The Transmigrated Professor

Mike, Izzy, and I were currently visiting Ryder at the hospital. It surprised me that Izzy wanted to come with us since Ryder was a person who didn't keep many friends.

But surprisingly, unlike her introverted brother, Izzy was a social butterfly and made fast friends with those around her.

Since the hospital was meant to be a quiet space, Mike decided to leave his two high-spirited companions back at home, under the precious care of Jacob, who was spoiling them with his food.

Deus wriggled on my arm. I decided to bring him with me since his health expertise might come in handy. Though, of course, unless the root of the pain, the curse, wasn’t removed from Ryder’s body, any Healing Magic Deus uses on him won’t be effective.

Thankfully, I had already completed the Curse-Breaking Potion. Now the only thing left to do was to administer it to Ryder. 

In the past few days, I thought of all the possible scenarios I could go with the Potion.

At first, I thought I could break Ryder’s curse in front of the executives of the Hero League, and prove to them how valuable an asset I was. They won’t possibly execute someone who could make such legendary Potions. I had also been steadily selling various Potions on Pandora's Box, so my reputation as a Potion supplier was rising steadily. 

But after some more thought, I decided that revealing the information would be too risky. If the League executives knew about my Potion, they would want to use it for themselves or ask for the recipe. There was no way I would hand over such an important Potion to such power-hungry people.

Not to mention I only had three doses of it. Two, if I exclude the one I would be giving Ryder. The ingredients for the Potion were also very rare. so I doubt I would get a chance to make another batch.

The best plan would be to keep the remaining Potions with me. The only people who will be knowing about this secret would be the Briar Family.

'I am sure Rufus won't do anything to threaten the life of his precious grandson's savior.'

 

I knocked on the door to Ryder and Rachel’s room.

"Come in!" Rachel called us in.

I opened the door and the three of us entered. Being a VIP room, it was pretty spacious inside, equipped with a TV and a huge window overlooking the beautiful garden. Rachel was resting in her bed, while the one beside her was empty.

“Professor Ray! Mike! Thank you for coming!” Rachel greeted us, her voice a bit cracked, as if she had been crying.

"I hope we didn't interrupt your sleep or anything?"

"You didn't." She dismissed my worried. "I was already up talking to some of my Academy friends. You just missed them."

"And where did Ryder go?" I asked, pointing to the empty bed

"He just went outside for some air.”

'Hmm. Hey, Deus, can you go and check on Ryder for me?' 

'Sure!' Deus activated the Fade Skill and slithered off my arm, disappearing out of the room.

“We got a 'Get well soon!' gift for you two.” Mike interjected, proudly showing off a box of cake they had brought with them.

“That’s very sweet of you.” Rachel thanked him. Rachel then glanced at Izzy.

“Ah, hello. I am Ray’s sister. Isabella Laxon.” She introduced herself. “Though we are not really part of the Laxon Family anymore.”

“Ahh! I did hear there was trouble brewing inside the Aurum Guild. But I wasn’t aware the younger daughter had left the Family as well.”

“I didn’t have much of a reason to stay there any longer. And anyway, my brother said he is going to take care of me, so I don’t need to worry about my living conditions.” Izzy said in a joking manner, clinging to my arm.

"Yes. An elder sibling should always protect his younger siblings." Rachel mumbled, as her eyes were fixed on Izzy's arm that was linked with mine. The hospital room was filled with awkward tension.

I finally decided to interrupt. “Anyway, I was shocked to hear about the Fallen attack on the mall Exhibition. Did the League find out who was behind it?”

“The body of the Fallen who attacked us was found two days ago but his dimensional ring wasn't on the scene. So the Heroes in charge still aren’t able to figure out what the villain had stolen. They are also treading with caution since we don't know if this was an individual act of crime or something planned by the Alliance.” Rachel explained.

