She had so much faith in me that it was overwhelming. I have hundreds of loyal subordinates, hundreds of people who wishes me well, and hundreds of people who will obey my every word. But none of them can ease my worries the same way this kid does. I bet none of them could pray for me as genuinely as Ali does.
The faith, honesty, and loyalty in Ali’s eyes empower me. Those emotions of hers all directed to me give me energy, strength, and confidence to face each day.
“Our magic or power is an integral part of us. You need to treat it as an important part of your body. I understand that handling it can be a bit intense sometimes. Trust me, I’ve been there. Whenever you find it difficult to control your magic, the first thing you need to pacify and to overcome is not your power itself. It’s your mind. You need to control your thoughts. If all you would think about is how you mind end up hurting someone, then that will really come true so avoid doing that. Your fears will eat you alive that’s why you need to overcome your fears. You need to teach your mind to be calmer and stronger.”
“But how will I do that?”
“Close your eyes and think of all the beautiful things that you want to do with your magic. The second thing you need to pacify is your heart. Your mind and heart both have to be at peace as you wield your magic according to your wishes. And the rest will follow.”
“How am I supposed to know what kind of magic I have when my Mom is not even sure about what power Daddy exactly has?”
“Your magic will convey its message to you through different ways. One of them is through your dreams. It will speak to you in its own way and show you many incredible things. You just need to listen well.”
“I will do that, Mister Sormont. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.”
I drew something on her palm and kissed it afterwards. My father did it for me, too, when I was around Ali’s age. The blue dragon mark appeared there. Only supernatural beings could see it. “This looks so amazing! But what was the dragon mark for, Mister?”
“It’s a spell. It will take away the pain whenever your power acts out. It will also help you to control it better so from now on, you don’t have to be afraid. You can be yourself in your PE classes now.” I winked at her. “You can even be on top of your class now. So do well, okay?”
To my surprise, Ali stood up and embraced me so tightly that it was almost hard to breathe. “I promise to do even better in my studies! I will make you super proud of me!”
I chuckled as I embraced her back and softly patted her on the head. “I know you would.”
“Thank you so much, Mister Sormont!”
“Anything for you, kiddo.” Anything for your beautiful smile.

“GOOD morning, Mister Sormont! How are you today?”
I quickly opened my eyes when I heard that familiar jolly voice. Before I knew it, a tender smile already curved on my lips. “I’m good. Because you are here now, kiddo.”
And I meant it. It was rare for me to feel this good every morning. It was rare for me to smile upon waking up.
I took off the wide hat which was covering my face. I was currently sitting on a tree branch and glanced at Ali who was looking up at me again. We could not proceed as quickly as we planned to because we always stop by the towns that were affected by the epidemic. Those towns were far from the City and from the hospitals, too, that’s why it was impossible for us not to stop. I would treat each and every patient that Ali and I get to meet along our journey under a different face and name. But it still would have been easy for the Council to find out that I was the one behind the treatments because there was always a blue dragon’s face that would appear on the arms of the Armethians I treated.
That blue mark symbolized me. And every time I use my strength to heal others, there was always a part of me that I leave behind in my patients. That was the mark. Even if I did not want to, the replica of my mark automatically appears on their arms as a sign that a portion of my strength had been transferred to them like I did with Ali.
Every time the people would embrace me out of gratitude, every time they would sweetly smile out of relief, and every time they would cry tears of joy, only then would I slowly understand what ‘fulfillment’ truly meant.
And after the long and tiring treatment, seeing Ali standing beside our carriage and waving at me with a big smile on her face felt like a reward or something. She would often run towards me once she sees me step out of the patient’s house. And then she would try to reach out to touch my face. I was used to kneeling on the snowy ground just so she could touch me. And her hands would do wonders to me each time. I tend to forget that I had a difficult time once her warm hands touched my face. The kid was like my own version of battery. Being close to her recharges me.
“I was proud of you yesterday, Mister Sormont. But I am even prouder of you today. You are simply the best!” That was her usual line to me.
There were moments when out of the blue, Ali would give me a bear hug with tears rolling down her pinkish cheeks and I would often ask why. But she would not talk. She would only smile and would try to change the topic like an old woman. She would ask me things about myself, my parents, and Arameth. She always looked so eager to discover more about me and my family.