Alpha Instinct-Chapter 58: "The Eggshell Mind"

Mikaela, kneeling before Saito, bowed her head. The armor, once a symbol of strength, now seemed to weigh a ton. "Greetings to the Primordial of Life," she said, her voice firm but laden with an almost religious reverence.

Kaleb barely registered Mikaela’s odd behavior. "Old people and their rituals," he thought dismissively, rushing to help Leonard, who was still unconscious on the horse’s back.

While Kaleb carefully removed Leonard from the horse and carried him into the cabin, Mikaela and Saito exchanged words.

"It is an honor to know that the Primordial of Life is still alive," she said, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"Oh, hoo, it seems you are wiser than everyone else I meet out there." Saito’s voice was soft, almost a whisper, but carried an undeniable weight. "But tell me, girl, what leads you to believe I am a Primordial?"

Mikaela raised her chin, her hand resting lightly on it in a thoughtful gesture. "I can read the flowing energies in Neumond’s ELEVs; it’s one of my abilities. Your energy easily surpassed that of a diamond at its peak."

"Is that so? How interesting, this ability of yours." Saito observed her from the side, an enigmatic glint in his eyes. "But that doesn’t confirm that I am a primordial. Weren’t there only three?"

"You are right in part, sir...?" Mikaela realized, belatedly, that she didn’t know his name.

"You can call me Saito; everyone calls me by my name..." He smiled, a brief and discreet smile.

"Sir Saito, the Church of Light is the first institution created after the death of the three Primordials," Mikaela informed, her voice laden with solemnity.

"Yes, and?" Saito encouraged her, curious.

"Church records suggest that to give rise to three children, triplets with distinct powers, the father was likely the person graced by the seven Gods with the mark of promise for the Neumond lineage."

"And why not the mother?" Saito arched an eyebrow, a mischievous tone in his voice.

"The mother became the saint of the Church of Light, dedicated her vows to the Goddess of Humanity, and was the creator of all the religion we know…" After a brief pause, she said, "And everyone knows she wasn’t a Neumond."

"Hunf... Fool... and why the hell did she do that...?" Saito’s question sounded rhetorical, loaded with contained irritation.

"Si—" Mikaela tried to intervene but was interrupted.

"Come, child, let’s go inside. Enough of this talk..." Saito closed his eyes, his brow furrowed. "By the way, I am not the Primordial of Life."

Mikaela shrugged. Deep down, an insistent thought troubled her: "Impossible for me to be wrong. His energy is older than the capital itself."

Inside the cabin, Kaleb was already tending to Leonard. He infused essential oils into a Malakesia’s incense, hoping to awaken his friend.

Saito, however, took control. "Out, out, boy, let me continue. Thank you for starting." He patted Kaleb on the back, who immediately stepped aside.

Saito, in silence, used precise gestures to weave silver-green mana around Leonard’s head. The energy, like threads of silk, seemed to awaken or heal something within him. Spasms, deep breathing, and a slight blush on his pale cheeks indicated the effect.

Mikaela watched, fascinated. The mana flowed from Saito’s hands like crystal clear water, but there was something more, something she couldn’t define.

It wasn’t just the quantity but the quality of the energy. A purity, an antiquity that resonated in her soul, almost divine.

"Could it be? He must be a primordial! But how?" She questioned herself.

The stories, the Church’s teachings, everything seemed to crumble before that reality. It was said that the primordials were only three, and all had died centuries ago.

There was the premise that the father of the triplets was also a Neumond and that he never stood out.

"If he is not a Primordial, what is he? And why hide his true nature?" A twinge of distrust, almost imperceptible, mixed with her reverence.

"It’s a secular art; I can feel it," Mikaela murmured, her eyes fixed, almost hypnotized, on Saito’s actions.

"Sir Saito is the best, no matter what," Kaleb said proudly. "Well, I’m still the best when it comes to magic," he added, his usual arrogance apparent in his voice.

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Mikaela looked him up and down. "May the Goddess of Light protect you," she said, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips.

She refocused on Saito. He infused energy, a ballet of translucent waves forming around Leonard’s face. "I’m almost done. I opened his meridians. His energy will flow freely to the ELEV." Saito said to Mikaela.

"Yes…" She nodded, sleepy. Time passed, and exhaustion finally overcame Mikaela. Exhausted, she fell asleep, sitting, her neck yielding to the force of gravity.

Kaleb, noticing the paladin’s sleep, remembered the long journey. "She must have come all the way without rest," he thought. He got up, took a blanket, and covered her carefully. "She didn’t even finish her tea," he noted, observing the cold cup on the table.

Saito, having finished the ritual, murmured, "What is done is done..."

"He’s going to be—" Kaleb tried to ask, but Saito silenced him with a gesture.

After Kaleb’s comment about Leonard and the silencing gesture, Saito looked at the cabin, his expression enigmatic. Kaleb, noticing the look, felt a shiver. Does the old man know what’s going on? He opened his mouth to ask, but Saito cut him off with a look, a look that mixed warning and... expectation? Kaleb swallowed hard and kept quiet. It was a look that told him to be patient

The two left the cabin, Saito closing the door carefully. He believed that Leonard’s awakening was imminent. "He had a difficult time and probably lost himself in despair. The human mind has its limits. And if that limit is not respected, it breaks, like an eggshell," he explained to Kaleb.

"Thank you for the words, wise Saito." Kaleb replied proudly but soon added, "But I already knew... of course..." with a smug smile.

"Clunk!—Stop being so conceited, you blockhead." Saito slapped Kaleb on the back of the head.

"Ow, you grumpy old man! Don’t hit me out of nowhere!" Kaleb complained, rubbing the back of his head.

"Grumpy is the father who brought you into the world, you ill-mannered brat!" Saito threatened another slap but was interrupted by a muffled heavy sound coming from inside the cabin. "PUFF"

"What the hell was that?" Kaleb asked, looking at Saito, alarmed. His eyes darted towards the cabin, his brow furrowed in concern and a growing fear.

He stepped forward, instinct screaming at him to go in there and check what was happening.

But he hesitated, paralyzed by a mixture of apprehension and the pressure of Saito’s gaze, which seemed to say, ’Don’t you dare.’