383 (Un)Losing Hope
Guy waited patiently by Revian's bedside while he recovered from mana exhaustion. During this, he started to put together how he would break the news to the boy. Was there a nice way to say that the boy's future as a mage was basically kaput? And was there a gentler way to reveal that the cause of this disaster was his own actions?
For thirty minutes, Guy formed and reformed a sentence that basically meant the same thing. Once the sentence was formed in his mind, he would say it out loud only to realise that it was too harsh. He didn't want to end up breaking the boy's spirits beyond the state he would already be in. Then again, there was no point in being light-handed in this. The boy had admittedly done something extremely stupid, and the consequences were warranted.
However, the truth of the matter is that no emphatic teacher wants to see their student suffer from consequences that could potentially cripple them. The whole point of punishment and consequences is to learn and not repeat the same mistake again. The key requirement is that the errant gains a second chance. But what Revian did completely removed the option of a second chance.
At that moment, Jean arrived in the room once again. She walked over to Revian and inspected his vitals carefully. As she was measuring his pulse, the boy's eyes flickered open and he let out a groan.
"Senior Sister Jean, you returned?" He mumbled. "W-What happened?"
"You want the good news first, or the bad news?" Jean returned while finishing her check-up.
"What?"
"Can you please give us the room, Jean?" Guy interjected before the girl ruined his entire plan.
"Oh, umm," Jean completed her note-taking and nodded while closing the door while she left.
"So," Guy started. "Care to explain your rash decision to bombard your nascent core with volatile mana?"
Revian let out a wry smile and said, "I could feel I was close to something-"
"You foolish boy!" Guy bellowed. "We have safety procedures for a reason! How many times have I told you science isn't just about messing around? It is being methodical with your process while ensuring that safety is maintained."
Revian flinched at Guy's piercing words. Guy noticed this and immediately lowered his voice and spoke with a more calming, yet morose tone, "Do you realise what you have just done?"
"What I've done?" Revian parroted with a confused expression.
Guy solemnly rubbed his face and said, "You have crippled yourself. Check your mana core."
Revian's eyes widened in disbelief before he quickly moved his concentration to his mana core. The first thing he noticed was that he'd advanced, which elicited a smile, but it was quickly extinguished the moment his senses landed on his core.
"W-What happened?!"
Guy reached forward and placed a calming hand on Revian's shoulder. "Your mana core is cracked. If you've noticed, you can no longer hold mana for more than a second before it gets discharged by your core. Because of that, you can no longer cast spells."
Revian's eyes enlarged in their sockets before he collapsed against the bed, which was raised into a seated position.
"But I advanced," Revian muttered in shock. "I-If I'm crippled, I shouldn't be in the Foundation Establishment realm. I advanced!"
Guy immediately pulled the hyperventilating boy into a calming hug and said, "Which is what I don't understand. The fact that your cultivation hasn't deteriorated, while your mana core is damaged, is quite odd. I haven't read or heard of anything like this before. I've written to Teacher Jeeves for help - maybe he has some experience with this. So, for the time being, I want you to remain calm and rest."
After separating himself from the calm yet silently panicking boy, he added, "I know it is tough. I know that it is easy for me to just say, 'Stay calm'. But there is nothing we can do at this point except to salvage the situation as well as we can. And to do that, we need to be methodical and collected. If we do something erratic while panicking, it may exacerbate the situation and put us in an even worse situation."
"And don't lose hope just yet," Guy added, though his voice lacked his usual conviction. "Look at Yohn! Everyone thought that his blindness would hold him back, but we found a solution, didn't we? There has to be something for you too! Besides, I've consulted Elder Nara and he tells me that your future isn't irrecoverable. It won't be the same as you hoped, but it isn't lost."
Revian nodded half-heartedly before blankly covering himself with his blanket and receding into the mattress. While he knew of the potency of Elder Nara's predictions, the final words rang hollow in his ears. Guy's hand hovered over the blanket-covered lump as he pondered on if he should say something. But he decided to let the matter rest for now. At this point, no amount of words could alleviate the emotions the boy was feeling right now.
As Guy left the clinic, he called Jean over and said, "Keep an eye on Revian, so that he doesn't do something stupid. He's in a fragile state right now."
