LEAVING THE PREMISES

His vision was fuzzy while he was mending from his migraine. He appeared to be losing touch with reality. Thankfully, the several folks who came to meet him arrived just in time, before he was in any danger. Cecily's screams shocked him awake, and he hadn't been breathing the whole time. His feeble hands slipped on one of the clothing strewn over the floor as a result of his collapse. When his skull collided with the wooden surface, Cecily, who was running full speed at him, let out a devilish cry.

"Nel! Are you OK, Nel?" Her short skirt flowed from side to side as she screamed, but she didn't seem to worry because her entire focus was on Nelanian. She knelt and supported his head with her hands, ensuring that it remained upright.

Others were merely emulating her actions. They approached the smashed door and stood like scarecrows there. "What are you folks doing standing around for, can't you see he needs assistance?" Go ahead and call the school nurse, Norval!  Jalon, fetch me some water in a basin and a clean towel... Now!" she urged the two boys.

Her toxic tone stunned their senses, and they began to move on their own as if her words had possessed them. Norval stormed out of the dorm like a lunatic. Jalon, on the other hand, spent his time looking for a container to put the water in; he was even in the bathroom at one point, peering at his reflection and combing his fingers over his hair. He was tempted to converse with his reflection, but he suddenly realized that someone needed his help.

He came back to find Norval had already returned with the school nurse and had brought everything that had been required.

They stared at him for a long time before dismissing him. Nelanian regained his strength over time. He sat on the edge of his bed, sipping a concoction, one of the many benefits of studying at IAA, which was home to some of the kingdom's best medical alchemists.

"How often has this happened?" the nurse inquired. Nelanian diverted her gaze and continued to stare down, ruminating on soothing phrases to alleviate the situation.

Talk to us, Nel," "We want to help you," Cecily's calm voice echoed throughout the room. She was really concerned, and everyone knew her as someone who formed impregnable bonds with those she cared about.

Nelanian observed, laying the beaker containing the medication he was taking on the table, "It was nothing, just a small headache, I may have overreacted, but it was nothing major."

"kid  I'll be the one to decide if it was a minor headache. This isn't one of the headaches I've observed. Stop lying to me and tell me how frequently this happens,"

" ...Since last month," Nelanian said, swallowing hard and picking up the beaker once more.

"Is it getting worse?  Is it happening more often now than it was previously?"

"Yes,"

"I'm going to have to bring you in for a proper check-up. We must ensure that you are not in any danger. Boys, please assist me in getting him up to his feet and escorting him to the infirmary as soon as possible."

Norval took exaggerated strides up to Nelanian, firmly nodding his head. Jalon, on the other hand, deliberated over his choices."

"Didn't you hear what I was saying, young man? Come over here and assist your pal in getting up,"

The nurse exclaimed angrily. Jalon shuddered as he looked into her piercing eyes, which seemed to stare right into his heart. He approached with care. Nelanian threw his arms around Norval's and Jalon's shoulders as he got up. A new flurry of pictures blinded him, and the migraine returned.

/....................................................................../

One of the swordsmen sprang from the cloud, whirling through the air and smashing face-first into the ground. The lorth mage drew back unconsciously, physically confessing that he was intimidated.

"Stop wasting your time, alchemist, and get to work!"  He screamed at the man next to him, who didn't hide his dread." My mutagens and potions aren't working, the air is polluted, and my chemicals aren't reacting," he muttered, his teeth grinding against each other and his voice faltering," I can't do anything about it!"

"So, what was the point of bringing you here in the first place?"

"This is the big Rhaizen Gale we're talking about. Did you expect it to be so easy?"  The alchemist was quick to answer. Enraged, the lorth magician tore another paper in half and hung it over his eyes, reciting another spell, "Vision of truth!"

The pages disintegrated, leaving a hazy film across his vision. If he peered closely enough, he could see body frames in the mist. inside the green mist, they appeared to be shadows dancing. He saw a guy who looked like Rhaizen Gale, who stood up and shattered a sword in half with his own hands.

