Dalia said those words letting the fake sarcasm shine through, then passed him a blue-white glass, "Here..."

"What's this? And why do I smell vomit?"

"Nectar, the healing drink created by the God of Medicine himself," Luxy said proudly, "We have little of it, so consider yourself lucky."

"I vomited first. You know, I'm not in a very good mood," Dalia immediately added.

Shirei saw her sister's tired yet worried look. Cragar's son looked at her, then looked down and simply thanked them both. Under normal conditions he would have refused the nectar, he had no intention of wasting the few remaining resources. Dalia's expression, however, convinced him not to make a fuss.

The little girl sighed, then, once Luxy had finished the dressing, she looked up and positioned herself with determination in front of her half-brother.

"Now I demand answers. What happened? What the hell happened while you were in the Underworld?"

Cragar's son grimaced when he saw Marina enter the room. Ien's daughter didn't know what to say but, hearing him speak, she simply remained silent and listened to him.

"When I lost my memory I was on the banks of the Uchia river. There I met a soul, I didn't know who he was, I didn't even know who I myself was, but he knew me. His name was Kaede, a Japanese with the gift of being able to see into our world. He had fought against the monsters with his katana for a long time, until it made him succumb."

Shirei tried to stand up, but found out he still couldn't.

"Kaede told me that I was very famous in the Underworld. I was the son of Cragar who with deadly calm continually killed every monster in the Abyss. When I told him I didn't remember my name, he gave me a new one: Shirei."

Dalia clenched her fists, "Okay so what? Shirei, what does that mean?"

The son of Cragar looked down, his bandages becoming stained red again.

The boy took a step to stand up, "I'm sorry, but we should continue later."

Before Dalia and Marina could move towards him, darkness swirled around him and made him disappear completely.

"You children of Cragar must stop," Luxy complained.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Gods, why does he always have to run away!" Marina snorted.

The girls ran out of the infirmary, quickly thanking Luxy.

Outside the house, Chris, Lilia and Michela also met by chance. The first of these, like all the representatives of the houses, had been warned by Lyceum and the divine Aena to keep an eye on the boy in order to have a complete picture of his movements. Dalia and Marina told the boys what had just happened.

Michela took off her headphones, "Gods, let's hope he's not sick."

"He was bleeding," Chris replied, "Unless he's secretly female, that seems like something to worry about."

"I'm going to look for him at the arena and in the woods, if I find him I'll let you know" said Marina.

Dalia took her arm and together they started running.

"Okay," nodded the other daughter of Ien, "I'll search the house of the children of Cragar, was it in the fourteenth or the thirteenth?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Thirteenth, I think."

Shirei materialized in the clearing and leaned against a tree. After breathing heavily, Cragar's son dropped to the ground and closed his eyes. His ears were ringing terribly and his bandages were now dyed crimson red.

"I made it in time..." the boy said, pressing both palms of his hand into the soft forest floor.

He knew the secret to healing himself, but it was a power he couldn't properly control. He knew that if his friends remained around, his attempt at healing could inflict great harm on them. That vital energy, if released without control, could have dragged everything nearby with it.

With determination in his eyes, Shirei began to absorb life from the surrounding plants. A trail of melancholy spread across the clearing as the grass withered beneath his touch. His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions that were locked there and not expressed on his face. There was no time to hesitate. He had to act, before it was too late.

With each breath, Shirei felt a little stronger, a little more alive. But the price to pay was high, and he knew it. The air around him vibrated with tension as the menacing darkness loomed over him.

Marina and Dalia arrived in the woods. The credit went to Ien's daughter, who had activated her peculiar power and traced Shirei's aura throughout the park. It hadn't been difficult, after all the boy was the only one with the characteristic purple color. The two demigoddess reached Cragar's son and approached him. Marina saw the blood and her vision suddenly went blurry. It was a strange feeling for her. She had become very close to Shirei in that short time, more than Aena and Lyceum had asked for. She kept telling herself that it was simple curiosity towards him, but she had to admit that staying by his side had given her many emotions compared to the usual days spent in the Lilies Park.

She deactivated the all-seeing eye, but observed a strange pink hue in the purple aura of Cragar's son. It had only been a brief moment, yet she wondered if her thoughts were affecting her vision.

"What happened?" She exclaimed in fear.

Chris reached the group with wide eyes, "Dude! You're bleeding!"

Dalia stopped him, "What are you doing here?"

"Maybe I followed you, what do you say?"

A wave of darkness came from Shirei. "Move away."

Marina shook her head, "We have to cure you!"

Chris pulled some bandages out of his work belt, he had stolen them a few hours earlier from the infirmary and was happy that he had made the correct choice.

"I can heal myself. Please, go away."

"Forget it!" Marina replied emphatically. She wouldn't leave him alone, he seemed crazy.

"I need a little time, but you must move away."

The eyes of the two demigods met. He wasn't lying, but she didn't want to leave him alone.