On Mona's next morning, he goes to Eric's doctor for a clue to his illness, but fails to find one. Mona meets eventually with Reithar, learning of the latter's difficulty in learning pills. Mona urges him on to keep trying. He also meets with Mithal, finding him having joy in finishing his craft as a formation dealer, similar to his brother.

With the sun rising again into the sky, Mon placed his finest brush to the side, admiring his work of art. Although it took him all night to complete it, his portrait of his family was finally complete.

In the picture all four of them were dressed in Leafwinder noble attire, and stood side by side in front of the Eshwin manor. Although this scene had never happened, Mona felt it truly did in reality.

Placing the painting to lean against the patio walls, Mona cleared his workstation. Waves of sunlight cast his shadow on the patio as he recalled what ailed him last night. Mona rubbed his eyes, a tinge of fatigue in his gaze. He hadn't slept for several days, and the ability of Aura to hide his sleepiness was beginning to fade away.

I need to go to the Doctor's Den. Mona replaced his things inside of his satchel before slinging it on his shoulder. Tidying his clothing, he took careful notice to keep the Faulkner insignia present on his clothing. After all, he was the third-in-command to Eric Faulkner, and ensuring the insignia was visible as his subordinate was customary.

Walking into the main courtyard of the manor, Mona exchanged pleasantries with various servants on his way. The scent of Scorched Sunshine filled his nose, sweet and quiet. His pace was steady as Mona walked closer to the Doctor's Den.

Standing in front of the building, Mona felt the building was in need of repairs. The sign itself needed to be rewritten, and several parts of the building had bite marks of Beasts both small and large, deep and shallow. The door was missing a corner, presumably eaten by a hungry animal at one point.

Straightening his clothing again, Mona knocked twice on the wooden door, before speaking slightly louder.

"Hello, is the doctor present?" Mona rapped on the door a few more times, waiting for a reply.

From inside, Mona could hear the shuffling of feet before the front door opened. Standing in front of him was a servant of Eric's. His clothing had a few stains that were difficult to tell, and his eyes had a bit of tiredness as well. Upon seeing Mona, the servant corrected his posture before speaking with respect in his voice.

"Sir Mona, welcome. I'll tell the Doctor of your arrival. Please, follow me." The servant smiled before opening another door, guiding Mona to come with him.

As Mona walked inside the building, he took notice of various scratches and claw marks strewn on the floor and walls. The place may have seemed sanitary, but a bitter odor filled the place. The servant guided Mona through a rather large room where about sixteen beds laid. On a few of these beds were servants and guards, a few sleeping and the others taking notice of Mona while dealing with their injuries and illnesses.

Through another door and down a short hallway, the servant opened the door to the doctor's office, allowing Mona to enter. Mona looked around to find the doctor's tools strewn about several large tables, some used for animals and others for human beings. As for the doctor himself, he wasn't present.

The servant guided Mona to a seat, before going through another door, shutting it behind him. Every door had a small window, so Mona was able to see as the doctor was annoyed by the servant for a few minutes. The doctor finally came into his office, sitting behind his desk as he faced Mona.

"Sir Mona, welcome to my office. I am Doctor Ramsuel. I am the head doctor of this manor, as well as the head Beast specialist, a Warrior ranked one at that."

"Please tell me, Sir Mona. What is the cause for your arrival?" The doctor maintained a pleasant voice as he looked at Mona. Mona took notice of the doctor's grey eyes, which seemed to complement his clothing quite well. The doctor seemed clean and a bit stout, and beyond the stains on his attire he could even seemed calm.

Just when Mona was about to speak, a short scream came from the room the servant had entered. It was the voice of the servant's and was followed by the pained cries of a Beast. From the small window Mona could see sharp scales fly across, issuing a cry of anger from the servant. The doctor took note of this, awkwardly chuckling.

"My assistant Eldrick is dealing with the Shrapnel Lizard I was just attending to. It has the ability to attack using its scales, each of them tipped with poison. Luckily to humans the poison is more of an aphrodisiac than able to cause harm." The doctor spoke carefully, turning back to Mona.

"You were about to speak." The doctor waited for an answer.

"I've been having feelings of weakness throughout my body. I was hoping you could check with Medical Arts." Mona spoke promptly, standing up from his seat.

"Alright, I'll check. Just give me a minute." The doctor rose as well, making his way beside Mona. Ramsuel began to channel his Medical Art, a light red Aura extruded from his body. The doctor guided this red Aura with his Art into Mona's body.

