Chapter 4: She will be just fine

Ray reached to the entrance of the temple hoping to just dash in, but the doors were shut. "Can someone help open the door!" Ray yelled. He had been walking, for almost an hour while carrying a girl felt exhausting.

The door of the temple slid opened abruptly and surprisingly the first people that greeted him was the Liang family themselves. Usually they would have maids or servants taking care of the entrances but seeing them first shows how much they care about their daughter.

"Come in, come in," Mi's father quickly as he saw how drenched the two were.

Once Ray finally got inside, the father picked up Mi off Rays back hold her. The father had a grim expression on his face. Mi seemed like she was being cooked alive even though she had been soaked in the cold rain. The father yelled at the people around him to prepare her room, changing the bedding material for something soft and cool, wet towels, medicine, and so on. After he ordered people around, he and his wife went upstairs carrying Mi in his hands.

"Are you ok?" one of the servants walked over to Ray with a fresh new robe and a warm towel.

"Meh… it could have been worse," Ray replied grabbing the towel and wiping himself down.

After putting on some dry clothes, he felt that he should go check on the girl. He asked one of the maids to take him there, and so he followed. Walking to the fourth floor Ray finally made it to the girl's room. The room was surprisingly plain besides a bunch of books, weapons, and a closet that was filled with dresses that seemed to never been worn.

Looking at the crowded room he came to realization, "What was the girls name?"

He went up to the bed where and had a good look at her, she was pale and sweating; it seemed that her fever has causes her to absorb the Rai around her at an accelerating rate. Even though it's a common symptom in the northern territory of Raiah, it was also the most common to die from a young age since they had not reached to adulthood to endure it.

After a long period of time Mi's parents asked for everyone to leave and hope that their daughter is strong enough. The amount of Rai she was absorbing would have killed anyone her age in less than an hour but surprisingly she was still holding. The parents believed she would make it but, in everyone else's eyes, believed she would not open her eyes again.

The parents left were the last ones to leave the room to get some cold water and towels, and meanwhile, Ray was the only one left in the room. Ray looked at the girl worrying before taking off a necklace that was on his neck.

"I don't know what you are or what you do, but if you have the power to help this person in front of me just do it," Ray quietly said. He was not willing to part ways with this necklace since he has so much questions about this world, but he was not a person that would let someone die.

After a moment of silence staring at the stupid shard that was held within his grasp, and then he unconsciously placed it into Mi's hand. The thoughts of the necklace reminded the other Ray of the years left home.

He remembered when he was about ten when he ran away from home, and the memories after that he came back when he was thirteen. Strangely enough those three years he could not remember much, but what he does know was that there was an old man that took care of him during one of those times when they traveled. The necklace was the only thing that was a token from him. Seeing himself placing the necklace on Mi's hand he couldn't help being feel hurt, yet he felt there was a need to do so. The first thing he thought was that he was falling for a girl, but he knew that it was not the reason, but even so he had to admit that the girl in front of him is pretty.

After arguing with himself for a good moment, he finally left Mi's room and headed towards the front entrance, but someone stopped him.

"Ray, outside is still pouring so it's best if you just stayed here for the night," Mi's father said.

Ray stared that the rain and then replied, "Thank you".

"Before you go to your room may I ask you a question," the father asked with a sincere tone.

"What is it?"

"What do you think of my daughter"

Ray almost coughed out blood the moment he heard the question. He did admit to himself that the girl was pretty, but the father asking this kind of question really shocked him. After calming himself down, he got himself to look calm and replied, "I think she is pretty."

The father heard Rays reply and felt kind of moved knowing that Ray is a troublemaker he does not normally lie. He later waved his hand meaning that the other party can go. His daughter who was born with black hair that represented the opposing order was viewed as a curse. Hearing Ray's reply lets him rest easy that there are people who don't view her as that.

Ray hurried over to his room and dropped face first. He surmounted many challenges in his life but carrying a girl older his age through pouring rain for over an hour felt like a lifetime.

"I hope that girl would return that neckless back to me... wow I forgot to even ask what her name was hehe," he thought then just in a matter of seconds he was sound asleep. Meanwhile in Mi's room, her fever was slowly disappearing, and her right hand was warm where the necklace had been. The Rai that was overflowing was now absorbed into the shard.