“I see…” I pondered over the information. At this time, the Alliance would be busy with the first major calamity that will occur on Earth, so I doubt they would waste resources on other things. I am pretty sure that the missing Item was a Spirit Egg since at this point in time, the general public was still not aware of their importance. 

I do remember that an important event had taken place during this time, involving Rhian and he had obtained an important asset. 

'I should go check out the storyline on my laptop later.'

As we were making small talk, a light knock sounded on the door, and the door slid open. Rufus Briar, the President of the Hero League walked in.

“It’s nice to meet you again, Sir.” I greeted him nervously. That intimidating SS-Rank Aura that I had witnessed at the League HQ was gone, but the atmosphere around him was still heavy. As expected of the man who reached the pinnacle of SS-Rank!

Rufus ignored my greeting and instead stood beside Rachel.

“How are you doing, honey? Any pain?” He asked her in a sweet tone, gently patting her hair. Anyone can see how much Rufus cared for his grandchildren. How can a Fallen be dumb enough to pick a fight with the President of the Hero League?

“I am doing fine, Grandpa. I've told you so many times already. And didn't I tell you not to come here every day? Don’t you have work back at the League?” Rachel responded.

“I can do that work later. Right now you and Ryder are the most important to me.” He answered in such a sweet and 'grandpa-ly' voice, I had to remind myself again, that the person in front of me was the head of the organization that effectively ran an entire Continent.

“All right, Grandpa.” Remembering that we were still there, Rachel introduced us. “Oh right! Grandpa, meet my neighbors, Mike and Izzy. And that is my Professor at the Academy, Professor Ray.”

“Yes, I have heard of them.” Rufus responded in a heavy tone. I returned a nervous smile. I guess Rufus didn't want someone who could possibly be in contact with the Alliance to stay near his granddaughter. The bloodlust that he was emanating in my direction would have made a Boss Monster run to his mommy.

“Well, we should leave now.” I decided to end our meeting. 

“Shouldn’t you guys wait for Ryder?” Rachel asked.

“That’s okay, I will visit you guys when you get discharged from the hospital. Tell Ryder that Jacob said he will have his favorite dishes ready when he returns!” With that final statement, I rushed out of the hospital room with the other two.

“We should have stayed until Ryder came back.” Mike complained as we drove back home. Izzy, who knew about the Laxon Family’s secrets, kept silent in the backseat.

“Mike, they are recovering in the hospital right now. We shouldn’t disturb them too much.” I tried to steer away from the conversation. “And anyway, they will be discharged in a few days. You can visit them then.”

“Okay!” He grumbled but didn’t complain anymore.

“How did the visit go? Are Ryder and Rachel doing okay?” Jacob asked as we entered the house. Yuna and Ryu were playing at his feet, as Jacob poured food pellets in their bowls.

“Rachel was doing okay. We weren’t able to check on Ryder but he seemed to be doing well too. They will be discharged soon.”

“That’s good to hear.”

 

---

 

Back in the hospital room, Rachel and Rufus were sitting in silence.

“Grandpa, can I ask you something?” Rachel asked in a solemn tone.

Rufus, who was cutting apple bunnies, looked up sensing the seriousness in her voice. “What is it, sweetie?”

In the hospital, as she lay alone, a million thoughts crossed her mind as she recalled what she had heard. How scary it must be for him to spend the time, counting the days until he dies! Should she tell Grandpa or not?

Finally, deciding not to keep this to herself, Rachel spoke up.

“I think Ryder is d-dying.” Rachel’s voice cracked up. The words that had only existed in her mind till now were finally given form. Not able to bear the weight of her words, she broke down, pleading for help. “Grandpa, can’t we do anything? Ryder won't survive for longer.”

As someone who had been on the field as a Hero for many years, fighting the Fallen and the Chaos Alliance, Rufus had encountered many such situations. Many of his friends and colleagues had been cursed by those damn Demon Fanatics. Some went into a spiral of depression and anxiety. Others denied their fate until they drew their last breaths.

