Clara stared at the scene in front of her with shock on her face, she was speechless and was finding difficulty with what she was supposed to do. Even Kayn lifted an eyebrow as a slight smile crept onto his face.
Standing over a patient was a woman with long flowing snow-white hair, a fluffy white tail sticking out from her lower back through her robes, and two big fluffy ears standing tall on the top of her head. Her light blue robes were caked in dirt and blood, and her once pristine white hair was dusted with dirt.
From behind, she looked like she hadn't properly cleaned herself in some time, but none-the-less she was still focusing on healing the patients inside. However, she suddenly stopped as she heard someone mumbling in disbelief near the entrance of the tent.
"Ma-Ma-Maria?" Clara Whiteclaw stuttered as she reached a hand forward and finally took a single step inside the tent. As the healer turned around to look at who called her name, she paused as she saw the person staring at her with longing and shock in their eyes.
"Mother?!"
Indeed, the healer was Maria Whiteclaw, Kayn's former assistant and what he could consider as a disciple of his. The moment Maria and Clara connected gazes, they sprinted at each other and embraced each other in a tight hug, both crying at their unexpected reunion.
Yelena smirked watching this scene as she knew it was going to happen the second that she realized Clara Whiteclaw was within the group. Kayn on the other hand was smiling genuinely as he knew that Clara found her purpose to continue living.
After standing to the side for a while, not wanting to interrupt the reunion, Kayn eventually approached and tapped Clara's shoulder smiling brightly at her as she turned to look at him. "I guess you won't need my help anymore."
Without hesitation, she released her daughter and tightly embraced Kayn while tears of joy continued to slide down her face. "Thank you! Thank you so much! Without you, I never would have found her again or known she was still alive. I don't know how to repay you."
Kayn gave her a small hug at first before moving her back so that he could look her in the eyes as he brushed her tears away with his hand. "There's nothing to repay Clara. Your struggles paid off, that's all. Now you can make a new life with your daughter somewhere, somewhere far away from this war."
Clara began to nod like a duckling following its mother's instructions as she wiped the tears that continued to flow with her sleeve. Due to being behind her mother and a bit shorter in stature, Maria couldn't see who Clara was talking to.
She began speaking as she moved to view the other person better as she was curious who her mother would embrace as she typically didn't like physical contact unless they were family. Maria was quite curious to know who her mother was willingly crying on while thanking them profusely.
"Mother, who are you…huh?!? Professor Ashan?" Maria ended up shouting the last part in a start. "I thought you were…I thought…"
Kayn smiled as he inwardly chuckled at her shocked expression, but at the same time his expression was a little sad. Maybe Kinzie had given up on him in the same way. He had a feeling Charlotte wouldn't give up on him, but she might not expect him to find a way home for a long time.
"Hello Maria. I'm glad to see you well. Also, just Kayn is fine. I'm no longer a professor and you're not longer my assistant. Plus, between the three of us, Ashan was a fake name anyway." Kayn winked as he gave her a charming smile.
"On another note, you've grown into quite the beautiful woman and an even better healer. As your previous teacher, I couldn't be prouder of someone I taught previously. I guess you could even call us peers now since you've caught up to my core stage." Kayn smiled again but Clara choked on her own spit at Kayn's blatant lie.
It wasn't that he was lying exactly, but there was no way she nor any who saw his power would think of him as a simple fresh 4th stage! In fact, if things progressed as she expected, within a year he would probably be at the 5th stage and all but untouchable by the usual people that made up the 6th stage.
"I thought you died Profe-Kayn. After you didn't return with the rest of the survivors or even Leader Charlotte, we all assumed that you were killed. Where did you go? How are you alive?" Maria began bombarding him with questions one after another.
"That's a bit harder to explain, but let's just say that the teleport scroll malfunctioned and sent me somewhere far away. So far away that I was only able to return a few months ago in fact. Anyway, now that you two have been reunited, I'll leave you alone to catch up. Yelena and I have a few things to discuss before I depart." Kayn answered.
