A Hell Called Serestral - Chapter 53

After the event at the quadrangle, Lira had gathered Aries, Princess Pieffer, Prince Sunrei, Siorre, Walter, and Shane at the chamber where Aries had awakened and been confined earlier that day. Brailles, Ross, and Dan were still guarding it.

“Your wife will start working at my office tomorrow,” Lira decided when Aries told her the reason the couple was with him. “Shane, you can treat this place as your home. There are many empty rooms in this mansion. I will be glad to have them filled with people I can trust.”

“Thank you, Lady Lira!” Shane tearfully bent forward and lowered her head into a bow. “Thank you, Sir Aries!”

“We still need to talk to Walter,” Lira notified Shane. “If you want to rest, Brailles can take you to one of the rooms here on the second floor.”

“Can I… stay here?” Shane reluctantly asked.

“Of course, you can,” the house leader had permitted.

“Thank you, Lady Lira.”

Shane sat beside her husband while the Scale House Leader glanced at Aries.

“I’m sorry for the verdict,” she said.

“You only did what you have to do. And I know that this night had been more painful for you,” Aries was sitting on the bed and rubbing his aching chest. “I’m sure you don’t want to talk about it anymore. Let’s just discuss other important matters so we can all rest soon.”

“We can talk tomorrow,” Princess Pieffer was always staring at Aries with worry in her eyes. “You look sick. You should take some rest.”

“I think the potion only had a momentary effect…” Aries leaned on the pillow. His energy was rapidly depleting and he was finding it hard to breathe.

“I checked his memories plenty of times. The potion healed him completely,” Gani had answered.

“What potion?” Princess Pieffer asked.

“I guess it doesn’t have the same effect on me,” Aries coughed out blood and felt chills all over his body even though he was sensing a burning sensation from within him. He covered himself with a blanket

Princess Pieffer sat on the bed and put a hand over his forehead.

“He is burning with fever,” the princess was getting more worried. “What is happening to him? What is that potion he had taken? Where is it? Where did you get it?”

Aries weakly grabbed Princess Pieffer by her hand and weakly whispered, “Don’t worry. I only need to rest.”

“Can you see yourself?” the princess snapped at him. She was not calming down. “Your fever is high. You are as pale as a ghost. Blood is oozing from your nose. And earlier you coughed out blood. How can I not worry? I will return to the dungeon and ask the Beast Tamer. He might know the answer,” she shot a fierce look at Gani. “Where is the potion?”

“According to Walter, and I also checked his memories, Aries drank the last potion,” Gani reluctantly answered, as if he was scared of the princess.

“What?” Princess Pieffer did look like she was about to burst with rage.

“There must be a droplet left at the bottle,” Gani had quickly added. “Aries put it in the pocket of his overcoat, the one near his chest.”

The princess unbuttoned the overcoat Aries was wearing and checked the pockets near his chest. After she had found it, she remembered to close his clothes and covered him back with the blanket.

“I’ll be back. You better stay here and rest,” Princess Pieffer strictly warned before leaving the room.

“Will she be okay?” Aries was embarrassed at how weak he was at that moment.

“She is only going to the dungeon,” Prince Sunrei answered. “Just worry about yourself. Get some sleep.”

Aries listened. He closed his eyes and despite the pain burning all over his body, he had fallen asleep. His mind drifted into endless darkness until he heard voices talking to one another.

“Is it because he keeps using his ability despite his weak body? Or is it because of the potion?”

It was Princess Pieffer.

Aries drifted closer to the voice until a blinding light had swallowed him and when it disappeared, he was staring at the Beast Tamer.

Master Kiel was closely examining the bottle of potion as if his eyes could discern the ingredients used to create the liquid inside of it.

“This potion is created with rare ingredients and a strong spell.”

Aries was astounded that the Beast Tamer did know a lot about the tiny liquid just by staring at it.

“But that same potion saved Walter from death. Why is it killing Aries?” Princess Pieffer asked and Aries realized only then that he was inside the body of the princess.

How did I get in here?! How can I get out?!

He tried to speak out loud but could not. It was as if he had been put in there to observe and nothing else.

“The ingredients used are effective for full and quick healing. It is the spell that put a risk on the potion,” the Beast Tamer was not looking away from the bottle. He was still examining its content. “Zodiac Knights cannot use the potion without suffering a consequence. Aries will not die from this but his body will have to endure an excruciating pain until we find the counterspell for it.”

