Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 460

The next morning, Willow and Leo arrived bright and early at Ethan's house.

This time, they weren't just chatting with him; they were also teaching him a few things.

Ethan was incredibly smart. Even though he had been trapped by his illness for years with very little formal schooling, his comprehension skills were off the charts. Whether it was basic knowledge or the simplified biology concepts Willow threw in, he only had to hear it once. After thinking it over for a moment, he understood it completely. He even occasionally chimed in with logical questions, overflowing with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge about the world.

It was just a tragedy that this disease had never shown him an ounce of mercy.

After sitting up straight and focusing on his studies for just an hour, his thin back started to tremble slightly. The healthy flush on his face faded, replaced by a pale, sickly weakness. The micro-tears on the surface of his skin throbbed with a dull ache, pulling at his nerves until he could no longer maintain his upright posture.

"Willow, Leo, I want to rest for a bit. Is that okay?" he asked.

"Of course," Willow immediately agreed, then helped him up to slowly walk around the yard.

But even walking was something he couldn't sustain for long. Soon enough, he had to sit back down in his chair. Still, his color was much better than it had been a moment ago.

The mountain breeze was cool and crisp, making everyone feel refreshed.

Ethan spoke up on his own. "Willow, Leo, I know you guys are here to research my disease. You can ask whatever you want. I'll tell you everything."

"I don't remember the exact time, but my mom says I was probably a little over a year old," Ethan's voice was calm and light, as if he were telling a story about someone else. "At first, it was just tiny blisters on my hands. My parents thought it was a normal rash and didn't think much of it. But then the blisters kept multiplying. If you touched them even lightly, they'd pop, ooze, and scab over. Soon, my whole body was covered in open sores that wouldn't heal no matter what they did. Since then, my skin has never been whole again."

Beside them, Leo quietly recorded the data, his pen scratching lightly against the paper, careful not to interrupt their conversation.

Willow gave a small nod and continued with another precise question. "As you grew older, from being a toddler to a teenager now, have you noticed any significant changes in how often it flares up or how severe the wounds are? For example, does it get worse when the seasons change, when you catch a cold, or when you're exhausted?"

"Yeah, there are huge changes," Ethan answered methodically, thinking it through carefully. "When I was little, the flare-ups were way more frequent. I'd get new blisters and torn skin almost every single day. As I got older, it stabilized a bit. But now, if the weather gets hot, if I sweat, or if I sit or walk for too long, as soon as my body gets tired, it flares up that very night. My skin burns and gets insanely itchy, and then whole patches of blisters break out. The old scars rip open and bleed, too. It's the absolute worst in the fall and winter when the air is dry. My whole body gets tight and chapped. Even small movements like lifting my arm or bending over will tear the scabs right open. It hurts so much I can't sleep the entire night."