The Talentless Boy Who Challenged the Devil

CHAPTER TWELVE: THE WOUND THAT WAS NEVER THERE

Then the entity disappeared again as if he had never been there, and silence returned.

Inside, Healer Umi unwound the bandage one turn at a time, humming under her breath the way she had hummed over every bleeding student since the term began.

But suddenly she stopped humming at the last layer.

Lael noticed the change on her face immediately. Colour drained from her face. Then, her fingers, which had set broken bones and stitched open wounds without a tremor, began to shake, causing the linen to rattle against the metal tray.

“Is it that bad?” His voice came out weaker than he intended.

Umi did not answer.

Kael lowered his gaze.

He watched where they had told him a blade had pierced his chest with shock, because now, there was nothing. No torn flesh, no blood, not even a scar. Only a thin golden line stretched across his skin, fine as a strand of hair caught in lamplight.

It pulsed once.

Kael leaned forward.

The line shimmered beneath his skin, its faint glow spreading like sunlight beneath clear water. Then it began to shrink. Slowly, it faded until there was nothing left.

Umi's hand hovered above his chest, and for a moment, neither of them moved. They were too shocked to move.

Then she pressed her palm against the spot and hurriedly reached for the bandage. She wrapped it around him so quickly that the layers sat unevenly, pulling the knot tight until Kael winced.

“What was that?” he asked.

“You saw nothing.”

“Umi…”

“You will say nothing,” she whispered, her eyes fixed on the window. “Not to the students. Not to the examiners. Not to anyone.”

Kael stared at her. “Why?”

“There are things you are better off not knowing.”

“You will not tell me what to do, Umi”

Then her gaze snapped towards him. Her lips parted as though she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself. Instead, she glanced at the door before moving closer.

“You have a family, don't you?”

Kael's expression hardened.

Umi caught his wrist. Her fingers were cold, and her grip tightened until his skin began to hurt.

“Your parents and your younger brother are currently on a work journey to Mehan, with the hope of seeing you return home. I would hate for anything to happen to them because you couldn't keep your mouth shut.”

Kael's fingers curled against the bedsheet.

“Are you threatening me with my family?”

“If that's what you want to call it, then you can.”She shrugged.

She released his wrist and turned away. She began arranging the instruments on her tray, though her hands were still unsteady.

“There was no golden mark. There was no strange light. And there is nothing unusual about you. If anyone asks, you know better than to talk.”

Kael watched her for a long moment.

He was afraid. The thought of someone using his family against him was enough to make his stomach tighten. But beneath that fear, questions were beginning to take shape.

There's more to this, and why the hell did his wound just close?

He pressed two fingers against the bandage. Beneath it, a faint warmth stirred against his skin.

What was happening to him?

Before he could ask again, footsteps sounded in the corridor.

A man entered the infirmary, dressed in a neat grey coat. His shoes made barely any noise against the stone floor, and a faint smell of ink followed him into the room.

Umi straightened immediately.

“Good afternoon,” he said pleasantly. “I hope our young student is feeling better.”

Kael looked at him without replying, and the man pulled a stool beside the bed and folded his hands.

“Examiner Voss. I work closely with the Director. I only need to ask you a few questions about the attack. Nothing difficult.”

Kael nodded slightly though he was still in shock and again why was he the only one that was now being questioned when all the students were there but maybe they were going to help me discover his talent anyways so he decided to answer.

Umi remained behind him, her fingers clasped together, picking at her nails.

“Take your time,” Voss said. “Do you remember anything from the courtyard?”

“I remember rushing towards the eastern courtyard. I saw the attackers, and then…”

He paused.

His mind tried to reach for something, anything, but all he found was darkness.

“Nothing,” he finished.

Voss tilted his head.

“Nothing at all?”

Kael shook his head.

“Did you see any unusual light? Something brighter than the academy lamps, perhaps?”

Kael's eyes returned to him.

Light?

He had not mentioned seeing any light. He had barely managed to remember the attack itself.

“Why do you ask about light?”

Voss's expression remained pleasant, but his thumb began rubbing slowly against the knuckle of his other hand.

“It's possible you witnessed something important. We are simply trying to establish what happened.”

“I don't remember seeing anything.”

“Did you hear a voice? Perhaps someone calling your name from somewhere nearby?”

“No.”

“Or feel something leave your body? A sudden pull, perhaps? As though something had been drawn out through your chest?”

Kael's brows drew together.

He glanced briefly at Umi. She was staring at the floor, but her fingers had tightened around one another.

“Why are you asking me these questions?” he demanded.

Voss smiled.

“Routine inquiries. We need to understand the circumstances of the attack so that we can prevent another incident.”

“Then why ask about things I haven't mentioned?”

Silence settled between them.

Voss's thumb stopped moving.

For the briefest moment, his carefully arranged expression slipped. His shoulders lowered, and something resembling disappointment passed across his face before his smile returned.

“Of course,” he murmured. “You have suffered a serious injury. Understandably, your memories are unclear.”

Kael lowered his gaze.

“I wish I could remember. I've tried.”

And he had. He had replayed the alarm, the courtyard and the attackers so many times that his head ached. But the moments after that remained locked behind a wall he could not break through.

Voss rose, smoothing the front of his coat.

“Rest. We may speak again when you are stronger.”

But as he proceeded to the door, a sudden flutter sounded at the window.

A black crow had landed on the narrow ledge. Its glossy feathers were ruffled, and its dark eyes were fixed on Kael.

Voss glanced towards it.

“Shoo.”

He waved his hand, but the bird did not move.

He tried again, this time clapping sharply.

The crow merely tilted its head.

A faint croak escaped its beak, and its gaze remained fixed on the boy in the bed.

Kael found himself staring back.

Beneath his bandage, the warmth returned.

It was faint at first, barely more than a sensation against his skin. Then it spread, steady and rhythmic, until he could almost feel it beating beneath his palm.

The crow's eyes narrowed, and Voss noticed.

His jaw tightened before he turned away from the window.

“Strange creature,” he muttered, closing the window and shutting it from Kael's reach.

He walked towards the door without looking back again 

Umi followed him out, giving Kael one final warning look.

The door closed, and now it was only Kael left to his own thoughts, but the silence didn't last long when the door opened again.

He remained still, not bothering to look up until the person slapped his shoulder playfully.

It was the boy from the other time.

“Hey, weirdo”

Kael looked at him again, then towards the window, but the crow had already disappeared. 

He turned back to him and noticed his pale lips.

“I'm Orion, a F-Rank student”, he introduced, expecting Kael to do the same, but he just stared at him blankly.

“Oh I see you do not talk, let me do all the talking then, I'll help”

“Who brought me here?” Kael blurted out. Maybe he would find some answers from that person.

“I did”. Kael's eyes immediately fell back, losing hope in that part.

He was going to look for another way to find out. What would a lousy person like him probably know anyway?

***

By dusk, Kael was discharged from the infirmary.

A junior healer handed him his belongings and a document bearing the Director's seal. He read it once, then again.

He was forbidden from discussing his condition with any student, and if he disobeyed the order, he would face disciplinary action, including possible suspension.

Kael folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket with clear confusion etched on his face. 

It's now clear the academy knows something about him that he doesn't know, and it's high time he paid close attention to it. What was he? Because now he's sure he isn't talentless.