There are things people don’t want to recall, memories they don’t want to keep. They are such, that the more you want to forget, the more they will try to come back. To be ingrained in their mind, reminding them about their past or, in Bella’s case, the person who was once her.

But she was not an ordinary person. So what would a not-so-ordinary person do when confronted with things they hate, the things they loathe? They seal them into a corner of the darkest part of their minds. Never to be recalled again, ever again. One can thus continue living like nothing ever happened, but nothing in this world is made perfect. That’s true with everything from humans to their spells.

Memories are the part of the body. They define one’s past, but also their present and future. Take them away, and the only thing that remains is an empty husk of flesh, that alluds itself to be alive. What’s the solution for such a case? The answer came as a question. Why bother sealing when one can just avoid them?

She did the same, casting a big spell on her mind, Bella was not only able to run away from her past, which was eating her from the inside, but also went a step further, and avoided her knowledge too. For her, knowledge was the reason which made things worse. A stupid thought, how could knowledge be a curse? Because if she didn’t have them, her path would have been different, she would be different, her memories would be…

Again, the spell was not perfect and on some unfortunate occasions; it allowed such memories to jump back into existence. The trigger could be anything, some old tools, words, phrases or faces, or an old promise to oneself. It’s not a problem for Bella. She can just erase anything that would remind her of the past. Symbols were removed, and words became forbidden to be mentioned in front of her. For faces? Who’s going to come to the middle of nowhere, cross the endless sands and the beings that eat flesh for breakfast? It turned out, a teenager and with him, the memories.

Bella was in the middle of her destroyed garden. Her hands rested on Cherry’s soft fur as her mind drifted. Memories from long ago flooded her thoughts. She saw a young man with a red beard and curly hair, twenty-eight years old. Though he possessed no magic like her, that thing never hindered him; instead, he charged across battlefields, dodging the explosions and molten metals that rained down on the scorched earth, only to save not only his friends but also his enemies. A stupid action that amused the past Bella.

“What did you gain from all this?” Bella asked him one day, coming to his cell, unable to comprehend what drove him to such acts of courage despite the charges of being a traitor that had led to his arrest and court-martial.

His response came as a smile, the most beautiful she had ever seen. He handed her a photo of the man in army uniform beside a woman holding a newborn child. “This guy had a beautiful family. A good wife and healthy son who looks like just born.”

“Do you feel sympathy for him?”

“Sympathy?” He questioned back like hearing something rude. “Look, the date on the calendar behind him.”

She did and found the date. It was before the onset of the great war.. “Don’t you believe his baby was born just before the war? Can’t you see the smile on his newborn face?”

“So, what about it?” She cannot understand his reasoning or words.

“You are a real hopeless one.” He scratches his head behind the bars. “Can’t you find the smile contradictory to the smiles of his father and mother?”

Looking at the photo, the man and woman were still smiling, but this time maybe because of her attention. She found them smiling, and the photo looked filled with hope. Hope…

“You are an idiot.”

“What? You still didn’t get it?” He wanted to take the photo back but her hands were faster than his. Knowing her well, he gave up on taking it back. “Smiles filled with hope. Call me an idiot, but I want to make sure that their next photo is full of happiness and not hope,” he said.

She wanted to ask more, but the time for meeting prisoners was already over. But her heart was not at peace and so she left to find the owners of the photo. It took her some weeks, but she found the people. The war was already over and they lived in one of the small colonies made for veterans of war.

“Let me take a family photo of yours.” They were reluctant to have a stranger take their photo, but “ I have a friend who wants to see your family’s well. Though he is busy with his life in cells, he still wants to see what the end of his labour is.” She took out the photo and handed over it to a man lying on his bed.

The man took it and went silent. Unlike the photo, he had a plaster on his leg but tried to stand up. He ignored the words from his wife, who was supporting him, and asked Bella, “ Do you have a camera?” She expected some words of courtesy, even apology but the words he uttered were not of sorry or who she was or how the man who freed him was, just if she brought her camera while telling his wife to bring their baby for a photo as he took the support on the wall.

