Chapter 29: Divine Fallout

“Is he still asleep?” Lily’s voice reached my ears, soft and uncertain.

“It’s been nearly three days since he lost consciousness,” Reimei replied, worried heavily in her tone.

“I’m sure he’ll wake up soon,” Lily said, trying to sound reassuring.

“Bau! Bau!” Janbo barked in agreement.

I tried to force my eyes open, but my lids felt as though they’d been welded shut.

This must be Divine Fallout… I realized, recalling how I had invoked two Arcana cards, The Fool and The Hierophant.

“Raki… if you can hear me, please wake up already,” Reimei whispered.

I’m trying, Reimei, I thought, feeling the gentle weight of her head resting against my chest.

Two soft knocks broke the stillness.

“Reimei, may I come in?” came the calm voice of High Priestess Selena.

Reimei jolted, quickly lifting her head from me. “O-of course, Lena,” she answered, hurrying to open the door.

“I may be able to help wake him,” Selena said as she stepped inside.

She clasped her hands, her voice steady in prayer.

“God, let this child be bathed in Your eternal and unconditional love, Divine Grace.”

Her chant stirred something within me.

My eyes slowly blinked open, the light spilling into my vision.

“Raki!” Reimei cried, throwing her arms around me in relief.

I shifted my gaze toward Selena. “Thank you… for bringing me back.”

Reimei froze, eyes widening. “Wait… you were conscious this whole time?” she asked, cheeks flushing.

I shook my head faintly. “No… the first thing I remember was Lily asking if I was awake.”

“I see,” Reimei murmured.

“You seem to be recovering well,” Lena observed.

“Thanks to you,” I replied.

“It was the least I could do for the one who not only defeated Death Dragon Urzuz, but also freed the souls of countless undead,” Lena said softly.

She clasped my hand, her gaze heavy with gratitude. “And… thank you for releasing my old friend, Althea DragonHeart, from her endless cycle of hatred.”

Before I could answer, the door opened.

Zid stepped inside, eyes widening the moment he saw me awake.

“Lena, the Guildmaster is asking for you.” He stopped, staring at me. “Raki… you’re awake?”

“Yo!, Zid,” I said with a faint smile.

“We were worried you’d never wake up,” Zid admitted.

“Thanks to Lena’s Divine magic, I could,” I answered.

“I see. I’m glad her magic worked,” he said with relief.

“I’ll inform the Guildmaster and my dad, that you’re awake.”

He stepped back, then peeked into the room once more. “Lena, Master Rion is still waiting for you.”

“I understand. I’ll see Little Rion now,” Lena replied, giving me a final glance before leaving with Zid.

Not long after, the door slid open again.

“I heard Raki’s awake!” Lily entered, her face bright with excitement, holding a small wooden bowl filled with steaming liquid.

“You had us all worried, especially Reimei,” she teased, grinning.

“L-Lily!” Reimei exclaimed, flustered.

“Here,” Lily said, handing the bowl over, “make sure he eats this. He must be starving, three days without food is no joke.”

Reimei carefully took the bowl, which rested on a wooden plate, a spoon placed neatly beside it. She turned back to me, her expression gentle.

“Do you want some?” she asked softly, holding the hot soup toward me.

“I’d love to, but I still can’t move my hands,” I admitted.

Without hesitation, Reimei scooped a spoonful of soup, blew on it gently until the steam faded, then held it near my lips.

“Sorry,” I murmured before opening my mouth and accepting the warm broth.

She patiently fed me spoonful after spoonful, her expression calm and focused.

At the side, Janbo watched me intently, his canine eyes glinting with amusement, as if he found the whole scene entertaining.

I tried to lift my arms, but they remained heavy and unresponsive.

Only my fingers twitched faintly, a small sign of recovery.

“You should keep resting,” Reimei said softly. “I’ll come back later with more food.”

Then, she turned toward Janbo.

“Make sure Raki behaves, and don’t let him do anything reckless.”

“Woof!” Janbo barked in affirmation.

Left with no strength to argue, I surrendered to drowsiness and drifted back into sleep.

“Raki!” Reimei’s voice called, pulling me back from my dreams.

When my eyes fluttered open, I found her face just inches from mine, her bright blue eyes wide, too close.

She startled, pulling back quickly.

“I brought you some food,” she said, holding another wooden bowl of steaming soup on a small tray.

As I watched her, a memory stirred. It had been a long time since someone cared for me like this.

My mother used to feed me the same way whenever I fell ill as a child.

And faintly, I remembered Kanon once tending to me when I had a terrible fever.

I pushed myself upright, and to my surprise, my arms obeyed this time.

Reimei only glanced at me but said nothing about it. Instead, she quietly resumed feeding me, spoon by spoon, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You look a lot better now,” Father Damian remarked, stepping into the room just as Reimei finished.

“Thanks to everyone,” I replied sincerely.

“Tomorrow I’ll be escorting High Priestess Selena to the Holy Temple along with Aira,” Father Damian said.

“Zid decided to stay here with you all for a while,” he added.

“My son can be a bit childish, but I hope you’ll continue getting along with him.”

“I’m sure we will. It’s actually reassuring having him around,” I replied.

A faint smile touched Father Damian’s face. “I see… so my son finally has a friend he can rely on.”

His expression turned more serious.

“That’s all I came to say and one warning.

Be careful not to overexert yourself. We don’t know what might happen the next time you suffer a Divine Fallout.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Father Damian,” I said sincerely.

With a nod, he left the room.

I tried moving my legs, but they refused to respond.

Still, my toes twitched faintly, much like how my fingers had before regaining strength.

Hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll be able to walk again.

“Raki, I brought you some cold Ramsap juice,” Reimei’s voice came as she stepped through the door.

I smiled as she approached.

“Here, you can move your hands now, right?” she asked, placing the wooden cup in front of me.

I took it carefully and sipped. The chilled drink slid down my throat, refreshing and sweet.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” I said.

“It’s nothing compared to everything you’ve done for us,” she replied gently.

I tilted the cup back and drank the rest in one gulp. “This really is delightful.”

“Then make sure you tell Lily that yourself,” Reimei said with a faint smile.

“Now, get some more rest, okay?”

With that, she turned and quietly left the room.