"If you could endure back then, you can endure it even now." The words rang into her mind as she slowly opened her eyes with the dizzying headache as if it were beaten by a hammer before she died. The first sight she could catch was the blurry image of the gradient sky and a face, almost resembling the person who had killed her.
By throwing a hand at that person, her vision showed that she had grabbed the person, with her hand turning into a fist, and her mind not really returning back to its sanity. An angerness rushed over her veins as she held the air, and desperately tried to pull her hand back from the grasp of another hand, her wrist was blocked from moving.
"You are back alive?" Helio spoke with a laugh as he let go of her land and placed a palm on top of her forehead and eyes. Immediately, the headache and the blurryness subsided, she tried to jolt upwards, but many things stopped her from doing so. Firstly, there was no movement from her left hand.
Most importantly, breathing was a task more difficult than actually moving. It was as if multiple needles pierced her left lung as she tried to breathe in, forcing her to hold the last breathe and just stare at Helio with panicked eyes, demanding an explanation after a recovery.
But without another word, her breath neutralized and the sharp pain went away, as if it were just a normal aftermath of sharp bones getting fixated. With a deep breathe, she opened her mouth to speak, for the first time after coming back alive into her physical form. "How long has it been?" Her eyes were diverted to look at the sky, blazing with orange strikes and unconsciously a smile crept into her face.
"You were dead for what seemed like around an hour or half. I didn't keep track of time and it hasn't been long" Helio responded while lightly throwing the water bottle into the air and it vanished. "How did you die to begin with? It seems you fell, but you were also left with multiple stab wounds, so it's a bit confusing of how it should be."
Without a word, she stared at him with gritted teeth, angry about his words or his doings. A fear went through him as he worried about the problem that she thinks is worth punishing for. After a short conversation of silence and stare, Aefia started speaking again. "What are you doing?! Give me the water bottle! I am thirsty!"
And suddenly, she coughed up blood as the situation still felt far too unfamiliar after her reawakening. With the strict and funny command, Helio summoned the water bottle with its blood covered body and held it out to her, "and how are you doing to drink it?" He spoke while staring with confusion.
"I will get up." She used her right hand to move up, but her back gave her a huge dismay, which confused a little bit more. Her left hand was almost irresponsive, like it had been removed or cut off from her body. But it was there, her lower arm was moveable, but not the upper part. "Just what exactly is wrong with me? Just a three storey drop shouldn't have dealt me this much damage. Or is it that it is still recovering?"
"It's more like five storeys, and you fell onto concrete, not even the grass up the front." Helio spoke while pouring the water onto her mouth instead. "And the fall, was already fatal the way your head clashed with the staircase. I was expecting you to forget multiple things after you woke up again. It sounded like the time you threw beasts onto the far ground by flinging them."
"No I don't want to hear that! I want to know why my muscles are preventing me from getting up!" Aefia spoke while spitting away the first gulp of water. Using her moveable hand, she wiped her face with the sleeves. For some reason, she felt like covering her eyes which let her keep calm from her panic and confusion, and left the sleeve above her eyes which closed them shut.
"Are you tired?" Helio asked with concern. "No, just confused and panicked. Many things happened, in the short amount that I was dead, and I can't seem to grasp the situation like before. Seems like my mentally has become like a three year old now." She replied out of full blindness and void where she almost felt like falling asleep.
"Alright, so a few things need to be taken into consideration about your health. I am not that trained or strong enough to heal your broken bones and infrastructure. Your organs are alright, but your vital organs, especially your brain and lungs, maybe even your heart, they are all in a fragile state, so don't overwork them at any cost." He spoke while screwing the bottle's cap back on and placing it next to her head.
"Alright doctor. But what are the damages that I really received?" She spoke with a little bit of tiredness and as if she was about to slip back in her unconscious state. "So to began, you have most obviously broken your bones." He replied while letting out a sigh.
"Broken right leg, making it almost painful to walk, but not impossible. Broken ribcage which has already been healed, but a little bit of needle-like pain is still expected. Dislocated shoulder bone, the cavicle and the shoulder blade precisely, and I don't know if you fractured your skull, but it seems like it."
"I already know that my skull would break, because I broke it once before." Speech returned to normal as the hand was removed from her face and laid it out. "I broke it when I fell into Hellas the first time." She checked the temperature of the concrete. An immediate realization hit her and grabbed Helio's wrist.
He jolted back due to the sudden movement, and locked into position as he slowly felt his magic energy drain. Weakness was felt along his veins and bones, as he let her collect his element. Whatever she was doing, there was a very important reason before it.
"Just so you know...my death was a very precise reason..." Aefia spoke while she slowly sat up and Helio stared with shock. But a small amount of magic energy was returned, and the reason she had done so was to recover her pain and injuries. Or maybe she just used a specific skill from the element.
She turned her face towards him, with slightly glowing red eyes, determination and something new...ambition. Even when she was done with the chore needed to be completed, the grasp against his hand didn't let go, and it was unusually light and weak, slightly trembling.
"Stay down when you feel grass with the hand I am grabbing." And in an instant, she stood up and before he could understand the situation, he was already in the ground while kneeling beside her, further from the burning estate as the fire caused the glass windows to explode and shatter.
