Age of Heroes

ARIAL

1015 SEEDMONTH

WAR TENT

The winds and the breeze of spring enter the tent and he take a deep breath as the healer is looking at the blackened veins around his chest.

Aria hope his assumption is wrong. His heart is beating like the beating of a war drum. The healer face is grim as he examines the wound

'What ills me?' Arial asked looking hard at the healer, hoping that his guesses are wrong, and he would tell him that this is just a minor injury, that he will be fine and healthy in a couple of weeks.

'My lord…...'he hesitated and his face was full with conflicting emotions. And there is also fear in his face.

Arial sighed. He can understand the trepidation in the heart of this healer

If it's good news he will not hesitated like this but if it's bad news maybe, he that he would blame him and execute him.

It's not the first time this kind of things ever happen. He fears retribution while Arial fear what he would say to him.

Arial just nodded at him. The healer took a few moments, and takes a deep hard breath. He musters his courage and then said

'This is…I do not know how to say this to you, my lord, but after examining your wounds and injury…. I... '

Arial just sighed and said to him

'Say it' The healer gulped and then finally he said

'You…. you have been poisoned by the Seven Black Worms.' And the moment he said that, the healer cast his head down fearing to see Arial eyes.

Arial could see the man hand trembling in fear. Arial smirk and then he chuckles. Heaven! Heaven! Bad premonition is never wrong he thought to himself.

Then he calmly asks the healer

'What is my time?'

'My lord!' the healer exclaimed in shock, and quickly he raised his head upwards to look at him. It was to his utter amazement that there is no denial in the young lord face. It was calm and peaceful.

Like he accepted the diagnosis the moment he heard it.

Then dawn an understanding in the healer mind an Ah expression.

'You knew.' He said looking at Arial calm expression. Arial just nod slightly.

'I knew…. By Light, I knew. I just pretended not to. I try to deny it, refuse it. But alas, fate it seems never to go the way you want.' He smiled a little and this only increase the healer worries.

Then Arial ask

'You have check my pulse, examine my wounds so, tell me what is your estimation of my time here in this world and how much has the poison penetrated my body?'

'The poisons have penetrated around your heart, my lord.' And as he said that the healer looked at Arial chest again.

'The symptoms?' Arial asked. He was ready for the prognosis

'Sometimes your heart will go out, and sometimes you will feel as if you're about to faint. There will also be irregular heartbeats, your lungs may also feel pressure at certain time of the day, the heart muscle will enlarge itself sometimes, preventing you from breathing, and the occasional loss of energy. But it seems your internal energy has lessened the effect of the poison. Almost like holding back the pain momentarily'

'All good variety isn't it?' He joked.

'My lord…this is serious.'

'It is, isn't it?'

He nodded.

'And your estimation?' The healer hesitated before saying

'In most of those who contracted such poison, weak in internal energy, they would die in a week, if not two but I have never in my whole life, encountered someone with such reserve of internal energy as my lord. In my estimation, it would take two years before the poison takes over my lord completely. I presume that the one who wanted to poison you didn't even expect this to happen either. I heard of such cases but never thought I could see one. Someone strong enough to held back the pain with pure energy and you do it unconsciously. This means, my lord has a very high level of internal energy.' The healer said looking at him amazed and bewildered.

'Then I will meet the Light, wont I?'

'I do not k-'Arial shakes his head and then he cut of the words of the healer with him reciting a poem.

'Though we tremble before uncertain futures,

May we meet illness, death, the darkness and adversity with our unconquerable strength

May we dance and sing in the face of our fears.

He recites a poem by the famous woman poet Gloria.

'Say for what it is, healer. I am a dying man, burdened with great responsibility, young and at my prime but I shall taste the Death kiss.'

The healer cast his head down and nodded.

'It is unfair, yes, my lord' the healer said trying to console him perhaps, giving some kind words to a dying man.

He could not help but laughed at him. Though, maybe he is laughing at his own life and fate.

'When have life ever been fair, healer. Life gives. Life takes. There is no fairness. Only illusions of fairness. Which is why people fought for fairness healer, but to expect it from the world for life, is unreasonable. Life does what it does and so does the world. It will keep living and spinning, caring not about its inhabitants.'