Bella took what she came for, a photo of a man supporting himself with the help of his wife while holding their baby in the middle and smiling at her. Bella doesn’t remember what happened afterwards…

***

It was not until the sky darkened that Bella could collect and force herself to come to the third floor of her house. Her clothes were still somewhat damped and dirty, just like the fur of the golden labra beside her, but that didn’t seem to bother either of them.

She opened a familiar door, a place where she used to experiment with potions. The moment the door made a small gap, sweet calming smells of herbs entered their noses, it made the dog twitch her nose as she took a mouthful of air.

Bella, unimpressed by her old friend, instead wanted to go inside. In anticipation of a dark and silent room, she followed her habits and tried to snap her fingers, which would have filled the room with small orbs of light that immediately vanished the darkness of the room. But she stopped herself midway as the room was already lit.

“Look at me, I want to stop my instincts and here you are, indulging in yours,” she said to the golden dog, who finally stopped and followed Bella inside.

The spotlessly clean room appeared in front of them, without even a speck of dust to be seen. Small light washed over the duo as soon as they entered the room, which made her clothes like newly washed ones while also making the dog feel completely refreshed.

The warm feeling of comfort made Cherry’s face relaxed with drowsy eyes. If not for the fact Bella restricted her entry into the room, the golden dog would have refused to leave this room.

“Don’t leave your fur in this room.”

“Woof!”

Runes are the symbols that represent the very presence of magic. They were everywhere, on the shelves containing different herbs and potions, on the walls, ceiling and even at the centre, which had a bunch of them forming a huge magical circle on the ground. Those complex runes hummed with flickering light.

It also illuminated the shiny surface of the otherwise pure crystal, which was placed at its centre. The surface reflected the face of a man with tousled hair standing just at the edge of a circle. He observed the runes with his wide eyes but turned towards the door when he noticed the duo.

“ Did you encounter anything strange when placing the boy in the circle?” Bella asked.

“No, I didn’t.” Badar refused, as he finally took his eyes away from the crystal. He found his grandma’s look had returned to normal, and the dog looked as same as yesterday. “ You know I can’t help when it comes to treating others … I was just checking on the runes at the centre.”

Bella came to the edge of the magic circle and looked at the boy sleeping inside the pure crystal. “ Did you check how he entered the barrier surrounding our home?”

“ I tried to connect with the magical shields, but he seemed to have entered through the space storm.”

“ Can't you find anything on his origin?”

“ I can’t tell. The space storm shreds anything that enters there, from meat to metal, from air to mana. I doubt I would survive as long as this boy,” He said with a doubtful voice. His eyes moved over the boy, though there were some deep cuts here and there, but overall, everything was still there, no amputated limbs or anything.

“ I just don’t know how much luck one needs to still keep his body intact after entering the storm.” Or should I say, to land here?

As they talked, Cherry walked around and approached the Crystal from the back. The golden labra glared at them disapprovingly, especially when Bardar stated the challenge of determining the boy’s origins. ‘Why not ask me?’ She was the master of tracking and so brought her nose close and smelled the Crystal.

Her nose twitched due to a lack of any recognisable smell. Worry not on to the next logical action. She brought her tongue out and licked on the surface of the Crystal, she just needed to get familiar with the taste to get started. The crystal felt cold to her tongue before the cold slowly disappeared … wait.

The dog panicked as her tongue not only didn’t feel any cold or heat but also stuck on the Crystal. She hastily pulled her body back to get it back. Her eyes panicky scanned past the Crystal and was thankful that no human noticed. She moved her tongue back inside to get it back to normal.

“ Can you treat him?”

“ I need to check his condition further to answer that.”

“ How long will he sleep then? I remember you saying the boy was weak before he crashed here.”

“ That’s true, I felt his vitality leaving his body as time passed.”

“Can this crystal keep him alive?”

“It should, vampires used to say it can freeze the time of a person inside.”

Cherry disagreed with such words. ‘How could this glass-like material hold someone forever? Those mosquitoes just oversell their work’. She raised her front paw and her long nail appeared and moved towards the Crystal. ‘Look how it can easily scratched by my … her nail broke.

Looking at the nail lying on the glowing runes, Cherry brought the paw near her mouth and licked it like a cat. She always believed what her humans said and she would bite anyone who said otherwise.

“ Do you remember the feeling when you touched the boy?”

