"Everything is normal, this kid has no problem," said Miriam, taking the receiver from Ark.
"But he immediately fainted and hasn't woken up yet, what if he never wakes up again, Miriam?" Al asked worriedly.
"You're not a witch like Ark. Witches and hunters all have their own special diseases."
"Is Ark a witch?" Al asked. He crossed his arms and leaned his head next to Ark, watching the other person sleep. Ark would occasionally frown in his sleep, muttering some nonsense.
"Yes, he sends you a lot of letters. And his ability is not something that someone who is not proficient in magic can do." She looked at Ark and sighed, continuing, "But perhaps this disease originates from the mind. It makes a person sleep, never wanting to wake up. However, I advise you to go to Aleph and ask the mages and other mages about this."
"But how can I go, Miriam?"
"The carriage will take people to Aleph at 8am and return at 6pm the day after tomorrow."
Miriam looked at the boy who was worried about Ark, her heart was light. In the past, Ark was always alone and rarely talked to anyone. Even when he went to prepare herbs with her or to pick herbs, he would not complain or show any joy. It was not until the two March children came to play that he learned what it meant to open up.
"You are a good boy, Al. During that time, I believe you will still take good care of Ark." Miriam patted Al's head.
***
Time passed slowly.
After Miriam left, Al continued to observe the person lying on the chair. Ark's breathing was as light as a feather. It was as if he was just closing his eyes and taking a nap like always. But his eyebrows were constantly furrowed, leaving wrinkles on his forehead. He was constantly sweating. Sometimes he would mumble some incomprehensible words and turn away, as if running away from his nightmares.
Sitting next to him, Al observed his face. Ark could be said to be the most handsome person Al had seen in the village. His face had no outstanding features, but the overall appearance blended together harmoniously. The stern features of a mature scholar were no less gentle, somewhat younger than his actual age - just like him. The slightly curly black hair covered his left eye. And his eyebrows were full, with a high nose and bright skin carefully covered by a cloak.
On the first day, when he took off his hat, Al had no impression: whether it was intimacy or fear. Instead, there was an indescribable feeling that made him bewildered. If he could express it in his thoughts, then at that time, he would say, "Here you are."
Compared to the image Al had seen of Ark before, the old Ark had an innocent expression. But thinking of someone like that watching Alice fall into the abyss and just standing there, Al shuddered, thinking that Ark still had some dark side that he didn't want him to know.
So he was a witch? Al lightly scratched his hair, remembering what Miriam had said and what Ark had shown him in the forest with that liquid. Al was scared, but at the same time he wanted to be as cool as that.
***
When Ark opened his eyes, he realized that he had been submerged in the ocean for too long. Although he thought he had only been in that dark and cold space for a short while, experience told him that it had been more than a few seconds.
Ark sat up and slid down from him a blanket he didn't remember covering him with and a chair he didn't remember lying on when he passed out. Looking at the clock, it was seven in the morning. In the kitchen, Al was standing there cooking something and seasoning it. Ark looked at Al, wondering, Since when did little Al become so tall?
Hearing the rustling of fabric, Al turned around. "Are you awake?"
"Yes. How long has it been?"
"I've been sleeping for 27 hours straight. Yvette is worried about me."
"I'm sorry…"
Ark sat down at the dining table and Al handed him the food Yvette had brought over. During the meal, Al asked, "When did it start, Ark?"
"Sorry, what did you ask?" Ark snapped out of his thoughts and asked him again.
"My sleepiness. When I asked you about the time that had passed, I thought this wasn't the first time, right?" Al focused on eating, not forgetting to observe Ark's expression.
"Yes."
"So when was it? Let me guess, it started when Alice died, right?"
"Yes..." Ark paused for a long time before speaking, "At first it was just an hour or two. But then it increased, and now it's been two days."
"Does it require any conditions, Ark?"
"Yes. After using magic without a sedative."
"What?"
***
"Magic comes from the mind. The heart contains energy (mana), the blood vessels move, and the brain is the synthesis of everything," Ark said, his eyelashes drooping slightly from fatigue. Ark the eating machine, calmly announced his death, "For those who do not use intermediate items, their brains receive all the signals causing overload, then fall into what is called 'sleep of the magicians'
You don't know or just don't want to know? Al can't let this situation continue. Maybe Miriam is right. If this is the "sleep of the mages", then surely the others in the castle will know more about this. Especially since it's the annual festival that lasts for a month in the castle before the participants leave for the Eastern Continent. But I only have three days left, tomorrow is the last day of the week when the carriage will take the villagers to the castle.