/................................................................/

Nelanian had once again lost his footing.

"Make haste. He's starting to lose consciousness again. We must get him to the emergency room as soon as possible,"  The nurse yelled something at the boys in front of him. Cecily trailed close behind, frantically sobbing. Whenever she was confronted with a difficult situation, she would always cry. They dashed into the hospital, and another male nurse with a stretcher approached them as if he had seen them from afar.

Place him, head first, on the stretcher. The nurse added as she followed the stretcher with other doctors who had reacted to her call, "We'll take it from here; you may go now."

The students were left alone in the waiting room, watching as the stretcher's wheels creaked their way down the corridor before vanishing into the emergency room. After a brief wait in the lounge, Norval began his departure.

"Come on Cecily, let us go, "He said, "We must proceed to the interview since the director is waiting for us at the gates."

"No, I am not going anywhere. I'm staying to keep an eye on Nelanian."

"The doctors say they have everything handled. We can leave for the interview and return after it is completed. He's not going away, Cecily."

"I said I am not going anywhere. While the two of you go talk to the reporters, I'll wait here."

She asserted herself. With her arms crossed, she moved away from them. Norval offered Jalon a gentle nod as he looked at him. Jalon shrugged his shoulders in answer.

"Come on man, talk to her, we have to convince her to come with us," Norval said quietly to Jalon."

"Hey dude, you and I both know I'm the last person on her list she wants to hear from, so let's just get going and work it out later,"  As he walked out of the hospital, he continued, "We'll come back for her later; she's not going anywhere." Norval gave Cecily one last long stare before exiting the infirmary.

AFTER A FEW MINUTES,

"What have you guys been up to? The director has been battling the reporters for fifteen minutes now," Luciana said, her voice tight.

"Nelanian fainted out and we had to take him to the infirmary," Norval explained, adjusting a crease on his jacket.

"And where has Cecily gone? You left her at the infirmary, didn't you?"  Luciana enquired, stopping for a moment before answering.

"I mean, after seeing Nelanian in the infirmary, there was no way she was going to come to this interview," Norval said."

"Ugh, okay. Let's get started with the interview now that you've both cleaned up. Remove the jewelry, Jalon; it's not part of the school uniform!"  she exclaimed, referring to a golden necklace that had become visible around Jalon's neck after he loosened his shirt's two top buttons.

He offered a sneering shrug before reluctantly removing it and tucking it into the breast pocket of his blazer. The three walked up to a table set up in front of the gate with seats behind it and microphones thrown about it.

When the interview started, they seemed to be doing fairly well. The majority of the media went easy on them, asking about Rhaizen Gale and how much of a mentor he was to them. They were relaxed in their responses, owing to the fact that they had prepared their responses and such queries were expected. High-profile bloggers, on the other hand, were the ones who asked the tough questions. Despite the challenges, the students did their best to reply.

The cameras' focus quickly shifted to the pathway leading from the school's administration buildings to the gate where Cecily was about to arrive. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she was wearing a threatening, angry attitude. She strolled right past the security guards and over to the interview table. Everyone's attention was drawn to her, and they were waiting for her to say something.

She came in and fixed her focus on the director of the school.

"How long have you known!" she yelled loudly enough for everyone to hear. This kind of outburst was expected of her, but doing it in front of hundreds of reporters was unprecedented, so her colleagues questioned what had happened in the infirmary to cause her to become so furious.

"Miss, please calm down so we can have a rational discussion..." the director remarked, trying to defuse the situation.

"Answer me! "How long have you known about this!" she slapped a piece of paper on the table.

"What is it, exactly?"  From the other side of the table, Norval queried, puzzled. Luciana was the one who was closest to Cecily on the interview table, so she reached out and took the paper from her. As she read the words, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, hoping to conceal her astonishment. The reporters salivated as they anticipated the reveal to compose the huge headline for their evening news.

"Tell me!" Cecily went closer to the director and yelled. once in his face

 " How long have you known Nelanian was suffering from a brain tumor?"