Bardar tried to remember when he first came close to the boy, and he did feel something“ Are you talking about the oily-like feeling on his skin?” But he couldn’t remember it well.

“ Yes, it also damped my clothes, along with water and mud.”

“Woof!” Cherry finally found her time to shine. Though she couldn't find anything now there was a strange, pungent smell mixed with the flesh of humans, which was also the reason she searched the debris.

“ I see, so there is something strange after all… what are you doing near the shelf?” Bardar nodded at the dog but frowned. Something seemed to differ from her usual goofing, but he couldn’t just tell what.

“Woof! Woof!” Cherry released an innocent sound as her swinging tail swept the broken nail under the shelf. If you can’t find the stick, you can’t blame the dog. Bella released her mana into the magic circle, connected to the circle, and made it alive.

As the runes moved about their position, their distorted replica rose from the circle and attached to the surface of the crystal. Another set of lights rose from the circle. This time, they intervened among themselves and created another crystal made of light.

“Let's find out about him, then.”

When the crystal moved closer enough, her fingers touched the surface and then pulled towards the right side. The crystal moved, but something remained, the body of a teenager.

“What the…” Bardar’s face changed as he looked at the red body of the boy. A shiny replica of the boy formed in mid-air, made of red lights with small bits of blue mixed within. Is this the body of someone falling into a space rift? Shouldn’t it be red around the chest and blue overall? He turned to ask Bella, her frosty look stopped his words in his throat.

“ Bardar, while I find more about this boy’s health. You should rest.” He knows when his grandma talked with her expressions like this. She was not asking anyone’s opinion. And seeing the small frosts forming near her feet, Bardar called it a day. “ Then I will excuse myself.”

With him closing the door behind, Bella focused on one of the red lights on the boy’s body and zoomed in on the location closer to his heart, the source of magic in the human’s body. This is also the deepest red part. Zooming closer, much closer than any human eye could see and one could see cells that look suspended in strange liquid, not only from the inside but also from outside, like “ It looks like someone soaked him in potions…”

“GRR…!” Cherry came close to her and released a dangerous growl. Different from her usual self, her tail was no longer swinging and her eyes were glued to the red projection.

“ Did you not find anything? What about his smell ?”

Cherry’s ability to identify smell was unmatched and she could tell where a person came from, as she knows the smell of most of the locations across the world. The boy smelled nothing like she had smelled before.

“ Isn’t it a sort of miracle? I thought we left such things behind, but who knows? They would chase us to the middle of nowhere. Miracle, like how he was not yet dead, even though someone wanted him dead.”

Frost had spread with Bella as the centre and covered the fur of golden Labra who didn’t seem to care much about her frozen body.

“ Such cruelty,” she said with her voice barely audible in the quiet room. The blood-red colour of the boy’s eyes, telltale signs of being submerged and his broken nails.

“ Do you remember Cherry, the methods we used for dealing with serious offenders? I wonder if this boy is also one such person.” The runes flickered with all of their strength to fend off the ever-growing frost. “A miracle indeed.”

“Cherry, search for this boy’s origin, it would be a shame not to inform the guys doing such miracles … it’s a shame if we don’t meet such excellent people, don’t you say?”

“Woof!” With a cracking noise, Cherry shook her body and frost fell off her fur. She might also need to seek help from the flying lizard to speed up her search. It didn’t look like she could avoid it this time.

***

Bella sat in her study room with a weary smile plastered on her wrinkled face. A week had passed since the boy crashed into her house, but given the condition of the boy, she couldn’t see a way to save him. Leaning her body back on the chair as she looked at the room’s ceiling, she found herself lost.

Why worry about someone you just found? She's no stranger to death, so why not let him go? Her rational mind says she should let him pass, but her selfish emotions resist till the end. They want him to smile no matter what.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she said, making sure her voice sounded normal.

The door swung open, revealing Bardar clutching a tray laden with tea and snacks. His eyes flicked to the mountains of books surrounding Bella, most of which dealt with human anatomy rather than potions or spells. He hesitated, unsure where to place the tray amid the clutter.

“Here, let me help you,” Bella said, waving her hand. With a soft rustling noise, the books she’d already read flew back to their places on the shelves, clearing enough space for Bardar to set down the tray.

