“Okay, my lady, just a little more,” the midwife said as the woman screamed in agony.

“Is this supposed to hurt this much?” The woman cried, “is giving birth supposed to be this painful?”

“Please my love, just a little more and this pain will be gone.” The man standing next to her said, as his hand was being crushed by his wife. “Where are the healers and appraisers? I want them in here as soon as the child is born.”

“They are waiting outside the room, my lord.” A servant said, “they are awaiting the cries of the newborn.”

“WILL THE TWO OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!” The woman screamed pushing once more.  

“Okay my lady, just one more push, and then we will be done. One the count of three. One. Two. Three.”

“AHHHHHHHHH!” The woman cried, just as the sounds of an infant filled the room. Once the woman's cries of pain subsided, three people entered the room. Two of them immediately went over to the woman and began casting healing spells on her. “What of the child?” She asked, exhausted from the sheer amount of energy it took to give birth.

“My lady,” the wizard began, “As of right now, it is impossible to tell the child's capabilities. It has been my experience that you give the child a name, and wait six months before doing another appraisal. That way his abilities can be known for sure.”

* * * * * *

Hikari ran through the city towards the hospital, tears still in her eyes. Fredryn had found her back in the town hall in the room the grandmaster and king had been in, crying. The words he told her kept repeating in her mind. “Arthur is alive.” As Hikari entered the hospital, she made her way to the desk where a nurse was filling paperwork.

“Ummm...can...can I help you?” The nurse said, slightly started at the beastkin that came running in.

“My husband,” Hikari started, “I was told that my Husband, Arthur Shepherd was here.”

“Do, do you have any proof of your identity?” The nurse asked nervously, this was the first time she had seen a beastkin and had heard about how dangerous they can be.

“Yes, I do,” Hikari said, pulling out her Adventurer's Guild identification card. “As you can see on my card, it shows who my spouse is and also has the last four digits of their guild card. It should match Arthur's.”

“Okay ma'am give me one moment.” The Nurse said taking Hikari's guild card. She began inputting the information into the magic device sitting on the desk. After looking at the information that popped up for her she handed Hikari's guild card back to her and motioned for her to follow. After passing the regular ward they then entered the ICU area of the hospital. Grandmaster Alosrin and the king were standing outside of the room talking about something as Hikari and the nurse arrived. “He is in here.” She said, just before Hikari attempted to rush into the room but she was stopped by Alosrin's arm.

“Mrs. Shepherd, before you go in there,” he began, a look of pity on his face, “you might want to prepare yourself. Although his external injuries were treatable, his internal ones, not so much.”

“What are you saying?” Hikari asked, still trying to get into the room.

“He is suffering from Dragon poison,” Alosrin said, withdrawing his arm.

Upon hearing this, Hikari once again froze, she looked at the Grandmaster, and despite him being well over one-thousand years old he still looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties. “Is... Is there any way to save him?” She asked, fearful of the answer.

Alosrin didn't answer, his silence was all Hikari needed to hear to know his answer. Hikari carefully entered the room. This was the first time she had seen so many magic devices in one room, each one had its own specific function, all keeping Arthur both alive, and unconscious, because if he were to awake, all he would feel, would be pain. “Arthur,” Hikari said quietly, tears welling in her eyes as she sat on the left side of his bed. She reached for his left arm to hold his hand in hers, but there was nothing. The arm was gone, and tears welled up even more, and she could no longer keep herself from crying. 

* * * * * *

Arthur wandered a blank landscape, with floating images that were moving scattered all around. After viewing the very first one, he realized he was in his mind, and all of these were his memories. All of the good, all of the bad, and all the ones Arthur wished he could forget forever so he wouldn't have to remember the faces in them. Yet he wasn't alone, another figure wondered this landscape. It looked human, but Arthur's intuition told him otherwise. Its silver hair reached down to the ground as it watched some of Arthur's earliest memories.

“Who are you,” Arthur called out to it, as he approached.

“Really? You haven't realized who I am yet? Even after I tried so hard to rescue you?” The figure said turning its head towards him. Its dragonlike eyes shining in the nothingness of the area. “Well it could be understood, everything happened so fast. I am Dudhawud, what should I call you, my master?”

“Wait, master? I am no one's master.”

“Ah, but you are. You are my wielder, which makes you my master.”

“Wait, you were that sword weren't you.”

“I, AM, the word yes.” Dudhawud said, “so, what should I call you? Master? Arthur? Or Mich...”

“Arthur.” Arthur said interrupting him, “just call me Arthur. Now can you explain how the hell we are here because you seem to know something?”

“You are quite interesting, none of my past wielders have ever figured that out, but then again you are the only one to be so close to death for our very first meeting.”

“Close to death? Does this mean you are keeping me alive?”

“No, your own magic power is doing that.”

“What magic power, I don't have any...” Arthur said before remembering the dragon. “Okay, so please explain why we are here.”

“Of course Arthur.”

* * * * * *

A knock on the door woke Hikari up, she had switched sides of the bed so she could fall asleep holding Arthur's hand. “Yes?” She called out, just before the door opened. It was the doctor who had been taking care of Arthur. 

“Mrs. Shepherd, may I talk to you for a moment,” he asked.

“What is it?”

“It would be better if you follow me”

“O...Okay.” Hikari said, getting up from her chair. She kissed Arthur's forehead before following the doctor out of the room and into an office. After they sat down the doctor pulled out several documents.

“Mrs. Shepherd, it pains me to say this, but you may want to start thinking of stopping the life support crystals that are keeping your husband alive.” The doctor said, remorsefully. “I know it can be difficult, which is why we waited this long to talk to you about it, but he is suffering. As a null, his body is being destroyed from the inside out by the poison.” 

Hikari just sat there in her chair, unable to move. She thought long and hard about the choice that was laid out in front of her. “Can I get... five more days with him?” Hikari said, trying not to cry.

“Of course, if that is what you want.”

“It... it is.”

Upon hearing those words the doctor pulled out some paperwork from the desk and began going over it with Hikari.

About five days later, Hikari, May, Fredryn, Alosrin, and the King were in the room as the nurses began their preparations to stop the life support crystals.

“Wait,” Hikari said, “can I give him one last kiss goodbye?”

“Of course ma'am,” the nurse said, removing the respirator from Arthur's face.

“Goodbye Arthur, I hope we may meet again one day,” Hikari said, before kissing him on the lips. her hand holding his, when it squeezed down on hers. “Hikari's eyes widened as she pulled back, she looked at Arthur's face, and there he was, smiling back at her. Arthur was alive.