"He's awake!" says a voice much closer than the ones he had heard earlier.

Sounds like Cecilia he thinks to himself. "Cecilia?" he struggles uttering the words slowly opening his eyes, but the light above him are too bright right now. He attempts to lift his hand to try and perch them on his forehead to try and mitigate some of the light, but it fails.

"It's me!" Cecilia responds as she bounces up and down cheerfully or that is how Henry sees the blurry image that he can currently make out with his limited vision.

"Where am I?" he asks, still eyes hardly open, just squinting as he looks over and notices another blurry figure.

Cecilia tells him that they are both in the hospital. Henry has apparently been in bed for the last week and she has been by his side to ensure someone is near whenever he wakes up. She was also tasked to retrieve a medical professional to notify them whenever he is awake. So, she lets Henry know she will return soon to get a doctor. All Henry could respond with is a simple nod.

The door opens back up after Cecilia a faint voice comes through as it creaks back to close. "Hey," it is Theo. Henry knows that voice anywhere. He does not need to open his eyes to look.

Henry tries to pick his hands up again, but like before, it falls back down with gravity. His muscles have not yet recovered. “What’re you doing here,” he asks Theo, painting his face with the same crescent moon he usually has when seeing Theo, except this time it is into an internal smile.

“Come to check on you since you decided to ghost us for a few days,” he shoots his words at Henry. It feels like bullets when it hits Henry when he finally realizes the sarcasm in his tongue.

“Think you’re so funny, huh?” Henry responds, “I can still cast spells like this, just you watch.”

"Oh really? What're you going to do?" Theo chuckles, "conjure ice the size of a needle?"

"If it's sharp enough, it'll do it's job," Henry responds.

"Do you remember what you said to me at school?" Henry asks Theo while taking caution no one hears their conversation. No one can know Henry is gay except for Cecilia, but at this moment Henry thinks it might be a good idea to confess to Theo. After all, he is prohibited from lying or else he would not be standing in the room with Henry right now.

"Yea, which one?" Theo pitches his voice down and lowers his volume, almost whisperingly to Henry as he sits on the chair beside him, but Henry pulls back changing course of the conversation.

"I never met your parents, where are they?" Henry asks.

Theo tells Henry all about his mother who works diligently as a teacher back in Oathland and then Henry recalls that he stays at the boarding rooms at Sage Academy and only sees his mother on the weekends for three days and school lasts for ten months a year with two months in between to split them for all the country celebrations and other holidays with families.

"At least I don't see my father anymore," Theo says and Henry asks him what happened. "He was a knight, used to serve under your father long ago, but he fell into addiction with alcohol not too long after your father went missing," he adds now with his head down fiddling his thumbs and exerting a sigh.

"Bad energy, yes, we don't want that," Henry says and asks where his father is now.

Theo, now painted blue and almost drowning in his own tears, says his father had long been exiled for breaking his oath to not harm innocent creatures. "He, uh, abused me and my mother when I was young," he adds, pausing before he could utter the entire sentence.

"I also vividly remember him saying I will never be a knight because I'm his son," Theo finishes. It is odd that he is not born in Prestidigitation like me, yet knows how to conjure a river of water running down from his eyes, dripping to the floor.

OUCH! Henry thinks. Theo's father sounded absolutely unbearable. He thinks of what his father could have been like. Would he have been just as abusive or would he have been kind? At least he met his father Henry thinks, but tries to wash it away from his mind because he knows that would not be right to say.

They try to laugh and brighten up the mood of the room afterwards just until Cecilia finally returns with the doctor. And as usual, he is a monk. He is more than likely from Templand. They have powers beyond many comprehension. They can heal wounds, even illnesses, and manipulate light sources, mostly from the sun but also the electricity around us.

"Alright, I'm here to check up on you," the doctor looks at Henry in his eyes and his eyes glow a faint light.

