120. Breaking Free from Calamity!
Knowing that neither of them had anywhere to go, Aponia generously allowed them to stay at the sanatorium.
Kalpas helped move some things at the sanatorium and also took charge of security, while Ling stayed with the other children.
However, Ling was extremely withdrawn, always speaking in a gloomy tone regardless of who he interacted with.
He either remained silent or only replied with a simple "hmm" or "okay."
He spent most of his time by Kalpas's side, and even just being by Kalpas's side seemed more interesting than playing with the other children at the sanatorium.
"Aren't you going to play with those kids?"
Kalpas looked at Ling, who was squatting beside her, and asked casually.
"I'll bring calamity and misfortune. Playing with me will get you hurt." Ling shook his head, but his gaze towards the distance held a hint of hope.
"Heh, stop fooling yourself. What calamity? You've been around me for a while, and I haven't seen any..."
Kalpas paused, and a baseball slowly rolled to Ling's feet.
Clearly, Kalpas had been hit by this thing just as she said that.
"Sorry, big brother with the mask..."
The children at the sanatorium weren't afraid of Kalpas; they even thought it was cool...
Although she always seemed unapproachable, she was actually quite easy to talk to.
Ling gently rolled the ball over; he didn't even dare to throw it, afraid of hitting someone.
However, at that moment, two children who were playing around ran towards them.
"Watch your step!" Ling hurriedly shouted.
But the two children obviously didn't hear him, slipped, stepped on the baseball, and fell.
Kalpas: "..."
"Are you alright? I'm sorry..." Ling went forward to apologize, but he didn't dare to help them up, fearing that it would cause a bigger disaster.
"It's alright, I'm perfectly fine. Besides, it's not your fault. I didn't see where I was going."
The other person wiped their nose, showing no anger or blame toward Ling.
"Want to play together?" They asked, extending their hand.
"...No, thank you, you guys play." Ling looked at the other person's hand, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and returned to Kalpas's side.
The others looked at the somewhat dejected Ling, exchanging glances, unsure what to do.
Kalpas didn't know how to comfort him either, after all, his unlucky constitution was indeed a bit... accurate.
"Do you want to become stronger?"
After thinking for a long time, Kalpas suddenly said something seemingly out of the blue.
"What?" Ling was a little confused.
"If you had been fast enough just now, you could have saved him before he stepped on the baseball or fell, nipping the so-called disaster in the bud," Kalpas said calmly.
"..." Ling remained silent.
"So, do you want to?" Kalpas asked again.
"...Yes," Ling answered softly.
He wanted to, he dreamed of it.
Countless times, he had brought suffering and harm to others, even though it wasn't his intention; it seemed as if fate was playing a cruel joke on him.
It had given him this unfortunate constitution.
He had thought that if he died, perhaps he wouldn't cause pain to others.
But he was still afraid. He feared death; he was just a coward. He dared not commit suicide, clinging to life and causing harm to those around him.
He could only hide himself, avoiding all contact with anyone.
But he was lucky. The old man who found him treated him very well, caring for him like a grandson.
Then he met Kalpas, who wasn't afraid of his constitution and was willing to take him along.
And the children at the sanatorium were very close to him, often inviting him to play.
He didn't want anyone else to get hurt! If there were such a way... if becoming stronger could truly protect those around me...
"Speak louder, answer me like a man!" Kalpas, seemingly displeased with Ling's dejected appearance, grabbed him by the collar and shouted.
"Yes! I want to become stronger! I don't want to hurt anyone anymore! Help me, Kalpas…" Ling looked at Kalpas with tears in his eyes, but his voice held firm.
"Then start now! Keep getting stronger! Strong enough that even the Calamity fears you! Strong enough that nothing can hurt those around you!" Kalpas put Ling down.
From that day on, Kalpas began training with Ling.
Kalpas was somewhat surprised to find that Ling was becoming stronger very quickly. Every time they sparred, Kalpas could clearly feel Ling's progress.
Whether it was speed, strength, or even combat experience, everything was improving at an alarming rate.
Although he was still weak in Kalpas's eyes, he was absolutely incredibly strong among his peers.
Even an adult of normal physique would probably be taken down by him in a couple of moves.
"Come down quickly, it's too dangerous!" The children from the sanatorium gathered around a large tree, their eyes filled with worry.
One of the children climbed the tree, trying to rescue the kitten perched on it.
Luckily, the kitten was obedient and nestled against him.
"It's okay, I used to climb all the time when I was little, I definitely won't... *crack*... Ah!!"
His smugness was short-lived; the branch snapped instantly, and the intense feeling of weightlessness made him scream involuntarily.
The children below instantly panicked.
Ling swiftly weaved through the crowd and easily caught the boy and the kitten.
He cautiously opened his eyes and saw that it was none other than Ling, usually the most withdrawn of them all, who had saved him.
"Ling! You're so cool!"
"Ling! How did you do that? You stepped on a tree and then leaped into the air..."
"Incredible!"
Ling, enjoying the company of so many for the first time, blushed shyly on his youthful face.
"Thank you, Ling! If it weren't for you, I would have been bedridden for ages," the boy said gratefully.
"No... no need."
Ling put the boy down and fled as if running away.
"Is your hand hurt?" Kalpas asked.
"No." Ling shook his head, a silly grin still on his face.
Sure enough, as long as he became stronger, he could nip calamity and misfortune in the bud.
Wouldn't it be that if he became strong enough, he could stand openly in the sunlight?
"Kalpas, I want to keep getting stronger," Ling said, looking at Kalpas beside him.
"Just don't cry and complain about being tired," Kalpas said with a faint smile beneath her mask.
At least he'd taken a big step, hadn't he?
From then on, Ling was often able to resolve the calamity and misfortune that happened around him in time.
And he was finally able to interact with people his own age occasionally.
His gloomy aura gradually faded, and he began to become a little more cheerful.
But ultimately, there was a calamity that Ling couldn't solve.
'Honkai Disease'.
Some children in the sanatorium were infected with this incurable disease...
He was helpless, unable to cure it, and could only watch helplessly as the Honkai Disease took their lives.
"This isn't your fault, don't overthink it." Kalpas saw through Ling's thoughts at a glance.
"Hmm..." Ling nodded absentmindedly.
Staring blankly into the distance.
...