Mona could feel as the doctor's Art scanned his body, thin layers of light red Aura reaching every corner of his flesh. It was a strange feeling, to know you were being scanned with Aura yet unable to tell the difference.

The doctor Ramsuel furrowed his brow before retracting his Aura. He looked to Mona with a bit of curiosity.

"When did these feelings of weakness begin?" The doctor asked.

"They began a few weeks ago, before I was a subordinate of Eric."

"And what are these feelings of weakness like?"

"Sensations of fatigue that originate from my Aura Core."

"Aura Core? Why would an illness originate from there? I didn't find anything there." The doctor scratched his head. He didn't know what to think. An illness that comes from the Aura Core.

"Last night, the feeling was more severe. I coughed up blood, and felt paralyzed at the same time. Only with Aura did I heal myself of my internal and external wounds. I had just ascended to an Aura Mortal Level 9, and then it happened." Mona explained further, desiring an answer.

"An illness that becomes apparent after reaching higher levels of Aura, that causes paralysis, organ damage, and more problems yet fades away with Aura." Ramsuel died. He couldn't recall anything that could fit the description he was given.

"Alright, Sir Mona, I don't know. I used my Medical Arts to scan your body but found nothing wrong. Your illness seems strange, and either its undetectable for me or my skills are not enough." The doctor gave his best answer to Mona. He began to contemplate while looking through a few books he had strewn around.

"I know there is a doctor in Morosbo, and her skills far outmatch mine. I'm certain that she, Madame Nightshade, knows the cause of your ailment. Sadly I lack the skills and ability to give you a cause, Sir Mona." The doctor closed all of his books after finding nothing of use in them. His voice carried a trace of pity for Mona.

"Thank you again, Doctor Ramsuel. I hope to see you again." Mona made his way for the door of the office, ready to leave.

"Be sure to attempt using crushed Scorched Sunshine petals to help your Shrapnel Lizard. I think it will prove to be useful." Ramsuel heard the last few words of Mona just before the door shut. A trace of astonishment crossed his mind as he thought. Of course! The leaves would be perfect!

"How did he know that the lizard was molting and was experiencing pain from the process?" The doctor recalled the youth that had just stood in front of him, aloof yet knowledgeable. He pulled a jar from his shelf, the one filled with grounded Scorched Sunshine petals, and returned to the servant. After a few hisses, the lizard calmed down, apparently calmed by the bits of Scorched Sunshine resting on its wounds.

Mona made his way to the central courtyard, sitting on the table that stood there. He looked into the distance, contemplating a course of action. He watched as servants went to and fro the various pathways. I need to find the doctor in Morosbo. Until then, perhaps I should avoid training in Aura until then.

A thought swiftly entered Mona's mind. "I haven't visited Mithal, Aeron, and Reithar since our arrival. I should go check on them." His face improved, now revealing a smile as he asked a servant to guide him to his friends.

Mona reached his destination, thanking the servant for her aid. He looked at the rows of houses, built with a trace of elegance and with landscaping in mind. He stood what was called the Houses of Patronage, homes that held up to three persons who received Eric Faulkner as their patron. The corner of each house had a Wintry Tree which provided shade to those walking the paths. There were about 9 houses, each matching the next. They were arranged in threes, and felt welcoming.

Mona made his way to the 7th house, rapping on the front door. The two windows had curtains and he wasn't able to see inside. The sunlight graced his neck, his shadow cast on the doorway.

The door quickly opened after a pair of familiar voices came from the opposite side. In front of him stood Aeron Varlier, whose other hand held a Pyre Bun largely consumed. Aeron looked at Mona with a bit of shock before speaking.

"Weshum two owur herm, Mona!" Aeron finished his chewing, gulping before saying Mona's name. Mona felt an urge to laugh but held it in.

Upon entry, Aeron guided Mona through the hallway, entering into the living room. Furniture was pushed off to the side, with Mithal kneeling on the floor. Parchment covered most of the area, with various shapes built into one another.

"Mona, you're here." Mithal rose from his place, looking at Mona. Mithal spoke with a slight seriousness as before, his hand holding a stone.

"Making Formations?" Mona spoke, looking at the pages. When he entered the room, he had noticed a few books strewn with similar signs near Mithal.

"Yes. I am trying to make the most basic of Formations, the Primary Formation. The problem I had was making perfect circles as well as positioning the Runes properly. Also my bedroom isn't large enough for making Formations, so I had to come here." Mithal traced a Formation he had just created on the page. He lifted a fresh scroll of parchment, laying it out beside him.

