After finishing his training, Jason made his way to the nearby stream, stripped off the sweat-stiffened robe, and washed thoroughly in the cold water. The night air bit at his skin as he dressed again and started home. When the tent came into view he saw Hannah standing outside, arms wrapped around herself, staring into the dark.
"What are you doing out here this late?" he asked as he approached.
Hannah's head snapped up. Her eyes were red. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you."
Jason's stomach tightened. "Why were you looking for me? Did something happen?"
"It's Mother." Hannah's voice cracked. "Not long after she took the pill you gave her, she started spitting up mouthfuls of blood."
Jason did not wait for the rest. He pushed past her and ducked into the tent. Clara sat on the floor, back against the low wall, eyes closed, face pale. A dark pool of blood darkened the earth in front of her. The sight drove the air from Jason's lungs.
*You said the pill would only ease her pain,* he snapped at the bracelet. *What is this?*
*Relax, kid. Nothing is going to happen to her.*
*Don't tell me to relax when she's sitting in a pool of her own blood!*
*Have I ever lied to you about something this important?*
The calm certainty in the spirit's voice forced Jason to take a slower breath. He crouched beside his mother and looked more carefully. Beneath the exhaustion and the residual blood, a faint, steady thread of spiritual energy now moved through her body—something that had not been present before.
*The pill is working,* the bracelet continued. *What she expelled is stagnant, corrupted blood that had been trapped in her system for years. Can you feel the spiritual energy that has started circulating again?*
Jason could. It was weak, fragile, but unmistakably there.
A small, disbelieving smile touched his mouth. *It actually helped.* He glanced toward the tent flap. *Hannah needs to hear this.*
*Remember,* the bracelet cautioned, *this is only a partial recovery. The root damage remains.*
*I know. But it's the first real improvement she's had in years. That's enough for tonight.*
He stepped back outside. Hannah still stood where he had left her, shoulders hunched, eyes fixed on the ground. Jason rested a hand lightly on her shoulder.
"You don't have to keep worrying. Mother is going to be all right."
Hannah wiped her face with the back of her wrist and looked up. "You really think so?"
Jason nodded, and the simple certainty in the gesture seemed to drain some of the fear from her. They sat side by side on the low stool and waited.
An hour later Clara's voice called them in—stronger, clearer than it had been in a long time. They found her sitting upright on a chair without support. The difference was unmistakable. Jason could still sense the faint spiritual energy moving through her meridians, stronger now than it had been when he first noticed it.
Clara saw the question in his eyes before he spoke.
"My meridians were damaged the night our territory was invaded," she said quietly. "The pill you gave me healed part of that old injury. Not all of it—but enough that I can sit and breathe without the constant weight."
Hannah stared. "You were a cultivator? And you still didn't want me to train? That's not fair, Mother!"
Clara's expression tightened with old pain. "The path of a cultivator is nothing but danger, Hannah. I lost almost everything to it once. I don't want the same for you."
Jason cut in before the argument could sharpen. "Enough. Mother just recovered enough to sit up on her own. This isn't the time."
Hannah fell silent, though the protest still burned in her eyes. She turned instead to cleaning the blood from the floor while Jason helped Clara settle more comfortably. Later they shared a simple supper in a quieter, lighter atmosphere than the tent had known for months. When the meal was finished they slept.
---
At first light Jason washed, dressed, and left for the alchemy room. The grand elder had not yet arrived. Since he now carried the status of an official worker, Jason opened the door himself, stepped inside, and began the morning cleaning without being told. He swept the floors, straightened the scattered tools, and wiped down the cold furnaces while the dense residual spiritual energy of the room slowly seeped into him.
He had just finished and was examining the arrangement of herb cabinets when raised voices shattered the quiet.
Andrew and Dennis stood in the open doorway, scanning the chamber. When they confirmed the grand elder was absent, their expressions turned openly predatory. Dennis's voice rose in a deliberate, echoing shout that made Jason's shoulders tighten.
Jason turned, irritation plain on his face. "What are the two of you doing here, yelling like pigs?"
Andrew's eyes narrowed. "Who are you calling a pig, you low-life?"
Jason's smile was thin. "If you weren't pigs you would have kept your voices down in a place like this. But that would require basic manners, wouldn't it?"
Dennis's expression turned ugly. "Still haven't learned your lesson. Don't worry—we'll give you another lecture before we leave today."
Jason only sighed, as though the threat were a minor inconvenience, and turned his back on them. He walked deeper into the room, already returning his attention to the cabinets, leaving the two of them standing in the doorway with their anger unanswered. The alchemy room, for the moment, remained his ground.