FVR

Chapter Twenty-Four.

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The storm howled and lashed against the ancient stone steps as Joel and Gareth were carried up toward the towering castles - the very jewels of the three great houses: Waters, Flame, and a mysterious third house, yet to be named within the game.

I wonder why Tempest doesn't have their house in the capital? He recalled Cedric's words of a northern fortress for House Tempest. His thoughts were swept away with the wind as they made it to the top of the stairs. The open air battered the group far more fiercely than it had near the mines; the storm's fury had become intensified by the harsh altitude of the valley.

The group approached the leftmost castle, its walls adorned with blue banners that rippled like waves in the strong winds. Guards halted their approach, but once Beatrice revealed her face they were swiftly ushered inside and out of the relentless rain.

As Joel entered the castle, he was immediately struck by the clean, crisp scent of fresh water and polished stone. Unlike the hard stone walls lit by constant fires in House Flame, this hall was decorated with vibrant mosaics and ornate marble carvings resembling flowing waterfalls - their surfaces glistening as if perpetually wet.

The serene and tranquil atmosphere of the colorful hall was a stark contrast to the storm outside. Joel could taste the cool freshness in the air and the tender warmth of a nearby fire, a welcome change from the biting chill of the storm. Even the gentle humidity felt soothing against his skin.

Jordan carried Joel into the main hall and the heavy doors slammed closed behind them. The sound of the storm was instantly silenced, replaced by the gentle echo of flowing water.

The hall had three hallways stretching out, several large wooden doors, and a grand staircase which ascended to a large mosaic window, then split into two separate staircases running left and right, both disappearing from view. In the center of the hall stood a grand fountain with clear water. At the heart of the fountain was the statue of a female figure, her arms outstretched as if to embrace all who entered; water calmly trickled from her hands and into a stream that flowed slowly to several basins around the edge of the hall where flowers grew in abundance. The scent of fresh water mixed with faint floral undertones added to the overall sense of calm and rejuvenation Joel could feel in his chest.

"Welcome back, Lady Beatrice." A female voice said softly.

Joel looked up to see a female figure performing a deep curtsey on the stairway. As she rose, her face came into view, revealing a layer of meticulously applied makeup - designed to create a smooth, youthful appearance and hide any blemishes or bags under the eyes. Although it was difficult to determine her exact age, her youthful eyes and petite frame suggested she was not much younger than Joel.

The girl descended the stairs, her light blue dress rippled as she moved, embroidered with intricate orange patterns that mimicked the gentle flow of water. Her long sleeves ended in delicate white gloves, symbolizing the purity and healing power of House Waters. An orange name floated above her head which Joel read with a baited breath, Marina. She was, by far, the most attractive person Joel had seen since starting the game.

So, this is a noble of House Waters?

Beatrice smiled softly and Cedric spoke on her behalf. He managed one word before Beatrice held up a hand and he stopped, "Commander..."

Marina gave Beatrice an inquisitive look, then walked forwards delicately and placed her forehead to Beatrice's.

Is this how they say hello?

A few moments passed as the group remained silent.

Marina removed her head and gave Beatrice a curtsey before proceeding to a table by the edge of the room and ringing a small bell.

Several footsteps echoed through the castle, followed by three women and two men, all dressed in attire similar to the girl; wearing a flowing blue dress or a tunic.

The first to appear were two girls, all around the age of Marina.

One girl, named Maris, had auburn hair tied in a neat bun, her expression kind and welcoming; another girl, named Sabrina, had short, curly hair, and a freckled face that radiated a certain coolness. The two men followed closely behind, both appeared older than the girls. They were slender, with sandy hair and wearied eyes, named Dylan and Calder. The five of them stood patiently for a moment in a half bow.

Cedric, Zach, and Damon stood rigid and formal, while the new recruits looked anxious and out of place, all except Ali, who looked on with wide-eyed frustration.

This place is so completely different to House Flame. But... Joel caught the eyes of the people who had entered - their sense of superiority looked back. They're the same as the others. Regardless of how they view themselves as healers, they view us as beneath them.

Finally, a tall woman with silver hair descended the stairs, her eyes sharp and observant. She wore a slightly different attire - a deep blue robe adorned with orange embroidery more elaborate than the others, signifying her higher status, and a pendant in the shape of a water droplet around her neck, shimmering with a soft blue glow. She moved with a grace that suggested years of experience, with a straight back and a raised chin. Flona, Joel read. His first instinct of her was refined, elegant, posh. But as she drew closer and her eyes scanned the group, Joel saw something less than superiority and more akin to concern.

Marina stepped forwards and gestured to Beatrice's group. "This is Lady Flona, the Head Healer, also known as the Matron of Waters."

