"Is dead!!! He's dead!!!" Lee shouted-Won stumbling into the dining room, knocking over one of the columns at the entrance.

   The Blumbers looked curiously at the young boy who was watching them from the first step with wide eyes.

   Professor Evans set down his teacup on a carved saucer, quite calmly, twisting his lip slightly, as a sign of displeasure.

   "Why is a… servant interrupting our breakfast in such a rude way?" He spoke without looking at anyone in particular.

   Darius cleared his throat loudly, trying to get the attention of Lee-Won who was breathing heavily.

   "Professor Evans, it's not that serious, don't get worked up over things as insignificant as this... Can you pass me the milk, Darius?" said Rémona, slightly amused by Persseus Evans' reaction.

   Darius cleared his throat again and added an unnatural cough.

   "Darius! "The milk!" Rémona ordered, pointing to her empty cup.

   " Isn't anyone going to pay attention to me?! I said he is dead! Nobody plans to do anything!!! Darius, please!!!"

   "Who is dead, dear?" Mrs. Mariamne asked, using a funny tone of voice, as if she were addressing a three-year-old child. "What is your name?" She said in a low voice, approaching her husband. she.

   "I think it's... Lo- Ween..."

   "Lee-Won!!!" The furious boy burst out, while he climbed the steps with long strides.

   He reached the table and, red as a tomato, pulled the tablecloth to the side, scattering everything that was on it on the floor. The jugs and tableware shattered on the floor, all the liquids jumped into the air and the pointed knives also flew, one of them passing dangerously close to Professor Evans' ear.

   This caused his face to transform. He gaze became turbulent, his breathing quickened. He suddenly got up from the chair, with such violence that he pushed his several meters back when she took the first step, catching the high heel of hid leather boot on his front leg. He lost his balance and had to hold on to the edges of the table to keep from falling.

Before any of the other people there could react, he rushed towards Lee-Won and grabbed him by the neck with surprising dexterity. He lifted it into the air, several inches above his head, and carried it toward a wall.

   Rémona let out a scream of horror and the Blumbers covered their eyes. Darius dropped the remains of pottery he had been collecting and ran towards Professor Evans. He was determined to prevent that man from doing any harm to little Lee-Won, although he knew that facing Persseus Evans would probably cost him his position.

   The Professor looked at Lee-Won with deep hatred and said in a low but threatening voice:

   "What excuse do you have for me not to strangle you right now, servant?"

   Lee-Won looked at him defiantly even though he was already feeling short of breath. And with a hoarse but determined voice he said:

   " Tthor Prayer is dead!!!"

   It took a few seconds for the young man's words to be completely understood. An icy silence filled the room and left everyone paralyzed like statues. But a moment later and the initial stupor had passed, the hand that was squeezing Lee-Won's neck suddenly loosened as if it had been burned. Professor Evans' gaze locked, for a few moments, on the young dark-haired man who now lay at his feet, collapsed from the fall. He cried silently, clutching his head and rocking back and forth nervously.

   "Where is he?" Evans asked with a completely different tone of voice than before.

   "In his room…," said Lee-Won. "I went to wake him up but he doesn't respond... HE'S DEAD!!!" He shouted and covered his face with his hands again.

   Professor Evans ran out of the Great Hall, gaining quite a lead over the others, who several seconds later took off after him. The hallways and stairs he had to go through seemed endless. He arrived agitated at the door of Tthor's room, which was wide open.

   For a moment, as he ran, he hoped that it was all a practical joke, a misunderstanding, or an exaggeration. But when he saw Tthor's face, extremely pale and haggard, his heart sank. He walked towards him, breathing heavily. He was covered with a thick blanket up to his chin and the red hair on his forehead was completely soaked with sweat.

   Rémona entered the room, just as the Professor placed his trembling hand on the boy's forehead. And his face was horrified when he noticed her boiling. He examined her pupils and placed his fingers on her neck, feeling for a pulse.

   The Blumbers arrived at the door, visibly agitated. No one said anything until after a deep sigh, Professor Evans managed to articulate a word and, looking at everyone, announced:

   "He is alive !!!"

   Darius arrived just at the beginning of the hallway to learn the good news. Rémona smiled nervously and the Blumbers exclaimed in duet:

   " Thanks to Saint Orffelios!"

   Lee-Won leaned against a wall in the hallway. He closed his eyes and silently thanked her for the miracle.

   Professor Evans removed the blanket from Tthor and began checking his arms and torso.

   "Why doesn't he react?" Rémona wanted to know, approaching the high four-poster bed.

   "What has he eaten? Have you eaten potatoes from the air again?" Dedalus Blumber asked from the door.

   "I don't believe it. This is not an allergic reaction. He's not swollen... nor does he have marks like last time," Evans explained, carefully examining the boy's hands.

   Impatient to find the apparent cause of the problem, Professor Evans looked toward the door.

