Rick exclaimed and asks: "You can do that too?"

Spacey says in his mind: "Yes, through the fluctuations in the energy in the surrounding, I am able to perceive anyone or anything approaching the host within a radius of 500 meters. The host should be able to do that too, but as earlier analyzed Host current body isn’t able to move any energy outside the body. Also while talking to me, you are able to just converse through your mind."

Rick excited and says: "Though a pity I can’t feel it myself, but this is also perfect. My own radar system that can detect any incoming objects, sorry Spacey calling you that way! Thanks so far for all the things you did for me and hopefully in everything you do in the future! Oops... I keep on yapping, how far is J…." Before Rick could finish he heard a knock on the door and he hears a voice behind the door: "Theo, are you awake?"

By now it was a familiar voice he knew and says: "Yes, Jen come in." The door opened wide and Jenna came running towards Theodore, she stops close to the bedside and says: "I can understand you, Theo! Can I hug you, brother? I am so glad you are better!" (1)

Rick was shocked for a moment to be able to pronounce the language clearly now, but it was not the time to figure it out, he says to Jenna: "Yes, you can. But be gentle okay, because I am still a little weak and I don’t know why." Jenna hugs Theodore and says: "Dad asks me to tell you to join us in the living room, so we can eat snacks, Aunty May made them. We all can talk while eating."

Rick answers Jenna: "Yes, I would like too. I am a little hungry and also thirsty. I would like to know what happens in these 3 days I was out. But you better call someone because I am afraid I would fall with my head to the ground first before getting there." Jenna pouted to Theodore and says: "I am really strong Theo, I wouldn’t let that happen."

Suddenly they heard laughing in the hallway. Turning their heads and they saw Bruce standing in the door opening, who says to Theodore: "Sorry young master, but your dad send me to help you."

Rick answers Bruce: "No need to apologize Uncle Bruce. I would like to try and walk a little first, just support me when you notice I am about to fall or when I ask for help."

Bruce's eyes turned wide and swiftly back to normal because Theodore never called him Uncle before from what he could remember. Bruce quickly walked towards the bedside and prepared to give support.

Rick slowly moved his body to the bedside and with much effort, he managed to sit with his feet touching the ground, he says to Jenna: "Jen, you could try to pull me out of bed, but be careful okay?" Jenna smiled and took Theodore’s hands into hers and slowly pulled Theodore out of bed. Finding his balance he gently let loose of Jenna’s hands and slowly walked towards the door with Bruce moving closely behind.

Reaching the hallway Rick gave Bruce a look and breathing heavily he says: "Uncle Bruce, I am unable to move any further. I don’t know where all my strength went, can you carry me?" Bruce's response was with a sorrowful tone and says: "Of course young master, I will carry you."

Bruce looks first at Jenna, who had her head bent down with little drops of water falling from her face to the ground, then picked up Theodore and says to Jenna: "Come young lady you walk ahead to the living room first." Nodding her head, she walks first. Rick was confused about seeing this scene but said nothing.

Soon they arrived in the living room where everyone was present. Jenna, who was now in the arms of mother Jade hugging her, was softly crying.

Eric stood up from his seat and asked Bruce: "Did something happen?" Bruce answers: "No, young master tried to walk on his own, but halfway he got tired and asked to be carried."

Eric looked sorrowful at Theodore, then at Bruce and says: "Put him on the couch, let him rest there." Bruce answers: "Yes, master."

Eric looked back at Theodore and asks: "What refreshment would you like son?" Rick answers: "Well anything that fills my stomach, I would like some milk too, but dad could you please tell me why everyone has such sorrowful look on their faces as if I am about to die?" The moment Rick said those words, everyone started to sniff, and with the little girls bawling loudly.

Eric sighed and speaks to everyone: "Okay, okay, the potion should not have such drastic effects on Theodore. Tomorrow I’ll ask the village doctor to examine his body condition and perhaps we will know the reason why Theodore is in this current state."

Up to here, Rick’s sank into his mind and started to analyze: "Jenna told me Theodore was given something when he left the Clan, so was it that?  Spacey said something about the suppression of Theodore memories, is that one as well and then the period Theodore was unconscious. 3 days K.O. by a knock behind the head. Only with medicine would Theodore be out for such a long period, that hit on hid head wasn’t even that hard as the instructor on the training field struck him harder and it K.O. him for about 2 min. Don’t know what is going on but I can presume the Clan is in deep waters by someone who’s behind these very actions. But why us, is it Eric business or something to do with me?" Rick thought Theodore was out for 3 days, but Theodore's soul dissipated later on the same day he was being held, and after consuming the potion that was when his soul entered Theodore's body. Rick looks at Eric and asks: "What is this potion that they fed me while I was out cold, dad?"

