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Tears kept pouring, Aloe couldn’t control herself, the pain had left her body totally numb. And even then, she kept feeling it. She wouldn’t even know she was still crying if it weren’t for the constant warm and wet touches hitting her hands.

“Oh, Aloe.” Mirah sang as she hugged her, a hum reminiscent of a lullaby coming from her mouth. “You just need to rest more. Your mind is clouded, your body is aching, and your heart is broken. Let me go fetch you another cup.”

Aloe wanted to tell her that no, that she didn’t want her to go away, but no words came out of her mouth. Only tears out of her eyes.

Breaths came in and out of Aloe’s mouth as she found herself unable to breathe through her nose. For what Aloe respected, not even nine breaths after she left, Mirah came back into the room with a steaming teacup.

“Watch out, it’s hot.” Mirah left the cup on Aloe’s lap instead of giving it directly to her.

Which proved to be the right decision as she didn’t know if she could even hold the cup without pouring the contents.

“Drink and you’ll feel better.” Mirah’s words sounded like a heavenly promise.

So Aloe did.

Then instantly burned her tongue.

“I told you it was hot!” Mirah exclaimed. “Oh, sorry...” And backed out defeated and ashamed for raising her voice.

“T-there’s no problem...” Aloe finally talked, her voice weak.

Slowly, Aloe blew the steam away from the cup. After what felt like an eternity, she took the first sip. The scalding infusion, whilst painful to drink, alleviated Aloe as if it was purging the evils away from her with divine fire.

Not even two sips in, Aloe put the cup down and looked at Mirah.

“Could I be alone for a few minutes?” Her voice was still weak, but it now conveyed a hint of presence of mind, of intellect.

“I... uhm...” Mirah wasn’t sure how to respond. It was written all over her face that she didn’t want to leave the girl alone. “S-sure. I’ll leave for a few minutes whilst I gather some water.” But in the end respected her wishes. “We need you to get you and those sheets clean. Between the sand, the tears, and the blood, you look like a djinn.”

“Y-yes... that would be great,” Aloe added with a fickle smile.

It was only when the housewife stood up and closed the door behind her that Aloe allowed herself to breathe.

She wouldn’t cry, she hadn’t asked for isolation to drown in her misery, she was too bad of a person to do that.

Her body and mind were so tainted by pain that Aloe couldn’t even feel the pain in her heart. She felt dry out of emotions. No anger, no sadness. Just pure nothingness.

As she looked at the door confused and dazed, Aloe recalled why she had made Mirah out in the first place.

If I can withstand the pain... Aloe pondered, even her thoughts were sluggish. Then I just need to make myself tougher.

The vital arts were a practice that relied heavily on concentration and intent. The former, Aloe severely lacked it. She felt as if she was going to pass out, if not away, at a moment’s notice. But the latter... the latter she had in plenitude.

Her body ached to overcome the pain.

Her mind wished for the pain to disappear.

It was difficult and slow. Aloe had never managed vitality under such strenuous conditions, not even when she was suffering from severe dehydration when she sensed and used the archaic energy for the time.

Back then she was committed and concentrated. Her body didn’t ache, it was just close to death. A subtle but very important difference.

Even in exhaustion, starvation, and dehydration, it was easier to concentrate than whilst in pain.

The swirling stream of energy inside her felt odd. It had the same cadence as ever, a slow stream, more akin to mud than water, but it wasn’t strong. Her vitality normally flowed with inexorable strength, an unstoppable yet slow entity.

It was weakened.

The pain... Aloe thought with her closed eyes. It’s even affecting my vitality. Even if she would have enjoyed theorizing how one’s state could affect their vitality and other consequences, her mind wasn’t on it. She could barely keep her thoughts stray to withhold her concentration; theorizing was well beyond her current capabilities.

Concentrate, just... Aloe jerked in pain as yet another cramp assaulted her. They... they aren’t that bad. Shouldn’t be that bad.

Pushed by a deadline set by her own crumbling body, Aloe rushed herself. Unfortunately, internal infusions weren’t a fast process.