“Get some rest, grandma,” Bardar said as he placed the tray on the desk. “It’s already late.”

Bella glanced out the window, noticing for the first time that afternoon had slipped into the night. She realised that she hadn’t prepared dinner yet.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Bardar,” she said, rising to her feet. “I forgot to make dinner. Wait a minute, and I’ll fix something up.”

“ Don’t worry about it,” Bardar said while placing a hand on her arm to stop her from leaving. “I already ate. You should focus on taking care of yourself.”

His culinary skills were nothing to write home about. Bardar had prepared a simple meal for himself and brought some for Bella as well.

Bardar urged Bella to eat the snacks he had brought with him. “You are putting too much burden on yourself,” he said slowly, before echoing the same words she had once told him when he became lost in his studies. “With proper rest, you can find your way.”

Touched by his sincerity, Bella smiled at her grandson, her eyes warm with affection. She remembered the countless times she had spoken those very words to him, and now hearing them from Bardar filled her heart with both pride and gratitude.

“All right, I’ll take a break soon,” She said, taking a bite of the snack Bardar had prepared. He stood by the door, ready to leave, but Bardar hesitated for a moment.

“I also made extra food for Cherry, but I couldn’t find her anywhere,” he said, his brow furrowing with worry. “Do you know where she is?”

“ I sent her on an errand,” Bella said with her steady voice. “She’ll be back soon.”

Bardar nodded with a smile before saying goodbye and closing the door behind him. Alone once more, she ate a few more bites of the snack, her thoughts racing back to the sealed boy.

“Changing another person’s destiny has never been easy, even more so if it’s all filled with misery,” Bella reminded herself in a low voice, her mind echoing the sentiment she once imparted to Bardar. “But it’s in helping others we find our purpose, our reason for living.”

Though she no longer teaches such things to anyone, there was no fault in accepting such words for one last time.

‘Living … How did the vampires ensure someone remains frozen in time’ Rustling through the pile of books, she opened the page with the heading “Eternal Slumber” and her eyes scanned the text with increased frenzy. There, the line she was searching for.

“ The vampires had a long life and strong vitality. To seal them is to slow down their vitality.”

When the words left her mouth, her eyes were akin to a lost wanderer stumbling upon a guiding star in the dark of night. If she wanted to treat the boy, she needed to unseal him, but did she need to?

***

Bardar stood before the blue crystal, and his slender hands hovered just above its icy surface. Sweat dampened the edges of his tousled hair. Due to a deep wound on the boy, his lungs are not as whole when compared to his limbs.

A month passed since Bella remained holed up inside her study room. The first thing she did after coming out was to entrust him with making something to help the boy breathe.

Bardar had no problem in making such things, but first, he needed to map the body of the boy and so here he was. The unconscious boy inside remained still. Bardar’s breath hitched as he touched the crystal, allowing his mana to seep into it.

The room hummed, resonating with the mana that Bardar channelled through his fingers. He had honed his skills as a golem master to feel things beyond ordinary perception. Anyone can make simple artefacts for breathing, but those general-purpose ones most times cause damage to the host. He can’t have someone say the same for the artefact made by him.

He guided the mana deeper into the crystal and the boy’s body, focusing on the delicate network of arteries and veins, gauging their capacity for pressure and airflow. The process was slow, demanding every ounce of patience and precision Bardar possessed.

Hours passed, his body slick with sweat, but he mapped out a path for the wind to enter and exit the boy’s lungs. Giving a last glance at the sealed figure, he released a sigh of relief and pulled back his hands. Looking out the window, an entire day passed and it was already morning. A yawn escaped his mouth.

Bardar left the room, and the stairs groaned with a creaky sound under his weight as he descended to the living room. When he entered, he found Bella sitting on the sofa with a deep frown, her wispy white hair framing a face etched with worry. Cherry, a cheerful golden dog, stood before her with her head lowered and ears drooping.

“ You guys found nothing?”

Even after searching for one month, there was nothing Cherry could tell about the boy’s origin. Her title of hunter is almost in crisis if not because the stupid flying lizard also failed to find anything. Bella was going to ask more, but her gaze flicked seeing Bardar as he approached and stopped talking to Cherry.

