Meanwhile in the hospital, Ammaina's mother laid on a stretcher, awaiting medical treatment. Her body stiff in place while the two men rubbed her hands and feet, trying to keep her warm.
They were told to wait, though 2 hours had already passed, the wards and reception in disarray with the flood of patients brought in from a brutal traffic accident. The corridors and halls were blocked with stretchers and patients who awaited treatment also, some on death's door.
The smell of blood and fear hung in the air like a presence. There was little to no chance Mrs. Valkyrie would get treatment, and even if she did, the hospitals in Hora weren't known for having the 'best' medical care.
Ammaina sat silently in a chair beside her mother's stretcher, watching the two strangers struggle to keep her mother alive, while she sat comfortably, being the cause of everything. Her mother's condition struck no emotions within her, since they were never really close, but even then...
"I don't want my mom to die," she whispered a small wish.
"Doctor! Please hurry, this woman is getting colder."
"I don't think we can keep her conscious any longer," both men cried out, hoping for a response, only to have their words shrugged off like the others.
Finally! Ammaina stood from her seat, ready to take action as she placed her hand on her mother's chest and concentrated. A faint purple light glowed on her skin before oozing out.
"No way, her body's regaining heat, and her heart rate has increased as well."
The men were shocked by the display. No one within the Foundation Realm was capable of mana resuscitation, but then again, if she had such an ability, why didn't she use it before? That was the thought that crossed their minds.
"I know what you both are thinking. I didn't use this before; I was unsure whether or not I should save her... but now I've decided I won't let her die."
Her response came off as a bit odd. What child wouldn't want to save their mother?
"Um, please, nurse lady, can you do what you just did for my mom?" A young boy requested after seeing her display. He placed his hands together and knelt, begging for her help.
"Please help my mom... She's the only family I have left! Without her, I don't think I can..."
"Family...?" Ammaina had never felt such before, so his words were estranged to her, but his sad outpour was too convincing to refuse. "My mother's condition should stabilize a bit, so I can help you with yours."
"Thank you!" Gratitude filled the boy's tone.
However, they weren't the only ones in the ward. "Can you help me with my husband too, please? He's about to bleed to death."
"My daughter's pulse is dropping; can you please save her as well?" people begged, their cries disjointing, filling up the hospital.
"Please calm down! I'll help all of you as best I can." Her voice gentle, yet laced with eagerness. Determination plastered on her face as her eyes glanced through the halls, observing and planning her next course of action.
She hopped over her mother's stretcher in a flash, without turning once to view her condition. "Keep my mother safe!" She requested with her back turned, sprinting towards the injured.
"It's strange how she cares for other people more than she does her own family."
"What's even more strange is how she just ordered us around. Like, is she forgetting we actually 'volunteered' to help out?" Both men discussed.
As for Phonzo, his feeling of disappointment surged through his body like a current.
His memories played on repeat, visualizing the possible outcomes if he stepped up to his father. Though in each outcome, he made himself bigger than he actually was.
Then there was 'Ammaina', the one destined to take his place in the family. "Tch!" He hissed where he stood, his emotions towards her lingering between jealousy and support.
He continued to rest his back against the wooden fence of an alley he found himself lost in thought, concurring on his next move since he had till the next day.
Something caught the glimpse of his eye - a familiar figure sneaking through the streets in a cloak, blending its body in the crowd of people.
"No way in hell that's actually..." In the blink of an eye, he sprinted towards the figure's position, his eyes locked on its every move as he sped through the hoard of people obstructing his path.
Detecting his presence from the distance, the figure increased its speed, trying to slip away, but was tailed by Phonzo, who wouldn't let up on his movements. The figure flung through palisades, maneuvering over roofs and trees, trying to gain distance.
Nearly was it about to lose Phonzo off its trail before tripping on a toddler's jumping rope stretched thinly across his path. The force from his speed pushed his body as he tripped, flinging him into the group of trees that blocked the road from the forest, his body slamming on the trunk with a loud, resonating thud!
The tree branch grabbed his cloak as though enraged, hanging him on its edge, his body hovering above the solid ground like a ghost.
His hood fell off his head, revealing his strand of grey and dark hairs, his face wrinkled with two tiny birth marks at the edge of his left eye.
"I was right, so it really was you, Mr. Valkyrie."
"Can you please get me down from here? I'm losing aura!!"
"I don't know what's worse - trying to sell your own daughter, then fleeing away, or trying to aura farm at your old age." His eyes glued to Mr. Valkyrie as he hung out with the tree.