At that time, there was only one thing he could tell them  ~ ‘It would be okay…’.

He would always repeat this to them, almost like a mantra, but their endings were always the same. Nightmares, episodes, pain. And waiting at the end was death.

But this time, Rufus couldn’t bear to say the same words to his granddaughter, knowing full well that it would be a lie.

Instead ~ “Rachel, I know it will be hard. But all we can do for Ryder now is to keep him as much at peace as we can.”

Hearing her grandfather’s words, Rachel yelled in disbelief. “But, surely there is something you can do! You are the President of the Hero League.”

“My dear, if there was something I could do, I would have done it long ago.” 

“But it’s Ryder! We can’t just lose him. Please! Grandpa!” Rachel begged, leaning into his chest. Rufus could only comfort her, feeling completely powerless for the first time in his life.

“I am sorry. I am so sorry” He kept apologizing, as Ryder slowly stepped inside. He had been hiding in the hallway when Rachel and Rufus had been talking about his condition. 

“It’s okay.” Ryder reassured them. “I already made peace with it long ago.”

Despite his comforting words, Rufus could sense the hopelessness in the boy’s voice. It was the same tone he had heard in the voice of all his friends that had given up on their lives.

Rufus extended his arm, inviting Ryder to their hug. 

‘I will never forgive the man who made you like this.’ Rufus and Rachel both vowed as the three embraced each other in familial warmth.

After they had hugged for what felt like an eternity, the nurse came in to administer their meds. Rufus decided to take his leave at the moment, going back to his office.

“Have we got information on the Fallen that attacked the Apex Plaza?” He asked his aide, Liam.

“Yes. Kurt Holdem's post-mortem report states that there was a conditional Curse placed on his body. We don’t know the exact conditions for the activation, but we suspect it has something to do with the Spirit Egg that went missing from his possession.” Liam reported.

“I see. Anything else?” 

“Well, there was something else we found suspicious at the scene. It seems like Kurt wasn’t the only Fallen at the location during the fight. Two more demonic energies were found during the investigation.”

“Two more!? Any status on them?”

“Unfortunately, no. They completely disappeared from the scene and we haven’t been able to trace them yet.”

“I see. Any updates on the Laxon Family front?”

“Edward Martin has been having secret meetings with some of the lower-ranked members of the Chaos Alliance. We suspect he may even be in the process of transforming into a Fallen himself. We just need to get some more evidence and then we will be able to execute him.”

“What about the rest of the Laxon Family?”

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find anything on the other family members. It might be safe to believe that Edward was acting arbitrarily.” Liam gave his conclusion.

Rufus pondered for a while. After a minute, he finally spoke up. “Let’s execute the entire family regardless. Heron has always been cunning in hiding his dealings behind all his flashy extravagance. We can never be too sure when it comes to him. So, the moment solid evidence against Edward is secured, we will move against the entire family. I am sure public opinion won’t be kind towards them when it’s found out Heron's beloved successor is in contact with the Fallen.”

His grandchildren had already been in life-threatening situations twice because of the Fallen. He will no longer go easy on the ones associating with those damn villains.

“And what about the two who were recently removed from the Laxon Family register?” Liam asked.

“They will receive the same judgement as the rest of their family.” Rufus gave his final decision.

“All right, Sir. I will make sure everything goes according to your wishes.” With a respectful bow, Liam left the room.

The downfall of the Laxon Family had been set in motion.

 

“When are you planning to give him that Potion?” Deus burst into my room. Guessing from the tone, it seems that Ryder’s condition was worse than I thought.

"How bad is his condition?"

"Trust me, that Appraisal Skill was not kind while summarizing his medical information. The amount of pain that boy is feeling right now, I am surprised he is even conscious. Trust me, that boy needs the Potion. NOW!"

"Well, it's not like I can just sneak into the hospital and inject it into his IV or something."

"Why not?"

