The infirmary was still abuzz with activity, with Doctors, Herbalists, healers, and volunteers all doing their best to treat the injured and wounded, but around Eris' bed, a gloomy silence was slowly taking hold.
Sasha and Charles had naturally seen old friends and comrades being injured or even dying before, but none of those experiences had prepared them to deal with their own daughter becoming crippled.
As for Eris herself, expecting a young girl to be able to immediately process this kind of tragedy when they themselves weren't able to was the epitome of unreasonableness.
Just as the situation seemed to be spiraling into a well of depression, a cold, almost accusatory voice cut through the stillness, "Is this the extent of your determination, little girl? Is this all your courage amounts to?"
Four pairs of eyes turned towards the newcomer, who had at some point arrived by Eris' bedside.
Despite the questioning gazes on three of the faces staring at her, Celestina Balfour's entire attention was solely focused on her newly-met great granddaughter lying before her as she asked pointedly, "Are you going to let a small setback like this stop you from pursuing your dreams? Where did all the bravery you showed when you ran out to fight that beast go, did it disappear along with your arm?"
"M-Matriarch…" Sasha began to speak out, wanting to object to the harsh words being delivered to her wounded daughter, but Celestina silenced her with a sharp glare. Although the latter said nothing aloud, her meaning was clear, keep silent and let her handle this.
Turning her gaze back to her little descendant, Celestina leaned in, intentionally pressuring the young Eris as she questioned, "Are you going to hide away and let yourself grow weak? Life is filled with adversity; what if next, it's your mother's life at stake? What if tomorrow, it's your father who faces mortal danger? What if a deadly beast attacks your little brother again? Are you going to just shrink back and watch them die?"
Eris didn't recognize this woman who looked somewhat like her mother, especially her long fiery red hair, but she didn't really care who she was.
To the first question she was asked, Eris only made the slightest of responses, turning to see who was talking but not really thinking much about how to answer.
As for the second and third questions, Eris felt both helpless and even a bit resentful. What was she supposed to do now that she had lost her dominant hand?
What dreams?
What future?
Wasn't she allowed to be depressed?
Wasn't she allowed to feel sad?
Who was this strange woman to accuse her of being cowardly?
Had she not done enough to prove herself already?
Although being talked down to like this was a little annoying; right now, Eris couldn't even muster the will to defend herself.
Right now, all Eris wanted was to be left alone; however, when the strange woman asked if she would abandon her family to their deaths because she was too afraid to act, the horrible vision of Lucas lying dead in a pool of his own blood flashed through Eris' head again and shook her out of her stupor.
Clenching her one remaining fist tight, life returned to Eris' eyes as she glared up at the hateful woman in front of her, grit her teeth, and spat with all the force she could muster, "Never! I won't ever abandon my family!"
"Hmph! Anyone can spout cheap words from the safety of their bed! Actions are what truly separate the weak from the strong!" Celestina snapped back in a harsh tone as she released her aura and challenged, "Eris Newton! If you're not just talk, then stand up and prove yourself!"
…..
Lucas was completely on edge, uncertain what he should be doing right now. His heart was telling him to jump out and interfere, to beg his new Master to not be so harsh to his precious big sister, but his head was telling him something very different.
The young boy had seen Eris rapidly sink into herself, a sight which was incredibly hard for him to bear, but he had no idea how to pull her out of that miserable state.
In the end, Lucas remained paralyzed, unable to offer words of comfort or encouragement.
The same was true for both Sasha and Charles.
It was Celestina alone who stepped forward with a completely different approach; taunting, provoking, and even challenging the young girl.
Although Lucas was confused and even a little angry at first, he quickly realized what his Master was trying to do.
Instead of slowly and gently trying to heal Eris's emotional wounds, Celestina was trying to directly enrage the young girl. By shoving the cold, harsh reality of Eris' situation in her face, Celestina aimed to stimulate the basic survival instincts buried deep in her subconscious to resist, giving her great granddaughter the strength to pick herself up.
In Lucas' opinion, this was an incredibly risky gambit.
If his big sister couldn't overcome this test, it might break her completely, to the point she would never be able to recover.
Mental scars and emotional traumas were always more difficult to deal with than physical wounds, as what worked for one person in one situation, may not work for another, even if the circumstances were practically identical.
The young boy wasn't the only one who had figured out what was happening, as both Sasha and Charles also held their tongues despite their reservations.
However, that was only the case up until Celestina actually began releasing her Cultivation Aura and physically pressuring Eris while simultaneously demanding the injured girl get to her feet and stand before her.
Of course, Celestina didn't fully release her aura, as that would have made it completely impossible for Eris to even move, let alone stand up. However, even 5% of the aura pressure of a Compete High-Rank Adept would feel like a mountain pressing down on a mere Sixth Step Body Tempering child.
When the two parents saw their injured daughter essentially being tortured, they finally couldn't hold back any longer and moved to shield her, but just as they were about to step forward, a small pair of hands grabbed their wrists and held them in place.
Lucas had barely begun cultivating, and in terms of raw physical strength, he was totally incapable of actually restraining two determined adults; but in that instant, his grip felt like a vice to Sasha and Charles, temporarily stunning them into not moving.
Coming to their senses a moment later, the pair suddenly felt their anger boiling up and turned harsh glares towards Lucas for the first time ever, but upon seeing the young boy biting down on his lip hard enough to draw blood, his small body trembling as he stood there staring at their daughter fixedly, Sasha and Charles felt their heads cooling rapidly.
Suddenly, there was a loud *thunk*, drawing Charles and Sasha's attention away from Lucas and towards the source of the sound.
What they saw, though, only reinforced their desire to stop this madness.
On the floor, next to the straw bed, Eris had collapsed to her knees and was barely holding herself up with just her left arm.
Sasha and Charles tried to intervene again, but before they could, Lucas gripped them tighter and muttered, "Her eyes..."
Frowning, Sasha and Charles shifted their gazes to their daughter's face and were taken aback.
Eris' breathing was laboured, and it was clear she was in pain, but unlike just a moment ago, there was fire in her eyes, and it was growing hotter by the moment.
On Eris' face, Sasha and Charles now clearly saw a fierce grit and determination that seemed quite out of place for such a young girl.
No one knew Eris better than her parents did, that was a simple truth, but because they loved her so much, they were also somewhat blind to what she was really capable of. To them, their daughter would always be a whimsical child who they had to shelter from harm and hardship.
Sasha and Charles couldn't really be blamed for this; protecting one's child was what any good parent should do. However, in the cruel world they lived, one never knew when calamity would strike, and how one responded to such trials would determine if they could rise up, or whether they would fall forever.
For most people, when they were faced with an overwhelming challenge, they would buckle under the weight, but there were also those who when beaten down only fought harder to get back up; now, it was painfully obvious that Eris was the latter.
Seeing their daughter struggling so hard, refusing to give up despite her terrible condition, Sasha and Charles realized that stopping her now would only be doing her more harm. It broke their hearts to helplessly stand by and watch, but ultimately, they knew this was a tribulation that Eris had to overcome on her own.