Chapter 178 The First Cured
A moment after completing her healing on the patient, Lucia suddenly felt the toll of controlling her nature mana with such intense concentration. A wave of lethargy washed over her, making it difficult for her to support herself as her body seemed to sag. The top of her witch hat collapsed inward. In a panic, Aleshia shouted, "Lucia! Are you okay?" completely forgetting that they were still mentally linked. Rushing to Lucia's side, Aleshia quickly picked her up in her hands and frantically attempted to raise the top of the witch hat, only to be met with a scolding for her efforts.
"Hey! Stop grabbing me! I'm still alive here! I'm just exhausted; there's no need to be this concerned, so back off," Lucia complained, scolding Aleshia.
In Aleshia's mind, she replied, "Right, my apologies."
Before they continued their silent back-and-forth, they heard a soft and weary voice emerge from below. Both of them looked toward the source of the voice and noticed that the person's eyes were no longer glassy or sickly. Before Aleshia could respond, Daniel rushed to their bedside.
"Rebel, you're awake! You're okay!" Daniel shouted, his voice trembling with the threat of tears.
Rebel's eyes began searching for the source of the voice, and when her gaze landed on Daniel, tears filled them as she realized how much he had aged during her long period of undying suffering. She tried to lift her hand to stroke Daniel's tear-streaked cheek, but she couldn't move it, even with her new clarity. Daniel noticed the twitch in her hand and gently grasped it, bringing it to his teary face.
Lucia had partially sobered from her mana-induced exhaustion seeing the scene before her, and she felt a bit awkward about the new atmosphere that filled the room. Through their mental connection, she suggested, "I think we should go outside and let them talk in peace."
"Alright," Aleshia agreed, feeling the same discomfort and wanting the two to be alone together. They promptly left the room and softly closed the door, with the deflated Lucia in Aleshia's arms.
As Aleshia closed the door, she noticed children hiding in the shadows. Aleshia suspected they had been eavesdropping as they scrambled further into the darkness.
"Why are you all out here?" Aleshia asked.
One of the children, who Aleshia recognized as Riley, spoke up for the group. "We were worried about what was happening there and wanted to know," she explained innocently. "But Daniel said we couldn't go in, so we were listening."
"Alright, but don't go in there unless Daniel says it's okay, understood?" Aleshia instructed.
"Okay," they all replied in unison.