Joline rambled on and on about her son, and Lee listened patiently as his mind spun with the potential ramifications of his soon-to-be actions.

She was worried. That much was obvious—the caring of a mother just wanting the best for their child, and Lee couldn’t really blame her. She had been to other healers before, but none of them could help her. That wasn’t too surprising, and technically, there was nothing wrong perse, about Timothy, just that he was different than the others.

Lee was ninety-nine percent sure that he was on the spectrum. On which side? He didn’t know. He would probably never know, but he could at least try to help in what little ways he had available to him.

He slowly raised a finger, causing Joline to pause in her rambling. She wrung her hands and kneaded her frilly skirt with nerves, and the sheer weight of the emotion leaking out of her eyes was both heart-warming and heart-wrenching.

“Joline, I think I know what is… wrong about Timothy.” Jonline was starting to smile, but Lee had to be honest here. “It’s that there is nothing wrong. He is… different. His brain may or may not work like the rest of ours, and that is something which my magic cannot help with.”

Lee watched with sorrow as Joline crumpled and wept. He knelt and spoke to her as she cried. “That’s not to say I can’t help at all. I just can’t help when it comes to magic…” Lee decided that Joline wasn’t a person who could, or would, abuse the knowledge of his ability, and this was one of the first moments where its information would be helpful to share.

“Regina, go get everyone ready for our meal. I need to talk to Joline privately.”

Regina was unmoving, ignoring him entirely as she stared ahead. So, he added on. “That was not a request.”

She flicked her eyes over and looked at his serious expression. Then, without any word, strode down the hallway, leaving him and Joline alone.

He placed a hand on Joline’s shoulder and helped her to her feet as he shared one of his secrets. “While magic may not be able to help… My ability might. To be completely honest with you… The ramifications of if it does work are scary enough to turn my entire world upside down. Whenever I am in physical contact with someone, I can heal them of an assortment of… illnesses. Now, I do not want you to think that your son has some lifelong, untreatable illness. That is not what is happening here. But if this works… If this works then your son will be changed. I need you understand that. He won’t be the same kid you’ve raised until now. He will be what you’re calling ‘normal’ and there is no going back. I won’t even do this if he says he doesn’t want it.”

Lee waited for that to sink in before asking, “Do you understand?”

This was not a moment where rushing to a decision and emotions took precedence. So, before she could bark out an answer, he tightened his grip on her shoulder and tried to convey the seriousness of the situation. “This is your son. No matter what type of child he is, he is yours, and you love him. I can see that. Before we even go back into that room, I need you to really think about what’s at stake… Remember, it might not work either. Maybe you can have a chat with your husband while I speak to Timothy?

Joline nodded immediately. This wasn’t a decision that one person could make. They entered into the room, and Joline immediately tried to act calm and collected for Timothy’s sake. As she went to wake her husband… Lee used Identify.

Jackson Kraft - Human - Level: 2

Timothy Kraft - Human - Level: 1

With hesitation, Lee used Medical Attention on Timothy. To his mounting horror, he got a prompt.

Autism - a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and social interaction.

Okay, It doesn’t say it’s an Illness. That’s a start.

Lee walked over to the bed where Timothy sat, playing with a small twenty-piece puzzle. From the looks of it, it appeared to be a puzzle of a small childlike drawing of a house. It was about a quarter of the way done, and Timothy just stared at the unfinished puzzle with a blank look. In his hands, he carefully ran his fingers across the edges of a singular puzzle piece.

“Hi, Timothy. I’m Lee.” He sat down on the foot of the bed as he watched Joline drag her startled husband outside of the room.

“Nervous. Worried. Scared.”

Lee looked back to Timothy to see him staring at him.

You have been the target of a failed Identify.

“Rainbows.”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Lee smiled and nodded. “Yeah, Rainbow eyes. Do you like them?”

Timothy just continued to stare into Lee’s eyes, and Lee matched his gaze, unflinching. “Your mother is worried about you.”

There was no response once again.

“You may not understand, but you’re different than other people. You have a hard time understanding others and having others understand what you mean or what you want. Do you know this?”

This time, he got a response—a tiny, subtle, unsure nod.

“If you could be like everyone else… would you like that?”

Timothy kept staring into his eyes, unflinching. Then, he swiftly returned to rubbing the edges of his puzzle pieces.

“Scared. Worry.”

Lee was worried; he would readily admit that, but he wasn’t scared. Was Timothy trying to say that he was scared? “It’s scary. I don’t even know if it’s something that I can do. It’s just a chance. Would you take that chance?”

From outside the room, the conversation between Joline and her husband, Jackson, began to turn ugly. Shouts and screams of arguments seeped their way into the room. Timothy began petting his puzzle pieces faster and faster.

“You like puzzles?” Lee asked, trying to distract him from his parents arguing. It was something Lee had experience with. His own parents argued once in a while, and it was always an awkward time.

“Feels nice. Wood.”

Lee nodded and gently picked up a piece of his own. He felt around the small wooden piece alongside Timothy. “Wood does feel nice. Is there anything else you like?”

