Aidric opened his mouth to scream, but no cries reached his ears. The hammering intensified, morphing into a chaotic symphony that reverberated through every fiber of his being. A cold sweat trickled down his spine as he sensed something inside him shatter. Just as abruptly as it arrived, the light vanished, and the pain gradually subsided, as if a frigid hand had withdrawn after rummaging through his insides.

“Aidric! Aidric, can you hear me?!” Dr. Tillmane had been kneeling over him, his hands gently shaking his shoulders. With another ragged breath, the last remnants of light disappeared. Aidric scrunched up his nose as a warm trickle made its way down his septum, and the metallic aroma twisted around his upper lip. His right hand shook when he rose it to wipe his face, doing a better job at smearing the crimson rather than cleaning it up. His chest pain had escalated, shifting from a dull ache to a steady, throbbing discomfort, yet his true concern remained elsewhere. “Are you alright, son?” Aidric took a moment, and attempted to determine how best he could describe it.

“I feel like something’s missing.” Aidric said, which caused Jacque’s eyes to light up with morbid curiosity. 

“Interesting.” His voice was the personification of pondering. The tone Jacque used gave Aidric the impression that his primary care had a clandestine journal, where every detail of their meetings was recorded. ‘Interesting’ was a word for it, concerning was another. “What do you think it is?” 

“No idea. If I knew I would’ve told you.” Aidric's words had a snippy tone, but lacked any real sharpness. The only reasonable explanation he had was that the pain had dulled his senses. Seemed possible with what just happened, but who knew? “Can I get off the floor now?”

“Ah, yes.” Dr. Tillmane held his hand out to help Aidric up. Being right side up again, a head rush hit the young boy with a vengeance. “Easy, now.” Jacque said. With care, the old man carried Aidric to his bed, gently setting him down on the edge, and the disruptions faded. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing Ira cast ‘Insulation’ on his way out. You were screaming like I’d lit you on fire.” 

“Wait, the sound proofing spell?” Jacque nodded his head, only raising more questions in Aidric’s young, inquisitive mind. “I thought that was a third-tier spell.” The man's face, adorned with a bushy gray beard, broke into a wide grin as he nodded once more.

“It is, but the less you know about that, the better.” With his boney finger, he poked Aidric in the chest. “You’re not the only one with secrets.” A commoner knowing any third-tier magic without the express written consent of the Magus Collective was punishable by immediate execution. He’d wanted to ask questions, but Jacque was right. The less anyone knew, the better. Dr. Tillmane sighed and gestured for Aidric to face the other way. “Let me take a look and make sure nothing tore during... whatever that was.” 

Aidric turned his back to Jacque, crossing his legs as the old man knelt comfortably next to the bed. Through the slats of the shutters, Aidric observed his father working diligently in the fields, and although his mother swung her hammer onto a piece of orange-hot steel in the forge, the familiar clang that always accompanied it was curiously absent. With a slight tug at the knot on top of Aidric’s right shoulder, Jacque unraveled the bandages he had just put on five hours ago.

“When the shine appears in your eyes, can you see anything? Any color at all?” Jacque said, and Aidric shook his head.

“No, it’s just a really bright white light. There’s no color at all. Why?” The man gave a drawn-out pondering ‘hm’ behind Aidric while he kept undoing the wraps. 

“I see you haven’t made it all the way through those books, then. Many Marked said they saw a color when they received these flashes, which ended up coinciding with the scales they grew later on.” Even though Aidric’s curiosity peaked to know what color he would be, he wasn't a fan of anything 'growing' out of him. Just the thought of it sent a shiver down his spine.

“Is it going to feel different? Will I even know, or is just going to be like growing hair?” Aidric asked. For a second, there was no response. Then Jacque’s eager voice reached his ears.

“I don’t know my boy, but do let me know once you find out!” Aidric had a feeling that once everything was resolved, there would be a book on Jacque's shelf solely dedicated to him posing ridiculous questions to Aidric and presenting them as revolutionary scientific findings. “Well, nothing appears to be torn. It actually looks… a lot better.” The old man’s voice was a mix of relief and bewilderment. 

“That’s a good thing, though, right?” Jacque cleared his throat and removed the bandages. 

“Take a look for yourself.” Jacque said as he seized the mirror from beside the dresser and positioned it behind Aidric. Aidric craned his neck as best as he could to get a clear look at his back. The wounds had closed up, but their angry red color was still vivid, so he definitely still had to keep his shirt on when working in the sun. The spot in the middle of his back looked especially aggravated, standing out like a sore thumb being two entire shades darker than the surrounding red lines and smaller patches. “It seems like you will have some significant scarring, but I prefer that over waiting months for a skin graft to stitch that large patch together again.” Maybe this whole Marked thing wouldn’t be too bad after all.

