Crown

Limari-Newborn

Agonizing wails traveled down the halls of the palace. Tekina watched as Illya clung to Sora and Raehar for dear life. Tekina was surprised that she wasn't crushing their bones with how tightly she had her fingers wrapped around their hands. Tekina had little knowledge on medical know hows as her expertise lied in combat and history. So as much as she wanted to help her friend and ease her pain, she decided that taking a back seat and letting the court physician tend to the wailing Illya, was better for everyone. Outside, of Illya's room, Avarice stood with his hands bound in cuffs laced with Ri-is' sorcery. The triplets stood impatiently in the hall, listening to their mother scream.

Avarice shifted awkwardly on his feet as he stared down at his hands. He dared not look up. Sin had just about killed him when he found out that Avarice had betrayed them. He was lucky that Ea was there to restrain the both of them when Sin lost his temper, otherwise, he wasn't so sure he'd have the legs to be standing right now. Sin couldn't stay too mad at his little brother, however, as Avarice too had been double crossed and that inevitably lead to his current predicament, but Sin would let him explain that to their mother in due time.

A few hours went by before the screams finally began to die down. Illya was drenched in sweat and had barely enough energy to keep herself sitting up. Sora brushed some strands of her disheveled hair out of her face. Her chest heaved as she struggled to keep her eyes opened.

"Is...it...over?" She said between pants.

He gently rubbed her hand. "Yes, love. You did great." He smiled.

Tekina stood beside Raehar who finally had a chance to rub his hand after Illya's grip on it weakened. The both of them watched anxiously as the court physician took the baby and faced away from them. He cleaned her off and picked her up again, but even with his back towards them, they could tell that something was amiss. Illya hazily lifted her head. The baby was quiet. There was no crying whatsoever, not even the slightest mewl.

"S-Seimei? How does...the baby look?" She breathed in exhaustion.

He had one rule, it was strange but she had always followed it and that was to never call his actual name in front of other people. However, he decided to let it slip since he could see how disarrayed she had become. Seimei turned to face them. The way Sora's eyes widened when he laid eyes on the child told Illya that it was nothing good. With her remaining strength, she pushed herself so she was sitting upright, her eyes darting towards her baby as she suddenly became very aware of everything.

The first thing she noticed about her baby was that her eyes were a peculiar shade of blue, they were so light that it almost looked grey. Illya called out to get her baby's attention. She turned in the direction of Illya's voice and tried to tilt her head from left to right, but couldn't focus on her mother. Seimei put her in Illya's arms. Illya's blood ran cold as she held her child.

"She...doesn't have a heartbeat..." She said.

Sora put a finger to her chest and confirmed that she did in fact lack a heartbeat.

"How is that even possible?" Questioned Tekina.

"The surge of magical energy from Illya when she got angry must have been enough to not only triggered her birth, but partially revive her as well. She was definitely dead when I checked. I think that burst of intense energy...may have done some damage to her as well."

Illya was filled with overwhelming guilt yet again. She looked down at the child in her arms as tears began to fill her eyes.

"What kind of damage?" She croaked.

"The surge must have been too much for her tiny body to handle. She shows signs of blindness and the fact that she hasn't made a sound is a bit worrying...but...an infant's eyes aren't fully developed, to begin with and there are babies who are born without making much noise. I think we should keep an eye on her and overtime I can make a better assessment." He tried to reason.

Illya took a deep breath. Sora place one hand on Illya's back and the other on the baby's forehead.

"He's right. The important thing is that she's here with us now."

"...What about her heartbeat...how is that going to affect her?"

A thought crossed Illya's mind, but it was so horrific that she kept it to herself. All she could think about was how she may have ruined her daughter's future all because she let her anger get to her. Illya wondered what kind of life her child would live now that she hasn't a single breath of life in her and she was more than prepared to end it if necessary, fearing that her child would suffer because of her selfish want for her survival.

"I can't say for sure. I do know of people alive today that don't have a heartbeat but it's very rare and as you've realized, is the result of some kind of magical trauma at birth. This is the first time I've personally encountered such a case. Life isn't going to be easy, but with the proper care, she can live a relatively painless life. It will take a lot of work though."

"...Is there anything we can do to make it easier for her?" Asked Illya.

Seimei thought for a moment. "Perhaps if we found someone with a more extensive knowledge concerning ancient magical ailments, we could have them look after her."

"I thought that was your job." Blurted Illya

"Yes but you know my magical expertise only extends as far as exorcisms and charms. There's only so much I can do with that. I'm talking about someone who's entire life has been dedicated to the art of this type of magic."

As they pondered where they would find such a person, a knock came at the door. Tobi poked his head in and everyone's attention turned to him.

"I'm sorry to intrude. We were standing in the hall and overheard you talking. Um...I know someone who may fit the bill."

Illya was quick to latch on to this small ray of hope. "Who is it?" She asked eagerly.

"My mom."

"Oh, that's right! When we first met you had told me she was a gypsy from Jisr!" Illya recalled.

It was like a lightbulb went off for Seimei. "That's perfect! After all, Jisr is known for its practices in necromancy. She must be well versed in the subject if she's from Jisr."

Tobi nodded in agreement. "She is. She should currently be in Aruma An if I'm not mistaken. A while ago she convinced me to let her come with me to find new herbs. She stayed behind. It's been months since I last saw her but I'm certain she's still there."

Illya felt a bittersweet sensation of relief. Relief that there existed someone who could provide the means to care for her daughter and anxious that this person had been roaming around her homeland for months. Illya knew of the things in her homeland and was slightly worried at what this woman may find there, but she chose to giver her the benefit of the doubt. Her logic was solely based on the idea that if Tobi was this well mannered and genuine, then the person who raised him must be just as kind.

Illya's composure began to return as the gears in her head started moving again. "Those ruins are huge. It's an entire chunk of Aruma An you'd have to go through to find her...I have an idea though. We'll need a team of people to go."