" Whew, great" Thomas heaved a sigh of relief as he touched his skin and the physical objects around him to confirm he wasn't dead or in the "afterlife ".
 He resumed with his learning and his progress was quite stunning to him.
 " Heck, I might master the language tomorrow " He said in joy.
 " If I have to guess,I've been learning for about three(3) hours now. I'm tired and I have to take a break" .
 He looked outside the windows and he could see that day was about to break. 
 There will be people coming around to check up on him and he wasn't prepared for that at all. 
 " They talked about a healer coming over. Hmm...the healer might find out about my true self. No ,this can't happen "
 In a state of panic,he dropped the Nebuglyph Alphabet book on the floor.
 He tried getting up to fetch the book but all his attempts were futile.
 He tried lifting his body up by his arms but his efforts were in vain.
 As soon as he fell down, he grabbed the edge of the carpet and held it for dear life.
 His breath was fast as he tried to get the energy to move again but he was unable to make use of his legs.
 " Damn, damn and double damn! "
 "Not only is this a crippled body,it's damn useless as well" He cussed in annoyance. 
 With a deep sigh,he stood up and tried once more, but again he ended up falling to the ground.
 " Underworld, Beast and now in a vegetable body."
 " How do You want me to protect your loved ones with this ridiculous and trashy body?" 
 He heard a knock on the door. 
 "Come in", he muttered.
 The door opened slowly and the pretty young girl stepped into the room while wearing a white robe.
 " Here comes the girlfriend,hehehe " Thomas chuckled inwardly. 
 Her long hair flowed freely behind her back and there was a faint smile on her lips as she walked toward Thomas who had been lying on the floor.
 Thomas looked at her as she approached.
 << Hello Edgar>> She said with a smile that could warm the heart of a demon.
 << Let me help you>> She held him and safely carried him back into the bed. 
 " ...and he gets carried by his girlfriend. What a pathetic body " Thomas scoffed. 
 << How are you doing, Edgar?>> She asked still smiling .
 " I'm fine" Thomas replied in perfect Nebuglyph. 
 " Thank you" He said in addition. 
 The girl's smile grew wider and radiated more joy.
 << The healer is behind the door, he's having a conversation with Madam Rita and he'll be here very soon>> . The girl said.
 Thomas couldn't grasp everything she had said but he got the important message and that was the Healer arrival. 
 " Thanks...Once again ..." Thomas replied with a fake smile. 
 He was acting cool on the outside but sweating buckets on the inside.
 " Dammit...what If he finds out? They'll kill me for sure. No,I can't let that happen. I'll have to stand my ground and fight!"
 " F*ck me sideways, who am I kidding. I can barely move a muscle talk of fighting a Healer ".
 Thomas brushed that thought aside.
 Should I come clean and plead with him? "
 Many thoughts were circling around his head, making him restless.
 " Hey, you alright? Do you need something to drink? Water? Food? " She asked as she realised that he was getting paler and paler by the second. 
 Thomas shook his head as he was trying to get rid of these thoughts that were distracting him so badly.
 << Are you nervous? Don't worry Edgar, you'll make it. You are a survivor, you are strong and brave and most importantly you are my Edgar>>.
 The girl said in a reassuring tone.
 " Is she trying to flirt with me?" He thought.
 " That's cute, isn't it?"
 " I'm not really interested but... I mean,she looks pretty nice but then again there's nothing special between us. Maybe she had a connection with the real Edgar but this is me and I didn't come here to pull chicks ".
 A slight and gentle knock interrupted Thomas's train of thought.
 << He's here >>. The girl said quietly.
 The person walked into the room and bowed deeply to both of them.
 The man had wavy hair and wore a white lens that matched his attire. He was about 5'9(1.75m) and a had a good looking face.
 <
  > he said waving at Thomas. 
  " Morning " Thomas replied. 
  << Martha,could you please excuse us>> The Healer said in a very polite tone whiles looking at the pretty young lady. 
  << Okay, Doctor >> The girl replied. 
  << I'm not a Doctor yet Martha, I'm just an apprentice >> The Healer replied with a light smile.
  Thomas couldn't quite understand everything they said but a certain name had struck him .
  A name that had brought a smile on the lips of a fading and crumbling entity. 
  " Martha" Thomas mumbled in a hushed tone but it didn't escape the perked ears of the Healer. 
  << Beautiful and decent lass ,that one. You are quite lucky to have a friend like her>> He commented. 
  " Martha, I'm such a numbskull. How didn't I realise this earlier. Of course she had to be that Martha that Edgar was talking about. She seems nice and has been gentle and caring to me. " Thomas thought. 
  " But how did this cripple pull that chick? She's the only positive thing so far. Hehehe" .
  << Thinking about something eh lad? I can see you've been quite occupied in your thoughts >> The Healer said.
  << I was gutted when I heard the news. Rita said you had caught the Red Marrow disease..a rare virus that attacks the nervous system and paralyzes it's unfortunate hosts in a matter of minutes. No victim has survived this infernal disease for one week unless they were cured >>.
  Thomas's mouth was wide open in shock and surprise. 
  "This body wasn't a crippled from birth,it's as a result of that disease. Wait...did he just say most victims die within a week after coming into contact with this virus?" . Thomas thought to himself.
  << I was on my way to the Royal Capitol but I had to journey back immediately I heard 
  the news. I couldn't afford to lose you Edgar. You are the next big thing. You have the potential to become a Master Scholar in the future and you have the brains >> The Healer said pointing to Thomas's head.
  " I guess his claim of being a genius is true afterall " Thomas reflected back to his conversation with Ethereal Edgar. 
  " Thanks Sir" He said to the Healer.
  << You are always welcome dear. By the way, How are you feeling? How are you recovering? Are you hungry? I can bring you something if you like >>. The Healer offered kindly and warmly as he took out a few pillows and placed them under Thomas's head.
  Thomas shook his head. 
  << Okay. I'm going to give you a pill that will help you sleep and not feel any pain whiles I operate on you >>
  Thomas smiled.
  " His accent is different and he speaks too fast. I'm not sure he's from here". Thomas mused to himself. 
  " Should I come clean and plead for his mercy. Tell him I reincarnated and the real Edgar is dead and I'm just occupying his body" Thomas pondered but he quickly decided against the idea. 
  The Healer brought out a small red pill from his bag and handed it to Thomas. 
  << Ready?>>
  Thomas swallowed as quickly as it had been given to him.
  << That's the spirit lad, brave and genius >> The Healer applauded. 
  " What's happening? I'm feeling dizzy and very tired and..."
  The pill was doing its work .
  " I'm...weak..." Thomas had passed out.
  << Let's get rid of this virus>> The Healer said as he adjusted his lenses and got to work.