Niel sat at the kitchen table, contentedly munching on some sliced lamb meat. This meat tastes pretty good, he thought to himself, taking another eager bite. It was surprisingly well-seasoned, the rich spices cutting through his lingering hunger.
He chewed for another moment, but his pace slowly began to slacken. He stopped chewing altogether, his brows knitting together as he swallowed hard. There's just one problem, he thought. His enthusiastic expression completely fell as he muttered aloud to the empty room, "It's cold."
Shaking his head, he took another big bite, munching loudly to clear his mind. It can't be helped. It's my own fault. I shouldn't have gotten so worked up and passed out, he thought.
He came to yet another sudden halt. "Worked up..." he repeated softly.
The fragmented memories of the previous night came rushing back to him in a sudden wave. He stared blankly at the half-eaten meat in his hand, his appetite vanishing as the question hit him: Why did I get so worked up over an injury being left unwrapped?
Before he could finish the thought, Adam's voice broke through his contemplation. His brow furrowed deep after hearing Niel's prior answer about his state. "Not in good enough condition?" Adam repeated, his voice laced with skepticism. "What do you mean by that? You speak as if someone has brutally beaten you."
Niel looked back at him, his face twisting into a genuinely puzzled expression. "But... someone did."
Deep confusion washed over Adam's features. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing as he silently awaited Niel's final explanation.
"Your daughter, Sky, did," Niel said, his fingers nervously scratching through his silver hair.
Adam's eyes widened slightly, a wave of deep irritation washing over his face. He let out a heavy, annoyed sigh. He hadn't tasked Sky with breaking the boy; he had ordered her to train him.
"I see," Adam muttered, his jaw tightening as he suppressed his growing anger toward his daughter. He looked back down at Niel. "For now, focus on recovering." He spoke the words curtly before turning on his heel and walking away.
Niel watched Adam's retreating figure. A sharp flash of concern crossed his face as he noticed the older man limping slightly.
Before Niel could call out to ask about it, Adam came to a sudden halt right at the kitchen doorway. "And another thing," Adam said calmly. He glanced back over his shoulder, his stern gaze locking onto Niel one last time. "When you're done recovering, don't worry about Sky training you. You'll be training with me from now on."
Later that day, Niel was sitting on the edge of his bed, slowly peeling the strips of cloth away from his torso. With a focused, careful gaze, he gently removed every last wrap.
"Yahoo! I'm way better!" he shouted out excitedly.
Jumping completely off his bed, he stretched his body out in every direction, thoroughly testing his muscles and joints. A massive grin broke across his face. "It's perfect," he said happily.
Niel exited his bedroom and waltzed straight into the kitchen, where he found Neela busy cooking.
"Lady Neela," he called out from behind her, his voice bright and cheerful.
Neela turned around, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What's wrong, Niel?" she asked. Her voice trailed off as her eyes fell on him. He was standing right in front of her completely shirtless, his torso entirely bare of the tight wraps she had helped him with just hours before.
Neela looked at him, slowly taking in his appearance. She noted his flat stomach and skinny arms. Misunderstanding his bare chest completely, deep pity washed over her face. "Oh, you poor boy," she said, giving him a supportive thumbs-up and a reassuring smile. "You don't have a single muscle on that body of yours. But don't feel too bad about it! After you're done with your training, you'll finally have the proper body of a man."
Every single one of her words felt like an invisible arrow piercing straight through his body. Niel stared at her with a completely dumbfounded expression.
"I'm... all better now," he explained, his voice turning soft and high-pitched from the sheer offense of her comment.
Neela's face instantly flushed a deep crimson as realization struck her like a lightning bolt. "Oh my god, Niel! I'm so sorry!" she gasped, covering her face. "I thought you were trying to show off your body. I'm just so used to most men around here doing that... I completely forgot you aren't like most men."
Niel gave her a stiff thumbs-up. "No worries, it's okay," he said, though his trembling voice completely betrayed his words. He clutched his fist, holding it tightly over his chest as he hung his head in defeat. "The pain... the absolute pain..." he muttered to himself in a highly exaggerated, melodramatic whisper.
The kitchen door suddenly swung open again, and Adam re-entered, stopping dead in his tracks as his eyes took in the strange scene. "What is going on here?" he questioned, his brow furrowing in deep confusion.
Neela turned to him, her face instantly brightening. "Oh, Adam, look! Niel has made a full, quick recovery. Isn't it just wonderful?"
"I see," Adam said calmly. He shifted his gaze to Niel, scanning the boy's completely healed torso, before looking back at his wife. He didn't look happy about the situation at all; his expression remained tight and skeptical.
Adam took a single step forward to approach them, but a sudden, vicious spike of pain shot through his lower body. He caught himself, groaning softly under his breath, desperately trying to hide the flare-up so his wife wouldn't notice.
Unfortunately for Adam, Neela's maternal instincts were too sharp. She rushed straight over to his side, throwing an arm around him to help him stand up straight. "Adam! Are you okay? Is it your leg again?" she asked, her voice instantly filling with deep panic and concern as she began to guide his heavy frame toward their bedroom.
As he was led away, Adam's gaze fell over his shoulder, locking onto Niel. The silver-haired youth was watching him with a look of genuine, professional concern.
Suddenly, a memory flashed through Adam's mind. The previous night, after Niel had passed out, Neela had confessed something to him. She told him that Niel had offered to teach her the art of medicine. She had even admitted that if Niel's strange methods actually worked on himself, she was going to swallow her pride and ask the boy to use his medical skills to fix Adam's permanent injury.
Niel calmly followed them. He stopped just outside their bedroom, pressing himself against the wall next to the doorframe, trying his best to listen in on their conversation.
"Niel."
Neela's voice suddenly called out his name from inside, cutting through the quiet. Niel flinched in absolute shock, his heart skipping a beat. He took a quick breath to compose himself before stepping through the doorway and entering the room.
Neela turned to face him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Please help us, Niel," she begged, completely dropping her tough warrior exterior. "We need your help. I don't know what is wrong with him anymore. My Adam... he can't sleep. He has these terrible sores developing all over his legs and feet. Please, help him. Or teach me how to help him."