Ivan wheeled Eros around the hospital while Lucerio followed from a distance, noting every window, door, and staircase that could be used as an exit.
He's certainly a cautious one...
Eros tried to move his arm to scratch his itchy nose, it had been bothering him for the past 5 minutes. Much to his annoyance, he was still unable to move his arms or legs. It took extreme effort just to tilt his head side to side.
Apparently, Eros' body had been exposed to an insane amount of neurotoxins found in the Shadow Worms' vomit he had been touching, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. The doctors took numerous samples of his blood and conducted test after test on his body, concluding that this was primarily how Shadow Worms subdued stronger enemies.
"Medically speaking, we're not able to do anything for you. It'd be a miracle if you could ever move your arms again, much less walk again..." The head doctor explained, scratching behind his head as he read from the report on his clipboard.
Maybe this is what I deserve. Maybe I should have just died that day...
It had been several weeks since Eros arrived at this hospital, which Ivan would later explain was actually a facility outside of the Holy Astrean Empire sponsored by the Astral Artists Association.
Everyday, Ivan would visit and bring him food from the outside world, actual food and not just pills with enough nutrients to let Eros barely live. The first food Eros ever tried was a cheeseburger, Ivan had to cut it into several smaller pieces and used a fork to feed him. It was an explosion of flavours all at once, it was salty, slightly smoky, creamy, and fresh all at once, overwhelming Eros' taste buds. The tender texture of the beef, the gooey cheese, the combined sauces of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise blended well to create a rich and savory bite, making Eros wish he was able to move his arms so that he could hold the cheeseburger himself. Tears streamed down his face with every bite.
Lucerio never left the hospital, he was always standing in the dark corners of Eros' hospital room, silently watching him lay there. No matter how many times Eros tried to start a conversation with him, the masked boy refused to utter a word to him.
The silence is unnerving. Does he even sleep?
Besides the fact that Eros was paralyzed, his body looked better than when he actually was able to walk. The colour returned to his skin, the sunlight warmed his soul, and he could actually see muscles rather than bones for once.
Everyday during their morning walks outside, Ivan would spin Eros around until he puked.
"Come on kid, you want this to stop? Use those arms of yours to swat mines away!"
Everyday Eros would try to move his arms to no avail, only frustrating him more and more. He strained himself until it felt like his eyes would pop and he had a terrible migraine, his mind as dizzy as the spinning world.
Today, Ivan was quiet. Usually, he would ramble on about some new food spot he wanted Eros to try or about some ongoing event in the world. Despite his constant asking, Ivan never told Eros what happened to Elise. He could only assume that she was dead.
Knowing Velvo, death would be mercy. She's probably alive wishing she was dead. No matter how tough she's always tried to act, deep down she's sensitive.
Eros pushed away the thought of Elise being tortured, not because he was giving her the benefit of the doubt but because he couldn't handle the reality of it being true. He couldn't handle knowing his little sister was being harmed on a daily basis while all he had been doing was eating food in a hospital bed everyday.
Why had that soldier saved him? Why not Elise? She was more strong-willed than Eros, smarter than Eros, and by far more deserving to be eating delicacies everyday than Eros.
Ivan wheeled Eros out to the park in front of the hospital, Lucerio leaned against a nearby tree with one foot against it and his arms crossed. There were children playing around the park, laughing as they swung on the swings and slid down the slides. The sun was rising in the horizon, painting a beautiful orange sky.
"It's so beautiful... I never saw anything like this in the mines." Eros muttered.
Ivan flipped his wheelchair, dumping Eros onto the dirt face first. He spat the dirt out of his mouth, turning his head to look at Ivan as Lucerio continued to silently observe. His body was sprawled out like the chalk outline you'd find in a crime scene.
"What the hell is your problem!?"
"I've given you weeks and you still haven't been able to move a single muscle."
"You heard the doctors! I'd be lucky to even move my arms!"
"I don't care what the doctors said. They're doctors, not artists. Their minds revolve around the logic of reality, not the absurdities of fantasy like us. They can't see what I see and I'm starting to doubt whether you even see what I see..."
"See what!? Can't you SEE that I can move my arms or legs! I'm broken and there's nothing that's going to fix me!"
"If that's what you think, then you've wasted weeks of my life. You're nothing more than a worm, the dirt is where you belong..."
