Sometimes her eyes widened. Sometimes her lips pressed into a thin line. Sometimes she reached for his hand as if confirming he was still there. She looked proud and terrified at the same time, which Kael decided was probably the most honest reaction.
After a while, she looked down at her own hands.
The skin was clear.
Healthy.
Younger than it had any right to be after years of mana poisoning.
"I'm glad that you're good now," she said softly. "And seeing that this Elixir did this…"
She touched her cheek, almost disbelieving.
"I think I can help out now with paying the hospital fees."
Kael frowned. "You don't have to worry about that."
"No, Kael." Her voice strengthened. "Due to my sickness, we had to sell the house. Then rent prices being this high, and you carrying everything alone…" She shook her head. "I can at least do some work at a convenience store or something."
"Mother. Like I said, you don't have to worry about that."