Henry wonders how old he is considering they are immortal and so long as he does not fall in love, he keeps all their powers including immortality. Henry thinks of the millenniums he could spend with Theo and Cecilia. Although Henry knows if he falls in love as a monk, he would have to eliminate the person who falls in love with or else he loses his powers and exiled to Foundlingland where all the people who chose to break their vows with their Gods, forever stuck and unable to visit their families. He could not fathom never seeing his mother, Cecilia, and Theo. Then, he remembers MOM!

He recalls one of the last things he heard from a reporter is them asking him how he felt about his mother’s missing body, but before he could wonder anymore or ask questions, the monk begins his investigating with Henry, making sure he is on the path of healing and no significant underlying illness that caused him fainting at the festival.

“Can you open your eyes for me, sweetie?” the doctor asks. Henry is able to finally fully reveal his beautiful eyes only to be blinded by the light from the doctor’s little flickering light, waving it left and right. He repeats this motion on Henry’s other eye. “Looks good,” he says then instructs Henry to sit up.

Henry struggles to push himself up, even popping a knot muscle near his shoulder blades, but he is able to get up and ready for the doctor to check him more. Then the doctor places his palm on Henry's chest.

"Can you breathe in for me?" the doctor asks as his palm starts to0 glow the same faint light as his eyes, only Henry let out a small laugh as if it is tickling him.

Henry inhales. He holds it for ten seconds until he is told to exhale again. They repeat this process three times before the doctor ties the stethoscope back over his shoulders and a loop around his neck.

"How's your eating habits?" the doctor crosses his arms, staring at Henry and waiting for an answer.

Henry shrugs at the doctor as he recalls that he only ate one plate at the ceremony, but he referred to it as a five course meal since it was extremely small scoops from each food. He knows he does not eat much and he does not want to, but he does not know why his mind just refuses to let him eat.

Henry knows it is not the healthiest habit, but of course, he does not dare speak on it in front of a medical professional. His records already has anxiety on it. What more does the public need to see from him? He prefers keeping his life as private as it is feasible while being born under nobility.

"Well, seems like you're all ready to be released soon, my lord," the doctor says, "I'll let your staff know you're ready for pickup."

"Thanks," Henry let out as he shifts his attention from his thumbs to the doctor and back to his thumbs again as he plays with them.

Henry can finally go home and at least rest. That is all he wants right now. The last two weeks has brutally smacked him in scarlet, not physically thankfully, but he recalls he still has to find the whereabouts of his mother and how dare he forget that reporter's audacity bringing up his also deceased father. He thinks about how cruel prison could be for the man, but pushes the thought to the side. He has enough issues to worry about amongst other things like his official coronation as king.

Crap! Henry recalls that they still have to hold an official coronation before declaring him as the king, but with what just happened, he wonders how he will fare to show his face again to the public after fainting literally in front of them at the festival.

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He then starts thinking about the board and their plans on the coronation. Have they even started making arrangements and preparations for it? If so, how come he has not heard about it? Perhaps, one reasoning is him being in the hospital for the last few days. He sighs, dreading the busy schedule up ahead.

The ride back to the palace is quiet. The sledgehammer that was in Henry's chest the other day is no longer pounding, but his legs still bounce nervously as he bites his nail looking up at the gray skies.

"Looks like it's going to rain later," Cecilia says. Henry's leg pauses as he nods then it restarts.

"Rain doesn't stop anyone from their desire to visit you," Abdul starts, "schedule has them down for later this afternoon."

Henry sighs, "unless it's my mother, reschedule it," his hand closes into a rock all while still having his thumb sitting in between his teeth.

"That will not be possible, sir," he responds.

"Reschedule it," Henry says, shifting his eyes towards Abdul, neither blinking once nor bouncing his leg. His fist comes down to his lap and both his eyebrows raise, waiting for response.

"I'm afraid that's not up to me, sir," Abdul responds.

Tsk! Henry thinks. This is outrageous. All he wants right now is some peace and time to process his emotions. Not to mention strategize a plan to find his mother's body that is somehow missing now. How does that even happen? Henry asks himself.

