Aldred's school. But the school was fake...it was...a front! That was what the letter had said. The school was actually a disguise used to lure children in and sell them as slaves...oh no! Then that means...Aldred! Upon realization, Elena screamed in terror, her mind bursting with stress. She looked at Kyle and tried to say something, but a sharp and stabbing pain pierced through her womb. She clutched her stomach and collapsed to her knees.

She looked at Kyle desperately before fainting from the pain. As she collapsed stomach first, Kyle rushed towards Elena and held her in his arms. The panic-stricken middle-aged man cried out to his wife, trying to wake her up. He reached down to check for any wounds on Elena's stomach and saw a terrible thing...Elena was bleeding profusely between her legs! Kyle grabbed onto his wife and quickly carried her to bed. Then, he quickly rushed out to bring in the healer from last time. After half an hour, Kyle and the healer hastily arrived at the log cabin.

When they entered the bedroom, they saw Elena out of bed and huddling at a corner in the room - her face pallid and contorted with pain. She had her arms wrapped around her abdomen as she continued to moan in throbbing pain. There were a massive amount of blood on the bed and on the floor. Some grayish substance was mixed with the blood. When the healer took one look at the grayish substance, she shook her head in sorrow. She rushed towards Elena and cast a series of recovery and healing spells. Once Elena settled down and her face softened and reddened with health, the healer haggardly stood up and walked to Kyle. She pulled him out of the room told him of his wife's condition.

"Your wife is safe now. She will feel some numbness but there will be no more pain." The healer replied bluntly.

"H-How's the baby?" Kyle asked worryingly as he sighed with relief knowing that his wife was okay.

"I'm sorry." The healer shook her head and apologized.

Hearing this, Kyle froze. He knew that something bad had happened to the baby but he still asked. He wanted to make sure...he wanted to hear the healer say it. "Don't tell me...miscarriage?"

"I'm afraid so. I am truly sorry for your loss." The healer bowed apologetically.

"I-Is there anything you can do?"

"Sorry. The baby is dead. There's nothing I can do." The healer replied before leaving the stunned man.

Tears flowed down Kyle's cheeks as he walked towards his traumatized wife. She looked up at him but did not see him...tears flowed down her face as well. Kyle embraced her tenderly and comforted her. He muttered and repeated words of comfort to Elena until fatigue overtook her and she fell asleep. Kyle lifted her up and carried her to the living room. He placed the sleeping woman onto the furred couch and covered some blankets over her. He knelt down and gently caressed her face as he sorrowfully muttered....

"Don't worry my love. I'll be here for you. We'll get through this together."