sky was completely covered with dark, heavy clouds. Torrential rain was falling continuously onto the ground, while fierce winds were bending the trees badly. Every few seconds, lightning would flash in the sky, illuminating the entire area for a fraction of a second. Right in front of a tree stood a figure whose head was continuously bleeding, and whose clothes were completely soaked in the rain. Standing right in front of him was Leo, trying to catch a glimpse of the boy standing before him. Water droplets kept coming between his eyes and the sight in front of him, making things appear blurry.
The figure standing in front of him suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Leo quickly rushed forward, lifted the boy into his arms, and ran at great speed toward the medical chamber. As Leo ran forward, blood drops falling from the boy's head kept dropping onto the ground behind him.
Leo reached a large wooden door covered with numerous intricate patterns, with the words MEDICAL CHAMBER written in large letters on its side. Leo pushed the door open with great force. The opening of the door made a loud noise that drew the attention of everyone inside the chamber to Leo. Leo shouted loudly, asking for help!
Just then, a human stepped forward whose face was tanned by the sun, and whose grey beard half-covered his face. He was chubby, and he wore a suit with a large white coat over it that reached his knees. He came over to Leo, gently took the boy into his arms, and laid him down on a nearby bed. In a stern and serious tone, he ordered, "Bring magic potions right this second, all of you!"
All the doctors stood frozen like stone for a moment at what had happened right in front of them, but hearing the doctor's words, they all moved from their spots. The doctor placed his hand on top of the boy's head and closed his eyes. Mana began to emit from his body, and a mana light started shining above the doctor's hand, healing the boy's injury.
Just then, another doctor came running in, holding magic potions in both hands. That doctor opened the lid of the magic potion and poured it inside the boy's mouth. The doctors were still healing him. After a moment, the doctor removed his hand from the boy's head, but he was still panicked.
The doctor gave an order: "Bring my personally brewed magic potion that I kept in the thick glass bottle!"
The doctor quickly made a thin cut on his finger and placed his finger on the wound bleeding from the boy's head, causing the doctor's blood to enter the boy's wound, and instantly the bleeding stopped. After a moment, that doctor removed his hand from the boy's head, whereupon his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
The other doctors quickly lifted him up and asked, "Doctor Neel, are you alright?"
Doctor Neel replied, "Yes, I am fine, but I had to spend an immense amount of mana to heal this boy. Anyway, everything is fine now."
Outside the chamber stood Leo, with Noah and Ray on his left and right.
Ray asked Leo, "Leo, where did you find this boy, and do you know him?"
Leo thought for a moment and said, "I don't know this boy at all, but I felt a sense of his presence, which is why I went to him. The mana inside him was slowly dropping, which is why this boy caught my attention."
Noah touched his chin with his bandage-wrapped fingers and said, "Judging by his clothes, it seems he's in our academy, but I've never seen any student who looks even a little bit like him."
Ray said in his serious tone, "He must be a new student in our academy, that's why."
Just then, the medical chamber door opened, and a girl came out of the chamber. Her height was 165 cm, her black hair was open and reached down her back, and her white skin looked pale due to excessive work.
Leo immediately said, "Maya!"
Maya stopped in front of Leo and said, "That boy is out of danger now. Doctor Neel tried his best and saved the kid, so there's nothing to worry about. The kid will gain consciousness by tomorrow morning."
Leo let out a sigh of relief and asked Maya, "By the way, what did you do during these holidays?"
Maya stared at Leo with a blank expression.
Leo scratched the back of his head and said, "What happened? Did I ask the wrong question?"
Ray put his hand on his head and said to Leo, "You can clearly see that Maya is wearing a white coat, which means Maya has become an official doctor during these holidays, or she is now an official apprentice to some doctor."
Leo laughed and said, "Please forgive me, I didn't know about these things."
Noah taunted, "Only when you're free from fighting will you be able to know about other things!"
From inside the chamber, someone called Maya's name. Maya answered while walking back inside and said, "I have to go. You guys should come tomorrow morning."
Maya went inside the chamber, and the door closed automatically. Leo, Ray, and Noah stood outside. They slowly headed toward their rooms. Noah went to his room, while Leo and Ray headed toward their room—a room with two beds and a window. Outside the window, the weather was still covered with dark clouds.
Leo went and sat on his bed, and Ray sat on the bed opposite him.
Leo then said, "Something is wrong."
Ray said, "I could tell just by looking at your face that there's trouble. Anyway, what trouble is it?"
Leo started to explain: "When I was walking towards the chamber with Noah and Ray, I felt like someone was calling me over and over again, and I couldn't stop myself from going toward that voice."
Hearing this, Ray made a guess and said, "So this is some magic."
Leo said, "This is magic, but it's not the kind of magic used on a battlefield; it's magic that affects the mind."
Ray said, "We'll find the answers tomorrow right beside that boy."
The next day arrived. Leo and Ray ran toward the medical chamber. Leo opened the chamber door, and sitting on a chair near the window inside was a boy—the very same boy.
Leo and Ray slowly stepped forward. The boy heard footstep sounds, turned back, and said, "You must be Leo, Maya told me about you. You're the one who saved me, right?"
The boy got up from his chair, grabbed Leo's hand, thanked him, and said, "If you weren't there, I don't know if I would have been able to see my family again, and my dream of becoming a knight would have remained incomplete."
Leo smiled and said, "No, it was my duty to save you, don't thank me. Anyone else in my place would have done the same."
Just then Ray asked, "By the way, what is your name and what year are you in?"
The boy leaned forward slightly and said, "My name is NEEL PRYER."