"This stone is what is used for making Formations, named a Stone of Form. It has some properties that allow it to make magical Formations." Mithal showed the rock in front of Mona, revealing the sparkling appearance it had. It seemed like the night sky, enigmatic yet corporeal.

"The Primary Formation can boost the training of Aura. This one I made gives a bonus of 20%." Mithal held up one of the sheets of parchment, the whole Formation made up of 3 rings, one placed in the center of the next. It gave off a slight glow inside of the room, with four Runes positioned at the top, bottom, left and right of the first circle.

"You can tell if the Formation will work if it glows. Sadly my materials are of the Mortal rank and my rate of success so far are 1 out of 10 attempts. I can't say why, but every time I try to start another the same day I faint. The doctor doesn't know why either." Mithal sighed. If he could find the cause, it could speed up his learning process. But sadly the local doctor wasn't skilled enough.

"Aeron, you should take Mona to Reithar. I'm sure Reithar would like that." Mithal finished speaking then returned to a book beside him. It had a green tinge on its black exterior.

"Mona, follow me." Aeron helped Mona make his way through the living room to another hall.

"Aeron, how is cooking coming along? Weren't you practicing in Cooking?" Mona asked Aeron, only for the stout fellow to stop and turn around, a large grin plastered on his face.

"Mona, I am a skilled cook. I can cook anything, make anything, and all of it is delicious."

"In fact, young master Faulkner wants me to cook the meals for the guests, staff, anyone present in the manor for an entire year. I am extremely skilled, I assure you." Aeron revealed his knife, throwing it up and catching it from the air. His words carried his blunt narcissism to his ears.

"So what is your skill in cooking then? Surely you have a rank, cook Varlier." Mona spoke, a smile on his face after hearing Aeron speak. He's the same Aeron, alright.

"I, the head chef of this manor of Morosbo, am an unbelievably amazing chef with a Warrior rank in Cooking Arts. How about that?" Aeron seemed to be very happy for himself, shouting his words in the hallway.

"Truly amazing. You have to cook for me sometime." Mona played along, inwardly chuckling inside of his heart. He truly missed Aeron's character for these few weeks. I wonder if he remembers the food sharing in Darkthorn.

Darkthorn Prison seemed so distant to Mona, but the memory of his time there was still present in his mind. Although he wasn't tortured and largely faced starvation, the time he spent there was not the best. He had also learned that prisoners that only had to deal with food limitations were among the more luckier prisoners; others had to face immediate death and disease in other prison camps.

While reminiscing about the past, Mona smelled the scent of medicinal plants from the hallway. As Aeron and Mona made their way closer to the door, the smell of Scorched Sunshine and Evergrowing Flowers became more vivid.

Upon entering through the door, Mona and Aeron gazed at Reithar, whose face carried a confused expression. The entire room was filled with jars of various plants, each labelled with its name and its basic properties. Reithar stood at the other end of the room, a large cauldron in front of him.

A bead of sweat ran down Reithar's face, his eyes focused on the mixture within. A deep green liquid was spiraling inside of the cauldron, being urged by Reithar's Aura to move. Beside the cauldron was a platform, on which different portions of plants and beasts stood. Reithar didn't notice as Mona and Aeron entered, closing the door behind him.

His hand precise, Reithar picked up one of the Evergrowing Flowers, using his hand to pluck each orange petal and dropping it in the center of the mixture. The seven petals fell inside, each causing the liquid to produce bubbles that released a nauseating gas. Aeron held his nose, hiding behind Mona to avoid the smell.

Reithar's face became ugly as the liquid gradually disappeared, leaving behind a brown lump he picked up in his hand. The brown object was like an egg, and had various streaks of color across it. It gave off the toxic smell from before, but it seemed Reithar had gotten used to it, using his Aura to destroy the item.

"I tried it thirteen times to make the basic Aura Pill, but I still failed. What was it? Too much Aura? Speed? The ingredients?" Reithar made his way to a nearby desk, flipping through a book with thick pages while holding a Scorched Sunshine.

"I see, so it was because this is a mutated form." Reithar eyed a black line that ran down the stem of the Scorched Sunshine, his face a bit relieved but with disappointment in his eyes.

"Ahem. Pill Master." Aeron walked in front, grinning ear to ear as he looked to Reithar.

Reithar was about to speak before he noticed Mona, his complexion improving greatly. A thin smile on his face. "Mona, welcome."

"Reithar, I see you're making Pills." Mona smiled back, his voice carrying its signature aloofness.