Looking at the person opposite who is boredly stabbing his fork into the beans, Al squinted his eyes. "Ark."
"What's the matter, Al?" Ark looked at him.
"I saw fragments of Alice's memories."
"What?" Ark opened his eyes wide, tilting his head to look at him.
"I saw the image of Alice from the past."
"No way,... Did you see anything else?"
"Brother, I saw you adventure with me. You had shorter bangs back then, and wore the same clothes as now."
"Alice...?" Ark's lips twitched. He raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
But Al quickly extinguished his hopes. "No. Those could only be the memories I inherited from the previous owner of this body. Plus, I also have memories from when I was a rabbit. I'm still Al."
Seeing the other person sink back into the chair, Al squinted, preparing to set a trap, "But I'm not sure that's true. Because in just a short trip with you, I've already gotten back a lot of memories. So I think that the memories of Alice can only be regained by going through the same adventure as before."
"No..." Ark's face paled, he shook his head slightly. "No... Adventure... is very dangerous."
"In my memory, Alice seemed to have something to say to you. But with the current situation, I don't think you'll be able to catch up with me if I really want to run away." Al hummed, "And if you run away, that's fine too. I won't have anything to do with the past anymore."
The hand of the person opposite Al unconsciously tightened, causing the fork to bend. Al secretly laughed in his heart when he learned of Ark's obsession with protecting Alice's old figure, and the torment of seeing "Alice" running away forever. And he would say, "Anyway, I just want to go to the city with you."
"Which city?" Ark frowned.
"Aleph. Didn't you tell me that you went to the city a few days ago to do the commission?" Al asked.
"Yes, and?"
"And what about the tongues of the direwolves? Aren't you planning on going to receive the reward? You said you'd buy me something?"
"But—" Ark hesitated.
"The road to the city can't be as dangerous as the one going up to the forest like the other day, right?" Al propped his chin up with both hands, smiling brightly at Ark. Al enjoyed looking at the confused expression of the man opposite. In his eyes, Ark, no matter how serious he was, was always someone who easily accepted his - Al's, suggestions.
"..." Ark thought hard, and finally put the fork on the table. "Okay. Just this one more time."
"That's great, brother. The carriage will depart tomorrow."
Ark looked at the rabbit in amazement, expressing How did Al know the running time of the carriage in the village? And Al naturally cleaned the plate, humming some random tunes.
***
That night, the two of them sat on either side of the sofa. In front of the crackling fire, Al asked Ark, "Hey, Ark, how does magic work?"
Ark took his eyes off the book in his hand and explained to him, "There are countless types of magic and countless ways to use it. But it mainly depends on how a person uses mana."
"So what is mana?" Al asked, jumping up and walking towards Ark.
After being picked up by Ark and sitting comfortably in his arms, Ark explained, "Mana can be simply understood as energy: internal energy or external energy. Energy can come from anywhere, the ability that is already in your body is internal energy and from the outside world - external energy."
Ark explained fluently like a machine. Contrary to Al's expectations, Ark was able to guide him quite thoroughly and easily.
"For example, when you hit a tree, you are applying the energy that is already in your body to it. However, in cases where you are tired or you want to break a whole tree, you can borrow power from outside."
"And that is external energy?" Al replied.
"Yes, of course in the academic world it means something else. And with external energy, one can borrow that energy and direct it into the body. Along with countless ways for one to maximize the use of mana."
"But wouldn't your brain be damaged if you used that much energy?"
"That's why when working with mana, those people all need intermediate items. They have three main uses: storing, directing, or mixing. The type of item that can direct energy is a wand. A directing item can also store energy, but its limit is very low, and sometimes it can be broken before it can do anything. So, each person needs a specific item that suits their own wishes."
"So everyone can be a mage?"
"Oh no. I can only practice magic when I know how to manipulate more energy sources than a normal person. Witches, hunters, swordsmen, etc. can all practice magic. But mages are people who are very proficient in magic, they study magic."
"Then can you give me an example of using magic, Ark?" Al looked at Ark expectantly.
Ark smiled, then raised an index finger in the air. A tiny object appeared on his fingertip, and faint wisps of steam gathered around it, forming a ball of water, just like what he had seen in the forest the day before.
"Water magic." Ark said proudly, "Using your mind to guide the water particles to gather into a small ball. Of course, when you master it, it will take very little energy."
"So do you think I can learn magic?"
"Anyone can learn magic, Al." Ark rubbed his head, covering the throbbing pain in his head. Ark continued, "Of course, everyone has a different ability to comprehend it. I will... show you later."
"Yes!"