As followed him in and saw an almost empty room with only a bed made of hay and a wide piece of leather covered over, and sleeping on top of it was a young girl. She was skinny and her eyes had sunk in. She was all bones showing how weak and malnourished she was.
"Each passing day her health worsens more and more! She has no appetite and no matter what I cook for her, she doesn’t eat." Albert said in a helpless tone.
As sat down on the floor beside her and closed his eyes. He waved his hands and mana flowed out of his fingers, covering her whole body.
After a few minutes, As opened his eyes, the mana covering her vanished slowly as he put his hands down. He turned his head towards Albert and started speaking.
"She has a hole in her heart!" As said in a grave tone.
Albert’s eyes opened wide in shock, color vanished from his face as black lines appeared on his forehead.
"T-then does this an t-that she can’t..." his eyes started getting moist, sadness overwheld him.
"The mana in her circle kept her heart running for so years, but since she hasn’t awakened, the mana has dried up. The hole kept getting bigger and now her life force is being used to keep her alive by the circle!"
"Can she n-not be healed?"
"Even the temple is helpless in this regard! Only the saint may be able to! But to get to the saint is..." As didn’t complete as he knew that even influential figures couldn’t et the saint, and the chances for Albert were almost nil.
Tears flowed out of Albert’s eyes, the temple, which was his last hope had kept him going for these years, but even that was now useless.
His legs lost strength as he fell on the floor, he held his head as tears kept flowing out without a break.
As felt sad looking at him, he wanted to console him but what could he say in that mont, no words were enough to ease his pain.
But just then he rembered sothing. There was a way that could be used to heal her, the spell from the book that he completed recently. But he still hasn’t used it on humans. There was a risk of its failure. But seeing Albert’s sorrow ridden face, he felt pity and decided to take the risk.
"There is a way! But I’m not sure if it would work."
Albert looked up towards As imdiately. "Really!!?"
"I am not sure of its success, but if you want, I can try!"
"Please do it! I don’t care what it is, please save her!" he held As’s hand as he begged. He didn’t care what As wanted to do, he only wanted to save his daughter, even if it ant using dark magic, he didn’t care now.
A long sigh escaped As. He wasn’t sure about his success, he even had doubts, but he decided to take the risk for the helpless father in front.
"Is there any huge tree around here?"
*****
A few ters away from the house, As was standing below a huge tree with the trunk so big that almost four people can hug it around the circumference.
Placed on the ground between him and the tree was Cora lying on her back, and behind As at a distance was Albert.
Mana flowed out of his hands and ford a light amber runic magic circle between the tree and Cora. Green prana flowed out of the tree and passed through the circle into Cora’s heart.
Prana kept on flowing out like water from a dam and passing into Cora. Slowly the tree started losing its color, its leaves dried brown, cracks started forming on the branches and the trunk. It started withering at a visible rate.
As the last ounce of prana from the tree passed through the circle, the runic magic circle couldn’t endure anymore and disintegrated into motes of light.
Cora was still unconscious and not much visible changes were seen in her body to call it a success.
As sighed, disappointed that it was a failure. He was about to pick her up to move to another tree so as to try one more ti, but just then coughing noises ca from Cora.
Albert rushed towards them when he heard his daughter. He crouched down and lifted Cora up.
"Cough!!...cough!! F-father?"
"Cora! I-I’m here Cora!" he said exasperated, worry visible on his face. "How are you feeling right now?"
"My body aches all over...but, it’s weird!"
"What’s weird?" Albert asked.
"I don’t feel weak and sleepy...I-I’m feeling a bit hungry!"
Tears flowed out of Albert’s eyes, a smile spread on his face as he hugged her tight. He bawled his eyes out, joy and excitent visible on his face.
As was in disbelief too. He wasn’t sure of the success, but seeing her well and alive a smile of relief and satisfaction spread on his face.
He released his daughter and held As’s feet. "Thank you! Thank you so much! You’re a God for !! I’ll pay this debt with my life!" he kept crying and thanking As, as he had done sothing akin to a God, bringing his daughter from the brink of death.
"Stand up! Don’t do this, I’m no God!" As tried to pull him up but he didn’t budge and kept holding his legs.
"Cora just woke up. She needs to rest more and eat! Get up! You have to take her to the house!"
"Huh! Yes! Yes! I’m sorry!" Albert wiped the tears off his face and moved to Cora. He picked her up in his arms and moved towards the house.
As conjured up wind over his palms and sent a wave towards the tree. As the wind hit, the withered tree crumbled imdiately, dispersed in the air as dust, vanishing from the spot as if it never existed.
’A life for a life!’ a sigh escaped As as he too then turned around and left towards the house.
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