Despite being awake the entire night, Bardar smiled as he said. “Morning, Grandma, you too Cherry.”

“Hello, Bardar,” Bella returned the smile. She motioned for him to take a seat while she got up from the couch. “Just a moment. I’ll go prepare breakfast soon.” With that, she headed off to the kitchen.

Bardar sat down on the sofa as Cherry woofed, giving Bardar a knowing look as she settled onto the sofa. He chuckled, “All right, you know I am trustworthy.”

“I heard you found nothing?”

The dog moved her head like a nod. She then released a series of woofs, each varying in pitch and tone as if describing her journey. Like an old man with a story to tell, she kept going on and on.

“You mean even that flying lizard couldn't help?” Surprisingly, Bardar could understand her and replied like he was talking with a person rather than a golden fur dog.

With a sad look, Cherry’s ears dropped again.

Bardar’s brow furrowed in surprise when she finished. I don’t remember when I heard that someone escaped from her nose. I wonder if those other elders also found it with surprise that someone could escape the duo of Cherry and … forget it, not my headache.

Bardar turned to look at the downed Cherry with a smirk. “So, how’s that flying lizard doing nowadays?”

“Woof! Woof!”

When the lizard was mentioned, the downed face disappeared from the dog. Her ears perked up again and her tail also swung left and right with energy. If there is something that makes her mood well, it’s bad-mouthing that flying lizard.

Bardar chuckled as he listened to her barks. “Really? That guy had gotten so lazy that you felt bad about handing him a shameful defeat when he asked for a duel.”

“Woof!”

Bardar couldn’t help but laugh at her boastful woofs. Cherry gave him an eye. She just refused that lizard because she was at work and not because she didn’t like getting laughed at. And this guy is not taking her seriously at all.

“Hey, hey, why are you bringing out your teeth? Also, sit down, we can talk.”

Seeing the dog sit back with a closed mouth, Bardar stopped his smile.

“Both of you stop talking and come in.” The aroma of a warm breakfast filled the air as Bella called them to the dining table. As they ate, Bella paused mid-bite and asked Bardar. “What about that artefact I asked you to work on? I will need it soon.”

Bardar felt his cheeks flushed, that he hadn’t mentioned it sooner. He admitted, “It’s almost done now. I just need to make some final adjustments.” There goes my sleep tonight.

“ That’s wonderful!” Bella’s eyes were filled with admiration. “I have already made initial plans for treating the boy. We can start next afternoon.”

What can Bardar say other than “Of course.” There goes today’s afternoon. The artefact needs to be ready by tomorrow morning, no matter the cost.

“Woof!”

Cherry wagged her tail, feeling the joy in another’s misery.

***

The next day, as the sun cast its golden rays through the windows, it set the house aglow as Bardar, Bella, and Cherry entered the third-floor room. The atmosphere was sombre, with dark wooden walls and floors. Shelves brimmed with different herbs and potions. The magic circle at the centre had its intricate runes humming with a warm glow.

“Not this time. Stay near me.” Before Cherry could dart towards the crystal, Bella’s sharp voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Are you sure we should rush into this? Can’t we wait and do more research before attempting anything on the boy?” Though he could finish making the artefact, it seemed like they were rushing things.

“Doing it now or later will change nothing. What I am doing is unconventional and the factor of the unknown will never leave us, no matter when we try.”

There was comprehension in Bardar’s eyes or maybe he just didn’t like to ask much as Bella knew her grandson was not interested in things other than golems.

“Bardar, channel your mana into the magic circle, Cherry, I need you to do your usual thing.”

Bardar lowered his gaze and focused on the intricate patterns of the circle. He didn’t touch it but still let his mana leave his body and enter the circle. The lines shimmered with even more brightness, which made the entire room glow. Cherry’s keen golden eyes darted between Bardar and Bella, still on standby.

“Make sure your mana output remains steady.”

Countless white transparent threads rose from the circle and moved into the crystal. The threads passed through the crystal with ease, and the tips were divided into even more countless minute threads, drilled into hundreds of thousands of body cells. They focused on the vital parts of the body, the heart, brain, and lungs.

Cherry came near the bottle placed at the edge of the circle and opened it with her mouth before she moved to the next one.