"Because the boy in question is the grandson of the Hero League President, and has just had a traumatic experience with Fallen. And I am someone whose family is under suspicion to be with the Alliance. The last thing Rufus would do is allow me to give Ryder a Potion of unknown origins."

"That boy will not last three weeks. We don't have time to be cautious."

“Listen, I will give Ryder the Potion when he returns from the Hospital in a few days.” I promised. "But until then, I am powerless."

"Just make sure to do it before it's too late."

 

The day after Rachel and Ryder were to return from the hospital, Jacob and I went to visit them in the morning, along with a delicious gift of pancakes. Izzy had gone to school while Mike was taking online courses for his General Education Diploma, so neither of them was able to come. 

An older woman opened up when I rang the doorbell.

“Ah. Welcome. Are you Miss Rachel’s friends?” She asked.

“Oh, yes. I am Ray Laxon, her neighbor.” I introduced myself with a polite smile. But the moment I told her my name, her expression changed. Her eyes tightened into a slight frown, but she still maintained her professionalism.

“Miss Rachel will be out in a moment. Please come in.” She showed us to the living room.

“Professor Ray! Sir Jacob! You are here so early.” Rachel called out to us, climbing down the stairs.

“Ah! We came to check on you guys after you got discharged from the hospital.” I explained.

“Here are some pancakes for you, if you haven't had breakfast yet.” Jacob offered the tiffin to Rachel.

“You shouldn’t have!” Rachel thanked him and handed it to her caretaker.

“By the way, where is Ryder?” I asked her. The Potion was in my ring, ready to hand it to him today.

“Ryder had a minor episode two days ago. So, the doctor decided to keep him under observation for a bit longer.” Rachel explained as she took a seat opposite us. “But he will be back by his birthday. I hope Mike and Izzy can come to celebrate with us. Especially since…”
Her voice trailed off.

I sensed the sadness behind it and decided not to push the matter. 

But unfortunately for me, this was not an ideal scenario. If I have to wait till his birthday, it will be really pushing it close to the deadline. 

“If you guys need anything for the party, I am always ready to help.” I promised. 

“Thanks a lot for the offer.”

“I can also cook a mean feast if you need any help?” Jacob interjected.

“Thank you too, Jacob.”

Once Jacob and I left the house, Rachel sat down to have her breakfast. Emma served her the pancakes Jacob had brought. As she put a bite in her mouth, Rachel could feel the sweetness spreading on her tongue. Compared to the bland hospital food, this was true paradise. She could already feel her worries melting away.

‘Wow! These are amazing!’ She had heard Ryder always praising Jacob’s cooking skills, but she never realized how good it really was.

“Miss, is it really necessary to invite the Laxons to Master Ryder’s birthday party?” Emma interrupted, as Rachel was getting lost in the wonderful flavour.

“Emma, we have talked about this! Ray is not involved with the Fallen.” Rachel sighed, not wanting to start this conversation again.

“Actually… I was recently contacted by Liam. He told me that the Laxon Family is connected with the Chaos Alliance.” Emma revealed the news.

“What!?” Rachel yelled, shocked on hearing this discovery.

“Though, it seems that Mr. Ray might not be one of them." Emma added. But I must warn you that things are not looking good for the Laxon Family and those associated with them. Liam told me to tell you that you should limit your interactions with them.” 

Rachel calmed down a little, knowing that Ray wasn’t one of those colluding with the Alliance. But she was worried about something else now.

Those associated with the Fallen were never forgiven by the media and society. Even Mike and Jacob will get affected by this.

“Okay, Emma, I will take care of this, but make sure that Ryder doesn’t hear anything about what we discussed just now.” Rachel sighed. Ryder was already going through a lot. The last thing he needed was to lose a friend.

“Okay, Miss. I will make sure to keep the news away from Master Ryder.” Emma accepted the command.

Rachel ate another piece of the pancake, but her appetite was already ruined.