“Do Marked just have faster healing or is this weird?” Aidric asked. Lost in thought, Jacque moved in front of the mirror, absentmindedly combing a hand through his gray beard. Aidric assumed, once again, that he’d just provided more material for his book.

“Not that is noted.” Jacque's pondering eyes locked onto Aidric's. “But you’re appearing to be a different breed altogether. Manifesting at half the documented age, suffering from Ether poisoning during the manifest, no color in the light you see.” A look of worry creased the doctor’s features. “You’re going to be a sight to behold, and I want you to make a promise to me.” Aidric had known Dr. Tillmane for a few short years, but he had never seen him appear so anxious. Aidric turned around to face Jacque properly and met his gaze.

“Whatever happens, whoever you become, promise me that the gold-hearted boy in front of me will come out on top.” Aidric couldn’t help but smile and laugh, while reminiscing of the events that had landed him in this situation in the first place.

“Gold hearted? Me? A convicted and punished grain thief? Is there such a thing?” The hint of a smirk appeared on Jacque's face, only to be replaced by his serious expression once again. Alright, you win, old man. “Yes, I promise.” As soon as he heard those words, Jacque's smile spread across his face, and he gave Aidric a friendly pat on the arm.

“Good. I expect you to keep it.” Despite the smile on his face, there was a haunting sadness in his eyes that tugged at Aidric's heart. “Believe me, son, this world will test you. There will be things you learn that will push you to the brink, but never, ever, change who you are, unless that change is to grow as a person.” With a reassuring smile, Aidric hopped off the edge of his bed, the wooden floor creaking slightly beneath his weight as he put on a shirt for the first time in a just under a month. Jacque had never shown this level of vulnerability to him before.

“You know me Doc, I’m pretty stubborn.” Although the sadness in Jacque's eyes wasn't as severe as before, a profound pain still lingered. 

“Keep it that way. I would hate to take out my favorite patient” The two of them shared a lighthearted chuckle and made their way to the door. “Come with me. Let’s give your parents the good news.” Jacque said, giving Aidric a knowing glance as they left the room, silently conveying that their conversation was no longer shielded by the soundproofing spell. Aidric never realized the true silence of the spell until the sound of birds chirping and his parents' hushed conversation in the kitchen reached his ears. “This does not mean you can go running around causing havoc again, understood? The skin on those wounds is still thin, so take it easy.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Aidric's parents were seated at the kitchen table, their eyes focused on the stairs as they descended. Their anticipation turned into astonishment when they saw their son following behind the doctor. 

“Is he…” Ada's speech was hesitant, leading Dr. Tillmane to answer her question with a hint of humor.

“Very lucky, yes. The skin still needs time to regain its full strength, but for all intents and purposes, your son-” Before Jacque could finish speaking, Neal was already down on a knee and had his son wrapped tightly in his arms, his face nestled against Aidric's shoulder. Ada's surprise was evident, as she had barely gotten up from the chair when Neal had already managed to reach the other side of the room. “Will make a full recovery.” Aidric could see the tears welling up in his mother's emerald eyes, and feel his father's tears dampening his shirt. 

“We can never repay you this, Jacque.” The old man raised his hand to stop Ada in her tracks. 

“If you want to repay me, then cherish these moments.” Jacque said, his voice filled with relief, as he made his way to the front door to let the family start to recover from the ordeal. “Kids grow up quicker than we would like.” Aidric pretended that Jacque's words were not a foreboding warning and that his parents did not miss their meaning. With those parting words, he took his leave. 

“Thank the Gods’ you’re okay.” Neal said. Standing on either side of their son, both parents breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for his improving health. A knot formed in Aidric’s stomach. He would have to wait and see how grateful they would be when he was marked as the sworn enemy of the entire kingdom. For now, he made a conscious effort to simply appreciate and bask in the enjoyment of having his parents back. 

  Neal pulled back from the embrace, and tossed quick glances to Ada. After a moment, she gave her husband a nod.

“I… I owe you an explanation.” Neal said. “About the grain.” The man chewed on his lips and took a deep breath. “We were going to wait until you older but, with everything that’s happened, you deserve to know. The continent… isn’t unified.” Aidric’s stomach dropped out from under him, filling him with a sense of disbelief. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The brief summaries, the same information, it all clicked.

 “Was it ever?” Aidric asked. Neal and Ada both shook their heads and tossed glances at one another.

“After the First Ascended claimed a throne, the other countries were subjugated.” Ada said. “Arc has been trying to keep it hidden, but there’s been a resistance from each, and the rebel groups are getting stronger.”

“So, the grain is for emergency rations?” Aidric asked. The two parents locked eyes with each other for a moment, before turning their gaze back to their son.

“They’re for rations… or to barter for our lives.”