"Fine, I'll be ready for them," Henry rolls his eyes back to the skies and his legs starts bouncing again.

They arrive at the palace and go their separate ways. Cecilia returns to her room and Abdul heads to the kitchen to prepare evening supper, and Henry walks to his mother's room.

"Supper will be ready the usual time, sir," Abdul's voice echoes behind Henry as he walks without looking back or saying anything in return. All he does is a wave with his hand.

He opens the door to his mother's room and sees that it remains untouched though clean as ever, but her favorite cherry lipgloss on the ground next the her vanity with that same floral perfume she adore, her war boots laying flat on their sides, not on her collection shelf, and her velvet jacket that would warm him enough through the coldest of nights.

And tonight is just that. A cold night, but not from the breeze dancing between the the cracks of the curtains by the open windows in the bedroom, but the feeling of numbness in his chest for the loss of his mother.

He reaches for the jacket on the bed and hugs himself inside of it. Somehow the stiffness on his neck and the swirling feeling in his chest is gone, allowing him to fall asleep just for a minute until he feels someone tapping on his shoulder.

"Visitation time is upon us, sir," Abdul continues tapping Henry's shoulder, but Henry continuously repeats the same wavering gesture with his hand to simply tell Abdul GO AWAY and retrieves the fallen side of the jacket back on him, wrapping himself in it. Abdul continuously taps his shoulder with each tap coming in quicker and quicker than the last.

UGHI Henry thinks Can I faint again? I just want some peace.

He opens his eyes and suddenly Abdul and he are staring into each others eyes. Abdul repeats himself as he notices Henry is awake, "visitation time is upon us," he says as he walks towards the door. He tells Henry that his clothes are already laid out on his bed and will meet him at the throne room.

"I'll be right behind, no worries," Henry still inside the jacket like a cocoon waiting for his metamorphosis to come, but never does and when it happens, it is not by his own choice as he now has to get dressed and evolve into a butterfly. He is to be beautifully presentable on the outside while simultaneously representing the hope from the visitor who has their own hopes, hence the reason for visiting.

As Henry gets dressed, he recalls the last time his mother held a visitation from citizens of the kingdom. Typically, people are in a single file line and when their turn arrives, they sometimes provided a gift from their family to her, usually something they handmade. Other times, the came in empty-handed, but Henry remembers his mother saying, "they're not obligated to gift us anything as it is ours to give, even if it is a slight of hope."

Hope. The word circulates around Henry's head, wondering how a young ruler such as himself could ever provide any hope to a country in deep sorrow just as him, regarding the passing of his mother.

Finishing his metamorphosis by getting into a more presentable look with the typical black suit, but cyan instead of the traditional black. Definitely better than the clothes he was wearing at the festival as that was all he could change into from his hospital gowns.

"Good luck on your first visitor, Henry!" Cecilia peeks through the door.

Henry looks behind him, a slight rise in wrinkles with his forehead as he happily greets her. "Thanks!" he says before Cecilia leaves and closes the door.

"Alright, I think I can do one visitor," Henry adjusts his tie in front of his standing mirror, then he inhales a plethora of air until his cheeks bloat, chest raises, and his stomach shrinks before he releases all the air.

It takes a few minutes for Henry to arrive at the throne room more than usual as he continuously played with his fingers as he walked, but once he enters the doors, he sees the room to be empty. Silent like the Periferal Woods that surrounds the city where you must follow the path laid out or else you would be lost forever in the darkness that hides between the trees.

"Abdul?" Henry calls as he shuts the door behind him and walks towards the throne to sit.

He can hear himself think and breathe. Looking around, the room looks clean, but off. Something is oddly different with the room. Is it the missing vase from the table? Is it the curtain dancing for one window while the other holds still? Or is it the trail of muddy footprints along with shards of broken glass coming from the only curtain moving?