   "Bring the servant!"

   Rémona took a few steps back with the intention of going out in search of Lee-Won but he had already appeared, timidly, sticking his head and half his body out from the side of the door.

   Professor Evans, seeing him, headed towards him at a determined pace. Darius nervously stretched out his short, deformed arms towards the boy, seeking to protect him from a new attack. But Evans reached him first and took him by the shoulder, gently.

   "I will not hurt you. I just want to know what he's eaten and where he's been..."

   His voice was soft, which calmed everyone's spirits, even Lee-Won's.

   "He hasn't eaten potatoes from the air," the young man said quickly, advancing towards the bed, carried by Persseus Evans, who sat down again near Tthor and resumed the physical examination.

   Seeing that Lee-Won didn't say anything else, he invited him with his eyes to continue speaking.

   Lee-Won took a few more steps and stood tall with his hands crossed behind his back. He tried to think of something Tthor had eaten or done in the last few days but nothing relevant came to mind. The Professor tried another form of investigation and began asking questions:

   "Did you drink water from any river or spring outside of Warghost?"

   Lee-Won shook his head emphatically.

   The Professor was now examining Tthor's thin legs as he asked:

   "Did some animal bite him?"

   Lee-Won gave a negative answer again.

  " Did an insect bite him?"

   "Not that I know of...," Lee-Won managed to stammer, feeling quite miserable at not knowing how to help his friend.

   He bit his lower lip, visibly nervous as he rocked back and forth. And suddenly, he stopped dead and his eyes seemed to light up. Professor Evans noticed this change and approached him.

   "What did you remember? Tell me!"

   Lee-Won suddenly turned pale and icy fear took over his face.

   "Alright! You can tell me," Professor Evans said, squatting next to him. "Tell me anything... no one will be angry with you or with him. I give you my word."

   Lee-Won looked into his eyes and something in his gaze made him trust. He took a deep breath and said, with barely a thread of voice:

   "He cut himself…," he was going to say “with a sword” but he stopped himself in time and added..."He cut his foot a couple of days ago.

   The Professor jumped up and approached the bed. He completely unwrapped the fur blanket, throwing it on the floor, and examined her left foot thoroughly, trying to find even the most insignificant cut or scrape. Finding nothing, he took the other foot and when he looked at the plant, he let out a muffled scream that tensed everyone who was there and followed the scene in silence.

   A long, deep cut ran through the skin from the heel to the smallest toe. He had an ugly greenish color. Black spots appeared scattered throughout the plant and the fingers doubled their normal size. Professor Evans barely touched the cut and noticed how blood and pus oozed at the slightest contact.

   "The wound became infected and there is a danger of gangrene if we do not act quickly. Rémona, please, bring my first aid kit. Darius, hot water and clean rags!" The Professor ordered as he approached a small side table. He began washing his hands with plenty of soap and water. And while he dried himself he spoke to the Blumbers:

   " Wait outside, please. When I have everything under control I will let you know."

   "Can you cure him?" Mrs. Mariamne asked, moved.

"Clear! Of course he will!" Her husband responded, hugging her sweetly. " It's just an infection and Persseus is the best."

   "Infections from cuts or bites are relatively easy to treat. I have done it many times, when I was in the Security Forces. The ones that are practically impossible to cure are cuts caused by magic, but this is not the case.

   Lee-Won couldn't help but stare at the back of Professor Evans' head when he heard that explanation. And this one, as if having a sixth sense, felt that look. He slowly turned around and stared at Lee-Won who, surprised, lowered his gaze and began to sway back and forth again.

   The Professor advanced towards him impatiently. He took him by the arm and shook him nervously.

   "What have you not told me yet?"

Lee-Won started to shake. He felt an icy sweat run down his back and bit his lower lip so hard that he hurt himself and began to bleed. Evans took a deep breath, forcing himself not to lose control, while Lee-Won began to cry silently and hung his head, full of shame. He had to break the promise he had made to his friend about not telling anything about his latest adventure but seeing him there unconscious in bed, he could no longer bear to stay silent.

   "Tell me!" Professor Evans said, looking him in the eyes. " I want to save him. Tell me and I promise I will do it."

   Lee-Won took a deep breath and answered, in a weak voice:

   " It was with...a sword...that we found in one of the flooded basements, a couple of days ago."

   "What was that sword like?" the Professor asked, apprehensively, trying not to lose control of himself.

   " It had a wavy shape...as if it were a flame."

   The Professor looked horrified at the Blumbers, who were always following the scene from the same place.

   "The flaming sword?!" Dedalus Blumber exclaimed, not being able to believe it.

   "Its blade is deadly," Evans said, fixing his eyes on Tthor. "It's very powerful magic." And we have lost precious time. I don't know if I'm capable... I don't know...!" He said, letting himself fall on the edge of the bed. 'Nobody survives a cut from the flaming sword... Nobody...!"