"....."
"Well? Why'd you run away? You should always be there when you make a transaction, am I right?" Phonzo's tone laced with annoyance. "I wish I could take you out right here, but it's not worth soiling my name."
Mr. Valkyrie freed himself from the cloak, releasing his body from the tree's grip, falling to the ground, his landing shaky yet safe with the grassy leaves cushioning his fall.
"My family matters are none of your business," he responded with a cold remark.
Gripping his shirt tightly, "What family? Ammaina is not your family, and you're not related to her either." His enraged tone heightened. "What father sells his own child?"
"....."
His voice went silent.
The forest breeze blowing gently on his grey hairs resting on his face, revealing the gleaming sadness tucked in his eyes, frowning at Phonzo as his wrinkles formed a new shape around his mouth.
"The forest is awfully quiet today."
"Huh?" His words stirred curiosity in Phonzo's mind.
Pulling out a small necklace from his breast pocket, "Today is Ammaina's birthday, you know. I've been saving money to buy this gift for 10 years... I didn't eat properly in those 10 years, either.
This necklace is worth 800 GC (gold coins), something ordinarily impossible for a man of my social standings to afford, but... when I saw my daughter lose her smile those years ago, I tried my best to cancel all the plans to have her sold, but..."
His mind flashed to 10 years prior, that day.
"Whether you like it or not, your kin must be sold," the Valkyries' elder spoke, his voice carrying authority with each command.
"I'm begging you, sir, I don't think I can do this to her..."
Letting out a brief 'sigh', "I know it's hard, but we Valkyries are a bloodline of impotence... the main reason why none of our youth have made it past the Cultivation stage is because of a contract with a magic beast," he explained to the best of his knowledge.
"The life of Ammaina might rekindle that curse of infertility, and our bloodline might end with her, thus... it's either you kill her or..." The elder's voice tensed, yet he froze, knowing full well he understood his words.
"I know it's hard, but you'll need to make her ha... no, despise and loath you with her core. The moment her soul loses its ties with the Valkyrie household, then her body will easily do the same."
Drinking a peg of sake which he poured, "I've instructed the other members to be as mean to her as possible, so I want you to be the same." Breaking the cup with his bare hands, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" His words more of a threat than a question.
"I.... I UNDERSTAND, SIR," he replied, bowing his head as a stream of tears filled the cup placed in front of him. His hands tightly gripping the mat on which he sat, ripping it slowly.
Snapping out of his daze, his thoughts returned to the present where he stood, the cool, leafy breeze dancing on his wrinkled skin, tension palpable in the hollow forest side.
Phonzo's hands remained clenched on Mr. Valkyrie's shirt, yet his menacing scowl straightened, his rage seeping out of his body as he calmed. "How much did you say this was?"
Though hard to believe his ears, his eyes were not deceiving him. He'd originated from royalty, so being able to identify expensive ornaments came with the territory. He loosened the grip on Mr. Valkyrie's shirt slightly as his eyes widened in shock.
"Tell her you bought it yourself, or just give it to her and lie about where it came from. But please make sure she takes it with her. I was a terrible father the majority of her life, and it's too late to start stitching loose threads, but... I still have the want to give her something before she goes, so please, do this for her."
Mr. Valkyrie's request bore the weight of sorrow, his expression nearly about to burst out in tears, and he placed the jewelry on Phonzo's shoulder, releasing his tight grip from his clothes.
He walked away with his head bent on his broad shoulders, unable to look at Phonzo any longer. Phonzo could relate, though within him, he wished, even if little, that his father thought of him the same way.
"Wait... Today's Ammaina's birthday? Ohhhh shiiiiii!"
The sun's brightness dulled a little, its bright light growing dim as its presence hid beneath the mountains and terrains in the distance. Indeed, sunset had arrived.
Either the day went by quickly, or the crazy string of events made one unaware of the passage of time in minutes or hours, but the next day was approaching quickly, and Ammaina's remaining time in Hadon was being counted down.
Meanwhile, Ammaina...
"Nurse, who is this fascinating young woman?"
"I'm not sure, doctor, but all I know is she came in with a patient and now she's helping us stabilize those in serious condition!"
"Is she a Doctor of any kind or have any medical skills?"
"No, according to her, 'she's just trying to help as best she can'."
"Splendid! When she's done, send her to my office. We might need more people like her."
"No thanks, I'm not interested!" Ammaina responded from the distance, dashing through every room and ward, tending to those in pending with a smile on her face.