“We can find it, right?” Princess Pieffer was hopeful. “You know a lot of things about spells. You can help us, right?”

“Where are you heading next?” Master Kiel finally looked away from the battle and gazed at the princess.

Aries suddenly felt conscious because the Beast Tamer appeared to be looking through the princess and straight at him.

“At the House of Twins,” Princess Pieffer answered.

“Nice timing then,” Master Kiel smiled. “You can find a good book of spell in that House. The dungeon in that place is guarded by a powerful spellcaster. But, of course, you have to earn her respect.”

“Thank you, Master Kiel,” the princess bowed low to the Beast Tamer.

“You are always welcome, Princess Pieffer,” he gently tapped the princess on the shoulder and, all of a sudden, Aries was pulled into that empty white space again.

The Beast Tamer was standing right in front of him, gripping his shoulder.

“It’s been a while,” he moved his hand away and walked leisurely around the white space.

“Do you have something to tell me?” Aries was a little nervous. It was as if the Beast Tamer would attack him any time.

“I hate intruders in my dungeon.”

“I didn’t mean to trespass. I fell asleep and my consciousness suddenly drifted inside the head of Princess Pieffer,” Aries blurted and hated himself for being so obviously nervous. “I don’t know how it happened.”

“You are learning a new skill,” Master Kiel stopped pacing around and curiously gazed at Aries. “How can you accidentally learn the skills of my disciples?”

Aries was confused and the Beast Tamer laughed.

“Nevermind,” he stopped laughing and suddenly became serious. “You should not leave your body for a long time. Someone might take over.”

“I would have returned to my body as soon as I realized I am invading someone else’s mind but… I don’t know how to do it,” Aries blushed with embarrassment.

“I will send you back this time only,” the Beast Tamer smiled. “Next time, you have to learn how to do this correctly.”

“Wait!” Aries remembered something. “Can you tell me something about that spellcaster guardian?”

“Figure it out on your own,” Master Kiel beamed and pushed him out of that empty white space.

Blinding light swallowed him and when it vanished, he found himself staring at the frame of the four-poster bed where he was lying.

Nausea overwhelmed him that he bolted out of the bed and vomited on a basin. He was surprised to have found an empty basin over the bedside table.

“Drink this.”

Gani handed him a glass of water and a bowl of medicine.

“You’ve been vomiting the entire night,” he seemed worried. “I should not have said that the potion is safe.”

“It is safe but the potion is not for Zodiac Knights,” Aries emptied the glass of water. He never felt so thirsty.

“I will get you more water,” Gani took the empty glass from him and curiously asked. “How did you know that it is not for Zodiac Knights?”

Aries was about to fake a cough but he truly coughed all the way until there was blood.

“Drink the medicine,” Gani gave him a towel and stroked his back.

“Water… please…” he forced the medicine in his mouth and gave the bowl back to Gani.

“Wait here,” Gani helped him back on the bed. “I’ll be quick.”

The Celestial Knight rushed out of the room to get more water. Aries rested his head on the pillow. The medicine was starting to work. He was feeling a little better, so much better than before that he had quickly fallen asleep.

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Aries finally had a long and undisturbed sleep. And for the first time in what seemed like a long while, he felt better. He opened his eyes and was surprised that he was no longer in the Gavel’s Manor.

He was still in a wide chamber but it looked more like an infirmary rather than a bedroom. Neatly arranged at one corner of the room were six beds separated by nightstands. Tall and wide cabinets lined at the opposite side. There were couches, a center table, and a fireplace at the other corner of the room.

A wide window, covered by grilles on the outside and a translucent curtain on the inside, were only a few feet away from the rows of bed. Aries could glimpse that it was still dark outside.

Five out of six beds were occupied. Aries was lying on the bed nearest the window. There was Princess Pieffer, Prince Sunrei, Pines, and Gani. All of them were soundly sleeping.

He sat up as quietly as he could but Princess Pieffer, even though three beds away from him, had still been awakened.

“Aries!” she instantly moved out of her bed and checked on him. “Are you hurting somewhere?”

“I’m okay,” he answered while looking curiously at his surroundings. “Where are we? And how did we get here? Did I… sleep for days again?”

Princess Pieffer smiled with relief and said, “You had been unconscious for an entire week.”

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