Chapter 24: The Doctor Said My Wife Can Recover

The morning light shine through the kitchen as Reinhard stared at the almost empty refrigerator. There were a few vegetables, some eggs, and half a bottle of sauce that had been sitting in the door for so long it had grown a crust.

"That’s depressing."

"I was saving that sauce," Lily said from the couch.

"For what?"

"Emergencies."

Reinhard looked at the crust, then gently closed the refrigerator. "What kind of emergency needs this?"

Emily glanced over from nearby. "We should go shopping."

He turned to her. "You want to come?"

She nodded. "I’d like to pick out some things myself." She hesitated. "And I want to choose some snacks."

Reinhard smiled. "Now that’s an important mission."

Maki looked up. "I’ll come too."

Lily was already on her feet. "I’m coming."

Yuna quietly stood as well, and somehow, a simple grocery run had turned into the whole family leaving the apartment.

The moment they stepped outside, Reinhard noticed something had changed. People recognized them. Most only glanced over and kept walking, but every so often someone looked twice, and whispers followed them down the sidewalk. It wasn’t until a man walking toward them suddenly stopped that Reinhard paid closer attention.

The man’s eyes moved from Reinhard to Emily. "You’re Reinhard, aren’t you?"

"Depends who’s asking."

The man laughed nervously. "I was at the restaurant last night. My wife and daughter were with me." His expression turned serious. "I thought I was going to lose both of them." He bowed his head. "They got out because of you. I wanted to thank you."

Reinhard waved a hand. "You don’t have to."

"I do," the man said earnestly. "I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there."

He bowed once more before continuing down the street, and Reinhard watched him go. Then he straightened his coat. "Well. I suppose I should get used to this. People will probably start asking for autographs soon."

"Nobody wants your autograph," Lily said.

A woman walking past suddenly stopped, and Reinhard immediately gave her his most gracious smile.

"Excuse me..." She stepped closer, and her eyes went straight past him. "Are you Emily Ashcroft?"

Emily’s expression turned guarded. "Yes."

The woman’s face lit up. "I thought so." She smiled at Emily. "It’s really good to see you outside." Then she simply nodded and went on her way.

Reinhard’s gracious smile stayed frozen on his face for a moment. "...I’ll allow it."

Lily burst out laughing.

Reinhard watched the woman disappear into the crowd. People had recognized Emily before, usually because of who she used to be, but that woman had been happy to see Emily simply because she was here. He looked down at his wife. Emily was quiet, but she wasn’t hiding, and that was progress.

...

The grocery store was surprisingly chaotic. Lily spent most of the trip arguing with Reinhard over snacks while Maki tried to keep the shopping list under control.

"Why do we need three kinds of chips?" Maki asked.

"Because they’re different," Reinhard said.

"They’re all chips."

"That’s like saying all swords are the same because they’re swords."

Lily nodded firmly. "Exactly."

Maki pinched the bridge of her nose.

Emily watched them for a moment, and then a small laugh escaped her.

Reinhard turned around immediately. "Did you just laugh at us?"

"No."

"You definitely did."

"I didn’t."

Lily pointed at her. "See? She’s learning to lie."

"She’s improving," Reinhard said proudly.

By the time they got home, they had enough food to last the week. Lily dumped the snack bag onto the counter and planted both hands on it. "These are mine."

"They’re everyone’s," Maki said.

"No."

"Lily."

She hugged the bag to her chest. "Fine. They’re mostly everyone’s."

Reinhard laughed and started unpacking, and then he remembered one of the recipes from the System, Restoration Cuisine. He checked the details again. The recipe wasn’t complicated, but the ingredients were unusual, and fortunately, he had bought most of what he needed.

He prepared the drink and poured it into a glass. It looked like ordinary soda, except for a faint trace of mana inside, and he set it in front of Emily.

She looked at it curiously. "What is that?"

"Something new."

"Is it safe?"

Reinhard gave her a wounded look. "Do you really think I’d give my wife something unsafe?"

She smiled. "You’ve given us some strange things before."

"Those were experimental."

"Exactly."

He laughed. "Just try it."

Emily took a small sip, and her eyes widened. "It’s good."

"Of course it is," he said, leaning back proudly. "Expert cooking."

Lily immediately reached for the glass, and Reinhard moved it away without even looking. "That’s for Emily."

"Then make more."

"I was planning to."

"Good."

Dinner came together quickly. Reinhard’s improved Magic Reinforcement let him strengthen his hands, legs, and senses all at once while he worked, and whenever something was out of reach, he simply opened a small Space Tear beside him and reached through it.

Lily stared as he pulled a carrot out of a rift. "You’re cheating."

"I’m being efficient."

"You have space magic, and you’re using it to grab vegetables."

"Exactly."

She watched him reach through another rift, and then her expression changed. "Wait. Didn’t a bomb come out of one of those last night?"

His hand stopped halfway through the rift. He looked at Lily, then at the rift, and slowly pulled his hand back out and closed it. "I’ll use my arms today."

"Thank you."

Soon the table was covered with chicken, rice, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and several other dishes, and everyone sat down together.

Lily took one bite. "This is good."

Maki nodded. "It is."

Yuna smiled into her plate. Emily was quieter. She looked at the food for a moment before taking a bite, and her expression softened.

Reinhard noticed. "Good?"

She nodded. "Very."

He smiled. There was nothing extraordinary about the moment, no monsters, no explosions, and no System notifications, just food, noise, and his family sitting around the same table. After the night they’d had, that was more than enough.

...

The next morning, Reinhard, Emily, Maki, and Lily arrived at Saint Aurelia, where Cassian was already waiting, and the examination began almost immediately. This time, it focused entirely on what had changed.

"Can you feel mana?" Cassian asked.

