Stone was flabbergasted. What did Kaoran mean by that?

Kaoran seeing Stone being so stupefied furrowed his brows. Stone wouldn't act like this without reason.

"What happened? Some problem?" So he asked what the problem was.

"Zephyr. What do you mean she isn't from this tribe? You met her every so often. She was your patient after all!" Stone didn't know why but he suddenly felt extremely anxious as his voice got louder. This didn't make sense to him. Did Kaoran forget her? But why?

"Patient?" But Kaoran shook his head. "I am sure that I have never treated someone named as such. You must be mistaken."

"No way. I have known her for months already! You even allocated her to my field of herbs three months ago!"

Stone seemed to be even more agitated while Kaoran's face turned worried as he said:

"Stone... There is no one else allocated to your field... With your knowledge and strength, it would be a waste to have somebody help you. We agreed to this together. Don't you remember?"

"What?! Then what about a patient who lost her leg during the tribe's ambushes four months ago? A girl with blond bob-cut hair! I had to amputate her leg and she was then visiting you every seven days! How could you not remember?!"

"Ugh...!" Suddenly Stone felt a headache like never before. He tried to stand from his bed but Kaoran held him firmly.

"You can't move. Your shoulder is still recovering." Said Kaoran with a firm expression hiding the worry he had.

So Stone could only struggle for a moment before he gave up. But the pain didn't disappear. He felt as if some memories he didn't have before reappeared. The memory of him talking to Kaoran about the field. It was the same memory as the one he already had but this time without her. A rush of memories flooded his mind, overlapping with the already existing memories making him sick.

Kaoran saw this and tried to help him with Spiritual Energy and shouted something at Stone. But Stone didn't hear anything as his mind slowly fell into darkness.

........

'This is worse than I expected.'

Kaoran was tending to Stone who passed out suddenly from the pain in the head. It seemed that because of that Stone got a fever, which was a big surprise to the shaman. After all something like fever will disappear in a few minutes under the effect of Stone's gift. But now...

'I knew that his past would have a deep influence on him but that... Is that the reason for it? Trauma... Or even blooming mental illness...'

Kaoran was very worried.

When he met Stone for the first time he already understood that a kid of his age couldn't get to these lands alone and could guess it wasn't a happy journey. There were many signs of him showing that he was traumatized in his childhood. The respect or even fear of fire was just one of them but it wasn't as significant as he and Degres expected.

After all, he was burned alive. If this gives you just a small trauma then what had to happen before to make you like this? The most obvious trauma Kaoran noticed was Stone's disgust of wolves. He didn't like them and refused to even consider raising one for himself. Kaoran immediately connected it to that mutated monster the winds whispered to him about.

The monster which stomach was opened by those lunatics to retrieve the bodies of their comrades. Suddenly Stone appeared during that time. If that wasn't enough hints then he would be a fool. But something like that... That is unbelievable as much as disturbing it is.

'But aside from some discomfort over some things he never showed any other reaction. Was he hiding it behind his expressionless face? No, he wasn't. He didn't seem to realize that something was happening.'

Kaoran shook his head in frustration. This was their first for him. He knows that people can have mental illnesses but he doesn't know how to treat it. Or if it can be treated. Spiritual Energy is often associated with a mind so it should be possible but he is nowhere near to be able to control it enough to not do more damage than already exists.

'But Zephyr, huh? Zephyr is the word for weak wind but it is also associated with freedom. Is she his subconscious desire to be free as wind? Possible. But then he said he was actually treating her that night and that I spoke to her too. It could be some evil entity playing with us.'

He wondered if there was someone with the features Stone described. He wanted and needed to find out if it was really just a delusion of Stone or a real threat to the tribe.

"Ahh!" Suddenly Kaoran exclaimed as his old yet wise eyes lit up. He remembered. Small Mer... 'Her features match perfectly.'

If he doesn't remember wrong she gained her name early in her life because of the merits of her parents. Unfortunately, they died during one hunting trip that turned wrong. After that, she turned mostly introverted and withdrawn and disappeared from people's eyes usually. The only one she usually talked to was her older brother who took care of her.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

But during that day when every hunting squad was ambushed, she got her leg smashed. In the end, she needed it to be amputated to survive. Her brother's squad never returned...

'Stone was probably the unfortunate pharmacist'

She survived that night and was among the lucky ones. But She didn't see it that way. She lost everything. Parents. Brother. Her freedom.

With deep depression, her state was worsening by the day. Until she did the unspeakable and ended her own life.

It was a sad occurence in the tribe but since she wasn't very well known among the tribesmen it didn't cause that much commotion. But Stone remembered her. He was the one who took her leg after all. So he was there when her body was cremated.

'But his complexion was terrible that day. I didn't expect to be so impactful for him...'

For now, he couldn't do anything. He knew that to help Stone the body first needed to wake up. And so Kaoran was sitting next to him and waited while tending to the boy who suffered...

........

