Chapter 30: Sir karlos and others
Eric blinked. Worried faces seemed to swim in front of his eyes. His father, the King, was kneeling right there, holding Eric’s shoulders tightly. His father’s face had deep worry lines.
Eric finally spoke. He swallowed hard and looked into the King’s serious eyes. "I’m... I’m okay, Father," he was able to say. He tried to sound like he meant it.
"Just feeling... a bit tired, that’s all." His heart was still pounding fast from the fear he felt just moments ago when he almost died.
The King didn’t answer right away. He just kept looking at Eric with sharp eyes. Eric knew that look. It was the look his father got when he was thinking hard, figuring things out.
The King’s mind was racing. Just minutes ago, Eric – his own son – had moved super fast and was incredibly strong.
He had fought assassins, healed one who was about to die, and easily destroyed a destructive weapon like it was nothing. He had seemed... like a god, almost like nothing could hurt him.
And now? Now, Eric looked pale, weak, and confused. He looked... like the normal Eric who had just been very scared.
How? the King thought. A small feeling that something was wrong started inside him. How could he be like a god one minute and a weak boy the next? It didn’t make sense. Something felt strange, something he couldn’t figure out.
But the King was a ruler. He was good at hiding what he was thinking, especially when his family and the people of his court were around. He couldn’t let anyone see he suspected something was wrong now. Eric was his son, and he had just survived something terrible. That was the most important thing.
Pushing his questions deep inside, the King made his face look kinder and gave Eric a small nod to show he understood.
"I understand," the King said, his voice softer now. "Fighting like that... using so much power... must make you very tired. I think your magic power must be almost gone. That’s why you’re feeling like this." He stopped for a moment and squeezed Eric’s shoulder gently.