Emily closed her eyes. "Yes."

Cassian paused. "Even at rest? You couldn’t do that before."

"She couldn’t," Reinhard confirmed.

Cassian nodded. "Try drawing it toward yourself."

Emily concentrated. For several seconds, nothing happened, and then a faint sensation gathered around her hand as mana pooled beneath her skin. It was weak and unsteady, and it lasted only a moment before slipping away.

But that was expected, as she was drawing from whatever she could keep inside before it fully faded.

Emily’s face fell. "It keeps disappearing."

"But you felt it," Reinhard said. She looked at him. "That’s already more than you could do a week ago."

Emily looked down at her hand, then slowly nodded. "You’re right."

Cassian smiled faintly. "He is." He turned to the monitor. "The fact that you can feel mana at all is remarkable."

Maki leaned forward. "Then why can’t she hold on to it?"

"Because her Gnosis is still damaged." Cassian brought up a diagram. "Think of the Gnosis as a container. She can draw mana in now, but the damaged structure can’t hold it." He traced the cracks on the image. "So the mana leaks out."

Emily stared at the screen. "So I’m still broken."

"No," Cassian said immediately. "You’re getting better."

Emily’s fingers tightened around the armrest, and her voice trembled. "Does that mean... can I become an Awakener again?"

Cassian didn’t answer right away. He checked the readings again, then looked at her. "I don’t know."

Emily’s expression fell.

"But before you came here, I couldn’t even tell you there was a chance," Cassian continued, looking at the monitor. "Today, I can."

Emily’s eyes widened. "What?"

Cassian met her gaze. "It’s possible."

The words were simple, but they seemed to fill the whole room.

For two years, Emily had been told that her career was over, that her Gnosis was gone, that there was no treatment, and that she needed to accept the life she had now. Now someone was telling her something different.

He wasn’t promising she was healed, or that everything would be fine. He was only saying it was possible.

Emily lowered her eyes. "I thought I’d never hear anyone say that."

Reinhard rested his hand gently over hers. "Then you heard it."

She looked at him, and a small smile appeared. "Yeah."

Cassian gave them a moment. "We still have a lot of work ahead. I need to keep going through Vane’s notes and find the materials for the next stage."

"Then hopefully soon," Reinhard said.

Cassian chuckled. "Believe me, I hope so too."

He was about to see them out when Reinhard spoke up. "Can I talk to you privately?"

Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Of course."

They stepped into the hallway, and Reinhard closed the door behind them.

Cassian studied his face. "Did something happen?"

Reinhard’s expression turned serious. "Last night, some people tried to kidnap Emily."

Cassian froze.

"There were three of them. I stopped them."

"Did you find out who they were?"

"Not exactly." Reinhard paused. "But I heard them talking before I dealt with them. They kept mentioning someone they called the Big Boss."

Cassian went completely still. "The Big Boss?"

"Yes."

Fear flickered across Cassian’s face, and his voice dropped. "If they work for who I think they do, it might be the Collector Syndicate."

"Who are they?"

Cassian hesitated. "An organization that specializes in collecting valuable things."

"Things?"

"People." His expression turned grim. "People with exceptional abilities, rare bloodlines, unique Gnosis, or extraordinary potential. They find those people and deliver them to buyers willing to pay, and sometimes they collect for powerful individuals too."

His voice grew quieter. "Rare materials, artifacts, research, information." A shiver ran through him. "If someone wants something badly enough, they’ll get it."

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed. "And you think Emily is one of those things."

Cassian glanced toward the examination room. "If they already knew about her treatment, then yes." He hesitated. "And if they find out her Gnosis is actually recovering..."

He didn’t finish, and Reinhard waited.

"You need bodyguards," Cassian said.

"Axom Security?"

Cassian’s eyes widened. "You were already planning on them?"

"Well they do look pretty good."

Cassian bit his lip. "Depending on which powerful person wants her, even Axom Security might not be enough."

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Reinhard’s expression hardened. "So things get worse once her Gnosis is fixed."

"Much worse." Cassian glanced at the examination room again. "And even before that, you may already be watched."

Reinhard nodded slowly.

Someone had tried to take Emily, someone had given the order, and now he had a name, the Collector Syndicate.

If they were already after Emily before she recovered, what would they do once they learned she could truly become an Awakener again?

His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out. Unknown Number.

Stop interfering. You wouldn’t want your wife crying over your grave.

A second message followed.

Don’t bother looking into the people who came after her.

Then a third.

Because next time you overstep, we won’t come for Emily first.

Reinhard stared at the screen, and his expression didn’t change. Slowly, he slid the phone back into his pocket.

Cassian watched him. "What happened?"

Reinhard looked at him, and his voice was light. "Nothing. Let’s go home."

Inside, his thought was much simpler. They just threatened my family. Bad idea.

...

They left the institute and headed for the van, and Lily turned to Reinhard immediately. "So? Are we moving?"

He looked at Emily, then out at the city beyond the parking lot. "Yeah."

Emily looked surprised. "Really?"

"Really," he said, smiling at her. "Let’s find you somewhere better. Somewhere safer."

Emily stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Lily raised her hand. "Do I get my own room?"

"You get a closet."

"Reinhard."

He laughed and pulled out his phone to open the property listings, and a familiar blue window appeared over the screen.

[Investment Opportunity Available.]

Reinhard’s thumb stopped. Already?

[Target: Emily Ashcroft.]

[Current Value: B.]

[Objective: Buy your wife’s desired house.]

[Difficulty Grade: D.]

[Success Probability: 75%.]

Reinhard stared at the notification, and then a smile spread across his face. "So that’s how we’re doing this." He turned to Emily. "You wanted more sunlight anyway."

And just like that, the next investment had begun.