Leaving Hati and Hayla behind, Berla and Riala rushed out of the office door and down the hallway, with Bren and Brie following them.
“What happened? Did Oryn do something?” Berla shouted back.
“I don’t know! Tomar acted weird when he left the cell after Oryn, and he fell unconscious after we arrived at the temple!” Bren replied.
He explained that he and Oryn brought him to the doctor’s office afterwards, not knowing what happened to him or what else they were supposed to do. When he briefly came to, he asked to see Berla and Riala, but he lost consciousness again right away.
What now!? Berla thought in frustration. They just went to the prison to get Oryn, what could possibly have happened there?
After winding their way through the temple’s familiar corridors for a few minutes, they once again arrived at the clinic and entered through the open door. Berla’s eyes immediately fell on Tomar lying on the bed closest to the door, which had been occupied by Shadi earlier. Next to the bed stood Nym, feeling his pulse, and she gestured for them to wait. Bren and Brie stopped at the door, knowing that the doctor wouldn’t want everybody swarming in, and Berla and Riala approached the bed in silence while catching their breath.
A concerned look on her face, Nym eventually gazed at Berla. “Can you tell me anything about Sourcerers? I’m starting to think their bodies work differently from others’.”
“Why? What’s wrong with him?” Berla pleaded.
“I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know. He woke up for a moment, but aside from asking for you two, he only said he felt weak, and he could barely move. Physically I can’t find any issues, just like with the girl earlier. Is there anything you know?”
Nym was well aware that Tomar and the others had been careful about their topics of conversation while she was around, and that certain details of this Calling were still being concealed. She didn’t mind too much, as long as her patients made it, but if Sourcerers with mysterious illnesses were going to become a frequent occurrence, she needed more information.
“No...” Berla said. “All of us are still learning about this Calling as well. He—”
“His mana is weak,” Riala interrupted. “And it’s a bit weird.”
Berla’s eyes widened as she looked down at her and then back to Tomar. She couldn’t see the mana, but she realized Tomar’s aura did feel different, and less pronounced than usual.
“What? You mentioned that before. What is mana?” Nym asked.
“It’s something Sourcerers have inside their bodies, which lets them do... what they do. The way I understand it, it’s somewhat like blood, but you can’t see it.”
“Except for Sourcerers and the fakes I assume, like Aelene and this girl,” Nym concluded, having heard the many rumors about the group and related people.
Berla nodded.
“If there's a problem with this ‘mana,’ I presumably can’t do much... but what about Shadi?”
“That’s a good idea, we should at the very least ask her!” Berla said and turned towards the door. “Bren.”
“On it,” he said and rushed away.
Assuming that she was back at the Raising Site by now, he would need a couple minutes to get her, which meant that they had to stand around and wait here for the second time today.
Berla stepped closer to the bed and studied Tomar’s face and body. He didn’t look like he was in pain, and he didn’t have any visible injuries. One might think he was just sleeping. Then again, that wasn’t exactly normal for these two either, since Miles would usually take over during such times. It was only recently that he started to sleep a little as well.
Wait... Berla thought. Miles started sleeping... They need less sleep together... And before this, the only time he didn’t take over was when something was wrong with him...
The gears in Berla’s head started turning. Miles had various theories for why he recently started nodding off at night, from overworking himself to random chance, but there was another possibility.
What if they’re becoming one?
“Riala!” she said expectantly. “Is he... Is it him?”
The young girl scrutinized the man on the bed, and it was only now that Berla really noticed the puzzled expression that she had held since entering the room.
“I think so...”
To say that Riala sounded unsure of herself would be an understatement. This was another red flag for Berla. Not once in all her time with them had Riala ever been unsure about who was in control of either Tomar’s or Lilana’s body.
“Is it both?” Berla asked.
“I don’t know,” she said with a frown.
“Okay,” Nym interjected. “I understand if you have to keep certain things secret, and I don’t know if I’d be able to do something if I had all the information, but if there’s anything that might help, you need to tell me.”
