Fala urgently began setting up an IV drip and nutrient bag, whilst she did that I was creating a protective shield around the insides of her heart. My diagnosis was not romanticised in the least, when this kind of bond breaks aggressively, the impulse sent through the bond literally causes the structure of the heart to crystallise and break apart.
Fala studied my actions even as she finished her own duties, then when it was done I gave a nod for her to heal the damage done. I could feel the crystallisation recede and the natural tissue fibre begin to reconstitute the heart.
As it did that, I slowly coated the exterior with more magic, the delicacy involved was mind-numbing and the work laborious and draining, I then temporarily shut her pain receptors down and monitored her vitals for ten minutes.
"It seems she is the second then..."
"The second?" Fala asked, wondering if i meant to adopt the patient as well for a moment.
"The second to live... I honestly thought she would die, I brought you because I intended to teach you the hardest part of healing before your life was set on this path." My words turned her pale again.
"Was it really that difficult for you?" She asked looking back at some notes she had scribbled.
"Incredibly, the texture of the mana barrier has to be perfect or the heart explodes or recrystallises, you only get one shot and the answer is always different. I have attempted this same operation eighty-six times and only one other survived."
"Who was the other one?"
"A fool of a man who thought he was the most powerful person with a contracted beast, I was the one that killed his beast after he sent it after me. I only spared him in the end because A) his beast must have loved him greatly and that meant there must have been something good about him and B) To make him live with the knowledge he got his beast killed."
"Are you alright Uncle Adam?"
"Fine Fala, just fine. Do you understand what I meant though?"
"You mean our patient will be distressed, they have lost a dear friend and will need supervision to prevent reckless action."
"Good girl, watch her be good..." I kissed her forehead goodbye. "I will make sure your cousin saves you some sweets."
"Tell Quatal I want to try one of each!"
However then I was stopped in my tracks immediately.
"Who are you people?" The woman's voice followed me out of the lab and made me spin.
"Your cousin Hasleth is a friend of mine, I am Adam of Eden, Newland, upstart nation of Kanelsian rebels or whatever the hell people were calling us when you fell asleep." The woman groaned, as her attempt to laugh winded her. "Now I have to tell you something horrible."
"My beast is dead, I know, what I don't know is how I survived the heartbreak."
"I'm the doctor, my questions are more important, now how the hell are you awake and moving?"
"My beast was a secret, a phoenix chick."
"Just like that the castle of glass shatters... You dear girl most certainly aren't human any longer and in fact I am sorry to say I will realise this in due time. Hopefully the nanny returns soon so we can at the least keep you alive and not that thing."
"Nanny? What? I'm confused..."
"Uncle Adam has that effect on people. Anyway, I have to put you to sleep now." Fala used both magic and medicine to do as she said.
"How did you know to do that?" I asked genuinely impressed.
"You mentioned it in a book... "Anyone in-contact with a phoenix should be knocked out immediately" I administer magical and chemical version to work in tandem and oppose the beast's magical and physical regeneration abilities." I was stunned, but I didn't have the heart to tell her that line meant they should be knocked out for foolishly falling for the parasite's disguise as a cute and vulnerable creature.
I then left to go finish up in Abelegia, which now included telling Hasleth his sister, I mean cousin, was essentially dead. Upon my return I appeared right next to him and startled him so badly he drew his weapon panting.
"Sorry for the freight, I had news that I couldn't wait..." I stopped to stop him from interrupting me. "...Her fate depends on the nanny returning now." I explained what had happened and the truth behind the phoenix's immortality.
"So they change their bonded tamer into their new body when they are about to die? That's horrible!" He exclaimed. "What can your nanny do that you can't though..." I then explained that detail "A deva!? A deva as a nanny?"
"Yes and only she has the power and precision to burn away the parasitic consciousness completely, I tried it once before and missed some, thirty years later it assumed control and levelled the city out of spite." I answered, honestly summarising the situation. "The best I can do is buy some time, but she must be kept isolated and unconscious."
"Oh Layaera, sister, what did you do?"
"Oh you knew? I thought you honestly hadn't realised, that's one weight of my shoulders..." His expression was bewilderment, he then explained that he meant it as a term of endearment and that led to a whole other conversation.
When that was done, Hasleth was completely deflated and I was guiltier than I had been in a long while. I had other things to do though and couldn't support him fully in that moment so I instead took him to go fetch Vedna and the others, making sure to emphasise the importance of the sweet situation which earned a bemused "Of course, sweets." Along with a rather unearned snort of derision as he went to do as requested.
When they were all present I kept the prisoners paralysed then stepped in and simply asked what they were planning, then extracted their memories and absorbed them.
Everyone waited until the trance faded, then Eve sensed it, blood lust so strong it created a malevolent aura around me. "Adam, speak to me, this isn't you!" I turned to face her and she flinched, that single sight brought me to my senses.
As I turned I saw genuine fear in the eyes of the woman who meant everything to me, and I saw my own eyes black as pitch reflected in them. "I... I... I'm sorry Eve, I can't control it. I'm so angry..." I said pitifully, desperately trying to restrain myself as I my body demanded I erase them.
Eve realised what she had done, shame fell across her face. "I'm sorry Adam, I didn't mean to..." she cried and jumped into me. "Tell me... Tell me what you saw... Help me understand what drew this out of you."
"Sil!" I roared the name and the aura radiating from lashed at the paralysed men behind me. "She sent them here! Sent them to hurt you for "stealing" from her. I will rip that damn woman apart, if I have to erase everything between us!"
Suddenly Quatal began to cry, then transformed and wrapped us both together in her coiled body, her voice then echoed in our heads at ear piercing volume. "PAPA NO! DON'T MAKE MAMA CRY!" Even in snake form I could hear the tears in her voice and that managed to snap me out of it.
As the cold that had encompassed me faded and the fog that had clouded my mind cleared, Eve breathed a sigh of relief and kissed me "Thank you Adam, Thank you for coming back to us. Now please tell us what happened properly, if you truly wish to punish them then fine, but you will do so as you and not whatever that was. First though, you better apologise to your daughter and I."
As Quatal transformed back into her human form we all cried and embraced, it was a strange moment, the setting was one thing and I could only imagine what was going through the heads of the two agents working under Sil, but what left me utterly shaken was the subtle hint of joy in Eve as she hugged me and demanded my time piece.
"I love you so much Adam, I love you." She whispered after kissing me again and returning to the embrace, she had repeated that phrase and action several times to the point it was completely awkward for the rest of, but every time she did it we all noticed the growing joy in her expression.
"Ahem! Dear this is getting awkward for everyone; Me, Quatal, Vedna, Hasleth, the prisoners most probably." I tried to explain.
"To hell with everyone but you and Quatal, maybe dad. I have three more minutes I refuse to miss." I looked around, even at the prisoners to know if anyone knew what she was talking about, no one did so we all just sat there waiting for this mysterious and seemingly arbitrary additional three minutes to pass.