She was kneeling, with her hand extended into the burning mansion, and folded her fingers inwards to form a fist. The fire inside seemed to quickly collect into an epicentre which wasn't visible due to the smoke and debris rising into the air blocking the scene. Another gesture, an invisible pull and the flames completely subsided.
The fire inside the lighters, were replaced with Aefia's fire element, which gave her a reason to be able to control the way it flowed, moved and burned. It all happened in a blink of an eye, all in three seconds which was an indescribable attempt based on witness account. Helio just stared at her as she slowly seemed to be weakening within the time.
Her head dropped and stayed facing the grass, she used as a support to keep her from completely falling. Her fingertips eerily redened as small flowers and vines came into visible description around the back of her hands. One simple fact about magic users were, that ones who were owner of an elemental type, they would continue bleeding unless the wound was healed by magic or by sealing it completely.
Her hair grew wet, like to when watered and the sun's light highlighted the deep redened parts. Due to the way her head was at an angle where it was basically hanging, a few drops fell forward and towards her forehead. After a short while, Aefia got up with her last remaining strength and walked forward to the gate that had just bursted.
Helio had no options but to follow behind. He had a choice where there was a way to heal her bleeding wound, but the small amount she had returned was only sufficient to keep him alive. And dimensional shifting was a very exhausting chore which drained huge amounts of magic energy, so reserving the remaining were mandatory.
A palm was placed against a part of the shattered glass, and the remaining crumpled and broke, as she got inside and with a blank mind, walked towards the other exit of this building. The condition inside was inhabitable, burned to the point where even the lead tennis racquets hanging in the rack was half melted. It was of uncertainty how the fire took a very long time to even reach the glass and break them.
Her heels clunked against the burned concretes that were used across each room they passed. There were marble in some, ceramic tiles, or sometimes wooden flooring were placed. The most unimaginable things were possible if you had magic, but looking at Aefia, even the most impossible harms could be done at the same time.
Being able to handle that much pain at once, was just a dream that everyone had. But then, he recalled feeding two peels from the paper, and it were said to be painkillers, so maybe it were to keep the overall pain to cover up and stay unnoticed. Also, it were said that they were temporary and lasted only for an hour.
Soon enough, they were in the opposite exit of the estate and instead of using the steps, Aefia jumped down. Up in the front, she stared at the children who had been patched up sometimes or even fully healed in the others. When Helio was right next to her, she took the opportunity to ask him a question. "Did you leave the lightly injured ones and reserve your magic energy, knowing I was going to end up severed?"
"Not really, but you said to leave a few evidence that they were indeed harmed. Did you forget it already?" He replied while taking out her pocket watch from his coat. The button was clicked and the cover flicked open, revealing the time which stated exactly four fifty. Ten minutes before he had to leave.
Without even asking, Aefia snatched the watch back and pointed at the few children who were playing. A young boy, around a couple of years old, ran around in a wheelchair by the help of another much older kid who pushed it. Both of them had a smile as the prisoner approached them and held out a hand.
"License and registration?" He held out an imaginary speeding ticket. The older child let go of the chair and carried the young kid in his shoulder while breaking out into a run. The prisoner laughed as he shouted towards Cedric who was playing with another group of child. "Suspect is a two feet tall, blue sweater driving a wheelchair!"
"The suspect on the run! Last seen near the wheelchair! I repeat! Suspect on the run!" Cedric laughed back as he shouted. "Suspect was driving under the influence of apple juice! His speeding exceeded that of zero point one kilometer per hour!" The other children spoke out one by one.
"That looks fun and all, but what if they fall?" Helio spoke while concerned as he glanced towards Aefia, who was smiling like the other children. "Nevermind that, they all seem to be enjoying themselves." And looked away towards the crowd of children in the front.
Suddenly, the child who was now being chased by the others and got the nickname 'suspect', slipped on wet grass and fell forward while accidentally letting go of the child he was carrying. Up in front of them were rocky ground and they shut their eyes while holding their breathe.
Fortunately, before they fell, a grip was felt at their shoulders and they both glanced up. "Maybe...you should play a little slowly the next time. I am not against running, but stay safe while doing so. For now, I believe we have a much more important tasks to be done." Aefia spoke with a tolerating smile. Immediately remembering about her own condition, she stood them both up and stepped back.
"Cedric and the prisoner will stay back to take them to the police station in the carriage that had been arranged. Helio will have to return back to the office, and do you and your other members have a valid place to stay?" She turned towards the prisoners while throwing her last orders. "That's all for today, and the remaining of what to be done will be sent as a message through Cedric."
***
Lewis wondered along the hallway of the palace as he wondered why the duchess had been staying but Aefia was nowhere to be seen the entire of the day. Just yesterday, until around midnight, she had been up with their mother to discuss a few matters.
As if his thoughts had been loud, a pair of footsteps happened to appear and he glanced up to look at the person walking through. In the blood stained uniform, slick with blood hair and face, Aefia looked down while watching her steps towards her room.
"What happened? Got into a fight?" Lewis spoke, not knowing whether to be worried or happy. She lifted her head and stopped her steps, and with a blank face, she spoke with a smooth smile. "I died, fell to my death and got stabbed by a person. Is that a fight?"
The blood was still not dry, which means she was injured in a very large scale and a faint glow of red flowers at the side of her face. Signs of extreme magic exhaustion.