1.4

It’s magic

After the nice hot bath, Hiro was treated with a meal made by Caron. All of them were fish dishes asides from one, white rice. That final inclusion was certainly curious and the mystery only deepened as the young man takes a bite. This rice tasted just like home, and by that he meant Japan.

He kept on eating and eating, these were the most delicious food he had eaten in a long time. Caron must have mixed some of her herbs in as well seeing that every bite was just revitalising.

Next to him was Owain who also dedicated to his eating and not Hiro for once. His fiancé cooking was simply unbeatable, she was just normally too busy with her duty to cook. And so, it was normally him who has to prepare and his skill… still had a long way to go. Deep down inside, he thanked the stranger for this treat.

Caron was also delighted, everyone would love to see people enjoying their work this much. She was the one to prepare and fed the stranger while he was unconscious. But it had been too long since she last cooked and so the woman was worried if he had enjoyed them. Of course, Hiro was never awake to comment on that. Now, seeing the two men eating like this was reassuring.

But then there was the masked woman, just sitting there. The healer was worried, that person hadn’t eaten anything this past few days nor did she ever lie down to rest. That woman didn’t seem to perform any sort of bodily function either and yet blood still coursed through her vein. She still felt just like a normal human being. Truly a mystery. Caron had written a report for the Capital but the lines were still delayed. Her child bearing permit paper hadn’t been sent either and the wedding was coming soon, so worrying.

Caron noticed the stranger staring at her with concerned look. She hadn’t touched any of the food yet. The woman had had a hunch that he was a nice person and it seems like she was right. Meanwhile, her other half was still sticking his face into the dish. He could be too focused sometimes, but oh well, that was why she liked him after all.

The meal was interrupted by a knock on the door. One of the worker got his leg crushed by a fallen tree.

Hiro had a hunch and it was right, Caron was a doctor of sort. The young man could see two other man carrying their friend into the living room. He decided to take a look and immediately regretted it.

Momo-chan: [What a ghastly wound]

Momo-chan said with great disgust. The young man leg was crushed halfway, his bones smashed into pieces and there were still barks sticking into his flesh. He was howling in pain and yet there was such a peaceful look on the injured man face. The others were also relaxed as if the young man lying there meant nothing to them.

Momo-chan: [These people are so uncaring!]

Hiro: {What do you mean?}

Momo-chan: [Look at them, in front of them is such a severe wound and yet they don’t even care!]

Hiro: {Then what about the patient himself, he doesn’t look that worried}

Momo-chan: [That…]

Hiro: {I think they just have great faith in Caron skill}

That was certainly true. The healer gave her patient an injection which seems to numb the pain. The injured man breathed a sigh of relief and started talking to his friends. They were even joking around. This was too calming for someone who was about to have his leg amputated, Hiro thought.

What happens next was truly a sight to behold.

Caron tied a bandage below her elbow as hard as she could muster. Hiro could see the woman veins popping out and slowly they… started to glow.

Momo-chan: [What the!] Hiro: {What the!}

The young man couldn’t contain the surprise look on his face, yet no one noticed it. Taking a metal syringe with glass cylinder, Caron drew out a sample of her glowing blood, then she placed her hand on top of the poor man smashed leg. Hiro could see particles flying into the woman palm, dust. Soon came dirt and pieces of bark, all of them escaping from the wound, effectively cleaning it. The filths were then compressed into a ball and with just a flick of the hand, straight into the trash.

There was no sign of any sort of technology at play here. Was this truly…

Hiro: {Magic!} Momo-chan: [Magic!]

Caron was not done, of course, she placed her glowing hand on the wound once again. This time, it was blood and bone and flesh that started to fly up. Instead of into the woman palm, they slowly assumed the form of the smash part. The injured man looked excited, he wanted to see but was told to keep lying down. Everything was back in order, where they should be but they weren’t connected yet.

For that, the glowing blood was injected into the young man leg and voila. All the wounds healed at a rapid rate. Skins grafting back, bones once again became whole and flesh mended. With that, the injured man could stand again. He even did a small hop, excited like a child. Happy with his leg he thanked the healer and left.

