It did not take Ferris long to gather his things. There was barely anything for him to gather. Once that was settled, they escorted him straight into the forest, with Dillon hanging back to let the guards know that Ferris had departed. Even hidden beneath a cloak, Ferri’s six armed figure was suspiciously bulky. Luckily their path would not take them down any well travelled roads. Most feared the hunger of the carnivorous traniva forest, but their many armed guest did not seem intimidated.

“For someone so cautious, you have followed us rather willingly into a forest known to be dangerous,” Ruena pointed out.

“In order to trap me here you would need to sacrifice your own companions,” Ferris replied, “Besides, I can tell the trees are not hungry. There is barely any red at the tips of their leaves.”

The red at the tips was an indicator of hunger? Ruena had not known since the trees had always told Soral directly when they wanted a snack. That was the benefit of having someone around who could hear and understand them. This was a testament that Ferris held the knowledge and expertise they needed. Now all she had to do was convince him the Alodan Warriors were a cause worth investing in.

“You certainly are well versed,” Ruena complimented, “Does your knowledge of traniva extend to other magical plants?”

“Only those used in medicine,” Ferris told her, “Before I experienced magic rejection, I was a doctor. I had just graduated from my apprenticeship at Angel’s Bell Clinic in the City of Altea.”

Another welcome surprise. “If nothing else works out, I would be happy to accept you as a doctor of the Alodan Warriors,” Ruena offered.

She ignored the sharp glance Rosalie shot her. They had gotten along well enough on haphazard first aid so far, but they would be taking on a truly dangerous mission soon. It would set her at ease to know they had someone who could care for the wounded.

“Would you not prefer a healer over a doctor?” Ferris asked, unable to disguise his scorn, “Even Angel’s Bell showed clear preference between the two.”

“Seeing as I have neither at the moment, a doctor would be most welcome,” Ruena explained, “I have no interest in some casual hired hand. If you accept, you will become one of us. Of course, that means you will have to pass the test as well.”

Ferris paused to consider her proposal. “Are you suggesting you would support my research as well?”

“So long as it does not cause any harm to anyone, especially those under my command,” Ruena confirmed, “I will not stop you from conducting necessary tests with the help and consent of my people, but the moment you force anyone to become part of some kind of experiment I will take action.”

Rather than seeming offended by her obvious distrust of experimentation, Ferris nodded along as if it were only natural. However, as the Alodan Warrior’s Headquarters came into view his suspicion returned.

“You seem rather well set up for a group that doesn’t even have a healer,” he said, his tone relaying his tension.

Ruena followed his gaze to the large base looming before them. “Isn’t it incredible? This was once the headquarters of the real Alodan Warriors led by my father. I have yet to unlock all of its secrets but it has served us well these past nine years.”

“So it was inherited,” Ferris muttered and relaxed a bit.

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They entered the fortress and Ruena led Ferris to a room where they could comfortably discuss things. At the very least it gave him the chance to shed his constricting cloak. Being able to spread his arms helped, but Ferris had yet to fully relax. His caution made sense when Ruena thought about what kind of life he must have been living. It was unfortunate, but his appearance would have forced him to go on the run.

“Why don’t we start with your story and magic rejection,” Ruena suggested, “It sounds like this will be closely related to your future research, and it is always good to be aware of any potential danger.”

“It is,” Ferris agreed, “There is not that much more to the story than I have already stated. Have you heard of magic overload?”

“I haven’t heard of it, but I can imagine what it entails,” Ruena replied with a frown. For some reason she could not help but think of Soral. “Does it have something to do with gathering too much magic and losing control?”

“Close. However what I am talking about is more fatal. When under extreme duress some patients subconsciously draw in magic from their surroundings as a sort of defense mechanism,” Ferris explained, “Since they are already in a weakened state this can overload their tired bodies and cause a sort of magic explosion. In most cases this does not go beyond a magic fever, but I ran into one of the most extreme cases.”

It was easy to guess where this story was going, but before she could say anything, it was the ever curious Liza who posed the question. “What happens in the extreme cases?”

“When more magic is absorbed than the body can handle, it must be expelled,” Ferris answered, “The more serious the case, the more violent the expulsion. This is why it is called a magic explosion. A patient with no signs of stress or injury had a panic attack during a normal checkup and suddenly entered a state of magic overload. At that time magic overload was nearly as taboo a subject of research as magic rejection, so none of us knew how to help or prevent what was about to happen.”

“Is the resulting explosion what caused your condition?” Ruena asked.

“It is,” Ferris confirmed, “Had it not happened at a hospital I likely would have died. Just like you, the healers believed I was cursed at first and tried to purify me. However, any and all magic is harmful to someone going through magic rejection. It was my mentor who saved my life in the end, but it cost him his position in the hospital. I hear he was transferred to Belleas.”

There were several moments of silence as they took in what Ferris had just told them. He told such a heavy story about his own near death experience and the start of his suffering with the casual tone of a teacher covering unrelated history.

“Can you tell us more about what magic rejection is and how it made you like that?” Rosalie asked, eyeing his deformed arms.

Ferris nodded and glanced at them for a moment himself. “As I am sure you have guessed, magic rejection occurs when your body and psyche completely reject the very idea of the existence of magic. From what few cases I have been able to gather it most commonly happens when someone believes that they are about to lose their life or something even more precious to it,” he explained. “In the fact of death, if one thinks that they might have survived if magic did not exist, they might reject magic entirely. The first phase of magic rejection may save them from the initial event, but after that their body is reformed to survive in this world of magic without it. Mutations are an unfortunate side effect of this process.”

“With so many wars and magic used so often in combat, is magic rejection common?” Ruena asked.

“Not at all,” Ferris denied, “There is one more thing I noticed. Everyone who I have met that has experienced magic rejection was never able to use magic themselves. Myself included.”

Ruena felt a chill at those words and glanced at the others in the room. They were all staring at her, likely thinking the same thing she was. As someone who had never been able to wield magic, was she at risk of this strange phenomenon?

“What is your plan to prevent magic rejection from happening?” she asked him.

“Magic rejection never occurs without a powerful push of magic,” Ferris told her, “I intend to find a way for those without magic to protect themselves. Something like an anti magic shield.”

“That is a start,” Ruena told him, “Why don’t I tell you a little bit about what I have been working on? I believe if we work together we will be able to help fulfill each other’s goals.”