Eric looks at Theodore and says: "Let’s drink and eat first before I tell you what happened." Rick answers with a laugh trying to lighten up the mood: "I think I can, but everyone seems to be in a sad mood. I don’t know if they are able."

Eric says to Theodore: "Just you eat son and drink a little, to get some strength back," and brought some cake and a glass of milk to Theodore.

Rick took it happily and tasted both which was refreshing to his palette, looks at May, and says: "Delicious Aunt May, thank you." This of course shocked the room again, as everyone knew that Theodore never had the habit of calling servants Uncle or Aunt. Slowly recovering May answers: "It is my pleasure in serving you, young master."

Eric looked around, seeing no one else had an appetite, he slowly starts to tell what happened 3 days ago to Theodore: "Theodore, 3 days ago I was called by the Council of Elders in the afternoon to explain what happened to some missing funds that we earned through our sales from our Clan shops."

"I explained that the money went to contacts of other Duchies to expand our business to there, so we could earn more profits directly from those Duchies without a go-between, those merchants like to pay less to us and increases the value of our materials by 2 times of what we sell them here. This proposal was approved by the Patriarch after it was seen by the Council, but the Council claimed that there were no contacts established inside those Duchies."

"The names we had given either didn’t exist or they ran away with our money. This leads them to believe that I wasn’t fit as Chief Store Manager and some of the elders even claimed I took the money and spend it elsewhere. They ordered to put me on suspension and so they could investigate it thoroughly. I agreed because I have nothing to hide."

Taking a deep breath up to here, he looked at Theodore deep in his eyes and continues: "But suddenly a servant barged into the Council chamber and reported that Phillip was injured. The servant told that you attacked Phillip with a sneak attack and wounded him. Everyone in the room was looking at the Great Elder at the time as we all know Phillip is his grandson. Angered by this he ordered some of his servants to investigate. They brought back eyewitnesses and your bloodied knife, which I gave you as a present. You were held in a secured room and couldn’t be approached. We were told that you were lying in bed and was knocked out because you were in a crazy state unable to be reasoned with."

Eric sighed up here and looked at the others and continues: "After a while, we were called back to the Council chamber and were told that the Council of Elders made their Clan judgment. We were to  be expelled from the Wilde Clan and banished to the outskirts of the Duchy, based on the 2 cases that were presented that day."

"They even ordered us all to drink a drop of potion Holy Water of Redemption, but the Patriarch intervened and said the punishment didn’t fit the crime. Expelling was already harsh enough and probably with the emotions of the Great Elder running through his veins this punishment was made irresponsible, seeing his grandson hurt."

"The Council relented and ordered us to drink a diluted drop of a portion of Holy Redemption as bound by Clan law when expelling members, but you were punished with a full drop. We then were banished here to the Forest Village to remain here for 2 years or until the investigation is complete."

Eric sighs again, looking at Theodore and asks: "Do you know what a drop of potion Holy Water of Redemption does to the human body?" Rick looked back at Eric and answers: "No, dad. What exactly is it?"

Eric explains: "The potion of Holy Water of Redemption is made by the Holy Light Church and is known to be absolute. Usually, it’s used on criminals and traitors who don’t deserve the death penalty, eventually, nobles use a diluted version on expelled family members in our case Clan members."

"Once a drop is taken by a practitioner in Practice QI, it will cripple his or her QI and immediately turns that person back to an ordinary person. He or she will never be able to train in Practice QI again in his or her entire life and that person’s life expectancy will be halved. The same goes for those who haven’t started training in Practice QI. Those who took this potion will carry on this curse to his or her future kids and their descendants, up to several generations."

Rick lamented when hearing this and comments: "They truly love their poison." And then asks Eric: "What does this mean to you who took the diluted ones?" Eric says: "The effects are different from 50% to 90% less than taking an undiluted drop because we shared it with 6 of us, our strength dropped by 10% and our practice is sealed, never be able to improve our practice. Those who haven’t started will never be able too, but can still live out their normal years. But son, what do you mean by they love their poison."