“No. I don’t think so,” Berlia bleakly said.
She could sympathize with the helplessness Nym was feeling, but if she was right, there really was nothing they’d be able to do. Pulling Miles out of Tomar’s body might have been worth a try, but they didn’t know what that would do. Not to mention that the two might already be one, in which case they would be pulling just Tomar into another body.
Nym was displeased, but as a doctor, she was all too familiar with not being able to help. Certain ailments she couldn’t cure, and more often than she’d like, she was left with treating the symptoms and hoping for the best. This was the reason she was so excited about the new healer.
“Very well. In that case we will have to wait for Shadi. I assume you’ll want to stay here?”
“Yes,” Berla said. “If it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”
Nym shook her head. “No, that’s fine. I’ll get back to work for the time being then. Call me over if anything happens,” she said and went to the farside of the room, where an array of glass containers held various kinds of liquids.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“Berla...” Riala whispered. “They’re going to be okay, right? Just like last time.”
This wasn’t the first instance of them standing at Tomar’s and Miles’ bedside, wondering whether even one of them would wake up again. After Miles experienced mana for the first time, they had been unconscious for an entire day, but Berla had assured Riala that everything would be fine. On the one hand, that’s exactly what happened, but on the other, she knew more now. Enough to know that Callings, Omega, scripts, mana, and everything related to it could be so unpredictable that it was impossible to say what would happen.
“I don’t know... I hope so. But you understand what might be happening here, right?”
Riala hung her head and nodded. “Miles and Tomar might become one person.”
Berla was essentially just guessing, but Riala was thinking the same thing, based on the changes in his mana she had noticed. He didn’t quite feel like Miles, but not like Tomar either. They had briefly talked about this potentially happening some day, but if this was it, that day had come very suddenly.
“Do you remember what he said?” Berla asked.
“He said not to worry because that’s what was supposed to happen... And that we’d be fine because Tomar will get his knowledge. But he said nothing about him going away...”
“No, he did not.” Mr. No Emotions’ only thoughts were about whether we would be okay afterwards. “But he wanted you to know that it was okay.”
“That’s what dad said too... But it’s not okay. I don’t want him to go away.”
Berla swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. “Me neither. But we do need to be prepared for it. If that’s what’s happening here, Tomar will be alone after waking up. And he might be sad too. He will need us.”
They stood like this for a few moments, until Riala raised her head, her eyes full of determination. “I should learn!”
“What?” Berla asked, confused.
“Miles wouldn’t sit around doing nothing! I can learn how to read the new scripts! Or I can train! We need to get stronger!”
A sad smile on her face, Berla’s eyes met Riala’s. “You’re right. The three of you are our only hope after all. You go back to the office and learn, I will watch over them.”
“Okay!” Riala said, and after another long look at Tomar, she left the clinic, her sad mood nowhere to be seen anymore.
Looking after her as she disappeared through the door, Berla wondered how much all of this affected Riala. Miles had the theory that she initially wasn’t able to understand water conversion because, given her age, she didn’t have a deep understanding of sadness. But while she hid her negative feelings well, Berla saw another side in her. It wasn’t that these emotions weren’t there, she was just very good at burying them, similar to a certain other person she knew.
If emotions are as important to using scripts as Tomar and Miles are thinking... Is it better to be in control of them? But Riala can do things they can’t do. Them, who are trying to keep their emotions in check...
Deep in thought, she didn’t notice Nym approaching her from behind. “I will step out for a moment,” she suddenly said.
Berla gasped, startled by her. “Ah!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be right back, will you be okay?”
“Hah... Yes.”
“Alright,” she said and left, closing the door behind her.
Silence fell over the room. Balancing herself and leaning her crutches against the bed, Berla sat down next to Tomar and held his hand. Or rather Miles’ hand in this moment. It would have been more comfortable to sit on another bed, but she wanted to be close to him while she could, for as long as she didn’t have confirmation that he was gone.
Poor Tomar. We only ever worry about Miles, she thought with a sad smile. “But you’re the one we assume to wake up after everything is said and done after all. Don’t you think we don’t care about you.”