"Wait, you're leaving? Where are you going?" Maria frowned sadly.
"I'll be returning to the city, I still have things to do and promises to fulfill after all. I'll let your mother catch you up on events. I'll stop by to say goodbye before I leave. For now, have fun you two."
Kayn waved as he gestured to Yelena who nodded and led him out in order to go somewhere that they could talk more privately. On the other hand, Maria quickly turned around to face her mother again who was giving her a goofy grin.
"Um, Mother…Why does Professor Ashan- er Kayn look like he's a bit older? Shouldn't he have remained the same since he was already old to begin with? I can't help but think he looks more mature and charming than he did before."
"Charming you say?" Clara chuckled at words that Maria didn't seem to realize the implications of. "Let's just say that, like you, he needed time to finish going through puberty. He probably won't change much from now on.
"On the other hand, I will correct one thing he said. Unfortunately, you're still not his peer. That man, it's rude of me to say it this way, but I don't know how else to describe him. He's a monster. I don't know whether he is some heaven's favored child, an unparalleled genius, or a god amongst ants." Clara shook her head, but then her expression changed a bit and looked like she was longing for something.
"To be honest, if I was looking for a second husband and we weren't in times of war when doing such a thing would be inappropriate, I would definitely try to seduce him." Clara spoke while sighing and shaking her head ruefully.
"Mother! What are you saying all of the sudden?"
"What? Am I not allowed to find love again? I mean he's basically the perfect man. He has practically unmatched looks, especially if he'd trim that beard down a bit. His genius is unmatched to my knowledge, and he can do things no one thought possible.
"He's also one of the kindest souls I have ever met. Though he does seem to have a switch. He's both kind and gentle with you if you're on his good side, or he is merciless and ruthless if you are on his bad side. He's the kind of man that I wouldn't mind having by my side until I die.
"But alas, he's bound for greater things than this small world and I don't know that I would ever be able to follow…" Clara paused for a moment as she looked intensely at Maria, "You on the other hand…I don't think he will respond to your feelings now as he has other things on his mind, but try to get a way to keep in contact with him after this is all said and done. That is, if you want to be with him anyway."
"Mother, you're speaking strangely! Also, you covered way too much in such few words! First off ignoring the last part you said, what do you mean he's like me in having needed to finish puberty? Are you trying to tell me that he's my age?"
Maria was dumbfounded. Her mother spewed off a bunch of nonsense all at once and even talked about her former professor as if she was upset that she couldn't be with him! And then she told her that she should pursue him! What nonsense was this?
"Indeed. In fact, he's a year younger than you are according to him." Clara positively answered her.
Maria was flabbergasted because that was just ridiculous! "Okay, is that what you think makes him an unparalleled genius and so monstrous then? Because he was able to reach the 4th stage that early in life?"
"Let me ask you a question instead, if someone could wield every element and could even progress their core at an accelerated rate, what would you think of them?" Clara asked her daughter as she adopted a serious expression.
"I would tell you that it's not possible because in the millions of years of recorded history it has been tried and tested millions of times. If you're trying to tell me that he can do that, I don't know if I will be able to believe you. I mean, he's still a 4th stage after all." Maria replied with doubt in her voice.
"Not still. He just reached that stage, again. I don't know how it happened, but he regressed through the stages. Anyway, let's take care of healing those in immediate need, then we have a lot to discuss."
Clara and Maria then went around to the few that were in immediate need of care before entering the private area for Maria in part of the tent. For the next few hours, they caught up on what each other had missed and what they had each been doing since the last time they heard from one another.
For the last part of the conversation, Clara saved what she thought was the best part. She described Kayn's appearance and fight, her meeting up with him and all that he told her, then his astonishing whirlwind of mana, and finally her arrival here.
…
Meanwhile, a little over two months ago, a young elf with green hair and eyes began to tear up as she stared at the slave collar that was once firmly clasped around her neck.