"Don't talk about Pills. I've tried to make the same pill over and over, the beginner Aura Pill, but every time I use the Scorched Sunshine recipe it fails terribly." Reithar sighed as he griped about his problems.

"Maybe you should find a teacher, to help you grope these fruits of knowledge and understand their texture." Aeron spoke like a scholar, his lecherous air secretly hidden in his words. Although Mona didn't notice it, Reithar swiftly jabbed Aeron in the side for his vague meaning.

"Ow! Okay, I'll stop, I'll stop. Not everyone likes a chrysanthemum in full bloom." Reithar tried to attack Aeron once again, but the stout fellow spoke these lines while leaving through the doorway.

"What's wrong with the recipe? You mentioned Scorched Sunshine." Mona turned back to Reithar's pill cauldron, staring at the table of snipped flowers and herbs.

"Sigh. I tried making Pills Mona, but I failed so many times." Reithar began to recount his failures.

"The first four pills I attempted to make were due to Aura. I was stirring the mixture but because I either added too much or too little Aura to the cauldron, it would mess with the final product."

"The next three tries were not that better. I had managed to make the Aura properly work, but the time I spent on refining each ingredient in the cauldron was off. At one time I received a spherical pill which looked like the basic Aura pill but smelled horrendous."

To make a medicinal pill, one usually needed Sigils, various materials, and fine tuned control of one's Aura. For the basic pills, however, one only needed the required herbs and their cauldron to make a pill. When Reithar filled the cauldron with his Aura, it would refine one ingredient at a time, take different time for each one, and require careful attention to refine the ingredients then merge them all. The refining could not be off, otherwise the created pill would have unknown effects.

"The other six tries were incorrect because the cauldron either broke, the refined herb was incorrect, or the ingredients were merged in the wrong sequence." Reithar sighed again, his memory of the cauldron exploding filling his mind. It was a given with terrible quality came terrible pills.

"If I can make this basic Aura Pill, I could be considered a Mortal ranked Pill Master. But its very difficult. You have to make sure not only the herbs and other ingredients were grown properly and refine them, you also have to ensure when they coalesce the pill is free of impurities."

"My best pill was yellow, and smelled a bit strange. The basic Aura pill is supposed to be white as pure Aura, and give no scent. I don't know Mona. Maybe my skills aren't in pill concoction after all." Reithar rubbed his head, looking at the mutated Scorched Sunshine in his hand. He was growing sick of failing.

"Have you tried Sculpting yet?" Mona remembered that Reithar had some history with Sculpting, so he had given Reithar that option back in the Lion. If Reithar wasn't skilled enough in Pill Concoction, he could always try creating statues.

"About that. I asked a servant and they told me the nearest supply of marble, clay, and similar materials was from the other end of Alberdos. If I wanted some, I would have to wait at least a month, maybe two. I'm still waiting." Reithar placed the Scorched Sunshine variant down on the table, contemplating how did a variant appear in his batch of herbs.

"Reithar, you should keep trying to make a pill. After all, you just might succeed. Not even the average students of Pill Masters make a proper medicinal pill in 20 attempts." Mona patted Reithar on his back, explaining his view of things. Some things cannot be done without dedication. He has to understand that.

"Alright, alright, I'll try to stick to pills. It's better than waiting for the sculpting materials to arrive." Reithar agreed, looking towards Mona. "What do you do Mona?"

"Me? I've been Painting." Mona opened his satchel revealing one of his brushes and a jar of paint. Reithar could see a tinge of happiness in Mona's eyes as his friend revealed the two items.

"So far, I have painted about seven paintings. I don't have them with me, they're back in my room." Mona packed his things, waiting for Reithar to speak.

"Show me a Painting one of these days, okay? I want to see your artwork. It's been a while after all." Reithar smiled, guiding Mona to a nearby seat. He revealed two cups and a jug, pouring tea into the two before giving one to Mona.

Mona sipped the tea, and shock appeared on his face. The mellow yet profound taste was familiar to him. Facing Reithar, he spoke after completing his drink. "Rosalin tea? How did you get it?"

"Sir Athon knows someone who had the recipe, so I easily made it." Reithar took a long drink, finishing his amount in two gulps.

"What is your cultivation now Reithar? And the Varlier brothers?" Mona looked to Reithar, setting his cup on the small table between them. He looked to Reithar, his tone serious and a bit distant.

"Aeron and I are at the peak of the Aura Mortal rank. With a bit of time, both of us should become an Aura Warrior like Mithal."

