And then, without warning, I got sick. Everything suddenly changed. One night I started coughing up blood, and the next day I couldn't even stand up. Rault House sent doctors, clergymen and healers, all trying to find out what was wrong with me, while I just wanted to recover and understand what was happening to me.
Louise was on the verge of panic. I watched her from the doorway of my room, wide-eyed and gasping for breath. I had never seen her so vulnerable. Her usual strength, the one that had always protected me, seemed to vanish in the face of my frailty.
"Leon, please hold on," she said in a trembling voice, holding my hand with a strength that didn't seem possible in someone so small.The emblem she wore gave off a warm glow, trying to heal me, but to no avail. Despite that, I smiled faintly and thanked her.
"Thank you, Onee-chan. I feel a little better."
Even as just a child, Louise knew it was a kind lie.
"Don't leave us now."
I felt a lump in my throat. I didn't want her to see me like this, so weak, so helpless. But I couldn't help it. In that moment, I realized how much we depended on each other. Now that I look like this, how can I give him the tickets to save? Wait a minute... Kael is capable of anything.
"Onee-chan, ask Kael to help me" I said weakly.
"I'm sure I'll recover if he's with me."
Kael has always been strong, smart and... reliable. If anyone could do anything for me, it was him. Louise looked at me with tears in her eyes, but also with a spark of hope. I felt her squeeze my hand, as if that might convey some of her courage to me.
The doctors kept coming and going, whispering to each other, checking my vital signs, administering remedies I could barely notice. It was all a whirlwind of voices and movements that exhausted me further. I closed my eyes, trying to find calm in the midst of the chaos.
***
Louise was quick to make a decision. Feeling caught between despair and hope, she decided to turn to her father, Auberge Rault, for help. Auberge was a wise and respectable nobleman, known for his humility and moderate outlook, very different from many of his arrogant and dogmatic compatriots. He had always been a reasonable man, able to see beyond the power and prestige of the Republic of Alzer and the Sacred Tree. Unlike other nobles, Albergge loved his family deeply and was sincerely concerned for their welfare, although he maintained a critical and prudent mind.
When Louise arrived at her father's office, with a heavy heart and an anxious look in her eyes, she did not hesitate to tell him all about Kael and the gravity of the situation.
"Dad, Kael is very sick. We've tried everything, but he's not getting better. There is a doctor... a man who became famous for his great talent, but you must believe me. Please let me introduce him to you," she begged.
Albergue looked at her calmly, without showing the urgency she expected. His eyes reflected concern, but also a firmness that left no room for doubt.
"Louise, daughter, I know this is difficult for you, and I trust you are doing the best you can."
"But we have hired the best doctors, clergymen and healers that House Rault can get. I'm not going to put the family at risk by trusting a newcomer, someone we know nothing about but rumors of a 'miracle doctor'."
Louise felt the weight of her father's refusal crush her chest, but she knew she couldn't give up.
"Please, Dad. This isn't about rumors. Kael isn't just a doctor, he's different. He may be the only hope we have" he insisted, trying to hold back tears.
Shelter sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face. He knew Louise was right not to give up so easily, but he also had to protect his family from false hope and possible danger.
"Louise, I trust your judgment, but I must also be cautious. Let me do more research on this man. In the meantime, continue to look after your brother as always" he finally said, with a hint of hope in his voice, but without fully committing himself.
Louise could not accept that answer. Although her father was cautious, she knew there was no time to wait. Later that afternoon, she set out on her own to find Kael. She knew exactly where to find him.
She found him in his clinic, organizing herbs and reviewing a formula with his usual concentration. As soon as he saw her walk in, he knew something was wrong.
"Louise... What happened?"
She with a broken voice, explained everything to him
"It's Leon... he's very sick, Kael. He started with a fever, then he coughed up blood. Now he can't even get out of bed. We've already brought doctors, clerics, healers... everything House Rault can afford. But no one knows what he has. And I..." she paused, holding back a sob.
"I don't know what else to do."
She lowered her gaze, swallowing saliva before continuing:
"Dad doesn't want you to get involved that he barely knows you, that you're just an outsider with recent fame. But I know better than that, Kael. I trust you. And so does Leon. He needs you."
He looked up and his eyes were full of pleading.
"Please...only you can help him. I don't know who else to turn to."
"I will go with you. I won't leave him alone in this."
Kael finished putting away the last s vials, but his look was more serious than usual. She closed the buckle on her bag and slung it over her shoulder without another word.
"Let's go," she said simply.
Louise nodded, relieved that she didn't have to convince him anymore. They left the clinic together and took the road to the Rault mansion.
Just before entering, Kael stopped, sighed and returned to his boyish appearance. He knew he had to do this so as not to arouse suspicion.
Entering, Kael felt a pang in his chest. The young man who until recently was joking in front of a wooden tower was now pale, with chapped lips, and a gray shadow surrounded his eyes.
As he entered, Kael felt a weight on his chest. The boy who until recently was joking next to a wooden tower was now pale, with chapped lips and a gray shadow around his eyes.
"Kael..." whispered Leon, barely opening his eyelids.
"I knew you'd come."
Kael knelt by the bed and took his wrist carefully to measure his pulse. Without looking away, he said calmly:
"I'm here, Leon. We're going to find out what's wrong with you...and I'm going to help you out of this."
As Louise stood nearby, watching anxiously, Kael indicated S.E.R.A. scanned every tissue, every cell, and communicated to Kael in a low, tense voice, unheard by anyone else.
"There is no detectable cause. No virus, bacteria, toxin, or hormonal imbalance. Everything is apparently correct."
Kael gritted his teeth, uncertainty hitting him hard.
"So he's... dying for no reason?" he muttered to himself.
A heavy silence filled the room as Kael struggled to find an answer that wouldn't come.