It was dusk in the capital city of Arcturus, and the crowds that roamed the streets had begun to disperse. The travelers found an inn for the night, and all those who lived in the city went back to their dwellings.

A short woman and her elder sister walked side by side through the streets, grazing the groups of people walking by.

"You say that he has black skin?"

"Yes, even after my fellows bathed the child, his skin remained the same."

"Interesting; it's been a while since the teacher has let me run wild, and I have a feeling."

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"How long is the elder sister going to take?"

"I still don't know from the last time you asked Moyra."

"Why do you sound like that? It's not my fault that you missed your date with your boyfriend.

Morna's cheeks blushed a bright red. "He's not my boyfriend! He is just a nice guy.

"Yeah, a nice guy that stole your heart!"

"Stop it!"

The two conversed while Grimm lay on a wooden table, his back touching the old wood as he looked up at the newly redone ceiling.

Dots covered his eyesight, and his ears couldn't help but listen in to the two girls loudly conversing. Even though what they said went into one ear and out the other, he could understand everything they said, and it took a while until a thought entered his head.

"Where am I?" His eyes moved from one end of the room to the other.

"Where is this? Who are they? What am I?" Worries flew through his head, and fear clouded his mind.

The next thing Grimm knew, he could feel his heart beating faster, and his breathing began to become deeper.

What am I doing here? Where is this? He tried to squirm and move, but he felt as if intangible weights clung to his body, forcing him down.

Come on, say something. Say something. Grimm tried to speak; he tried to groan; he tried to scream, but nothing worked.

The two girls never looked at Grimm, maybe because they felt uncomfortable just looking at him or because they were just preoccupied talking about a crush.

Grimm focused on the two girls who were conversing as if he weren't even in the room. How do you not hear me? How can you not tell I am afraid? ^

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The girls kept talking while Grimm was in pain, until they heard steps coming from the other side of the door.

The girls quickly walked beside the table where Grimm lied and acted like they were looking down towards Grimm, making sure he was okay.

The door opened, and the doctor and the elder sister walked through.

As the elder sister walked through the door, both of them reacted in a way that one could tell had been rehearsed too many times to count.

"Hello, elder sister."

"Hello, Moyra, and Morna, how has the child been since I left?"

"Oh, he's been just fine."

"Yes! He definitely has not gotten worse."

The doctor walked forward, not caring about any pleasantries such as greetings or telling others your name.

"Come on, my sisters, let the doctor work." The elder sister motioned to the door before walking out of the room.

"Yes, elder sister."

The two girls bowed to the doctor and quickly followed their elder sister out of the room, closing the door behind them.

The doctor looked down at Grimm with an inquisitive eye. ^ Now what are you, you little thing?^ Her hands slowly moved to the cloth that covered part of Grimm's body and pulled it away, revealing his naked figure.

Now this is odd; black skin is not the only thing off about whatever it is. ^

Deep cracks are spread across his skin like a spider web; could this be a negative effect of alchemy? Or could we have found another race like those orcs in the forests or those flesh monsters? Wait, is it a monster? If it is, could it kill me when it awakes? Why isn't this thing tied down for everyone's safety? ^

The doctor's heartbeat began growing faster, and in the back of her head, she could hear her heartbeat grow louder.

^Come on, Catrina, do what he taught you: breathe. Breathe in and out, coem on your heart, hurry up, and slow down! This thing on the table is not a monster; it won't attack me, and I am safe here in the city. Wow, thats better. Hah, let's finish this. ^

The doctor, Catrina, brought her ear to the boy's chest. It took a while, but she could hear a very soft heartbeat.

^Oh, thats good. At least its heart is in the same place as it would be in a human. Well, next I need to check his lymph nodes. Doctor Catrina shifted to the very end of the table and grabbed under the boy's armpits. She moved along his armpits in a quick and smooth fashion, then did it again and again. ^ Well, I guess this thing doesn't have any under its arm; uh, let's check the ones in the neck. Oh wow, so those aren't there either. I guess Ill check the mouth ^ Catrina's fingers dug into his cheeks and pulled the lower and upper jaws away. ^ Everything here looks similar to a human, so I guess theres nothing wrong here.^

Catrina closed his mouth back and quickly covered him back up. ^Now just one more full look at him and I'll be done^ Catrina haphazardly looked down at him, making sure there weren't any cuts or injuries on his body. She started moving up from his waist and to his wild, dark eyes, which wildly moved from looking at her to the ceiling, to the door, and back to her.

"Its awake!"

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"So remember, if you meet someone who either belongs to a noble family or the three houses, state their name first, then their title." The elder sister was currently instructing Moyra and Morna on how to act around people who have a higher role in society. The girls listened entirely to what the elder sister was saying and made sure to remember all of it so they would not embarrass themselves or the orphanage that they worked in.

"Imagine I am the..." Behind the elder sister, the door opened with a small squeak as the doctor exited the room and closed it slowly, trying not to make too much noise. "Doctor. The three sisters call out to the doctor in unison. "Uh yeah, I think I might know what is wrong with it."

"So there is something wrong with him," asked the elder sister. "Does he have a disease?"

The doctor spoke, trying her best to talk naturally after being scared. "Um not exactly."