"Abdul? Is that you?" Henry hesitates to move, but surveys the room once more, ensuring he did not miss a single clue. He laughs jokingly and says, "this isn't funny, Abdul." Then, a bass level voice echoes the chamber, and unfamiliar.

"You've grown into such a young man," the voice bounces from wall to wall.

Henry still unable to pinpoint its location, he inhales air once more, but this time his cheeks are not bloating and his chest does not raise as much nor does his stomach shrink equally as it did in the bedroom. His face is reserved and focused as he walks to the middle of the room, looking over his shoulder for anyone behind him, between the columns he pass, or any shoes under the curtains. Any clues as to the whereabouts of the speaker.

"Show yourself!" Henry commands.

"It's a shame that your mother will not be here to witness her only son join her in death," it says, "it's really poetic if you ask me."

Henry suddenly realizes the voice does sound familiar. It is fainted, but vaguely recognizable. While he rarely talks and expresses any type of emotion, there is no question for him that the echoing voice is none other than, "Abdul, I know it's you!"

Suddenly, Henry sees the shadow under the table part ways and moves towards him, but on the halfway point, it stops. He sees ripples on the shadow increase in quantities and speed. Then, ink black as charcoal ascend from the rippling tides the shadow had made. It is morphing into something, but Henry is not sure because he has not seen this type of conjurer powers before as it is outside of the realm of four elements.

The shadow emerges into a figure at the same height as Henry and then it begins changing colors. He recognizes it as if he was in his bedroom again looking in the mirror when he adjusted his tie. It finally finishes recoloring and he sees the shadow becomes an exact mirror image of him.

"Do you think anyone would notice?" Abdul no longer echoing as he emerges from the column near the shattered window.

"What is this nonsense?" Henry commands, "ANSWER ME!"

"My apologies with the window," Abdul laughs, "I needed something to distract you and stealthily sneak and end you quickly."

"Well, you failed," Henry moves his hands behind his back, slowly attempting to conjure something. The sledgehammer that had gone away slowly finds it way to his chest again as a sweat appears from his hair and rolling down to his eyelash. "You have one chance to explain to me what you're doing or I will eliminate you myself," he starts, "and I will not make it quick." Henry feels furious.

All he wants is peace. Can I just have a break, for once? he thinks to himself. He starts wiggling his hand behind him in a circular motion and it begins materializing into something frosty. Perhaps, some ice will do and it begins forming into a sword and without another though, he swings it at Abdul.

Before it reaches Abdul, the sword is stopped by another sword made of the same material, ice. Henry looks to the wielder and sees his mirror image had also conjured a similar weapon.

Guess I'll have to swing at him instead he thinks as he tries to push the other sword upward, hoping it is knocked away, but the shadow version of him is too quick and pushes Henry away by conjuring a air right from his palms, proning him for a second, but he quickly recuperates and stands on his feet.

Henry strategizes his plan inside his head If I can just cast ice underneath the shadow, maybe it'll slip and then charges in for an attack while holding the ice sword in both his hands and with his lips, he inhales again until his cheeks bloat and then releases the air, aiming towards the floor, only this time it is ice that comes out.

His replica quickly conjures a shield around himself made of fire and immediately, the ice melts. "It's almost as if he can read your mind," Abdul laughs, "cool trick, huh?"

Henry refuses to let Abdul have the last laugh. He is going to end this NOW and get some rest, but no matter how hard he strategizes or how quick he makes himself by conjuring air, the shadow version of him can immediately counter the spell.

"Oh right, you haven't harnessed your Oathland powers yet," Abdul interjects as Henry and his shadow clash their swords.

"What're you talking about?!" Henry demands as he pushes the shadow back, readies his stance to defend, and look over at Abdul.

Suddenly, Henry's question is finally answered as to why he could read minds, but he did not want to believe it though how could he reject the idea or embrace it when he had only grown up with people from Prestidigitation and learning their spellcasting ways. At least now he knows more about his father than his mother ever told him in the past.

His father was from Oathland.