"Interesting?"
The merchant repeated it — with a look that said he wasn't quite sure he'd heard correctly.
Clad turned toward Master Aldous with a sharp look.
"Master — this child's life is on the line."
The merchant didn't hesitate.
"John — heal him."
"Yes, My Lord." John said — and stepped forward.
Then —
"Stop."
Master Aldous's voice was calm. But there was a weight in it that stopped feet before the mind could catch up.
John stopped.
Everyone stopped.
"Listen to me first."
---
Silence fell over the room.
Only the boy's sounds remained — the whimpering, the short broken breaths, the quiet noises of pain that simply wouldn't stop.
Master Aldous spoke slowly.
"This boy is regenerating on his own. If he is healed right now —" he paused, "— you all know the difference between regeneration and healing. Outside magic introduced at this stage will only make his condition worse."
The room stayed quiet.
Then a smile crept onto the old man's face — the kind that hid itself inside a white beard and didn't announce itself.
"Don't misunderstand me."
He said.
"But this is a very... interesting situation."
---
"Interesting how, Master?"
Clad said it carefully — steadying himself, eyes still on the boy.
"This child is using an ability without having awakened."
"We already know that." Clad said, the moment the sentence ended.
"Yes." Master Aldous said. "You're all smart enough for that much. But that's not the point."
Jorald and the merchant looked at each other.
"What do you mean?" the merchant asked.
---
Master Aldous stroked his beard slowly and sat down on the edge of the bed — eyes studying the boy carefully.
"Somehow — this child has taken on a separate ability. But the reason for it..."
He stopped.
Silence.
"What reason, Master?" the merchant asked.
The same man who, just moments ago, had filled this room with the quiet weight of his authority — was now leaning forward like a curious student, hanging onto every word.
---
Master Aldous took a long breath.
"Someone pushed this child's body beyond its limit." He said. "Meaning — someone broke him so badly, injured him so completely — that his body began regenerating on its own just to survive."
A pause.
"But isn't that what awakening is?"
The merchant said.
"Yes, yes — I understand what you mean." Master Aldous said. "But this is not his awakened ability."
---
"How is that possible?"
Jorald said it — and there was genuine confusion in his voice.
"The ability a person awakens on their own — that is their talent. That is the rule."
"That is exactly what I cannot make sense of."
Master Aldous said.
"What do you mean, Master?"
The merchant leaned forward slightly, watching him carefully.
---
Their conversation had long since left everyone else behind.
The servants understood none of it. Neither did Leo.
Arthur stood in the corner — quiet, listening carefully. Leo beside him.
Master Aldous glanced around the room.
"Don't just stand there. Sit down."
Jorald and the merchant sat.
Arthur stayed in his corner — just shifted his back against the wall. Leo beside him.John silently took a step back, standing respectfully to the side like an obedient disciple. Clad remained where he was — close to the boy.
---
"You all know how an awakened ability is used — whether it's elemental type or physical type."
Jorald said —
"Through the energy field."
"Correct. But I'm not asking where the energy comes from — I'm asking how it moves."
Clad said —
"We channel energy through the heart and veins — building a path for it."
"Exactly."
Master Aldous said.
"But this boy's veins have been destroyed. The flow of energy through normal channels is nearly impossible for him."
A pause.
"And yet — he is using energy without veins."
He let that sit for a moment.
"And his body's parts — they are returning to their proper place on their own. As if his body already knows what it's supposed to look like. As if it's simply... returning to its original state."
He went quiet for a moment — thinking.
"That is why we cannot call this a normal ability. This is something else entirely."
A beat of silence.
"How it activated — or what is truly behind it — that cannot be answered without first knowing who this child is."
---
Then —
The boy's whimpering began to fade.
Slowly. Gradually.
His breathing — which had been short and broken until now — grew slightly deeper. More settled.
The pain was still there. A quiet, low sound still escaped him every few seconds.
But —
His eyes were open.
---
**[Chapter 9 — End]**