The Innkeeper

Upon mention of checking in on the patient, the couple's necks snapped towards the Innkeeper with the speed and ferocity of a fired bullet. They had been in close communication with nurse Jubilation since they appeared, but she could not provide them with any information.

Truth be told, Sophia was very hesitant to bring her son here in the first place. His condition was extremely fragile and had been preserved using special means in her Ramos family. Unlike her, a cultivation and battle maniac, her family's area of influence was in herbs and medicine. They were one of the most prominent families, if not the most prominent family, when it came to refining medicine to aid in cultivation.

In their oldest and most secretive plantation grew a tree so old that it surpassed any historical records. It was an average sized tree and looked no different from a regular pine tree. One could not sense any spiritual energy from it, nor could they detect any anomaly. Combined with the fact that it was in a forest, its speciality was almost undetectable. It was only by accident that the Ramos family had discovered its use, and then slowly discovered its peculiarity.

The pinecones from that tree could be removed, and then replaced with any kind of plant or herb, and the tree would nurture it endlessly. A normal plant would gain spiritual effects in only a few weeks, and spiritual plants would be strengthened in only a few months. The affinity, type or requirements of the plants seemed to be completely irrelevant, as that tree would nurture them all.

This was a closely guarded secret of her family, and even its code name was simple 'Pine tree' to avoid arousing curiosity to anyone who might one day steal or stumble upon confidential documents.

While Sophia herself had no knowledge or interest in medicinal matters, her parents were another matter. Therefore, when Rafael was injured, they were able to react immediately. Using a special technique, they wrapped the then young man in a hemp bandage and coated his skin with an artificial sap. Then, treating him like a plant, they attached him to the tree.

Like this, the boy had continued to live for almost 15 years. But he had only continued to live, he was not healing. So when a few days ago Marlo returned and claimed he had discovered a way to heal their son, she was desperate to believe him, but she did not dare to hope.

If they removed him from the tree, it was unknown if he would live long enough to go anywhere. He may as well die within a few minutes.

Filled with her built up rage, frustration and desperation, she attacked Marlo with a ferocity she had never before revealed. After letting her vent a little, Marlo finally used his strength to stop her. He did not have time to waste, as not only was his own body's condition unstable, he knew full well that the situation on Earth was rapidly deteriorating.

As much as he wanted her to understand reason and come with him willingly, he would have to force things until they reached the Inn. With strength that far surpassed anything he had before, Marlo controlled his wife and traveled to Spain in the fastest jet he had. Once there, he brought her directly to the tree. At this point, she had stopped struggling and was only filled with a desperate prayer in her heart that what Marlo said was true.

Removing Rafael from the tree would endanger his life, which was a decision she, as a mother, simply could not take. As much as she knew that this was not a solution, as much as she knew that Marlo would not joke about such things, she could not make herself do it. Ultimately, all she could do was watch as Marlo did everything.

Marlo removed the artificial fruit and revealed his son's body. He did not stop to look at it, to reminisce or feel sorrow or pity. He directly poured a bottle of Botlam's Dew down the kid's throat and used a Golden key, transporting the three of them to the Inn.

Everything after that had been very uneventful so far. While Rafael did not die immediately, like Sophia suspected he would, despite being in the Recovery pod he did not seem to be getting better. Wasn't this only slightly different from how things were before?

During this time Marlo had explained to her what the Inn was, as well as what he knew about the Innkeeper. Which is why his arrival, along with him saying that he had some news about the 'patient', immediately attracted her attention.

"The good news," Sophia said immediately.

Lex smiled, as even without the need for the suit, he could feel her motherly love.

"The good news is that in 3 weeks and 4 days, the patient will be completely healed. After that, you can take him to the Organic Reconstruction room, where he will be able to regrow his missing limbs."

Elation and happiness hit Sophia like a tsunami. She chose to blindly accept what the man said, despite it being against common sense. Considering Rafael's condition, how could he possibly be healed so quickly, if at all? In truth, this was not quick at all. It must be remembered that even Marlo, a golden core cultivator, healed much quicker than that. The fact that it would take three weeks was a true testament to how devastatingly injured the boy was. In fact, his status had clearly stated that without the aid of whatever it was in his heart that kept him alive, the Recovery pod would not be able to heal him at all.

Sophia was desperate for any kind of good news, which is why she gladly accepted it, but Marlo frowned. If, after three weeks, his son would be healed, why was there still some bad news?

"And what about the bad news?" Marlo asked heavily.

"The bad news is that the patient's injury exceeds just his body. His soul has atrophied, and will require treatment as well, otherwise even when he is healed, he will not wake up. Unfortunately, at the moment, the Inn does not have the facility to heal the soul."

From her newfound zenith, Sophia quickly fell to her nadir. Belonging to a family focused on medicine, she knew exactly how difficult it was healing injuries to the soul. Simply put, her family had never actually succeeded in aiding anyone with a damaged soul. Resources that could affect the soul were practically nonexistent.

"You said 'at the moment'. Does that mean you could get something to heal the soul later?"

"Three weeks is a long time. It is entirely possible that such a facility may be available by then. Even if not by then, down the line, getting something like is highly likely. Of course, if you do not wish to wait, you can put up a request for treasures or medicine that heals the soul in the Guild room. You can pay in unique treasures or simply MP, and just wait for another guest to fulfill the request. You could also look for such treasures on your own in your own world.

"This is not a dead end, just another hurdle that you must face. How long it takes to overcome such a hurdle is the only thing that remains a question."

The parents felt a wave of relief mixed with distress hit them. Rafael's injury had truly weighed on them for a long, long time. Now that an end to their undesired journey was in sight, they became even more impatient, yet could not allow themselves to make a mistake.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you know how the patient was injured to such a degree? I'm afraid if it wasn't for the artifact in the patient's heart, even the Recovery pod would not be able to keep him alive let alone heal him."

His question was multifaceted. Firstly, he was curious about what actually happened to Rafael and how exactly he managed to live after getting injured so horribly. Even his soul was seriously damaged, so it could not have been something simple. Secondly, he was curious about what the artifact was in his heart that could keep him alive. If Lex could find something like that for himself, it would aid him greatly in case he ever got injured.

Yet their immediate response told Lex that the couple knew nothing about the artifact as they looked at each other with confused yet questioning gazes.

Finally, Marlo let out a sigh and said, "Come, let's take a walk. I'll tell you about my son."

Leaving Sophia to watch over Rafael, the two silently walked out of the room. There were a few moments where Marlo let sorrow show on his face, but he quickly controlled himself and brought himself back to normal. He wasn't exactly in his mischievous state, but anyone who looked at him would not be able to tell that this was a grieving father.