A Survivor's Scars

“Sorry, can you run that through me again?”

The two priests must have thought Yuushin’s reaction was due to the nature of the news, making them look at him with pity and sorrow.

The one with fox traits pulled back her red-haired ears, repeating everything again, word for word, in mournful voice.

“As none of your channels had been previously trained to manipulate and conduct energy, you must’ve instinctively forced them open in order to have the Soma flow through your body, which is why you strained your muscles to such a degree.”

The one with panda ears and tails complemented. “Yet since Soma and mana use different channels, while your outburst with the Soulchant only inflamed and bruised the vas canalis, your nativus plexus was damaged beyond repair…”

“We are terribly sorry for failing you.”

Once again, Yuushin kept staring at them, wondering if suddenly the magic or spell responsible for translation had stopped working.

C’mon, Yuushin, you graduated from high school. You can put this together.

“So…j-just to see if I got it right…when I used Soulchant, it flowed through my channels. Since I had used Soma before, some of them weren’t damaged that badly.”

The fox lady nodded.

“But the other channels, the ones I didn’t use through Soma, those were killed for good. Is that it?”

She nodded again, her face solemn. “Correct…”

Yuushin chuckled, a nervous smile forming on his lips.

“And…what does this mean, exactly?”

The priests blinked in surprise, as if they had forgotten he was not from that world.

“Oh, we’re so sorry for not explaining it properly. As you already noticed throughout your recovery, you can use Soma without any complications, as long as you don’t abuse it like before.”

“Yet as for mana…unfortunately, you will never be able to use it again. No matter which kind of magic you try to conjure or manipulate.”

Fox and panda girl explained, respectively, stepping away as if they were expecting him to break down crying.

“Oh…”

Fireballs are pretty much out of the way, then…?

As the priests left him “to grieve”, Yuushin continued to eat his breakfast.

Two weeks ago, he got happy to discover that not only the fruits in that world didn’t taste bad, they were actually quite delicious. And during those two weeks, many priests came to assess his condition and provide their healing. His body stopped hurting after the first week, and he could finally move around without forcing his muscles.

As part of his recovery, some members of the Church came and taught him how to properly feel and manipulate Soma within his body. Though the first few days were worse than torture, after some time Yuushin discovered that making Soma flow in his body actually helped him recover faster.

Yet I still can’t use it like that first time…

The two priests from before explained to him during his first week.

“When Soma first manifests within the body, it makes its way through the channels almost instinctively—there’s rarely any control or manipulation needed.”

“Seeing how you were in a very…desperate situation, and given how you first awakened your Soma, it was very fortunate how your body didn’t resist and actually accepted the energy’s flow. But still…”

The priests exchanged glances between them, panda girl complementing. “It’s surprising you were able to awaken Soma at all.”

From what it seemed, it was easier to sense and awaken mana than Soma—especially for someone who were inexperienced. Usually, once a person could feel and manipulate both energies, they would choose one to focus their studies on.

Yuushin let out a weak sigh. “Guess I won’t have to worry about that.”

As he finished eating, Yuushin realized he was a bit sad about the mana situation. Well, it was not like he had ever used it to miss it, yet mages had always been one of the coolest to him. Whenever he felt like death trying to meet a deadline, and there was a mage’s action scene, it always took some of the fatigue away.

“At least I still have aura…”

However, if his only way to properly apply Soma and defend himself was by relying on karate…Yuushin shuddered.

Guess I have to learn how to use a weapon.

…swordsmen were also one of the coolest, no?

*knock knock*

Two faint knocks echoed through the room, opening only after he gave the permission. Before long, Lyr was walking toward his bed, carrying a small leather bag with a bright and wide smile.

Perhaps a little bit too bright.

“A very blessed morning to you! As promised, I brought all the materials regarding Veritux’s incentives and programs available for you.”

Judging by the way his ears kept twitching whenever their eyes met, Lyr probably knew about Yuushin’s “new condition”. The man wanted to say he was fine, but didn’t have the chance.

“There are many housing options available in the capital, yet you may choose one in the smaller cities as well. For the financial aid, many prefer to receive the amount monthly, yet the Church can arrange the payments whichever way you prefer.”

As he spoke, Lyr began to take pamphlets from the leather bag…and never stopped. Some had illustrations, others folded four times, yet every single one carried the same symbols he saw on the Arch Bishop’s flags.

“We have a great program to help you plan and start your own business, in case you already have something in mind! If not, you just need to complete our vocational test, and we shall provide a list of professions that best match your profile. You may also choose to not work at all, of course.”

Hah…

Am I dreaming?

Those words…such beautiful words, they were better than music.

Then, as the bed got stacked with pamphlets, one caught Yuushin’s gaze.

“What’s this? A banquet?”

Lyr raised his brows, his voice just as excited as his tail.

“We don’t usually do this, you see, celebrate and welcome the outsiders this way. But this time was so different! We never had so many surv—” The priest choked on the word, clearing his throat as he averted his eyes. “In any case, since you’ve recovered, the banquet will be hosted tonight. If you agree to attend, I will take you to a seamstress.”

“You mean I can’t go dressed like this?” Yuushin asked with an innocent face, trying to sound disappointed.

The priest froze, the words practically choking on their way out.

“D-do you…wish…to go like this?”

Yuushin wore a brown gown.

A simple, bland, hospital gown—the ones open on the back.

A faint smile cracked on his lips. “That was a joke.”

The pure relief that spread across the wolf priest almost made him laugh.

“Lords above, thank our God! I’ve come across some creatures from outside with bizarre tastes, so it would be rude of me to simply assume things. We were actually glad when saw your group, it’s so rare to meet creatures who resemble us. Your anatomy, I mean.”

That actually made Yuushin curious about what other beings had been transported to that world.

Yet still, he could relate to Lyr. After all, when he saw there were people there who appeared just like him, he was quite relieved.

Yuushin glanced at the pamphlet again, the roasted meat illustrations so vivid, he could almost smell it.

“I will be there.” Jay and the others would probably go, too. It would be good to interact with them.

The priest’s tail started swinging at a fast pace.

“Wonderful! I will take you to the best seamstress I know later!

As Lyr left the room, another pamphlet caught Yuushin’s attention.

A sentence.

[START THE BEST LIFE YOUR WAY]

Maybe…just maybe…

Staying wouldn’t be so bad.