Bella’s expert control directed the countless threads to draw out a brownish-black liquid at a very slow rate. The liquid flowed through the threads toward the circle on the floor, and the once-transparent threads took on a dark hue.

The golden dog kept opening the bottles one by one, and each time her nose twitched with the odour of decaying meat and blood that began to spread throughout the room. But before the stench could reach Bella and Bardar, the runes sucked it into them.

Bardar glanced at the small amount of black liquid appearing at the edge of the circle and had to divert some of his attention to keep his breakfast inside. It’s a blessing that I had Cherry to do that otherwise…

Another row of threads rose, and this time they dipped into the bottles and started the red liquid into the circle. Soon, the entire circle turned into a deep shade of blood red.

The potion flowed through the circle and the threads into the cells of the boy. It filled the gaps left by the brownish-black liquid.

This was a tedious process that put a heavy strain on Bella and Bardar. One needs to keep mana steady. Sometimes it needs to be increased, while sometimes it needs to be slowed. The threads themselves required constant mental control. Thus, other than the dog, no one could keep track of the time and before long, three whole days passed.

Bella stopped the magic circle as her hands trembled from exhaustion. Bardar was no better, as his entire face looked devoid of blood. Both of them can only take small breaths to regain their spirit. Cherry brought a bunch of towels and placed them near them.

Exhaustion weighed on Bardar’s shoulders. His spine curved under the strain as he wiped the sweat glistening on his brow. Bella’s wispy white hair clung to her damp forehead, her eyes red-rimmed and struggling to remain open. Cherry seemed to read the mood and made her body slump down while taking rapid breaths.

“We can rest for today,” Bella whispered. “We’ll start again next week.” Her voice held a firmness that belied her exhaustion, leaving no room for argument.

“Then, see you later,” Bardar’s words were barely audible.

“Cherry...” The dog immediately stood up but then remembered that she was supposed to be exhausted and strolled towards her. A small smile flickered across Bella’s face as she watched her old friend’s performance.

“Let’s go” Cherry followed her. Bella reached her room, she picked out a bottle of her sleeping potion, which allowed her to finally succumb to the exhaustion that had been gnawing at her for days. Cherry jumped on her side and put her head down before also going to sleep. It’s just unlike Bella. She was hungry, so hungry that she couldn’t fall asleep at all.

“Grr…”

***

Bardar and Bella’s gazes locked on an unconscious boy as, after fifteen months of tireless work, they cleaned all residues from the boy’s body.

“We are at the last step. Everyone give your all,” Bella said to Bardar and Cherry, her voice tinged with determination. Today she will finally know whether she will succeed or not. She drew a deep breath and began chanting. The melodic words weaved into an intricate spell, while Bardar increased the mana flow into the glowing red circle.

Countless threads burst forth, cocooning the crystal within, and then pressed on its surface. The constricting tendrils made the crystal release sharp cracking noises that echoed through the room. Minor fractures like spiderwebs spread across the crystal’s surface.

“That’s it,” Bella said, a tense feeling laced her words as the cracks spread further, the crystal barely maintaining its integrity.

“Woof!”

She directed the pulsating red threads to crush the outer crystal. After that, they absorbed the splintering shards without a trace. As the process sped up, she strained to guide the threads toward the unconscious teenager. The crimson cocoon wound tightened around him, emitting light that cast eerie shadows across the room. Her breathing became rushed.

“ Keep your breathing steady, Grandma.” Bardar himself had beads of sweat dotting his brow.

The threads began to interweave and then invaded the cells of the boy before forming minute red-crystalline structures within. The tiny structures released small bursts of vitality as the crystal continued to disintegrate, but the speed was slower than even a snail.

“D-Did we succeed?” Bardar asked, seeing the circle’s light dimmed.

“It has to,” Bella’s face remained focused, her eyes never leaving the boy. Her voice was firm, yet laced with the faintest hint of uncertainty. She did what she could—no, they all did. They just need to check the boy, but her feet don’t want to move closer to the boy lying just ahead of her.

“We can always trust in ourselves and our knowledge,” Bardar encouraged her.

“Woof!”

Under the pair of eyes, she walked forward, but before looking at his face, she used her trembling hands and placed a glowing blue pendant on the boy’s chest.

