…..
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Manners", he warned as he continued wiping the blood on his table.
The smell has gotten worse and he's coughing up more blood than before. He's getting closer and closer to nearing his end.
"I heard a commotion last night, are the girls alright?", he said as he sat on the chair across me while I served him his breakfast.
"They're alright"
He nodded and continued eating. I only watched him and glimpse through the window where the bright sun is peeking through the thick clouds. As I look at myself I am little to no different from this dying old man. No matter how much I eat, I vomit it out and no matter how much he heals me it only works with uplifting the symptoms from my body not really healing. I don't know why but only Drazhan's magic worked in temporarily healing me. I wonder what he's up to now.
"Today's the day I finish my final lesson, right?", I looked over to him just as he finished with his meal.
"How'd you guess?"
"I've read all of your books, what more is there for you to teach"
"You're right, I've thought you everything I can except how to be calm"
"I don't need that"
"Oh, in fact you do", he opted and got up.
We were silent for the rest of the day continuing about my final lessons until evening came where he asked to go on a stroll with me. The sun has already set and it's getting colder but I don't mind the cold breeze, it's relaxing to walk at hours like this. Enjoying small chit chats and insults, he told me about his prime years and how he was a ladies man and how he got into prison for almost impregnating a noble's unwed daughter and I told him all about what had happened last night and how the man got kicked out and Spi En injured, although he did scold me for not mentioning that earlier saying after he sends me back to the manor he well also be checking up on her. It took us about 30 minutes of walk down this small grass path until we finally got to the destination he was planning on showing me.
I looked down at a hot spring below the small cliff we were on, I didn't know that there'd be a glowing hot spring in this area. How beautiful the gush of luminescent water sounded mixed with the beauty of its surrounding.
"You are a very busy child, your mind doesn't get to rest often doesn't it? All of your thinking and such"
"I mentioned no such thing"
"Yes, you haven't. I may be blind but I can tell from your voice you've never been at ease for even once in your life, go on take a dip into the water", he chuckled and pointed at the water as he sat at the edge of the small cliff where he rested his cane on his lap.
"I am not going to"
"The girls mentioned you loved to dance", I glared at him but he obviously doesn't know.
"They caught you swaying about on your own in the backyard"
I was bored one day with nothing else to do and there was music. I guess there is truth in that, however, I hate the idea of being caught in my private hours.
"Everything about you is cold, some warmth might just be of help with calming your body and soul you know", to which I do not know if it was a joke or not. But this old quack is spilling nonsense.
''Go on, have a try", he smiled and pointed at the direction of the water.
"I am blind, so rest assured", he pointed at his eyes. I'm not worried about that but still, bathing in the presence of a man is still inappropriate for a lady to do. However, I do not get to bathe often so might as well.
I scurried down the small cliff and took of my clothes while he's just looking in the far distance. Cold shivers may have ran down my spine but I couldn't resist this good-looking spring as it vapors cold smokes from its temperature, and it could be the rocks under it that makes the water glow but its appearance is simply breathtaking the more I look at it. I dipped my toes in first before the rest of my body. And moments later I found myself floating about in the hot spring.
The quack then pulls out a small flute made out of a bone from his pocket and started playing as he sang a song from his native tongue. I tried learning his language to make sure he wasn't talking shit about me, but he only ever taught me curses. I have come to find myself enjoying this leisure despite his presence. Floating about in the water while looking at the stars in the sky, hearing the crickets' soft noises in the background and his groggy singing until I found myself getting drowsy as my body is hugged by the water's warmth.
"I sense a dangerous future ahead of you little brat, so you don't lose your conviction. The matters of the world are quite burdensome, even more so if you are carrying it all in your tiny shoulders. Learn to calm your soul every now and then", I must have fallen asleep because the old quack started spouting nonsense and I was no longer in the water but in his arms swiftly being carried away in a warm blanket. I didn't have any other energy to spare but in my sleep so I dozed off, I even felt him passing me to Spi En's arms when we got back to the manor.
"She's done quite a lot of lessons today so she's tired", I heard him chuckled softly in my slumber.
"Thank you, we'll let her rest"