Hiro was flabbergasted, he couldn’t muster a single word. Such an injury, gone without a trace. There wasn’t even any trace of blood on the floor.

Caron noticed the young man’s confusion. So, he wasn’t used to seeing this sort of healing. Her teacher once talked about the time before the medical revolution, even a cut could kill a man from blood poisoning. Maybe the stranger was from a backward place? The woman dismissed that notion, his clothes were too intricately made to be from such a place. Maybe they used another kind of method. As a healer, she of course wondered what it is.

Meanwhile, Owain was still at the table, stuffing his stomach full, oblivious of what just transpired in his very home.

___

Momo-chan: [That was absolutely heavenly]

Hiro: {Even after six years this is still the most delicious meal we ever have}

Momo-chan: [That’s… kind of depressing actually]

Despite the grisly scene the food was simply too attractive, one bite was all it took for Hiro’s appetite to return. Owain, meanwhile seemed to have transcended to another plane of existence. The young man ate an obscene amount, abnormal actually. ‘Do people here have magical digestion power or something’.

After some moments for the food to digest, Owain suggested taking Hiro out. To be more elaborate, the young man tried to convey this suggestion, but his erratic actions were absolutely undecipherable. Then Caron stepped in to explain in a few simple gestures.

Momo-chan: [Going out huh, I wouldn’t mind seeing this place]

Hiro: {Or maybe he will lead eat somewhere and have the white mask strapped to our face}

Momo-chan: [That isn’t funny]

Hiro: {Maybe not, but we still need to be careful}

Momo-chan: [YOU have to be careful, it seems like matter how hard I try, taking control of this body is impossible]

Hiro: {Oh, so you did try to take over me}

Momo-chan: [Only as a test!]

Hiro: {So did you try individual body parts yet?}

Momo-chan: [Yes, it didn’t work]

This wasn’t new or anything, if possession was possible Momo-chan would have done that long before. Heck, if the situation was reversed, he himself would have tried that straight away. Oh well, time to set out, he also wanted to see what this place looks like. There were windows but all the blinds were down for some reason.

Before he left, however, the young man noticed something. It was Suiren, there were some hard to see smears on her clothes.

He then looked at Caron and tried to say something. The healer was having problem understanding his gestures. He pointed at her then proceeded to pull at his own clothes, as if he wants to pull it out… Was the stranger seriously asking her to strip!

Luckily, Hiro managed to notice the horrible misunderstanding. After some effort, he finally conveyed what he was trying to ask for, or at least that was what he wanted to believe. Caron just silently went into a nearby room.

Momo-chan: [What have you done, hitting on the host like that!]

Hiro: {I believe she is getting what I asked for}

Momo-chan: [Or maybe she will come out with a club to bludgeon us to death]

Hiro: {Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that…}

Momo-chan: [I highly doubt it, she looked more and more awkward as you continue to sink!]

Hiro: {At least her lover doesn’t seem to care}

Owain was just sitting there, picking at his teeth.

Momo-chan: [Or maybe he believes Caron alone would be enough to send us to oblivion for your transgression. I mean, she can do magic after all]

Hiro: {Don’t jinx it, if I die you die!}

Momo-chan: [Or maybe she is actually doing what she mistook us to ask of her, whatever it is…]

Hiro: {… Seriously}

Momo-chan: [I’m sorry]

Hiro: {I am not mad, just disappointed}

Hiro was relieved to find see the healer came out with some clothes folded neatly. So she did manage to understand him after all. She gave him the items which he handed to Suiren.

“Um, maybe you could go and take a bath”

That… was mighty awkward! He just told a married woman wha was his senior to go and clean herself! The masked woman simply nodded, took the clothes and her weapon then went into the bathroom quietly. The second-hand embarrassment was also enough to make Momo-chan speechless.

Hiro did want to wait for her but Owain seemed too enthusiastic so he decided to head out. Taking a deep breath, the young man took his first step into this new world… Or more like the first step out of the house in this new world.