n

n

nAlphonse and I entered my mother’s resting chambers, a very large and elaborate room. The scent-filled fragrance of roses and delicious nectar made me smile in pleasure as I walked in.

nThere she was, Anabelle, laid on her bed in her sleeping state. She was so beautiful, and for the first time… she seemed fragile. Almost like a sleeping beauty.

n“Get me some Sage, Quidan Potions, Red Lotus, Tiagong, and Fyr. They should all be labeled in the Green House.” Alphonse ordered the servants within the room.

nThe two of them instantly nodded, rushing out to fetch the ingredients he mentioned.

n“Using mana to help her won’t help in this instance since mana is the problem. All we can do is feed her medicine so her body stabilizes on its own. Any insertion of foreign mana will only make things worse…” Alphonse whispered, as though speaking to himself while analyzing everything.

nI just kept looking at him the whole time, not knowing what to say. The way he took charge of the situation, plus the maturity he displayed. I could chalk everything down to experience.

nMy eyes, however, suddenly darted back to the injury he had, which made me a little worried. He was also in a bad shape.

n“B-but, Alphonse… are you in any shape to do anything? Your shoulder is-” I spoke out in concern.

nAlphonse’s eyes lit up as he looked at the bloodied shoulder he had. He most likely got the injury from the sharp sparks of lightning running wild after he saved me.

n‘So, he prioritized speed over defense in order to rescue me, leaving himself wide open…’

nI felt even more guilty now. Perhaps it was too much to have asked him to give me my final lesson at the time.

nHowever, to my surprise, Alphonse didn’t express any concern about his injury. He placed his hand on his shoulder, and a green light hummed around it. The spreading blood ceased and the wound he had closed instantly.

n“H-healing Magic!” I beamed.

nHow could I have forgotten… Alphonse was a seasoned mage. Of course, he knew how to use it!

n“I forgot about that injury for a second there, thanks for reminding me.” He said, shrugging it off as if the blood he shed was nothing.

nFor him to have discarded such a blow as nothing, just what kind of man was Alphonse?!

n“I-I see…” My lips curled awkwardly as I let out a short laugh.

nAlphonse used magic to create a bowl and grinder, using earth magic to mold the simple objects. He also prepared water, heated it with fire magic and steam began to form.

nThe servants appeared and brought the ingredients, making him thank them as soon as he saw the items he requested.

nI watched from the side as he chopped down the lotus, burnt the sage, and prepared the other herbs in specialized ways. The Quidan Potion was added to the boiling water, turning everything into powder.

n‘A-amazing… so this is modern medicine…’ I beamed in surprise.

nBack in my day, once a person experienced Mana Shock, they were given time to rest so that their body would naturally restore itself. There was no medicine to speed up the process.

n“This is incredible…” I smiled, watching Alphonse’s precision in combining the ingredients.

nAt this point, the medicine was ready, having the form of a thick pink liquid. The red lotus must have contributed greatly to its color.

n“I suppose this is the first time you’ve seen anyone make medicine, uh?” Alphonse said, upon noticing my smile.

nI nodded eagerly.

n“Well, this is usually the job of a doctor or alchemist, but since I learned some while studying magic, I know a little about medicines in relation to it.

n“A-ah, I see…” I blurted out, utterly amazed.

nAlphonse proceeded to my mother’s bed, using wind magic to carry the liquid and give her the right dosage in tiny droplets so it would be easy for her to swallow. In a few seconds, he completed the dosage, leaving a good deal within the bowl.

n“I’ll tell you the dosage you’ll constantly give to her before I leave. So, even after I’m gone she’ll be on this medication and In a few days, she’ll be perfectly normal.” Alphonse said, looking at me as well as the other servants.

n“T-thank you, Alphonse.” I beamed

nThe servants also thanked him profusely bowing their heads in respect.

n“That’s alright then. Now that the worst has passed, you should all go and rest.” He smiled kindly.

n“B-but our Madame is still-” One of the maids voiced out in protest.

n“That’s fine. It’s nothing, really. You can call in a new batch of servants to replace your post, so you can go freshen up.”

nRealizing that they couldn’t argue with Alphonse, the two servants nodded and excused themselves.

n“Jared, you should also rest. You must have exerted yourself a great deal after using that spell…” Alphonse said, looking at me with concern.

nI understood his perspective. I was only a little child with a white Mana Core. Not only had I spammed a bunch of spells with different elemental attributes, but I also created such a destructive phenomenon. It was only natural that I would be exhausted. However…

n“I’m not really tired, Alphonse… I’m fine. Really.” I replied.

nAlphonse seemed to distrust my words, so he narrowed his eyes to observe me closely. His eyes bulged in surprise, meaning he noticed that I wasn’t in any poor shape.

n“H-how is this… wow, amazing. Once again, you’ve flustered me, Jared.” Alphonse grinned.

n‘Hehe, I aim to please.’

nUsing three Mana Cores had its benefits, one of which is mana management. I can save up a lot of mana by using the cores to charge one another. Also, while I use a core for magic, the other core absorbs the mana particles within me. Since I can somewhat control the flow of mana in my body after years of practice, I can fill up my mana Cores easier than others.

n‘Also, If I had used SPELLCRAFT, mana wouldn’t have even been an issue…’

n