Once Stone finally woke up the headache mostly receded and just a numb feeling remained. The memories hidden deep in his mind were now easily uncovered as he started to remember.

'Zephyr... She isn't real? That can't be... So many of the conversations I had with her. She was the reason why I got my determination to leave this tribe...'

"Damn it."

Seeing that he is still in Kaoran's tent he tries to stand up. The arm didn't hurt that much. After the operation, the entire healing process accelerated. The arm was now firmly attached to his shoulder and he judged that he could already move with it just fine.

He took it out from the strap holding it and sat on the bed with contemplative expression. Soon he got up and went outside of the tent. He didn't care that his chest was bare or that his feet were touching the snow on the ground directly.

He didn't need to care about such small exposure of coldness. He also didn't care that some of the tribesmen along the way stared at him. He didn't have anything be be ashamed of. His body was flawless and looked perfect. The only flaw was the scar on his arm but that just showed that he fought something so strong that it could leave a permanent mark on him despite his regeneration. Just from that, they knew that it wasn't the scar of a fool but the one of a warrior.

Furthermore even Stone's doesn't know if it will be permanent or not. His gift's ability is growing day by day and has infinitive potential to Kaoran's words. For all he know he could be able to grow the limbs directly in the future.

But these thoughts were shaken off from his mind as he started asking around where the Grand Shaman was. Others hurriedly informed him that the shaman was out of the camp retrieving the bodies of the missing warriors. Recently scouts finally found another remains in the forest near the place where the raid took place.

Nodding to those he met along the way he went to his tent. He dressed up properly and started to wait.

Instead of just waiting he sat up and started to meditate. He didn't have the opportunity to try it out after his breakthrough so he was looking to it despite the predicament his mental health was facing right now.

Soon he feel into a deep trance trying to perceive the Spiritual Energy around him. And this time he managed just to do that. Not long after he started to feel the energy movement all around him.

It was weak and definitely not abundant but it was there and that made him quite happy.

This was an achievement worth boasting about. While he wasn't someone like that he would at least celebrate it with his friends.

"Ugh"

Just one friend.

One was supposedly just an imagination.

Even though it was hard to believe.

But the memories just flooded his mind. They were real. He was sure of it. But the same way he felt about those with Zephyr. He felt conflicted. All he wanted to do right now was to go to Urchin to ask him but he knew better than that.

Waiting for Kaoran was the best thing to do.

........

A few Hours Later.

The far sounds of horns were heard as the last goodbyes were said to the fallen warriors. Yet another sad death in this frozen wasteland.

Everyone was mourning.

Only one was with a stony expression watching the funeral.

His countenance seemed to turn more cold after going after yet another bad experience in life. The long effort of Kaoran and Degres trying to make him more 'normal' crumbled just like that and they could only shake their head in dejection for the young boy.

But time won't stop just for them and they needed to take care of the tribe. That's why they couldn't talk to Stone for the entire evening until the funeral ended.

Once it did they did towards the place he stood with serious expression.

"Stone.."

Just as Degres wanted to say something Stone interrupted him.

"Is it true that she isn't real?" The question came out colder than he intended making Degres scrunch his brows. But before he could say something Kaoran answered.

"Not exactly. We do not something known as Zephyr nor do we know about anyone being close to you other than Urchin. But the woman you treated by amputation indeed existed."

"Existed?" Stone asked with confusion.

"Yes. Her name was Mer. She was quite reclusive before the incident happened so not many people had a big reaction. Now she is late as she ended her own life in sorrow."

Stone opened his eyes wide. Suddenly a voice sounded out in his mind. It was a little similar to the Zephy but sounded more hoarse. More vulgar.

"You bastard! You took my leg and called it treatment! Sob...You took away my future, my entire life is in shambles! Only because of you!"

The scene drawing of a knife and the sound of slicing flesh was vividly imagined in his head. That made him visibly frown.

"Stone, what's wrong? Something happened again?"

Kaoran came to him quickly wanting to check him up but Stone refused.

"Don't bother, old man. You yourself told me that you can't heal something connected to your mind. Instead of thinking of sheltering me, I would like to spend my merit and then continue in my spiritual training. That would be the best measurement for this, wouldn't it?"

With that, he told them his piece of mind waiting for their reaction.

"Yes. That's right. Training the Spiritual Arts can help strengthen the mind making it easier to treat something like this." Kaoran nodded in approval. Seeing that Stone could still think calmly was gratifying to him.

"But why would you like to spend the merit? I thought you wanted to accumulate the merit to pay off the debts towards the Tribe so you can leave." Degres chipped in. He knew his ambition as he still trained with him from time to time.

"Yes. But I can't leave without a name, can I?" Stone rolled his eyes at his question.

"Oh, so that's how it is. But for that, you won't spend the entire merit you have. That would be just a small part of the giant merit you gained." Degres explained himself. After all, Stone did quite a lot for the Tribe.

"Yes, but I don't want to have just any name. I want to name myself inside of the Kennera Lake"

""What?!""