章 358: [70.1] In Need of a Miracle

"Reika… Can you hear me?"

I hummed groggily in response and muttered, "Cyrus… I can hear you."

"Reika… Sometimes I wonder if this is all worth it… I think… I think that…"

"Cyrus?"

I opened my eyes, only to see the ceiling created by Asmonious in my vision instead. The sweet whispers of Cyrus were no longer in my ears.

I wonder what he was going to say.

I slowly got up and out of my hammock as I rubbed my aching head. I went to Lene's cocoon to make sure she was safely inside before turning to go outside. Just before I opened the door, I paused as a voice from outside suddenly alerted me.

"-Just mind your own business."

Hm? Lovi?

Asmonious answered her, "No. I won't. Your body can't handle it."

"It's MY body! I decide what happens to it! Not you!"

"...That might be true, but Master will be upset. Master took you in because she cares. If you allow these curses to-"

"-She took me in to prevent human deaths! She doesn't care! You don't know anything!!"

I felt a pang of hurt in my chest at hearing this.

Is that really what she thought of me?

Have I not been attentive enough to her?

Asmonious was silent for a while before speaking in a near whisper, "You don't know anything either. Master is the kindest person you will ever meet. If she only wanted to prevent human deaths, then she would have killed you… But she didn't. Instead, she brought you here. So don't EVER say Master doesn't care."

I held a hand over my chest, touched by his words.

He really is my perfect little boy!

Asmonious let out a sigh, "So, no. I won't just stand here and watch you die."

Lovi didn't answer for a while before whispering in a somber tone, "It doesn't even matter… I'm going to die anyway. With the poison in my body, I will be lucky to live even 10 more years…"

My eyes widened in surprise.

Wait.

Lovi is going to die?

That's…

That's too cruel.

I heard the gate to the courtyard close and peeked out of the room sneakily. Asmonious stood with his back to me, watching the doorway she left from. I couldn't make out his expression and at the sight of him staring in silence, I felt a strange detached loneliness in my chest.

I stepped outside, "Asmonious…"

He turned to me in surprise, "Master? You're awake so early?"

I offered a weak smile, "Asmonious… What were you two talking about?"

He gave me a worried look as he hesitated.

I took his hand and led him over to the steps where we could sit, "You can tell me."

He pressed his lips together before finally letting out a defeated sigh, "You know how Lovi is half human and half demon?"

I nodded.

"Well… That's the problem. Human bodies can't handle the power of demonic magic, especially her type."

"What type of demonic magic does she have?"

"She has the ability to create curses and attach them to anything. Living or not. Every curse has a cost. Demons can handle the cost, but humans can't."

My expression darkened, "So what you are saying is-"

"-Every time she uses her demonic magic she becomes closer to death."

"So then why even use it? If it's true she is poisoned, she can still live longer if she doesn't use her demonic magic…"

His expression softened, "I… I don't know… Maybe, she doesn't value her life."

I raised my head in surprise as he spoke in a daze.

"To her, her only purpose is to get revenge. That makes everything else useless. It doesn't matter what happens to her or anyone else unless she can succeed in that revenge."

I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close to me, worried that I was losing him. I shouted passionately, "Asmonious! You must never EVER follow that path!!! Do you understand?!"

He blinked in confusion but nodded obediently, "I won't, Master… But I don't want to seek revenge. Even though my Father… He did what he did… I just want him to understand what he did wrong and beg for my forgiveness. I don't want him to die."

I reached out to hold his hand, "Asmonious…"

He gave a shamed look, "Isn't it stupid? After all he did, I am still like this."

"Don't be too harsh on yourself. Your entire life revolved around him… It's only natural that it would be hard to forget about him. You had no choice but to rely on him for everything, so it's normal to become so attached." I pulled him into a hug, "But now I'm here for you."

He hugged me back, snuggling in, "Master… I can never thank you enough. As for Lovi, I'm sure she didn't mean the things she said. She just needs time. I know she will realize just how wonderful and kind you are."

"Oh, you." I squished his cheeks as I chuckled, "How did you become such a sweet talker?"

He grinned cheekily at me, "I had such a sweet Master."

"Oh! My precious boy!" I littered his forehead with kisses as he laughed joyfully. Then I stood up, "Asmonoius, do you think you can watch Lene and Lovi while I go out for a bit?"

"Of course, Master." He tilted his head, "May I ask where you're going?"

"I'm going to go to pay a visit to those noisy villagers. There's something I'm curious about." I reached out to rub his head, "I will make sure to be home before it gets dark."

He walked me out to the edge of the barrier and waved, "Be safe, Master! Don't worry about us, I will make sure to protect them while you're gone!"

I hopped onto my ice chunk and waved back at him, "I know you will!"

I flew down the mountain and entered the barrier leading into the village. As always, the entire village came out of their houses to greet me. When I landed, I looked around in surprise, "Wow… This place looks different."

A villager answered me with a bright grin, "The demons wanted to make houses more suitable for them, so we all looked hard to give them it."

"Huh." I looked up into the trees in surprise, "It looks just like a birdhouse…"

"Great Fairy, to what do we owe this pleasure of your visit?"

"Oh, yeah. I needed to speak to the doctors."

The family of demons with tiger ears and shiny silver-blue hair stepped out of the crowd at my request. Their matriarch was the one to speak, "What do you need from us, Great Fairy?"

"I have a new child I am taking care of and her body is filled with poison. It's apparently so bad it might even be shortening her life."

Her expression darkened as she thought, "That's certainly a very serious matter… Come with me. I will check my family's book."

I went with her and her family to their shack where she pulled out a very ancient-looking book from the shelf. She blew off the dust and opened it up.

"This is one of the only remaining heirlooms I have of my ancestors. My ancestors spent their lives researching new medicines and taking notes of them in this book. It was passed down through the matriarchs, each one adding in new medicine or treatment they discovered." She flipped through it explaining, "I remember my parents told me about a miracle flower that has the power to detoxify any poison depending on the dose."

My face lit up, "So there is still hope?"

"I would have to check out the patient first, but I believe the miracle cure will work. Ah. Here it is." She tapped her chin, "It has red petals that close in the day, but open at night. It's nearly impossible to find since it withers after three days in the moonlight. You can find it growing with fresh water and the spray of salty water."

"So… It's by the ocean and freshwater?"

"Yes, but you can only find it on cliffsides where the sun shines no matter which season."

"Do you know an exact location?"

She shook her head, "No. It's so rare, it would probably take several lifetimes to find."

I handed her a piece of paper and coal, "Can you try to draw it?"

She furrowed her brow, "I… I can try, but I have no talent with this as you do, Miss Fairy."

"Just try your best."

"Very well…" She took it from me and started sketching. When she finished, she showed me a drawing that looked like scribbles, "How's this?"

My face twitched, "Maybe you should describe it to me and I will draw it."

"Very well. The petals are red and resemble those of a lily, but are packed densely like a rose."

"Like this?"

"No, no. The petals look different… More jagged…. A little larger… Yes, like that."

"Okay. And how about the leaves?"

"Those have more of an angular shape… OH! And a few more veins on the leaf."

"Anything else?"

"The stigma is a little bit shorter… Yes! That's it. That's the flower. If you can find me that flower and bring it to me before it wilts, I can take a look at the patient and possibly use it to elongate their life."

"Thank you so much!!!" I hugged her in excitement and then pulled away to look at the drawing, "Now all I need to do is find it."