Everyone in the barn was silent besides Diane, whose sobs were loud enough to express the mood of everyone present. Kevin, still in disbelief, stood still with his large hand wrapped around his son's. He wouldn't dare look at his wife because if he did, he knew he would break down too. They couldn't both be swallowed by their grief, they had two young kids at home.
The midwife quietly excused herself and headed out of the barn after saying she'd be back with her teacher. After seeing the state that Ashriel had been born in, she wanted someone stronger to do Diane's post-birth check up in case the problem lay within her.
Kevin, still not looking at his wife, sat down on the rough wooden floor and stared up through the skylight of the barn. Staring up at the stars, Kevin prayed. He didn't know who he was praying to, as he wasn't a believer in any of the churches, but he prayed anyway. Prayed that he and his family would make it through this. Prayed that they would survive the winter that was coming in two months. Prayed that his son died peacefully. Prayed that this was all just a bad dream. He heard his wife's sobs come to a stop.
"This is my fault" whispered Diane. Kevin finally looked at her. She looked exhausted, her eyes were red and her cheeks rosy. Every few moments her breath would hiccup as she stared off into space. He said nothing as he waited for her to continue, but she never did and instead continued to stare off into space.
Before he could ask what she meant, a tall woman with orange frizzy hair and thick glasses entered the barn. She immediately walked over to Diane and asked to see Ashriel. Diane, who was still slightly out of it, could barely even open her mouth before he was whisked out of her arms. The lady began scanning Ashriel's body with the same light green light the midwife had used, only this light was brighter and stronger.
The midwife hurriedly walked over to Diane and Kevin. "Sorry about Profess- Dr. Asa, she's not good with people. She is checking Ashriel out and making sure I wasn't mistaken about his lack of mana poles. His case is quite rare. Never seen before in fact."
Dr. Asa held Ashriel up, looking at his small body when suddenly she felt a warm stream of liquid hit her chest shortly followed by the wails of a baby.
A quiet engulfed the room, leaving only the sound of the baby's cries.
"Oh my gods! It's a miracle!" Myra, the midwife exclaimed.
Diane began crying again, muttering "my baby" and "thank you" over and over again. Kevin also cried, feeling that his son was fine, finally allowing his emotions to overwhelm him as he went to hug his wife.
The only person in the room unexcited was Dr. Asa. She had a strong sensitivity to mana and could tell when she first entered the room that Ashriel had no mana poles.
'What changed?' she thought. She quickly laid Ashriel down and began doing the same scan Myra did earlier. From a glance, one could tell that her scanning ability was stronger than Myra's. Diane and Kevin watched with bated breaths as Dr. Asa completed her checkup on the crying Ashriel.
"Mr and Mrs Bone, it seems Ashriel does in fact have one mana pole. I suppose maybe his... release earlier unblocked it but I'm unsure. Despite him being dead for, if I had to guess, the past hour or so, your son is surprisingly healthy. However, he only possesses one mana pole meaning any idea of him becoming a mage must be shot down when he is older. He will never be able to wield magic."
"We don't care." sniffled Diane. She had been waiting patiently for Dr. Asa to finish the check up so that she could hold her son again.
"We're just happy our son is alive. I don't care if he can't be a mage. He can be our son and that's enough for us." said Kevin, agreeing.
Dr. Asa walked over and handed Ashriel to Diane.
"I recommend you feed him," said Myra. "He must be hungry."
This was her third child so Diane already knew what to do. She carefully positioned Ashriel's small, fragile body in her arms before pulling the top of her gown to allow him to begin feeding. Diane smiled down at Ashriel's golden eyes as he suckled, smiling and gently rubbing his small head.
"Ma'am is it okay if I do your check up while you feed him or would rather wait till after?" asked Dr. Asa.
"Sorry, but I'd rather wai- " Diane started before she was cut off by her husband.
"Please check my wife now. After our second child she ran into a few health problems and with everything that just happened to Ashriel I'd really like to make sure she's okay." said Kevin cutting in.
He looked over at his wife. "Please honey. While we have a proper doctor here let's make sure you're in tip top shape."
After a few seconds of pleading from Kevin, Diane finally allowed the doctor to begin her check up.
"Osisndiag." A green light scanned Diane from head to toe before a small screen was produced in front of Dr. Asa. The diagnosis skill was an advanced healer skill that allowed the healer to see what problems a patient was having. Only a healer with A rank skills was capable of using this skill.
Kevin nervously watched as the spell was used, hoping that the spell proved that his wife was okay and Diane continued to look down at baby Ashriel. Myra, on the other hand, watched on in awe, hoping that one day she too would be able to wield the spell.
Dr. Asa was oblivious to the various emotions around her as her attention was taken by a single line on the screen. She looked up at Diane, then to Ashriel with cautious eyes.
"I'm sorry but could everyone but Diane exit the room please?"
"Is my wife okay? If it's about my wife's health I think I should stay."
Diane grabbed Kevin's hand and gave it a light squeeze before shaking her head softly. "Go, honey. It's okay. We'll just have a little chat." She had seen the look in Dr. Asa's eyes and knew where this conversation was going.
Kevin looked towards Diane with concern before finally sighing. "We'll talk about it later, yeah?"
Diane only nodded and gave his hand another soft squeeze.
He kissed her head softly and then Ashriel's before following the midwife out of the barn.
Once they were alone, a translucent sound proof barrier was placed around the room, keeping any sound from escaping. Dr. Asa jumped in surprise immediately calling a dagger to her hand from her storage ring and getting into a battle ready position.
"Mrs. Bone, what is the meaning of this!?"
As far as she knew, Diane was not only a commoner but also seemed to have no magic training based on the small amount of mana that emanated around her. A skill of this caliber, while not difficult, should have been beyond what she could accomplish.
Diane only chuckled softly and readjusted Ashriel, who had finished eating and was now sleeping peacefully in her arms.
"Dr. Asa, don't be alarmed. This is only a precaution." Seeing that Dr. Asa wasn't relaxing, she continued.
"Tell me. What do you know about the Gods?"