Time passes like a train with no stops.
Since Dry's paralysis, eight days have gone by.
During those eight days, much had happened. The children continued their theoretical lessons, and the AHIA Clan welcomed a new honorary member: Jay.
Since the battle in the desert, Jay had resigned himself to his fate and decided to stay at the AHIA castle. He was well received, but during those eight days, he hadn't seen Dry even once.
He heard a few rumors — some said the AHIA prince had fallen into a coma; others claimed he'd been disfigured in an accident. Some even whispered that he was completely paralyzed.
The healers he occasionally saw around seemed to reinforce those rumors. But for Jay, that didn't matter.
Whatever state the prince was in, all Jay needed to do was to be a useful ally to him.
— Mr. Jay, Her Majesty has requested your presence. Please, follow me, — said one of the castle's maids as Jay sat in a corner of the garden, admiring the scenery.
— Of course, — Jay replied, with a polite smile he thought looked quite charming.
They walked through the corridors until they reached a door. The maid told him he could enter.
— Pardon the intrusion, — Jay said before stepping inside.
Once inside the room, he was stunned by the sight before him. It was a spacious room, decorated in shades of blue, with a large bed. Beside it sat an armchair, and on the bed lay the young prince, eyes closed, asleep.
Standing next to the bed was what Jay thought to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen — the Queen of the AHIA Clan, Safira Johns.
— He chose you at the Loan Hotel as a friend. Now, I choose you to stay by his side until your last breath, or until he no longer needs you.
— I know you wish to reach Level 6 and continue along that torturous process we call evolution. Be a good assistant to him, for Level 6 will only be the beginning of your journey. Any questions? — Safira said, without even glancing at Jay from start to finish.
— No questions, Your Majesty. I'll be a faithful and loyal assistant to the prince, — Jay replied, joy swelling in his heart. Level 6 was now closer than ever.
— I don't want your loyalty, and neither does he. I just want you to be useful to him. His will should be like a celestial command to you, — Safira said, this time fixing her gaze directly on Jay.
Jay felt a tremendous weight all over his body. At that moment, he realized that the queen didn't care for false loyalty, nor even true loyalty — she only wanted a capable assistant for her son.
— Understood, madam, — Jay said firmly, standing tall.
— Good. I'm glad you understand, — Safira murmured, almost as if speaking to herself.
"My dear, don't you worry. Mama will find a solution for you," — she thought, giving Dry one last look before vanishing from the room.
Jay stayed there, gazing at the prince who looked so defenseless and vulnerable. Yet he knew perfectly well that no Johns would ever leave their heir unprotected.
He might not know why the Queen herself had left him in charge of the boy, but he was certain that if he ever thought of doing anything other than being useful to the prince, his fate would be cruel.
He walked to the armchair, where a tablet rested — containing all the information he needed about the prince.
According to the tablet, the prince couldn't move his body — only his eyes. He could hear but not speak.
Not even brainwaves could be used to communicate.
— Man, I'm just glad I'm not you, — Jay muttered, unsure whether to pity the prince or thank his condition for giving him such a convenient job.
Dry opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on Jay.
©— Want to trade places? — Dry said to Jay.
Jay froze in shock, staring at Dry's wide-open eyes.
— How did you speak!? I thought you couldn't talk! — Jay exclaimed.
Then he realized the voice wasn't coming from Dry, but from the tablet in his hands.
— Oh, altered-vision reader contact lenses... those must've cost a fortune, — Jay commented, realizing that Dry was using lenses that converted his eye movements into words and full sentences, as naturally as speech.
©— A fortune, my ass... I'd rather just use my mouth. Who the hell likes talking with their eyes? — Dry grumbled through the device.
— I suppose my being here wasn't your mother's decision, — Jay said, noticing Dry's sharp humor despite his condition.
©— If it were up to her, she'd never leave my side. You have any idea how hard it is to think clearly with her around? — Dry replied.
— So, why am I here? — Jay asked.
©— You don't look as scared as you did at the hotel, — Dry mocked.
©— You're here for the same reason you were then. I need an assistant — someone who can assess the situation without thinking everyone else is an idiot, — Dry said, his tone turning serious.
Jay didn't comment. Intelligent people often think they're the only ones, and that never ends well.
He grabbed a floating chair and placed Dry in it. The chair was gray with a metallic sheen, emitting controlled ripples of cosmic energy underneath, allowing it to hover a few inches above the floor.
After securing Dry in the chair, Dry instructed Jay to take him to the courtyard, where the lessons were being held.
On the way there, Dry closed his eyes and began accessing the information stored in his mind — the information responsible for his current state. Suddenly, he heard the unit's voice in his head:
[Beginning purification process]
Dry felt a searing pain that came straight from his soul. Though it lasted only a few seconds, to him, it was the longest moment of his entire life combined.
Jay, who was carrying Dry, noticed the prince start to tremble. When Dry opened his eyes, they were bloodshot, and tears streamed down his face involuntarily.
Jay wanted to wipe them away, but Dry said through the tablet:
©— Don't worry about that. Just keep moving toward the courtyard.
It was hard to tell how the prince truly felt, but Jay could sense that he was far from okay.
To have such talent and end up with only the mobility of his eyes — that was a direct form of castration.
Even so, everyone Jay saw still treated the prince with respect and awe. When they arrived at the class — which was currently on the topic of theoretical cultivation, explaining its divisions and characteristics — no one looked at the prince in a strange way.
For Jay, who had grown up in a sect where power struggles were constant, if he had been in the prince's position, he would've been killed long ago by his own peers and brothers.
At the end of the class, Black approached Dry and said:
— You look pretty comfortable! — he said, eyeing Dry's floating chair with a hint of envy, like a child longing for a toy.
©— Ungrateful brat! I let you eat in my kitchen and now you want my toys too? What's next — my throne? — Dry shot back mockingly.
— It really does look comfortable. And it flies! — came an excited voice.
Dry didn't even need to think to recognize the speaker — Jade. The little princess wore a pink dress that highlighted her natural cuteness.
Jay watched the three of them talk and tease one another. He couldn't quite understand their dynamic, but he could tell one thing clearly:
The AHIA might be harsh to outsiders, but among their own, they were kind.