"He wouldn't do... that, would he?" Jean responded with doubt lacing her tone.
"He's facing the loss of his entire future after just stepping on the path," Guy emphasised. "People have done... that for much less. So remain vigilant, and don't leave him alone by himself for too long."
____
Al's arrived at the Sect within a day, with a loud shriek of Garrud prefacing his descent. The majestic eagle-lion hybrid nuzzled at Dora, who rushed over the moment she heard the creature's wing beat in the sky. And while the two long-lost acquaintances remained busy refamiliarising themselves, the veteran mage walked over to Guy and shook his hand.
"It's been a long time, huh?" Al commented. "And a lot has changed."
"It has. I'd love to give you a tour, but we are in a fix that requires haste," Guy responded.
Al nodded lightly and said, "I read your letter, take me to the boy."
As the duo walked towards the clinic, Al said, "It seems that Jean has returned. You must be proud of what she has accomplished during her travels!"
"Her accomplishments?" Guy retorted. "Oh man, I've barely had enough time to debrief her after she returned because of this problem. What accomplishments are you talking about."
Al let out a chuckle while gently covering his lips and said, "I don't want to spoil the surprise. It's best to hear it directly from her."
Guy suppressed his inquisitive itch and led Al to the room where Revian was staying. They arrived just as Jean was leaving the room.
"Uncle Jeeves!" Jean greeted with a smile.
"Jean! How are you?" Al returned jovially. "It seems that you've been keeping some secrets with your Sect Leader," he fake admonished the girl.
Jean bit her tongue and let out a wry smile, "I forgot about it."
"Off you go, then. I'll be taking over, now," Al said while lightly jostling the girl's way.
The duo entered the room and were immediately doused with a dour aura. Revian was no longer in the bed and was sitting listlessly by the desk in the room.
"So," Al said loudly, attracting Revian's attention. "So you're the smart Aleck who decided it was okay to attack his own mana core?"
Revian flinched at the caustic summary of his misadventure. He did not raise his head in shame.
"Did you call me in to help him?" Al snapped at Guy.
"Well-"
"Why should I help?" Al said immediately, without waiting for Guy to respond. "I'm talking to you, boy! Why do you need my help?"
Revian raised his head, avoiding Al's incisive gaze and opened his mouth to speak. His lips moved, but no words escaped.
"Look at yourself!" Al berated. "Half the battle is lost the moment you lose your morale. I am not going to help anyone who does not wish to help themselves."
Revian swallowed his hesitating words and asked, "C-Can you help me? Please?"
"I don't know," Al said with a shrug. "Don't get me wrong, I do want to help. But your case is so special. If I may-"
Al reached forward and awaited the go-ahead from Revian before placing his palm on the boy's abdomen. After a few minutes of silent concentration, he said, "See, your cultivation is intact, robust even. It's just your mana core that's wrecked. I don't know if there is a way to fix it, but I can tell you that since your cultivation is so well-founded, you should be able to reach the peak of Core Formation safely."
"T-That's it?" Revian blurted out.
"That's it?!" Al snapped back with disbelief. "Just because Core Formation isn't the technical end of a mage's cultivation journey doesn't mean that it's worth nothing. Not many people are lucky enough to even gaze at the footsteps of the realm. You should count yourself fortunate for even breaking into the Foundation Establishment realm so early in your path!"
Revian shrunk back at his faux pas. But then he said, "I just... It feels discouraging to have the option of going further taken away from me. I don't want to lose hope."
There was silence as Al looked analytically at Revian, who shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.
"Good!" Al declared while patting the boy's back enthusiastically. "Keep that mindset fresh. As long as you can believe that you will overcome this hurdle, you will achieve it!"
"Does it work?"
"Cultivation is all about getting out of your own head," Al responded. "A strong will is a key component of cultivation. Just keep telling yourself that this is a minor stumbling block in your path. Not all hope is lost. Something will shine through, and you need to have the presence of mind and focus to take advantage of it when it does. Do you hear me?"
Revian's face turned solemn yet resolute as he nodded affirmatively.
"Good lad! Now, let us leave this room. It reeks of weakness and defeat," Al joked before walking out. "Do you have anything to add, Sect Leader Larks?"
Guy shook his head, smiled and said, "Couldn't have said things better myself."
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