“Why is it not working?”

“Let me see.” Bardar came close and, sure enough, the boy’s chest was not moving. Putting the pendant on the next, Bardar pressed on the centre. Reacting to a silent command, the pendant whirled with magic, drawing air into the boy’s lungs. The boy’s chest rose and fell in time with the rhythmic breaths granted by the pendant.

“It works fine now.”

Bella also leaned in, her wrinkled fingers pressed against the boy’s heart. She could sense its faint but steady beat beneath her touch. “His pulse is weak, but it’s there,” she whispered, relief clear in her tone.

However, within seconds, Bella’s expression shifted from relief to concern. Her fingers pressed more firmly against the boy’s chest, searching for the reassuring thud of life.

“His heart is failing,” she murmured.

“What!?” Bardar’s eyes widened at Bella’s words. His grandma refused to give up. Channelling mana into her palm, Bella jump-started the boy’s heart.

“But we can still save him. Make sure the breathing compensates for the heart rate.”

Under Bella’s magic, the crystal structures released vitality, which made the whole body of the boy glow red.

Minutes ticked by, and each one felt like an eternity. The room was silent except for the faint sound of the boy’s breaths and the murmur of Bella’s incantations. Sweat trickled down her brow as she focused on the delicate task before.

.

.

.

A palpable force that seemed to grip Bella’s heart. She didn’t notice the beads of sweat that formed on her forehead as she focused all her attention on the boy’s fragile heart beneath her fingertips. It was very weak, almost imperceptible, and might stop beating as soon as Bella stopped controlling it.

“ Grandma, I think he…”

“His heart...” she said shakily, like a whisper. “It’s beating again. Still weak, but he’s fighting. quickly have the artefact increase support.”

A flicker of hope ignited within her, pushing back the darkness that threatened to engulf them all. Determination flashed in her eyes as she urged the fragile organ onward, her vision taking shape through delicate motions and whispering incantations while Bardar recalibrated the artefact.

“His condition is still critical.” She released a heavy breath as the heart rate stabilised itself. She pulled back her hand. “But I think he’s safe for now.”

Cherry woofed, her tail wagging as she ran a circle around them. Bardar nodded, his eyes shining with pride and relief as he examined the unconscious boy.

“So, when will he wake up?” Bardar asked, only to find his grandma gone silent at his words.

Bella didn’t answer because she can’t. Her mind was full of uncertainties. The silence fell around them once again. Which made Cherry give Bardar a death glare.

“Later,” Bella finally said. Her voice was hesitant yet resolute. “I am not an expert on one’s consciousness, but since he’s for now, he can take his time, and so can we.”

“Let’s move him first,” she suggested, her gaze never leaving the boy’s pale face. It seemed a little more relaxed than before.

“Ok,” Learning from his mistake, Bardar didn’t ask more. Nevertheless, when he lifted the teenager into his hands, something gawked at Bardar.

His eyes darted between the unconscious boy and Bella’s downcast expression. He shifted the boy’s weight in his arms before he asked, “Shouldn’t we give him a name?”

Cherry woofed in agreement. She’s an expert in naming.

“Woof!”

“Red- Dish?” Amused at her woofs. This seemed to have diverted Bella’s mind from worries, and the heaviness faded from her face. “I appreciate the creativity, Cherry, but can’t we do better?”

“Woof!”

“ Red-chilly? Don’t name him after your food.”

Cherry woofed again, her tail wagging with determination.

“All right, all right, it will start with ‘R’, happy now?”

Bardar kept his mouth shut to not spoil the mood but also because his naming sense was worse than even the Cherry.

“Rayan,” Bella announced after a moment’s concentration, her voice soft yet confident.

“I think that’s a good name.”

“Woof!”

Bardar and Cherry both approved of the fitting name for the boy, who had survived against all odds.

“Since that’s the case, until he tells us otherwise, he will be called Rayen,” Bella said.

“Now then, Bardar, please move Rayen to his room.”

“Grandma, shouldn't we celebrate our achievements?”

“That’s true. What kind of dish do you want me to make?”

“Woof!”

“I made recent progress on my golems. How about we let it make the foo-“

“Grr…”

“…I was joking. No need to bring out your teeth like this.”

***