Chapter 264: Hard Lesson When I woke, my suffering had not ended. My muscles would not work; having been seized for too long, the ligaments had been strained, and my muscles were brutalized. I still tried to move, but all I could do was shudder. I moved my head with great difficulty and couldn’t see Maveith. Had he abandoned me? No, he wouldn’t do that. Crusty, acidic salt caked my lips as I tried to speak. My vocal cords were sore and would not work—had I been screaming?I tried to channel my healing spell form, but I couldn’t control the aether. It felt like sand running through my fingers. Panic welled up inside me as I feared I might have permanently damaged my ability to channel aether. However, it wasn’t like the fire in my aether channels when I had burned them. Instead, it was my abused aether core that was not directing the aether as I willed it. I couldn’t even focus inward to study the problem, as the pain was too distracting. I fumbled for the lip of the tub, planning to pull myself inside, but stopped. That would be stupid; I might drown if I passed out again.I released the tub, grunting as the floor greeted my face. The door creaked open. “Maveith?” I tried to say, but it just came out as a hiss of air.Viridia stood in the doorway, her hand covering her nose and mouth with a wet cloth. Her voice was slightly muffled. “He left to get help. I said I would watch you, but the smell was too foul. I have been waiting just outside the door.” I could see her daughter just beyond her. Clara got a whiff of the odor and vomited in the common room. Viridia hissed at her son to help his sister clean the mess. She came in and closed the door behind her.I pointed weakly at the canteen, and she retrieved it and fed the contents (...)