Cedric and the others bowed, while Jordan and Tobias merely lowered their heads as they were still carrying Joel and Gareth. Joel lowered his head too.

Ali remained still.

"Beatrice is unable to speak and requires treatment, as do three of her..." Marina paused for a moment, "comrades," she said reluctantly, "the others are to be housed here until the morn."

Joel hadn't realized with all the commotion and his own pain, but it just clicked that the healing potion Joel had given Beatrice hadn't healed her mana burns. Does that mean they wouldn't heal on me either? He thought again to the Dozrak'een and the moment he lost his arm. His heart seemed to rise into his mouth at the memory, so he pushed passed the feeling and thought only to waking up afterwards - completely healed. Levelling might heal mana burns though...

Flona walked to Beatrice and curtsied deeply, holding her head low even after Beatrice said weakly to stop. "I am greatly pleasured to see you again, My Lady." Flona said with a sincere and elderly tone.

Beatrice took a step and placed a hand on Flona's shoulder, asking her to stand.

Flona stood and the two of them shared an embrace, like the one family members would.

Joel couldn't hear what was said, but Beatrice whispered something that made Flona smile sweetly.

After the hug, Flona gestured to Marina. Based on their tiers, they're likely nobles, I guess? I don't get how it works here.

Dylan approached and took Joel from Jordan, who handed Joel over freely; while Calder took Gareth from Zach.

Flona looked to Joel and closely observed his forehead, then curtsied, likely out of formality rather than respect. She doesn't know I'm Unblessed?

"I am Matron Flona." She said with a firm tone "I shall be the one to treat you," she didn't wait for a reply from Joel, but rather gestured to Dylan who bowed slightly then carried Joel down a hall and away from the group.

***

While being carried down a hallway, Joel had the freedom to glance at various mosaics and paintings which lined the walls, depicting scenes of healing and growth. The occasional light from the windows reflected through prisms in the glass, casting a rainbow of colors onto the paintings and adding a soft hue to the hands of the depicted healers. They looked beautiful and awe-inspiring, like the images one would find in a church.

Joel couldn't wonder if Zach wasn't entirely off when he said Waters were good nobles. I wonder if healing people is enough to make them good? Like how some doctors back home are dicks, despite being so called healers.

Dylan guided Joel into a vacant room, small enough for a single bed, a few stools, and a bath tub. A subtle aroma of soothing herbs enveloped the air, the gentle smell of lavender immediately calmed Joel's senses.

The room wasn't decorated as grandiose as the main hall or hallway, instead, it had a less formal feel to it. The room exuded a sense of tranquility, with soft candle light casting a gentle glow on the walls. The bed, draped in a fabric Joel hadn't known in this world, offered a welcoming embrace; its surface plush and supportive.

With a graceful bow, Dylan quietly exited the room.

He never did say a word. Weird.

Joel rolled slightly to get more comfortable, and felt something jab against his thigh. Huh? He rummaged a hand into his pocket and found the manazite ore Ali had given him. Fuck! I completely fucking forgot I had this! Joel felt a wave of frustration as he thought back to the fight. He had used it that one time, then forgot about it. I could have used this when the Uranatalo used its mana shield attack... wait... would that have worked? What happens when two mana shields collide? Another question I have to ask someone.

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He rubbed his head and opened his inventory, placing the ore alongside his other items. I've also been forgetting to keep my mana sense on for fucks sake.

Just as he was about to close the menu, he noticed an item that wasn't there before.

〘Wave Four Chest〙

"You're kidding me," he said under his breath. He thought back to The Burnt Lands and his first kill. With all that emotion and everything that followed - he hadn't noticed the chest, nor even realized he had missed it. I'm seriously fucking stupid. I'm not cut out for this game at all!

Joel opened the chest, and several new items appeared in his inventory.

〘Burnt Wood x 10〙

〘Burnt Rags x 12〙

〘Lungrul Teeth x 4〙

〘Gold coin x 1〙

〘Straw Hat x1; Belonged To A Farmer From Goode〙

Joel read through the new items; a green chest means crap rewards again, eh? Burnt wood, teeth... Upon seeing the final item, his chin quivered, and his eyes welled up. He couldn't help but picture the Touched One he killed. He could still see the loose clothes that fell from the man's gaunt body; his boots that were stained with blood, and the hat atop his head which Joel now had within his inventory.

Why the fuck would you give me this? Joel held a hand over his face and looked up to the ceiling - the place he imagined the developers would be looking down from. "What kind of," he gasped, his throat choking as he began to weep, "what kind of fucking game is this!?"

