Pentathrones

5. The Village of Amethyst [5]

Kaylis opened her eyes and was immediately glittered by the light bulb on the ceiling of her room.

He heard a gasp from his right side, which turned out to be his mother who started to tear. Her mother crossed her arms hugging the sleeping Kaylis while continuing a hiccup.

Kaylis remembered everything, but did not understand why her mother was crying like that. He was silent, watching his blanket wet with his mother's tears, and his mother's hand clutching the blanket.

Kaylis's eyes and nose stifled her cries when she saw the fingernails on her mother's fingers turning blue.

Kaylis forced her body to sit up, and unexpectedly, her body felt light after her hands and feet were stretched a little. It seemed that during his sleep, his body was recuperating.

On a small table beside his bed, the place where he usually placed books and containers of drinking water, there were small bottles and pipettes.

"I... How long sleep?" Kaylis asked while timidly waiting for an answer. If his mother had fed him with the dropper as long as he was unconscious, it would have been impossible for a day.

His mother put a happy face behind tears when she heard Kaylis managed to say a few words. "You okay? How body-feels? You were in a coma for four days - by God - I thought, I thought I lost my precious son." His mother was talking faltered by a mouthful of crying.

Kaylis got up, and her mother got out of her blanket, and tried to stand up. Kaylis' mother tried to treat her like a toddler.

But Kaylis tried to break away, and she was fine. Like nothing happened. Now Kaylis understands the consequences of using the light of excessive healing.

He'll only be asleep for a long time. It's unpleasant, inefficient because it's a waste of time, but at least he's still living a normal life afterwards.

Kaylis jumped around like a surprise clown in the box, and even ran three rounds in her room just to convince her mother that she had fully recovered. After his mother allowed with a heart as heavy as a rock, Kaylis burst into the western quarry, that very afternoon.

According to her mother's story, Kaylis was brought home by Zivon and other friends. But the most important thing right now is not the story about him.

He urgently needed to know what happened after that, what happened to Ellia, and whether there was a golden-haired man - the Lukario-who interfered at that time.

Kaylis arrived at the western mine with gasps and strands of sticky hair on her forehead by sweat. His eyes scanned among the many miners, machines, and chariots.

His gaze stopped when he saw the carriage being turned on the idle horses.

Just a few days ago Kaylis stopped by here, and the carriages were filled with mountains of yellow gold ore and faintly shining.

He was so shaken that his eyelids opened up bigger than they should have when he found that the mountain of gold had mostly turned as black as charcoal. Like worthless garbage.

"Shocked?" Jeanne appeared in front of him. His facial expression was heartbreaking. Kaylis looked one by one at a face she could see. He found Zivon, Gio, Luvis, and other workers with similar expressions. It was as if their happiness and smiles were sucked out in the blink of an eye.

"Our village is cursed." Luvis spoke very weakly, but at least he was the only one who dared to speak. Others were terrified when they heard the word "cursed".

"No, it's not that." Kaylis immediately cut, then shocked as if regretting it, she tightly closed her lips with her palm.

Gio tilted his head, "Kaylis... What are you talking about?"

Kaylis hated her position. He knew what was happening, but could not tell it at this moment. Lukario told Kaylis everything in the Zelicia Forest, even though he really wanted to be deaf for a while.

One by one suspicious looks were on him. Kaylis felt some discomfort now. "Now, listen. Can I tell you about what happened back then?" ask him calmly.

"That's enough, Kaylis." Zivon spoke angrily, his ears reddened. Kaylis was shocked, and was further shocked to see that those people - her friends - were staring so disappointedly at her, all united in support of Zivon's anger. "You know something, right?"

"You were acting so weird at Isabelle's birthday party. Not to mention the black steam from Ellia's body that came out after the strange green light from your hand, and she was convulsing horribly. What are you really?" Zivon railed against Kaylis angrily, and they managed to take center stage at the mine.

"People are sick, we are all conscious. Our nails turn blue, you think we're unconscious? Then instead of healing, you're the healthiest one in Amethyst Village these days! As a healer, do you think that makes sense? What did you put into our drugs?" Luvis yelled.

Kaylis closed her mouth in disbelief. His heart felt squeezed firmly by the invisible hand so that his chest hurt so much. It was never the slightest bit in Kaylis's mind, that the friends she cared about would turn against her, just because of something beyond her control.

It's like being the blind person to blame for not being able to read, or the deaf being scolded for not hearing when told to step aside.

"Then what's wrong with Isabelle? You're really outrageous."

Kaylis couldn't bear to ask what she did to Isabelle, but Jeanne opened her mouth immediately. "She miscarried two days ago, right after drinking a bottle of gift potion from you."

Kaylis froze and her mind raged. Not likely. If so, something must be wrong. He had made the correct potion for Isabelle. If you miscarry after drinking it, there could be other causes.

He felt the need to voice all that, but when his head was lifted, his eyes met with dozens of people who were staring coldly at him. Some were silent, looking away, hoping Kaylis would leave as soon as possible.

"I-i"

"Already Kaylis. We don't want to hear anything." Luvis cuts. They were silent for a moment with sad faces before finally dispersing.

Kaylis staggered on the streets of the village. He had not expected the effects to expand so quickly. The mines slowly turned into a garbage dump. People are starting to be unable to work hard because of a decrease in body condition.

And Kaylis is to blame for all this.

No matter how hard he slept for a whole week thinking of a solution to cure all that, those people would not know.

He came home with tears. The villagers who recognized him and would usually greet him, chose to look in horror at Kaylis. After sleeping for days trying to save Ellia, everyone speculated about her.

It was naive for her to wish someone would come along and ask "Are you okay?" after everything that happened. Rumors must have spread widely, plus Isabelle who has a big influence in this village.

She recalled her mother's loud cries when she had just woken up from a long sleep. It is not impossible that his mother already knew about his son who was accused of this kind.

"The people of this village already hate me?" Kaylis looked up at the orange sky, wondering with tears flowing.

She arrives home, hiding from her mother - not wanting to be seen crying - and enters her room.

The window of his room was wide open, sunlight penetrating straight into the wooden floor. The wind entered freely, and Kaylis looked at Lukario. The man sat at the window, and Kaylis was already getting used to the ubiquity of this man.

"Hows it? You changed your mind?" he asked, without expression. He did not mean to mock, but Kaylis was exasperated.

His thoughts revolved around all the stories about the Gamara Kingdom that this man had told him back then.

***

To be continued

Published: 26 June 2020