Timothy smiled and laughed giddily as he swung his feet, which dangled over the edge of the bed, faster. “Horses!”

Lee let loose a painful laugh as he thought about the ‘horses’ they had here in Pallesia. “Horses are useful. They’re a little suspicious, though.”

“Bored, hunger, mischief!” Timothy said, confusing Lee slightly.

At this time, Joline and Jackson reentered the room. Jackson had a scowl on his face but quickly smothered it as he smiled at his son. “Heya, Kiddo. Have a good chat with the healer?”

He didn’t get a response, but it didn’t seem to put Jackson off his smile. He sat next to his son and stared at the unfinished puzzle with a smile. “You’re doing a good job. Keep it up!”

He met Lee’s eyes and nodded towards the door—a clear sign of wanting to talk. Lee got off the bed and spoke to Timothy before he left the room. “Remember. It’s just a chance. It’s okay if you don’t want it.”

Joline went and sat next to her son as Lee and Jackson both left the room. Out in the hallway, Jackson's smile flattened. “Listen…”

Lee held up a hand, cutting him off. “I understand. You don’t want to change your son. Perfectly understandable.”

Jackson visibly relaxed, probably expecting a touching argument to take hold over his own flesh and blood versus a healer of great renown. “I think he’s okay the way he is. He’s… not like the other kids, but it’s not a big deal. I’ll be there for him if he has trouble. Joline is just afraid he won’t fit in, but he’ll learn!”

“He can learn, yes. It’s going to be hard for him, though. I think he doesn’t recognize nonverbal communication. Like, if I’m mad at you and scowl and turn away from you, he doesn’t register that. You will have to teach him. He will also fixate on specific things, like the wood of his puzzle pieces. He liked the way they felt. These things won’t go away. Are you prepared to be there for him? I am telling you right now he will be bullied in the future. There is no doubt in my mind. He might not even recognize it as bullying; Children can be cruel.”

Without any time to think, the response was immediate. “Doesn’t matter. He’s my son.”

Lee couldn’t argue with that. “I assume Joline informed you about what I could maybe do?”

Jackson nodded, and Lee carried on. “If he wants to try, I’m going to let him try. At the end of the day, it’s his life that we’re talking about. If he doesn’t want to try, and you both do, then I’m still not going to do it. Also, don’t worry about payment for this. If you paid anything already, you’ll get a refund. This isn’t something that requires healing after all. No point in charging for it.”

Jackson, a father, didn’t care who stood before him when it came down to his son. Be it the king or a healer, he didn’t care. He was stern. “Only if he wants it.”

Lee gave him a nod towards the door, and they entered inside.

Joline was fretting as they entered, but the time had come. He walked up to the bedside and had another starring contest with Timothy. “Do you want to try? To maybe be like everyone else? Or do you want to stay as you are? There is no wrong answer.”

“Scared. Worried. Eager.”

Timothy looked at his dad, then at his mom, before gazing into the air. “Can try.”

Jackson clenched his fists and his eyes as he turned his back. Joline closed her eyes and began murmuring a prayer, one to Syver, the Goddess of Nature, and Timothy just sat there waiting for something to happen.

Lee inched closer, sat beside him on the bed, and gently touched Timothy’s back. He just stared at Timothy as Timothy stared into his twirling rainbows. It was awkward, but Lee didn’t care. If this made Timothy feel a little better about everything going on, then it was fine.

After around five seconds, Lee used Medical Attention, dreading the results.

Autism - a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and social interaction.

With a sigh, Lee was conflicted at the result. On one hand, this confirmed with the system that it wasn’t an illness, it was a disability. On the other hand… Well, Lee couldn’t help but think of the ‘What ifs.’

What if he could heal these types of disabilities? Should he? Would he? What would that mean? Could he make a spell for this? Did he have to?

In the end, Timothy broke the silence.

“Relief. Mom, I’m tired.”

Joline opened her eyes, and they held a touch of anticipation and dread, but when she saw her son, she knew nothing had happened. She didn’t need to be told. “You can go to sleep, Timmy. I think we’re done here.”

Jackson turned around and looked at Lee for an answer. “Nothing wrong with him. Can’t heal or fix what isn’t broken.”

Jackson nodded enthusiastically as he surged forward to give his son a hug.

Lee stood and went for the door. He did try, and that was almost enough to make him a nervous wreck. “Feel free to stay the night and collect your payment at the front desk in the morning. If any of you need anything else, don’t be afraid to stop by. I can heal sickness, injury, and most other ailments, but not nothing. Have a good night.”

Once outside the room, Lee stood at the doorway and collected his thoughts. It was over. He had tried and failed. It was both a good thing and a bad thing, from his perspective. From Timothy’s? He didn’t know. Maybe he tried because of his mom. Maybe he tried just to be able to leave. Lee wasn’t sure.

He turned and walked back toward the lobby, finding Regina standing guard at the entrance to the west wing. She cocked a brow at him, and he simply shook his head. “Couldn’t help them. They didn’t need it.”

Regina took in his expression for a second before walking off toward the third wing; the one Lee hadn’t been down before. “The food is ready, and Em has found her room. She wants her things.”