"WHAT!?" Eros gritted his teeth at him, his eyes burned with rage hotter than Sepheros' flames.
"There it is, there's the passion..." Ivan smirked, taking off his sunglasses and kneeling down to talk to Eros. "There's still some fire left in this dragon after all."
"What do you mean?"
"That anger inside of you, it was the same anger you had against Velvo. That's what I need from you, or else this entire program will fail."
"What program? And what good is anger if I can't even move?"
"I told you weeks ago, you're going to become an Astral Artist."
"And how am I supposed to do that in this body?"
"Like this. Pay close attention." Ivan grinned once more, lifting Eros wheelchair above his head with one finger. The wheelchair stayed balanced on his finger, defying gravity. "Neat trick, huh? This is what we artists call Astral Aura."
"I don't understand…"
"Don't worry soon enough, you will. For now, think of it as an extension of your soul, giving it shape and power. All I'm concerned about right now is whether or not you can see what I see."
"What am I supposed to see?"
"Focus your eyes. I mean, really focus."
Eros squinted his eyes, straining his mind to focus on Ivan until veins began to bulge on his forehead.
"I don't see what you…" Eros saw it. There was a faint glow around his body, similar to the depictions of people in Sepheros' palace.
So they were depictions of Astral Artists this entire time? That explains how he'd be able to set me on fire at will, I guess.
"There's a faint green glow around your body. It mostly bulges at your finger…"
"Good you saw it. What about now?"
The faint green aura expanded around his body, becoming easier to see. It now matched the bulge of aura around his finger.
"It became more visible."
"Good. That is what we call Astral Aura. It's essentially the life essence of your soul brought forth and given a form by your will. Now I want you to try it…"
"I don't know how to…"
"Use that rage I saw in your eyes earlier, give it a shape in your mind and your soul will externalize it."
Eros closed his eyes and envisioned his aura surrounding him like a flame, much like the one Sepheros had used to teleport him back to the settlement.
"Well I'll be damned, I knew you were special but this…"
Eros opened his eyes, the aura surrounding him was purple and shaped like a giant flame. It was taller than the trees, the tip of the flame emitted a smoky aura that flew away into the sky. Ivan's aura was but a candle light compared to the growing wildfire surround Eros' body.
"Have I always been able to do this?"
"Usually no, but considering the extent of your aura, you have probably been able to do it since birth. You likely just needed someone to show you how to."
"Now move your arms."
"I-I can't…" Eros tried to move his arms but he could not move it despite how much he strained. After a few minutes of straining, he gave up and laid his head face down in the dirt, trying to bury it out of embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I can't do it…"
"Well, that's a shame…" Ivan wrapped his finger around the wheelchair, crumpling it by rolling it around like a roll of toilet paper. "If you want to go back to your hospital bed, you're going to have to crawl your way back. Or else I'm leaving you here with the rest of the worms."
"It's not going to work, what you're trying to do. I've tried my hardest and I still can't move my arms…"
"Lucerio, let's go home. This was a waste our time…" Ivan sighed, putting back on his sunglasses and turning his back to Eros. He began to walk away but suddenly stopped, his back still facing Eros. "You know, the Volarion family has only 5 known royal members right now. That Palaxe, he sure does keep a lot of lovers, who knows how many children he's fathered over the years. But his official children are Jupiter Volarion, who was his oldest and is now deceased, Stella Volarion, his only daughter and currently the oldest child he has, Velvo Volarion, his current sole heir and third child, and then there's little Lucius Volarion, he's about half your age and is yet to inherit to evil of his family…"
"Why are you telling me this? What am I going to do with this info when I can't even crawl…"
"I was just wondering which of them will be the ones to kill Elise, my money is on that crazy bastard Velvo… But oh well, I'll be off now."
ELISE! SHE'S ALIVE!
Before Ivan could take another step, Eros' hand tightly gripped his left ankle.
"Wait…" Eros' jaw tightened, his eyes locked forward. The burning hatred in his eyes had returned once more, much brighter than the rising sun. "I'll save her before that happens. Make me an Astral Artist…"
"Well then…" Ivan tilted his head slightly to side eye Eros through his sunglasses. He grinned deviously. "I guess there's only one path forward from this point on."