Rick looked at everyone and starts telling Theodore story: "Well, as you all know my behavior is a little crude towards servants, commoners, and the lower classes. I don’t need to explain as some in this room have experienced it and others have heard of it. I don’t try to justify it or blame anyone for why I turn out this way, with loving parents, though busy, and my dear little sister I should have turned out to someone with more compassion, but it’s kind of strange to me because I can’t remember how I turned out this way. You can say I missed dad's and mom's presence when I was younger, but I had Jenna who cheered me up." He looks at Jenna and both smiled when their eyes met.

Rick continues after taking a deep breath: "But ever since I met Phillip, my concentration went awry and couldn’t remember what I was taught, presumably uninterested in any subject as Uncle Bruce and Aunt May can acknowledge. I am not telling you that I attacked Phillip with this as a reason as I truly am not aware of what happened, just let me continue."

Looking at the sharp glances of everyone and Rick continues: "When I reached 8, I started to train on my own and got really into it. Phillip couldn’t keep up and we lost contact bit by bit, though still very close with each other. I could focus on the training and the lessons given by Uncle Bruce and Aunt May, I could remember it all too well. I thought that perhaps here is where my interest lay, so I kept focusing on training physical exercise as I just learned of Practice QI."

"At 9, I started experimenting in feeling inner QI and to my surprise, I was able to, even moving it a little. Then….." 4 Gasps were heard in the room. Eric jumped from his seat, interrupted Theodore, and asks: "Why didn’t you let us know?"

Rick continues: "Well, I am going to explain. I was first in doubt about how to go further in the Practice QI, because I had no manual explaining what to do, so I wanted to approach Uncle Bruce but from my previous behavior I thought I would be reprimanded for trying something so foolish."

"So I went to Phillip, who was shocked at first but promised to help me. He would either look for the manual in his dad’s office or he would share his manual with me when he received it at 12, which was a year later. Phillip told me, not to tell anyone of my attempt and just wait. And we chatted and drank, glorified my future achievements if I were able to start Practice QI at the age of 10, it would surprise everyone in the family and perhaps the entire Duchy, even the Kingdom."

"With that in my mind, I was happy imagining all the smiles on the faces of everyone. But the strange thing was I started to lose focus again when exercising after several meetings with Phillip again. Phillip told me multiple times that he wasn’t able to get the manual from his dad and a year went by just like that."

"So while I was in the room, I had time to put this conjecture together till the moment we were sent here. Is it just me or does this smell like a well-planned scheme that is brewing within the Clan?"

Spacey interrupted Rick in his mind and says: "Careful there Host, you aren’t acting as 10 years old, but an adult who is used to these theories, it might give away that you aren’t Theodore." Rick answers in his mind to Spacey: "I thought about it Spacey, but I have too. To get them on their toes or else we will be in trouble here too, far away from the Clan if they start talking about what ‘really happened’ 3 days ago, which I haven’t revealed yet. Imagine if I tell them I was knocked out and been dosed with something the entire time, so I was unable to defend myself. How will they react? I know, how I would but I am now a 10 years old boy with probably 50% of my childish strength, all awaits me is death again and I don’t want to lose what you have worked so hard for. Understand Spacey?" Spacey answers Rick: "Affirmative!"

Eric looks stunned, then serious at Theodore, and asks: "Son, are you trying to say that all that happened in the past days was planned from the moment you and Phillip met when both of you were just little kids?" Rick answers Eric: "I am not sure why and how, but I do know that such a person who led Phillip to do those things at a young age is an extremely meticulous and ruthless person or persons. It isn’t hard to tell children which candy bag is theirs and which he needs to give to his little nephew while observing him from close by." (2)

Eric was again surprised and couldn’t refute Rick’s arguments. He looks at Bruce, Jade, and May, who had their mouth open unable to voice any words. Then he looks again at Theodore and wondered if his son was always this smart.

Seeing that look of Eric and others, Rick knew he achieved his 1^st step in letting everyone doubt in the room if they truly knew Theodore at all.

Author tries to explain:

• 1) Reminder: Here I would like to depict the difference between how the other characters are talking to Theodore and has no idea that someone else is within his body while Rick responded. It is confusing in the start, but it will soon be cleared up.
• 2) Don’t you dare to use your younger relatives or friends or whoever’s child, to abuse those who you don’t like or plot against them! I’ll be watching dO-Ob!