As if reacting to her voice, he groaned. “Ngh...”
“Hey! Miles? Tomar? Can you hear me?”
“M... Iles...” he said, slurring the word, his eyes closed.
“You’re still here,” she said, beaming. “How are you? What happened?”
“I can’t... move properly. Tomar... is quiet... I think it’s the merge...”
“I know... D-don’t speak if it’s too much.” She didn’t want him to stop talking, but it appeared to require a lot of effort.
“Is Riala here?” he asked.
“She just left. I’ll go get her!”
“Wait!” he cried out weakly. “I don’t know how long... I have. If this is it, tell her to continue her studies. I hope Tomar will learn everything he needs, but if not, he’ll really need her help.”
“I don’t need to tell her that... Miles, she’s more concerned about—”
“And tell her... I’m sorry,” he said, interrupting her. “It was fun to teach her, and I really wanted to see what would become of her. I don’t know if Tomar can hear me anymore... If not, tell him I’m sorry as well. I didn’t know this would happen.”
“Why did this happen? Wasn’t everything normal an hour ago?” she asked, pleading for more information.
“Shadi’s Calling... It activated something. I don’t know what else will happen... but Gallas said something about disastrous effects...”
“Gallas again...” Berla mumbled.
Miles’ hand twitched as he tried to move, but he didn’t manage to lift even a single finger. “Fuck... This is really messing with our body control... I hope he’ll be okay.” Giving it his all, he eventually at least pried open his eyes. “There you are...” he said, meeting Berla’s gaze as his breath grew more ragged.
“Hey...” she sniffled, visibly holding back tears.
“Can you believe that... I don’t have a speech prepared... for this moment?”
A sad chuckle escaped her lips. “We thought it wouldn’t happen any time soon. I’m sure you would’ve thought of something to say otherwise.”
“And it would be easier if I knew what will happen exactly, and what I should focus on. I’m worried about Tomar, he stopped responding before I collapsed. And he was on the backseat... If he gets merged into me instead...”
“What? Is that possible?” she asked in shock.
“No idea... But regardless of who ends up on the other side, they should at least know everything of importance. So... I think I can afford to spend time on...” Miles paused for a moment, gathering his courage. “I... Berla, I love you.”
Her feelings overwhelmed her and she narrowed her eyes as tears started to gather in them. “Don’t just say that because this might be the end. You wouldn’t have said it yet.”
“No... But I do mean it. And I want you to know... that I would have said it. Eventually.”
“You will feel like an idiot again if you’re the one who gets to move on.”
“Probably.”
“And if he’s the one, and he heard this, he will feel bad.”
“Probably...”
It was an unfair situation. Neither of them was the type to use these words lightly, and they hadn’t been a couple for long. They hadn’t even known each other for very long. And while Berla had been invested in this romance longer than him, she wasn’t sure whether she would use the word “love” just yet. She felt the same way as Miles, however. The feelings were there, and she was certain they would’ve gotten to that point.
“I love you too...” she said quietly.
“Thank you,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“I’m going to smack you if this isn’t the end.”
“That’s fair.”
The two stared at each other affectionately, until Berla repositioned herself, so she could lie at his side. After giving him a kiss, she snuggled up to him.
“Aren’t we in the hospital...? What if someone comes in?” he asked.
“Who cares...”
They hadn’t quite made their relationship public yet, because it was easier to not worry about any potential questions—especially when Lilana was still in the mix. At this moment, however, nothing could stop Berla from embracing him one more time.
After enjoying herself for a moment, she was reconsidering her previous plan of getting Riala back, since Miles was conscious for longer than expected.
“I should go get her after all. She will be happy if she can see you one more time as... well...”
But when she glanced at his face, his eyes were closed, and he didn’t respond, almost as if he hadn’t just talked to her.
“Miles?”
She put a hand to his chest and felt his heart beating. One of them was still here, but maybe this was the last time she had talked to Miles. Tears welled up again as she buried her face in his shoulder.