The healer stands in silence. Arial looked at his chest. A black vein can be seen like a vine strangling the area around his heart.

Black Worms disrupts the internal energy, and the more you have, the more you suffer. Is it his punishment, he wonders?

Punishment for breaking laws of time? For saving people who should have died? For changing so many things out of the intended course of history?

Then he smiled again.

If even, he knew that this would happen he would do it all over again gladly and with pride. In his short life, he has saved Lisa and Kyle.

Both of them are…magnificent, honorable human beings. He is proud to accept this punishment if it's for the price of the lives he saved.

But if it's just bad luck, then he'll accept it too.

Because who can shout to the world that they were given a second chance of life, seeing the people they love, just once more.

he has lived two lives when people just live once. He had lived his life without regret

He did not live a full life in his previous life. He was plagued by fear, paralyzed by his own doubts, hindered by his cowardice and haunted by his own mistake.

And he has lived there for thirty-one miserable years.

Regretting.

It seems in this life, he would only live to reach seventeen years of age. Yet he experienced more in these years than he has ever experienced in his other life.

He has lived a great life. Arial the Dragon. He regrets most things, but not everything. Not the important things.

He sighed and then he asked.

'A cure?' He asked knowing the answer.

'My lord….' The healer cautiously trying to pick the right word and then after knowing there is no right answer he said 'you seem to be knowledgeable about what afflicts you and you have diagnosed your own illness so you kno-'and the healer looked at him nervously

Arial nodded and then he answered the question

'There is no cure.' He said with a resignation.

Arial looked at the healer and he smiles at the healer. The smile did nothing to ease the feeling of the healer. If anything, it scares him more.

'Who would have thought that the poison that claimed me would be the same poison that weakens Levitia? What am I? Am I related to him or something?' he said joking.

The healer stands in silence in the tent. And he looked at Arial with sympathy in his eyes. Arial notices it and said calmly

'Ah, healer, don't be too sad for me. We are all going to die. I, it seems will be leaving my friend a little earlier than I planned. I need to find some humor in my death, because my noble lords will surely not think so, healer. The moment they knew of my affliction, as young as I am, they will doubt not only my leadership but my commands and that…. that can never happen. Not if I meant to rule over them and secure my family safety. My family have many friends but also many enemies. Do you understand?' he said to the healer

The healer nodded. Then Arial decided. His voice turned hard. The healer knows what will come next

'You may ask five thousand gold and you can live whenever you want but not in Alan. Go somewhere else where no one can find you. If you have family brought them too. Use the money. Squander it. Invest it. It is yours to do away. But if you return without my expressed permission, I will descend upon you with my wrath and you will die a meaningless death, a painful death. Now, you will spoke of this matter to no one, not your wife, children or any relatives or I will hunt them down all and make sure they will accompany you to the Hells Below. Are my warning clear?' the healer nodded in understanding, his face is pale as he heard the direct threat from one of the most influential lord in Alan.

'Yes, my lord.' He said.

'Now go.'

The healer looked at him for a few second and then he said with concern

'Can I saw a few words of advice, my lord?'

Arial smiles and then he said

'Please'

Then the healer said

'I do not wish you to die, my lord. I am but just a humble healer but I also knew that if you were to die, then I fear Alan would have another civil war. In such times the people would always suffer. The nobles wage war against each other while the common people perish under the banner of noble houses. And I, the healer would see the effect of those suffering. I hope in two years, you would prepare yourself and your family for such circumstance. I hope that this land does not see a greater war with your death. And…...don't strain yourself too much my lord'

Thinking of the war and his own diminishing time Arial replied

'That will be hard to do, kind healer. But I will try to make sure that this land will not once again have the tragic story of brothers killing brothers in the battlefield.'

He nodded and then he went out of the tent to claim his gold. Arial stand in his tent as he takes a deep breath and smiles.

Who knows that smile for whom? He might even be smiling at his own life and the absurdity of it all. Or maybe he is just smiling because he felt relieved.

Whatever the case, the matter of his poisoning…no one in this world would ever find out about it.

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Arial is poisoned. Hmm. Will not say anything. Anyway, leave some comments and leave some votes too.