Nerith’s countenance paled, and she used her body to block Laziel’s sight of Zerra. Alaric was also quick to stand in front of her.
It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Laziel. It was about Zerra’s safety after all, and they couldn’t afford to gamble with her life.
Even Cassias shifted, moving very fast. However, he sensed something familiar not long after — Zerra’s hand and her soft skin. Although her temperature was still very high right now.
"What’s wrong with you all?" Laziel frowned.
Their gesture was indeed awkward, shielding Zerra as if there were an incoming attack.
"Don’t be too loud," Cassias muttered.
The Sylvaris couple soon sensed that the figure on the bed no longer had her fox form. Zerra’s feet were sticking out from the bed, and the way she slept was quite awkward.
Alaric also shushed him, making their posture no longer as weird. "Don’t shout and surprise us like that."
"You will disturb Zee."
Zerra’s complexion was flushed like a lobster, even more obvious when she was in her human form. Her forehead wrinkled occasionally, and she let out a hiss in pain.
"Is she sick?" Laziel walked closer to the bed.
Ability users rarely got sick. In fact, they never saw falling sick. All illnesses were from external factors, like zombie virus.
"Shall we get a doctor?" Laziel muttered. He turned to the door, and he thought he saw someone’s figure there.
"Zerra has a fever." Cassias had scanned her condition. "She might awaken her ability..."
Laziel’s eyes widened, then lit up. He remembered he got extremely sick when he was about to awaken his water ability.
If it meant that Zerra was about to awaken her power, then her sudden illness made sense. It was also Cassias who spoke, the rare dual-ability user. He might be speaking from experience.
So, for the next half hour, they kept watch over her, occasionally changing the water. Laziel also could control water, so he helped Zerra drink and stay hydrated.
He controlled the amount of water he could send to Zerra’s throat to avoid choking or endangering her life. After he tried it, he was soaked in sweat. This kind of water control really strained his mind.
"How about we get a doctor from the base?" Laziel still offered. "Just in case. I can also go."
Alaric spoke, "Yes, go get a doctor so that we are sure there are no complications with Zerra’s body."
Some doctors at the base now had knowledge about ability users and their enhanced physiques. They received knowledge from the Research Institute too. So, they must have known a lot about what had happened to Zerra.
Even Isryn had received such training too. A famous researcher had taken her in as his student. The researcher also had a wood ability, although his sole focus wasn’t only on botanical research.
"Huh, what are you doing here?" Laziel was stunned when he saw Eryx at the door.
Behind him was his sister. He was surprised, not because he didn’t welcome him. Rather, he was about to go to find Eryx’s older sister, but the person had delivered herself to the door.
"I heard Zerra is feeling unwell. Can I take a look?" Isryn asked in a concerned tone.
"Of course." Laziel immediately opened the door wide for them. After they entered through the door, he couldn’t help but ask, "How do you know she is sick?"
"Nyra told us," Isryn muttered. The minor commotion must have drawn attention from Zerra’s room. Nerith had come out. When she saw Isryn, she hurriedly brought her to her daughter’s room.
Laziel recovered from his dazed state, and he pursed his lips. He felt rather complicated. His eldest sister hated their parents and youngest sister, but she secretly still cared. The source of thɪs content is NoveI-Fire.ɴet
If he hadn’t asked Isryn, no one would have been aware that it was Nyra who had invited her to their place. They might even regard it as a coincidental visit.
Inside Zerra’s room, Isryn examined her, feeling a little regretful. Zerra hadn’t gotten sick because she was too tired from helping her yesterday, right?
When she was done, Isryn concluded, "Her fever is similar to a fever when someone about to awaken their ability."
She was rather bewildered, because Zerra had awakened her space ability, hadn’t she?
The expression on her family’s faces, they also didn’t seem surprised. More relieved than shocked.
"Are there no other complications from her body?"
Isryn shook her head. "Her body temperature is a little too high, but it is still within an acceptable range."
Zerra’s body temperature had dropped a lot compared to the first time when Nerith had just found her. Otherwise, even Isryn would have been shocked.
"Just make sure that she is not dehydrated since she is unconscious," She reminded them, glancing at Laziel in particular, who had just walked in with Eryx.
The family invited the Ashborn siblings for breakfast, giving them a pocket of crystal cores for helping them to check on Zerra.
"Uh, there’s no need." Isryn shook her head and refused. "Nyra had given us supplies earlier, saying it was from Zerra."
Nerith and Alaric exchanged looks, realizing something. Zerra must have been sick for a while. She also went to bed directly after dinner. She hadn’t gotten in contact with Nyra since, who had returned in the evening.
The supplies weren’t from Zerra, but from Nyra. In a sense, she kind of paid Isryn to invite her over, so that she could skip one day of work at the Research Institute’s garden.
Isryn gave Zerra a little treatment with her wood ability, the vitality before excusing herself from the Sylvaris family’s home. The Ashborn siblings left at noon.
In Zerra’s room, Laziel took charge of making sure that his younger sister would not be dehydrated. He sighed when he saw her flushed face. Usually, she would be so lively, arguing with him, but...
It was a bit quiet. Even Nyra had told them she would be staying at the base.
When the night had gotten late, Nerith ordered him to leave the room and rest. Zerra should be fine for the next few hours.
The night was growing deeper, and everything was filled with silence. Something was quietly happening at Zerra’s place, yet no one in the house was aware of it.