Discussion (2)

...

...

"Well, that's one of the reasons for your headaches, let's move onto the next!" Zelretch announced jauntily.

Hadrian blinked.

"Huh?"

"I said that's one –"

Zelretch tried to repeat his words before, but Hadrian cut in before he could finish.

"I know what you said, but what do you mean 'one of the reasons'? Are you telling me that there's more?" Hadrian asked in disbelief.

"Yah, there is." Zelretch nodded with a smirk.

Hadrian blew out a weary sigh.

It was more of a subtle way to suppress the mild irritation at his grandfather's antics.

Other than being mysterious and suspenseful, the old magician also likes throwing people off their guard with surprises, much to the annoyance of those close to him.

The young mage closed his eyes before opening them again, waiting in silence for the old magician to speak what he had in mind.

"Okay, so, before I was interrupted, one of the reasons why you got those migraines was due to this." Zelretch stated as he pointed a finger on the screen.

Shifting his gaze, Hadrian followed where his grandfather was pointing and saw a thorough x-ray scan of his brain on display in the monitor.

The background was black, but the shape of his skull and brain were highlighted in bluish white light.

Some parts of the brain, however, were alight in blue, yellow and red. Most were the former, and a few can be counted by the latter two.

"As you can see here, this is the recent scan of your brain and these colors represent the level of migraines. The one in blue means that these parts are stable, yellow means mild danger and red is at critical phase. On the upside, most parts are still stable. But, what is worrisome are these. These parts are the reasons why you're migraines are getting worse lately. The automaton has done its best to mitigate the damage, but the red ones are the worse. They are overflowing with prana, which would damage some of the circuits here." Zelretch explained as he pointed to the red areas.

Hadrian frowned, absorbing the details in silence.

"The magic circuits in the brain work in a similar way as the ones in the body. They absorbed the mana produced by the world and convert it into od, your very own magical energy. However, what caused the migraines to worsen was probably due to your sudden exposure to areas enriched with magical energy." Zelretch said with a sigh.

At his words, Hadrian's eyes widened in realization.

"Wait, you mean…?"

"Yes, the murder locations you had visited in the past few months." Zelretch finished with a slight nod. "From what I know, some of those locations are near to leylines. Your recent adventure in the Spider's island had mostly triggered the sudden spike in amplifying your headaches. Hence, why you were stunned and that spawn easily got the drop on you."

"Then, how do you prevent this from getting worse? You mentioned something about a solution earlier." Hadrian asked.

"I did. As a matter of fact, this was an idea I've had a long time ago when you told me that you have mystic eyes."

Zelretch turned his body and pulled the top drawer of his desk.

He reached out, grabbing something from within before displaying the item on the side of his desk for his grandson to see.

Hadrian blinked.

"A bottle of pills?" He said, unsure.

"Hey, these pills are manufactured by me personally." Zelretch defended. "I went through a few weeks of sleepless nights just to make these for you, so you better be grateful. These aren't mere drugs you can acquire from any hospital. No, these are suppressants. The pills are designed to greatly lower the pain intensity of the migraines whenever you have your little episodes."

The old magician threw the white two inched bottle to Hadrian, who caught the object deftly with one hand.

Staring at it for a few moments, the young mage turned to his grandfather with a slight frown.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but don't you have something permanent?"

"You can try using the eyes more to lessen the magical energy in them. Train and get used to using them since you need to anyways, but don't overdo it too much. As for the permanent solution, ask me that question after ten years or so, enkel. Maybe you'll get one." Zelretch huffed.

Then, he paused.

Hadrian tensed as the mischievous grin makes it re-appearance on his grandfather's bearded countenance.

"What now?" The young mage asked, suspicious.

"Well, there's that method." Zelretch chirped.

"What method?"

"You could always lay with one of your female retainers." Zelretch suggested with a wag of his eyebrows.

"What."

"Do you recall our discussion about tantric rituals?" Zelretch asked instead.

"Yes, but what does sleeping with people has anything to do with that?" Hadrian retorted, firmly ignoring the heat rising in his cheeks.

"Intercourse relaxes the mind and the body, freeing both from stress. It is an unusual method, I admit, but it's a method nonetheless." Zelretch reasoned.

"No, I'm fine. I'll just make do with these pills." Hadrian deadpanned.

"Ahh, a hormonal teenager and you're refusing to take advantage of what God himself has gifted you since birth to score with beautiful women. So sad…" Zelretch bemoaned, wiping fake tears with a white cloth.

"Shut up, opa…" Hadrian grumbled, refusing to take the bait.

"Hehe, if you're really set on that, then you'll still experience the migraines." Zelretch pointed out with a teasing grin.

"I'll manage." Hadrian gritted out.

Zelretch chuckled, shaking his head at his grandson's stubborn nature.

Inwardly though, the old magician knew that he would have to bring the subject again in the near future should the young mage's condition get worse.

Who knows, really? Perhaps that path might make his grandson less grouchy and moody down the line.

"Well, that's one order of business done. Let's move onto the last, shall we?" Zelretch smiled.

In one smooth motion, the old magician reached behind him and threw a white long folder in Hadrian's way.

While a bit surprised, Hadrian regained his composure in a split second and caught the folder with his right hand.

He opened it and saw the contents, but not before shooting an annoyed look at the old magician.

What he saw was a photo of a young woman that even the automaton has no recognition of.

Confused, Hadrian looked up from the image.

"Who's this?"

The old magician chuckled, but it was not a sound that was lighthearted.

Rather, it was one that was ominous in nature, causing Hadrian to tense slightly in his position.

Unlike before, his grandfather's expression was dark and the grin he was wearing was equally malicious.

"That, enkel, is Prelati. The true culprit behind the murders around the globe and beyond… and your next target."

...

...