Chương 20: Chapter 20 : Consequences

Dion slowly tiptoed outside and closed the door behind him. Using his sword, he flew back to the place where he found Vega. The night grew darker, but the sect was always filled with people doing whatever they were doing this late at night. Paper lanterns decorated the houses because most of the commoners didn't have much money to buy the talisman-powered lamps with them.

Rummaging his pouch, Dion took out a paper talisman he had bought cheaply. It's only for one-use, but this one had enough power to figure out where Vega had been. Using his spirit activating the talisman, it shined showing some shimmering glow from the spot where Vega spent his time until he was too spent when Dion caught him.

He frowned when the buildings grew worse the longer he went deeper. The slum. It was something that Dion had never seen when he was in the academy, but apparently, besides receiving too many people to leave near the mountains, they also didn't do much to improve the quality of life.

He hated this part of the sect. Even though his father was quite ruthless, he always took care of the people under him. Probably because the academies, the good ones, allowed several nobles to take charge of their own scions to make sure that all of the people lived comfortably around them.

Dion was startled, looking at the sights before him. He didn't know that his sect had several slums hiding under the village all this time. Scrunching his nose, he sniffed around for the weird smell assaulting his nose. The smell was similar to something being burned.

Following the smell, Dion looked around and found a small hut hidden between all the other hut, burning. Closing his eyes, he used his spirit to find out two people lying inside the burning hut.

"Help, help!"

Activating another talisman, water sprouted from Dion's hand, putting out the fire in the house. Getting through the ruin, he found a kid, and his mother almost passed out. Knowing that he took something from his pouch and fed it forcefully inside the kid's and his mother's mouths.

Carrying them together, Dion brought them to his place and promised himself to take care of the two fire victims. He hoped his master wouldn't pester him again about keeping maids and servants for him. He could just tell him he found his servants to help him keep his residence clean.

The flying back was harder because he had to carry both victims together on his swords, and Dion had to consume the last of his remaining pills to replenish his spirit. The pills' residue would accumulate inside his body making his breakthrough harder. But he still chose to take that risk and flew back to the sect.

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Vega woke up hearing the noise in the other room. Curious, he looked inside the room finding a boy crying and holding his mother. Dion was there together with someone wearing the sect's robe put their fingers on the woman's wrist and shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, elder. Thank you."

The elder left the building without looking back, muttering something incorrigible. Dion tapped the place next to him, inviting Vega to sit there.

"What happened?" Vega whispered.

"Nothing," Dion shook his head. "I'm sorry I can't do much more. We, practitioners, don't have the knowledge to heal burns. Our pills can't do much, especially not to a commoner."

Vega realized the woman had burns all over her body. She felt the woman look familiar, "Is she?"

"Yes, I didn't tell you. After you slept, I went to the place you visited and brought them here. I didn't know why, but their place was all burned. Did you do something to them?"

"I kinda helped the kids. He reminds me of my old self. The kid stole a pill for his mother, and then I used some potions to help her."

"Did you give them something?"

"Yes, a magi--"

"Ah, magic crystal, no wonder. Remember I told you about the whole rarity here? People with bad intentions probably trying to steal that magic crystal from them."

"What?!"

The kid noticed him shout, bowed, and whispered his thanks, bit then he went back crying, hugging his mother.

The woman he had just saved lay there on the bed with no indications that she would wake up soon. Her skins were full of burn marks. Even her hair didn't survive the fire. No wonder Vega didn't realize who the woman was because she didn't look like a person at all.

"That's me. I did that!" Vega put his hands on his mouth. He felt nauseous for hurting an innocent woman just because he was trying to help her.

"Don't blame yourself too much. Blame humans' greed. Kindness and politics don't match." Dion spoke softly frowning.

"But...but... No!" Vega couldn't help but shed tears.

"Sush, sush. It's okay," Dion hugged him. He also felt the pain from his friend but he needed Vega to calm down to cure the woman. "Now, what you can do is help her to get better. From your story, your potion can help her. Now, take a deep breath, and do something.

