Chapter 17: Diagnosis

While Zax's body experienced convulsions as a result of the intolerable pain, his consciousness abandoned the three aspects for a place where none of them could influence him. Within the sea of his consciousness, in the center which was the most conclusive place of the soul, Zax was cuddling, or more properly, the spirit that was Zax Zell took the naked form of a ten years old boy, holding his folded legs close to his chest, submerged in a deep sleep.

When the Brown Digger woke up, it was no longer under the control of the Black Core and the black radiance also vanished from in between its eyes. Confused by its surrounding, the burns on its paws and it exhausted state; a great hunger howled from its stomach and from his mouth came out a cautionary growl toward the ominous smoky mist that its instincts kept warning about.

"Sniff ... Sniff..." The smell of blood was distinct, close by. The head of the Brown Digger turned to Zax's body. With its nose the Brown Digger could easily smell the blood splattered beneath Zax torso – he spat it involuntary when his body started to spasm. On that note, the Brown Digger sense of smell was more unique than strong, since it was known to be capable to actually smell Qi or mist energy, even when inside an Earth's Core's shell.

"Gurrrr!" The Brown Digger got close to Zax, his sharp claws ready to separate meat from bone.

"STUMP!"

A heavy hoof stumped the head of the Brown Digger and a voice that was sneering expressed his disdain. "Vermin..."

"TUMP!"

Another hoof sent the body of the Brown Digger flying. However, before it touched the ground again, the smoky mist corroded the giant rodent into nothingness.

"That stone!" The remaining Black Core caught the attention of the husky voice. "I should take it to big brother. Better hurry now, creating another entrance would be tiresome". A pair of black round eyes turned to Zax. "A human child ... Must be Zetsa's little brother". An azure luster gleamed in the black round eyes as they surveyed Zax, in and out. When an assessment had been made the eyes closed and opened again, the azure luster vanished. Two muscular arms adorned by shining black fur picked Zax gently from the ground. "Unfortunate, how very unfortunate..."

"I will say it again, my dear, his physical condition is stable, and in the past days I treated him to the best of my abilities. As you saw, and from what I read in the report, there were none external injuries and the inner ones were small and in the process of healing when you already brought him. For his body, he will need only couple of months of rest. It is also, probably, what prevents him from regaining consciousness. I hope you understand that we will have to wait to know for sure?" The man speaking was of age, bald and wrinkled, also a proficient practitioner that embarked on the path of medicine over a century ago. "His Qi channels and soul however..." The man sighed and laid his hand on Zetsa's shoulder.

"I don't understand, Doctor Nijima, that my little brother's body needs to heal to wake up, yes. But what about his Qi channels and soul?"

Zetsa wished that she could scream at Doctore Nijima, but her parents sat not far from them, inside Zax's room, besides his bed and the supportive care unit which was connected to Zax's vein and supplied him fluids – different species, different methods...

"It's the third time this week ... you said that your research will be concluded days ago, instead you came two times to diagnosis my little brother's condition, each time you promise to return with explanation, and this is the third time in four days and I still hears the same words. If you cannot accomplish anything in your, supposedly, vocation, than ask them to send someone else, a team, if needed, but stop dragging time!"

Nine days had passed since Zetsa returned from the beasts' territory with Zax in her arms. When they, the committee of the Great Earth's Core Pursuit, heard of the return of the young felon, they wanted to immediately address the matter of Zax's inexplicable, illicit actions. As it so happened, for several reasons, things went the other way and they had to restrain themselves.

First, to hold back the hostile treatment that any who breaks the Great Earth's Core Pursuit's rules receives, Zetsa sent a detailed message to the committee, highlighting the inadequate and irresponsible regulation and supervision the event upholds, which allowed a ten years old boy to sneak past all the event's staff and the so called experts that are hired or volunteer as staff, and disappeared underneath their noses in the hunting\searching cave. Zetsa, with her parents involve, made it clear how far and wide the news of a ten years old missing during the event could spread in the kingdom.

Following that, there was the reasoning that the case of a participant sneaking to a second hunt was a first and something so implausible, that the committee never thought they will have to officially explain it to the young participant before their hunt, among the other laws that they inform them about. To top the weirdness of such deed, the committee had to deal with the fact that the boy, Zax Zell, according to his report, had found and formed a Link with a medium quality E level Earth's Core, in the undisputed names of the Supreme Rulers!

And then there was the matter of the young felon physical condition. Frankly, for Zax to be brought back alive, it surprised anyone who knew about the case. For Zax to return uninjured, that is externally, was also quite a shock. And since regardless of the actions the family of the young felon threatened to pursue, in one way or another, the event's committee had to get involve in some way.

When Zetsa brought over Zax, she took him to the closet medical facility, which was the Medical tent of the event in cave one hundred and thirty nine. From there, things proceeded as one doctor after another came to see Zax only to shake his or her head submissively. The event's committee had the decency to still treat Zax as a participant, and to mellow the situation that a mere child caused the used any means to first support the family. When their doctors came up with no results, the event's committee began to even develop a sort of personal interest in the wellbeing of the "Felon", "Boy", "Young participant", "Zax" – after couple of days each member of the committee had given his or her own name when talking about Zax.

Doctor Nijima had a private practice which only high class families could afford. He had no obligation toward the national event, Great Earth's Core Pursuit, so naturally the event's committee had to pay a great sum to ask for his diagnosis.

He ended up being the only medical practitioner that took care of Zax in the past four days. In the beginning it was for the money, since he was sure that with his century of experience there could not be something new with the ability to surprise him. It was easy to point out the physical condition of the patient, and so it was the first thing he did. Unfortunately, diagnosing the reason for the clots in Zax's Qi channels, how his Qi liquefied and how the soul of a ten years old boy, or a soul in general, could have a hint of black in its color, were all things he never encountered which aroused his dormant curiosity.

And what about the public hospitals which were in each populated cave in Kingdom Earth? The name would suggest the answer of why not turning to them...

It has been a long time since the last time a family member of a patient of his, Doctor Nijima, dared not speak to him in a reserved manner, even when he was a sixty years old lad on the path of medicine that already could cure most diseases or odd conditions of the three aspects he faced. After so many years it was both refreshing and bitter.

"Would you like some tea?" Doctor Nijima replied to Zetsa calmly.

"What?" The question startled Zetsa for a short enough moment to make her forget her frustration and for Doctor Nijjima to make us of it.

"I have my own kit for making tea, all I need is water". Doctor Nijima spoke with his back to Zetsa, already leading the way to the kitchen.

"Doctor..." Zetsa followed with a mixed expression on her face displaying anger and bafflement at the same time.

"Herbs? No need. I'll let you taste my personal mixture". Doctor Nijima said nonchalantly. He opened the tap and let the water sprinkle on his finger before tasting it. "Terrible, terrible! You want to let an old man drink such poisonous water?"

"What? Poisonous? The plumbing is fairly new..." While saying so, Zetsa asked herself why is she the one to speak defensively.