On The Way To The Doctor

Nilan puts on some fresh clothes and freshens up, preparing for the day ahead.

'While I'm out, I should figure out how to get EXP.

I want to keep my promise to my women, and I can't do that while I'm weak.'

Nilan leaves his room to see Ava and Celest ready to go.

"Ok, I'm ready to go."

The women nod as they all leave the house.

Nilan takes a breath as he observes his surroundings.

The house they live in is a small, modest two-bedroom home.

The house doesn't feel too small thanks to the dense amount of trees and foliage surrounding them, giving them tons of shade from the sun.

Nilan notices that a couple of other homes are scattered in this forest, too.

'I really did get reincarnated into a fantasy world. This is amazing!'

As the three of them are walking down a dirt road toward the inner and more densely packed part of the village, Ava speaks.

"You probably don't remember, but we had to sell our house and many of our belongings and move out here. It is nice and quiet, but we are unprotected out here because we are technically outside the village limits, so the guards don't patrol this far out."

Nilan responds.

"I don't understand why you guys would go through so much for me, especially knowing my chances of making it through this were basically zero."

The two women in front of him stop and turn toward him with compassionate looks on their faces as Ava responds.

"I know you lost most of your memories, but after living with you for so long, you would have done anything to help us if we needed it. I don't have to speculate about that, as you have already demonstrated it before."

Nilan looks at his sister Ava with a confused and intrigued expression as she continues.

"When I was around 15 years old, about a month after your 17th birthday, I was kidnapped by a group of thugs.

They used this illegal technique to steal someone's levels.

I was only level 3, and those guys were stupid, and they tried to take 5 levels away from me."

"The process in which someone steals levels is already devastating for the victim, but since they were trying to steal more than I had, it would have certainly killed me.

I was gone for a little under a day, but you managed to find where I was being held and interrupted them in the middle of the process.

I blacked out when you got to me, so I don't know how you dealt with the thugs, but I only know that I was on the verge of death, ready to pass over."

Ava, Celeste, and even Nilan are getting teary over her recount of the story.

Nilan feels unsure why he is getting so emotional because he has no memory of this event.

So why does it feel like he knows what she is talking about somewhere deep in his head and can relive what he was feeling?

After taking a moment to collect herself, Ava continues.

"I looked you in the eyes, thinking I was experiencing my last moments.

What I saw from you was not panic or worry, only love.

I couldn't help feeling comforted as I thought at least I was able to see you one last time.

I couldn't hear what you were saying, but I saw your lips moving, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in my bed with you sitting on a chair at my bedside.

I asked you what happened, and all you said was that you took care of it and would always be there to protect me."

Ava's lip starts to quiver as she is fighting back tears.

"I was happy at that moment because I felt you could solve any problem the world could give you.

That was one week before we noticed the symptoms of the Devourer.

I blame myself every day as the cause of the sickness because I knew whatever you did to save me must have been the reason you got sick."

Nilan gives his sister a warm and tight hug as he tells her.

"I know I don't remember much, but I can feel what it was like.

You are correct that I would do anything for you, but don't think you are the cause of a sickness that is out of your control."

She starts to cry into Nilan's shoulder, and Nilan is brought back to the previous night's events.

'Man, I feel bad for making them cry so much. I need to prove to them that I am the man they love.'

After Nilan's declaration to himself, Ava sniffles a little as she says.

"I know I must have been the cause because ever since then, you have acted as if all the strength you had before was gone.

It was like you were set back to level 1."

Nilan's attention snaps up at the mention of that.

'That is too accurate to be a coincidence. Then what level was I before this?'

Nilan then asks.

"Well, then, how do you know I wasn't always weak and only acting strong?"

Ava chuckles, but just as she is about to respond, Celeste cuts in.

"As much as we would like to believe you were just pretending to be strong, that would be impossible.

The Devourer only affects males who have not gone through their first breakthrough.

You never told us your actual level, but I know you were past it as much as you wanted to hide that fact.

I knew a male achieving the first breakthrough so young was rare, but I didn't press you on it, thinking you just wanted to keep it private.

After knowing you had passed through the first breakthrough, I felt safe knowing the disease wouldn't affect you.

After the day you brought Ava home, and I noticed you did something to yourself as you seemed weak, my fears were confirmed once we started seeing symptoms of the Devourer."

"I do not blame either of you for those events as it was out of Ava's control, and I believe you did what you had to in order to save her.

After losing your father to it when he was 15 years old, I wanted to do anything to save you for similar reasons as Ava."

Nilan was taken aback by that revelation.

'WAIT WHAT!? I thought my father would have been much older. This is a fantasy world, so maybe that is normal then?'

Clelste then continued to pour out her heart as Ava did before her.

"My reason isn't as extreme as hers, but I went through this not just because you are my son.

I did it because, most of the time, you were the only one who comforted us.

You were the one who made it his goal to see us smile at least once a day.

Ava and I both agree you were the light that kept us going.

We knew it was our time to be your light, and we refused to let you die without using every resource we had.

I know for certain that we wouldn't have had the things we had without you so we gave them up to try and save you."

Celeste now joins in on the hug.

The three of them enjoy a nice warm hug together for a couple of minutes before breaking apart.

'From what they're telling me I was an amazing person. I can't let them down now. I have to live up to the person I was and give them the life they deserve.'

[Quest: Take Over The World]