Vega took a deep breath and steeled his heart. Dion was right. He couldn't do anything else besides feeling sorry for himself and cry. He wiped his tears, took a big gulp of water. He used some of the water to wash his face and used the heart of stone exercises his mentor taught him.

"Is there anywhere...?"

"There use that room. I'll stay here trying to keep her alive. Do your best. I believe in you." Dion smiled and sat down cross-legged, transferring his spirit to the woman. The constant use of spirit had taken a toll on his body making his skin grow darker and darker because of the poison accumulated by using the pills to keep replenishing his spirit again and again.

In the other room, Vega sat down and took out his book. The book felt heavier because of the guilt, but the heart of stone kept Vega from losing his focus. Vega opened it and thought of the potion for burning skin. The letter started to assemble themselves, showing a potion recipe. A health potion. Not the brightest idea, but that was what he thought the first time seeing the pain. At least the potion can be administered for burning skin.

Vega still remembered all the steps and the ingredients, but the last line made him facepalm blaming himself for not realizing it sooner. For burn, he had to use something to soothe the skin. A root-ale, an ingredient commonly used for making alcoholic beverages. It's quite expensive and hard to find. If he didn't get it fast, the woman wouldn't survive for long.

Ripping the page, Vega used it to sketch what the plant looked like. Besides the picture, he ground several different plants into a powder that has the same property as the root-ale. Commonly the one that can help to reduce pain and soothe the skin.

Knowing that his ring didn't have the other ingredients, Vega went outside and gave the list to Dion. Even though Vega saw the complexion of his friend, he didn't have time to care for Dion and needed the plants to help the woman, fast.

While he was waiting, the cauldron had to be set to the correct temperature. Without anything else to do, he crushed all the ingredients into a fine powder making it easier for them to dissolve in water.

Dion came inside, smelling the smoke and the heat in the room. Some of the different utensils littered his floor, which normally was spotless. He sat next to Vega and handed him the pouch filled with all of the ingredients Vega asked for. Smiling, he liked watching Vega crush each leaf with gusto. When the cauldron finally emitted the smell of medicine, Dion exhaled.

"I don't know you're that good at making potion."

"Me too, here," Vega handed the potion to Dion. "I'm too scared of doing it. Help me smear the potion all over the burn marks, and let's hope for the best."

When Dion left the room, Vega sighed. The world was new for him, but he still needed to learn about many things he could've done differently.

Tapping his fingers on the table, Vega promised to be stronger to protect everyone he loved. He liked the place already, enjoying everything the place could offer him. First, he and to not limit himself to the air element. With his pouch, water was something accessible for him to try on.

Dion opened the door slowly and smiled, "Thanks to you, she will survive. I asked my master to register the boy and his mother to live here as my servants."

"Thank you, Dion. You're the nicest noble I know. But I wonder why with all the power and money available to them, you don't help the people there." Vega seriously questions the nobles' judgment leaving him, his old man, his friends, or anyone to live in poverty.

"I'm sorry for what you experienced before, but everything is never easy. Power is not something easy to handle, and the same with wealth. When you have money or power, it will change you for better or worse."

"I know, it's just not fair."

Dion helped Vega clean the dust from the floor and collect all of the materials, cleaned it with water, and handed it over to Vega. "Yes, we can only promise to help people everytime we can."

Dion stood up and stretched, "You need food, Vega. I know, I'm really hungry now. I know you're hungry too, see? Look at your belly; it's gotten smaller now." He laughed, put his hand on Dion's belly, and rubbing it.

Vega was startled and almost dropped his cauldron. Receiving any physical touch was weird for him. His past didn't leave him much room to make friends and play with them like normal kids. He wasn't ready to share that with his friend and shrugged it off, "Stop it!"

"Hahahha, alright. Let's go! My treat again. I don't want you to startle everyone with your magic crystal." Dion joked.

"Too soon!"