CHAPTER 93: THE PAIN UNSPOKEN

On the opposite side of the forest of corruption, in the outskirts of the city, was a beautiful children’s home amid the beautiful grass fields. The house was a small two storied building made of wood.

Two women, one of them a young thirty year old lady and the other quite older, about eighty years of age, were drying the clothes out in the wires. The clothes were being lifted up through mana, twisted to remove the excess water and spread out on the wires.

Just then a young girl in an enforcer uniform approached them. They were confused as their place was far from the main city and not many people come here, especially enforcers. When the lady came near, and they got a clear look of her face, a smile spread on their faces.

"Adriana! How have you been dear?" the old lady hugged her with a warm smile on her face.

"I’m doing well grandma. How have you been?" Adriana asked.

"Growing old everyday what else." Grandma said sarcastically as all three of them laughed.

"You finally got some time out of the military huh?" the young lady complained as she hugged Adriana.

"I’m sorry aunt Belle. I was busy with some work."

"It’s alright. Have you eaten anything?" Belle asked.

"I just had some lunch. I’m all full, don’t worry aunt." Adriana said rubbing her belly. "Where’s Nash?"

"He’s playing with the other children in the field right there." Grandma said pointing at the group of children running around in the field.

There were about fifteen children of about eight to ten years old in the group, and one among them was watching the others play and run, as he sat on a wheelchair at the side with a wide smile on his face, finding joy in the fun of the other children.

"I’ll go to him." Adriana left the two women and moved towards the children.

"Having fun with your friends?"

Hearing a familiar voice Nash turned his head to the side. Seeing Adriana looking at him with a smile, he exclaimed and spread his arms towards her. "Sister!!"

Adriana crouched down and gave a tight hug, she kissed his forehead and stretched his cheeks, getting a giggle out from him.

"Stop doing that, it’s painful." Nash whined at her,

"I can’t stop myself when I see my cute brother." Adriana spoke in gibberish trying to tease her brother.

"Stop doing that too. I’ve grown old now."

"You’re ten, still a child, don’t you dare grow up so fast." Adriana said in a grumpy tone as both of them chuckled.

"Here. I’ve brough your favorite honey caramel toffees." Adriana pulled out a small box of toffees from her coat pocket and gave it to him.

"Wow sister! I wanted to eat them from a long time." He hurriedly took the box, opened it and put one toffee inside his mouth immediately, and with a satisfied expression started looking at the other children again.

"And he says he’s grown old!" a smile spread on her face as she saw him content.

"Will the temple priest be able to come this time sister? When he heals my legs, I’ll be able to run and play like them too right?" Nash asked.

A trace of sadness passed through her face, but she didn’t let it show in front of Nash, and with a smile on her face, she replied him back.

"The priest got busy with some work. He won’t be able to come this weekend. But he said that he’s found some miracle medicine that will surely heal you, and for that he’s about to travel to a different city. He’ll come once he’s got the medicine."

"Really?"

"Yes! You’ll be able to run and play with your friends. I guarantee that." She patted his head as she assured him of it.

"Alright. Enjoy your toffee, I have some things to discuss with grandma and aunt."

Nash nodded as Adriana started walking back towards the house, her fists clenched and a determined expression on her face, aiming to win that potion at all costs.

"Sister, you fool." Nash shook his head as he chuckled. He knew his sister was trying to save money as much as she could so that she could bring a temple priest to heal him, so much that she doesn’t have a single piece of dress other than her uniforms and military dress, and she would always lie to him about the priest being busy.

But he didn’t mind, he loved his sister too much, and even if she fails, he would have no complaints.

*****

Luke was sitting crossed leg on the floor in his room. In front of him was placed the mana stone of the Kong, and in his hand was the hundred year old ginseng.

After taking a few deep breaths, Luke bit at the ginseng and started chewing. His face twitched from its bitter taste, but he endured and swallowed.

His chakras appeared behind his back as he closed his eyes and went into meditation. The chakras started spinning as the mana from the mana stone was pulled out and sucked in by them.

The mana was then converted into prana as some residual mana was released by the chakras in the air.

Luke’s body started heating up from the energy of the ginseng. But instead of feeling uncomfortable, he felt relaxed, his cells felt invigorated from the pure prana from the ginseng.

The chakras kept spinning as mana kept coming out of the stone. After more than an hour, the mana stone finally became transparent and cracked.

The chakras behind Luke stopped spinning and suddenly cracking noises came from his bones and he could hear a loud boom in his mind realm as if water had broken out of a dam and rushed out.

Luke abruptly opened his eyes and a smile spread on his face as he had reached the peak projector realm of his root chakra.

"You’ll be in for a surprise tomorrow, Duke Argon." A wide grin spread on his lips.