For the next five minutes, or what she supposed they were as she couldn’t measure them but normally took that much time, Aloe fought against her own body not to only keep her concentration but also wakefulness.

“Done...” Aloe collapsed on the bed, triumphant yet paradoxically defeated, with a heavy groan. “I... think it’s working already.”

She didn’t even know if it would work for starters, but she had to try. Toughness was a... tough characteristic to delimitate and describe, especially when talking about the abstract and archaic description of infused ‘toughness’.

“At least... the pain is receding,” Aloe said between pants. Her stomach violently raised up and down as air filled her lungs.

Not even a minute later, Mirah made her way into the room with a bucket and towel at hand.

“How are you feeling?” The housewife asked as she left the bucket on the floor next to the bed.

“...Better.” She was feeling better, but for some reason, when talking to Mirah she had difficulties.

Perhaps because the motherly figure reminded her of what she lost.

Aloe gritted her teeth and dissipated those thoughts.

“Anyhow...” Mirah clapped her hands, distracting the girl. “How about we clean that sweat away?”

“...” Aloe painfully exhaled as she stood up before coming to the right words. “Yes, please.”

“Let’s take out this first.” Before Aloe could ask what, she grabbed her by the shoulders, slightly raising her petite body up, and removed her nightgown.

“Oh.” The girl mussed as she now noticed the clothes she was wearing. “Em... did you change me?”

“I did, yes.” Mirah absentmindedly responded as she left the bloodied gown on the floor. Then her mouth curved into an amused smile. “What did you think Jafar changed you?” The glee behind that visage was obvious.

“No,” Aloe responded stoically.

“Oh, you are no fun.” Mirah sighed and dipped the towel in the bucket, then wringing out the excess water.

“By the way, who’s nightgown is that?” Aloe pointed at the discarded gown with a lone finger, not even able to muster enough strength to move the whole arm. “It doesn’t look like my own.”

“It’s Aya’s,” Mirah said as she brought the towel to Aloe’s back, the girl jerking a bit at the cold touch as the water dripped on her naked back. “You have similar builds after all.” Even if she couldn’t see her, Aloe knew the housewife was smiling in derision at her back. “She won’t like to hear what you did to her dress.”

“Was it favorite?” Aloe asked, a bit ashamed.

“Not really.” Mirah dismissed her worries. “But she’s a good girl and values all of them equally.”

“I see...” Aloe mussitated, not aware of what she was saying. If she let her mind stray for an instant, her concentration greatly faltered. The internal infusion had worked, and she mostly didn’t feel any pain. New pain that was. The echoes of all that she had suffered still lingered in her psyche. Constant bumps, like that of a heartbeat, didn’t allow her to rest.

“Back’s done, extend your arms.” Aloe did as instructed, letting Mirah wash as she pleased.

But the housewife’s hands touched something Aloe didn’t expect.

“Eep!” The girl yelped in surprise as the cold towel roamed her armpits. “Mirah!” She shouted. “You said the arms!”

“And where am I exactly then?” The woman responded seriously, even if her visage betrayed her. “But I’m happy of having done so. Some of the gloominess in your posture has leaped away with that jump.”

Aloe turned her back slightly and peered into Mirah’s eyes. Her gaze was truly welcoming and warm. That warmth was truly soothing and...

Then the door shot wide open.

“Mirah! I didn’t find you anywhere, how’s Aloe?” And Jafar poured in.

Aloe blinked thrice before processing the loud entrance of the guard. Then she looked down at her uncovered chest.

The next instants happened too fast for Aloe to even remember, but with one hand she covered whatever modesty she had remaining, and with the other picked up the towel with what Mirah had been cleaning her – and with a deadly aim – landed it perfectly between the man’s eyes.

That throw had totally spent Aloe, she was already powerless, but with her vitality shifted into the ‘toughness’ infusion, she was objectively weaker than before.

“Knock before entering!” And even then, Aloe had enough energy to rupture everyone’s eardrums with her scream.