"Mithal is an Aura Warrior?" Mona was a bit surprised. He knew that all of them were training in the Primal Fold Technique, but Mithal's speed was still astonishing.

"Yep. He became an Aura Warrior level 1 just a few days ago. What about you?" Reithar poured himself another cup after Mona gestured he didn't want any more.

Mona remained silent. He thought about becoming an Aura Mortal level 9 and his health concerns afterwards. "I just became an Aura Mortal Level 9 as well." Mona spoke again, his voice slightly quieter than before.

"Mona, what's wrong? Aren't you supposed to reach a higher level after cultivating?" Reithar took another sip of his Rosalin tea, before setting his cup down. He looked to Mona with worry, having noticed the slight change in Mona's words.

"On the day of my breakthrough, I began to faint. I became paralyzed and I bled inside my body and through my skin. For hours I couldn't move, my body to weak to even raise my limbs. Only through Aura did I eventually heal." Mona spoke, his words given full attention by Reithar.

"Did you talk with the doctor of the manor?"

"He didn't find a cause, Reithar. I just came from there." Mona shook his head. First he had the Mortal Curse and now he had this illness that induced fatigue in his body after reaching the next level in Aura manipulation. He wanted a cure, but didn't know if the Madrag Continent would have it now.

"I've decided that I wouldn't attempt to advance to an Aura Mortal level 10 until I find the reason it occurs. I learned there is a doctor in Morosbo, and will look for her there." Mona wasn't sure if anyone could find the cause of his problems, but had decided that letting another doctor try wouldn't hurt.

Reithar agreed with Mona's decision. The faster he finds a cure, the safer he can be. Reithar thought back to the frail Mona Aurum, comparing him to the current Mona in front of him. Both were the same person, but Mona was much more confident and skilled. He didn't want to see his childhood friend revert to a life of sickness.

Mona greeted Reithar goodbye, preparing to leave. Just before he was going to leave the whole house, Aeron came running at him with a pot in hand. Aeron's eyes were full of a cook's flair as he blocked Mona's passage.

"You have to try my stew. Trust me!" Aeron was just about to lift the lid before Mithal appeared.

"Aeron, no one likes your Super Stew. It's terrible. Stop trying to feed it to everyone!" Mithal had a heavy expression as he talked to his brother. Aeron was much more problematic than their times in Darkthorn Prison.

"Brother, it wouldn't hurt to have another opinion. Mona, here!" Aeron opened the pot lid, scooping out a bit of the stew into a bowl. He gave the bowl to Mona with a spoon, Mithal's face full of disapproval.

"Mona, don't drink it. When Aeron tasted it himself, he vomited the chunks all over my Formations." Mithal's brow furrowed with anger as he remembered using the Stone of Form to make four Formations that his brother had tainted with his regurgitated stew.

"It wasn't the stew! I won the Pyre Bun Marathon that day among the servants. You know that!" Aeron seemed to be hurt, his face showing how he felt about his brother's words.

Mona looked at the stew contents, seeing a few odd objects floating within. Inside was what seemed like the Pyre Bun filling, along with a few plants. The whole stew was a pale purple color, likely caused by a different ingredient. Mona lifted something from the stew with his spoon, finding a piece of meat among vegetables.

Aeron and Mithal watched as Mona cautiously took in the mouthful. The abnormal taste bounced inside his mouth. It was strange, bitter and coarse yet smooth and sweet. Swallowing it down, Mona felt an urge to vomit, but fought against it.

"Was it good?" Aeron looked at Mona with expectation. It has to be good. He's the first person to swallow a whole spoon.

"It's ok." Mona quickly spoke those words, making his way out the house. Behind him, Mithal and Aeron were arguing over the Super Stew made with Pyre Bun filling. Aeron was being warned to not feed the servants the stew, whereas Aeron was determined to do so.

Looking into the night sky, Mona thought back to painting, wondering what to make the subject of his next piece. Although the world had great beauty, there wasn't much around Mona he could call beautiful.

I'll draw a Paintbrush. A bizzare thought came up in Mona's mind. He did not know what was the cause of it, but chose to make one. Seeing the moon in the sky, he found the perfect color.

"I'll make it the color of the moon against the darkness of space. Around it will be the stars of the night sky, adding to the scene's divine beauty." Somewhere deep inside Mona he felt this painting would be his best so far.

And I, the Painter, to create a lifetime. A lifetime of memories in my paintings. Mona agreed with this statement, his footsteps headed for his patio to create a piece more meaningful than he currently knew.