Joel could still picture the man, scratching at the mountainside. But as the man turned around in Joel's mind, Joel could see its twisted form, its discolored yellow skin, and the yellow tint in its eyes. He was already a monster. Already dead... he said, repeating the words he said to himself at the time, I was just finalising it... He tried to convince himself that he was right to do what he did, that it had no wider consequence on who he was in the real world. Besides, it's just a game... it's just a game...

***

As the minutes passed, and Joel calmed down from his sadness, he felt less and less comfortable. Not physically - although his leg was throbbing with pain - he felt uncomfortable in such a hostile environment. I don't like this, he told himself with a sense of paranoia. At least in the mines I could run away; here though, I'm surrounded by a city of people who think nothing of my life.

A knock came on the door suddenly, sending a panic through Joel that made him want to run.

The door then creaked open and Flona entered slowly. Her aged eyes immediately became wary of Joel's anxiousness. She gave a curtsey, then waited for Joel to give her permission to enter. Naturally, Joel didn't know this and looked on nervously.

"May I enter?" She asked.

"Of, of course," Joel stuttered, unfamiliar with such etiquette.

Flona held the door open as several young children scurried in, each carrying a small, clay jar, bound with intricately carved wooden bands. The children were dressed in simple blue tunics with a green trim. They carefully placed the jars beside Joel's bed before bowing and quickly exiting.

Flona closed the door behind the children and approached Joel. She opened the jars one by one, revealing a clear, unscented liquid, then sat on a stool beside his bed.

Without a word, Flona used her mana to lift the water from one of the jars, directing it toward Joel's cuts and bruises on his body, and his broken toes.

"What's that?" Joel asked, feeling immediate relief.

"These are Sophia's Tears." Her tone was still firm, lacking any emotion as she spoke matter-of-factly.

"Tears?" Joel questioned, wondering if they were literal tears.

"Of the deity, Sophia."

Joel gave her a slight shrug. "I'm not really from around here," he said honestly.

Flona looked at him for the first time since entering, her face was straight, lacking emotion, but her glance betrayed her confusion. "I see," she paused, then refocused her attention on his leg. "It is purified water; any harmful miasma has been removed through boiling and mana-cleansing."

"Mana-cleansing?" He probed.

Her face remained stern, but her eyebrow twitched slightly hinting further at her confusion. "You do not have this where you are from?" She probed back.

I hate not knowing what I don't know. "We, uh, filter water to remove any harmful... properties," he said honestly, hoping his vagueness on bacteria helped sell his response.

"Filtering. How rudimentary." She took a considered breath. "Mana-cleansing involves the practice of shifting mana through water to remove miasma. It is extremely time consuming, yet effective." She transferred the water back into the jar and closed it, then lifted the water from another jar and directed it towards his leg.

Joel sighed deeply as the pain in his leg subsided. He looked down and saw that the scratches and bruises on his body had completely vanished, and his toes were no longer broken. As he lay there, he could feel his leg as the water and the mana mended the bone, the muscle, and the skin, knitting itself back together before his eyes.

This is fucking incredible! I wish we had this back home. He laughed softly.

"What is so humorous?" Flona asked.

He breathed out. "I just..." he paused, trying to turn the feeling he felt into words. We all survived. Not only that, but the pain didn't last long. It's like... "I'm happy."

Flona smiled, "quite right too," she said with slightly humored tone.

Joel leaned his head back into the pillow and looked up to the ceiling. But I don't know if I should be. I'm still stuck in this game, having to fight for my life and... kill...I know that touched one wasn't real, but I still killed a man. I can still remember... he shook his head, trying to rid himself of how it felt to cut through human flesh. He thought to the straw hat, to the love and care that had gone into it, and his eyes began to tear up. He blinked and looked to the ceiling, following the grooves in the paint and counting the blemishes that dotted along its surface. It's fine, he told himself. It's fine.

"What troubles you?" Flona asked. She had given him a quick glance before returning her focus to his leg.

Is she being nosey or caring? Joel took a moment, taking his time to breath slower. Fuck it. "How do I know if I'm a good person?" He asked with a croak in his throat.

"What a bizarre question."

"I'm sorry." He rubbed his eyes dry and turned his head away.

"No. It is quite alright." She exhaled and replaced the water once again. "Lumas lights the path to that which is good. So long as you follow the path, you can rest assured that you are a good person."

Joel had no idea what she meant. He wanted to probe at the meaning behind Lumas, or the actual meaning behind her words. But he still couldn't be sure what would happen if he exposed himself too much.

He hesitated for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him. He looked back to Flona, and tried to grab her eyes. "What is it though, that actually makes someone good."

Flona replied with a slight furl of her brow, still focusing her attention on his leg. "Well, let us think." She paused for a moment. "Is it a person's actions? Their beliefs? Their behaviors?" Joel was about to say all, before Flona continued. "If healing is good, and I choose to heal, does that make me good? Or is intent important too?"

"What do you mean by intent?"

"Well, what is better: to do the right thing for the wrong reason, or to do the wrong thing for the right reason?"

Joel scrunched his eyebrows and looked away, not catching the glance she gave him as he considered her question. His thoughts went to Simon and to Suze. Each one betrayed him in some form, but each did so in different ways; Simon led Joel to suffering, thinking he was doing something kind. Whereas Suze led Joel to suffering out of a willful disregard.

Joel tried to find the words to explain, but he couldn't form them.

"Isn't the reasoning just as important?" He replied, more of a question than an answer.

"Perhaps. Perhaps there are occasions when the reason is important. But surely, doing the wrong thing is still wrong?"

"So, it's better to do the right thing? Because wrong is... wrong..." Was killing a touched one an act of good, or, an act of evil? Is killing always bad? I don't get it... "What if I kill someone who would have killed others? My actions may have saved lives, but at the cost of another. Surely killing is always wrong?"

The tip of her mouth curled slightly, "I see." Their eyes met. Hers were unblinking, yet seemed strong. Resolved, and certain. His were full of doubt. Glazed, and unsteady. "Drinking tea is neither right, nor wrong. But if by drinking tea, something bad happens, does that make the initial action corrupt?" Joel was lost in thought at how mundane actions could lead to something drastic, and something clicked inside him. Just as it did, Flona continued, casually healing his leg as she spoke. "We cannot know the outcome of an action in its entirety. Killing may be good now, but it may lead to more suffering later on, or, it may be an evil act now, but lead to something good later on. Does either make the initial action of killing wrong, or right?" She paused, possibly waiting for an answer that Joel didn't have. "That, I believe, is for the deities to decide - for they do not see time as we do. For those of us in the present, we must do what we think is right, and repent later if it leads to sorrow. That, is when the path of Lumas shall present itself." She lifted the water into the air, removing it from his leg. "As for the answer to healing, regardless of the intent, the result is what matters," she placed the water into a jar and looked up to Joel, having finished healing him, "and healing always has a good result."

Joel's leg had been completely mended. He lifted his leg and bent his knee, smiling as he did; he felt overjoyed at being healed, but his thoughts on morality still lingered. His smile withered quickly as his thoughts continued to flow. The result is what matters. I had no idea what would happen if I had left that touched one alive, but I can be certain it wouldn't have helped the world. So, it's impossible to know if the choice to kill it was right? But because it likely led to saving more lives, it's probably okay?

"What about the reason behind the action? What if someone does something good, but they do so for the wrong reason?" He asked, thinking about his selfish reasoning for staying in the game.

Flona pondered for a second. "If one had the power to free all peoples, but they did so for their own wealth and fame, would it truly be so bad? Their reasoning may be crass, but the good they will have done is what is important, no?"

"But if the reason is immoral, or evil..."

"Then the action is still good, as is the outcome," Flona interjected.

"So, does it really matter..."

"Does it?" she asked rhetorically.

Joel thought aloud. "The outcome is more important than the reasoning? If immediate good comes from an action, we have to assume that action is good?" Joel said the words quietly as he considered their meaning.

"If it is not, Lumas shall light the way to a new path."

There Lumas is again. I wonder if that's a real person? I should ask Ali, I think I have less risk asking him than I do asking a noble. Joel shook his head, it's fine, then, right? I'm fine. I did the right thing.

Joel looked back down to his leg - perfectly healed - and once again laughed. This fucking game.

At that moment, Beatrice entered the room. Her sharp features seemed soft as she looked to Flona with a smile. "May I enter?" She asked, her hollow voice pained.

Despite the fact the room was for his healing, Joel didn't think for a moment that Beatrice was addressing him.

"But of course, My Lady," Flona said as she stood and gave a curtsey.

Beatrice turned to a tall figure behind the door and exchanged a wide-eyed glance, Joel could see their hand on the handle but not their face.

Beatrice entered the room, followed by several small children carrying a table, chairs, and pots of tea. She gestured for Joel to move, and he complied, stepping over the jars to stand behind Flona. Beatrice then sat on the bed in his place.

Once the children had left the room and the door was shut, Flona lifted some water to Beatrice's neck and began her healing.

Beatrice sat up straight on the edge of the bed. Her burnt hands delicately placed upon her lap; her dusty hair heavy against her shoulders. She looked at Joel and stared for a moment, her soft expression tightened and softened again as if caught between two opposing feelings. Eventually, she cleared her throat, and spoke clearly for the very first time, without an ounce of pain.

"Let us talk about my sister."