Chapter 82 - The Good Doctor

On the east side of Noga, a small clinic sat at the side of an overgrown road. The fields to the east of the clinic were full of bushes and twisting bramble, as if they hadn’t been cared for in months. The cobblestone road was uneven and broken up by roots and weeds.

The north wall of the clinic was completely covered in vines, as were many of the walls of houses and businesses at the edge of the city. It gave the appearance of a town that had been abandoned and reclaimed by nature, except that the buildings themselves were otherwise well kept, and there were many people around still going about their daily business.

This morning the normally sleepy clinic was packed with people due to the aftermath of the night’s events. It was so busy that Josie and Rosalie were both on duty and they had even called on their mother and several of their nurse friends to manage the patients that had started arriving since early in the morning. Several unfamiliar faces strode around, dressed in the standard white cotton coat that doctors wore, checking on patients and handling cases to the best of their ability. These were the assistant doctors of the clinic, as well as friends of Dr. Ilec who he had sent for after the first patients started arriving.

The patient’s garden, which was now overgrown and blossoming out of season with bright fragrant flowers, had been converted into extra clinic space with the help of volunteers. Tents and temporary beds were laid out across the paths and open spaces, with more being constructed as the day wore on.

“That’s three dozen beds being cared for by Dr. Nam.” Josie pointed across the garden, “Dr. Ping and Dr. Kim have come from the main hospital on Knight street with a few nurses and a number of patients. I think we’re going to be even busier, other clinics have started sending patients to us because they’re out of space.”

“It’s not like we have space either.” Dr. Ilec said, nursing a cup of tea in his hands. It was mid-afternoon. The bags under his eyes were heavy and thick. He hadn’t slept for two days now. He probably hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in at least five. “Still, setting up on the field is better than turning people away.”

His eyes flickered to a section of the field that was surrounded by hastily erected fences. The view into the field was blocked by white linens that had been hung up. This was the section where they brought the people who were in the late stages of the Devileyes illness. The ones whose sores had burst and had started growing vines.

That was the section that he was in charge of. Somehow, word had spread among the medical community that he was one of the chief experts on the condition. While it was true that his clinic had “cured” two people... He couldn’t take the credit for it. Though he stressed that it wasn’t he himself that cured those patients, the fact that he already understood the true horror of the disease was enough for people to lean on him for guidance.

“It’s going to get busier.” Dr. Ilec muttered as he prepared to go back into the fenced off area. “You and Rosalie should rest when you can. You’ve been up all night as well.”

“I’ll rest when you rest.” Josie smiled.

Just as he was walking back towards the fence a luxurious one horse carriage pulled up to the front of the front of the clinic. After stopping, the driver hopped down and went over to the door. He held his hand out to help down the passenger inside, who Dr. Ilec recognized instantly to be Char Char.

This young, attractive girl was dressed in a simple tan summer dress with a thin long sleeved black turtleneck. It gave her a very slim, elegant appearance that wasn’t too showy. Dr. Ilec immediately changed his direction, walking over to the carriage as the girl noticed him and began approaching him with a smile. Stepping out of the carriage behind Char Char was a man with pointed shoes and an overly tall top hat. This was Corbin Nao, who was escorting Char Char.

“Char Char,” Dr. Ilec said, “I’m glad to see you healthy and well.”

“Thank you,” Char Char said, bowing slightly towards the older man, “I’m sorry for sneaking out yesterday.”

“Hakuya was able to save Lucelle’s life with the mushrooms you found.” Dr. Ilec said, “For that, you have my utmost gratitude.”

“That’s great, I’m so happy that it helped.” A smile bloomed on Char Char’s face. She looked around at the multitude of tents and people who surrounded the clinic. She saw doctors and nurses busy caring for people, while a crowd was slowly forming from the people trickling in from the city. “What about her mom? Where is Hakuya?”

Dr. Ilec frowned as he subconsciously looked over to the clinic, towards the window where Anabelle had been treated. It was currently obscured behind a tent. With a tilt of his head he gestured to Char Char and Corbin, “Follow me for a bit.”

Dr. Ilec took them towards the area fenced off with linens. Inside a number of people lay on sheets, all of them with numerous swollen bumps along their bodies. They were unconscious, or very lethargic, in the late stages of infection. Some of them had fronded vines peeking out of their arms and legs. A number of people were working hard to erect more tents to house the patients.

To Char Char’s relief, there were no disembodied eyeballs in sight.

Dr. Ilec nodded and waved towards the young doctor who was helping taking care of the patients, then led Char Char and Corbin into a tent that was near the entrance. This tent contained various supplies and files. There were several wooden file boxes that served as a desk.

“Hakuya is missing.” Dr. Ilec said heavily. “Anabelle... didn’t make it.”

“What happened?” Char Char’s eyes widened.

Dr. Ilec’s hand subconsciously moved to hold the part of his arm hidden beneath his coat that had been gouged by Anabelle’s fingers. “After treating Lucelle successfully, Hakuya and I went to Anabelle’s room. We administered the medicine and it looked to be going well, but then she... the parasite... went berserk.”

“Hakuya yelled at me to run out of the room. I shut the door. I heard a struggle. There were slamming sounds and screaming. Then suddenly there was a crash. I heard the window shatter and wood splintering. Then it fell silent. After a few minutes of calling his name with no response, I dared to open the door.”

“On the bed, there lay Anabelle. Her body had been healed completely, to the point that it looked like she was healthy and having a restful sleep.” Dr. Ilec’s gaze fell as his lips trembled softly, “I held her hand, but it was cold. Though her body had been healed, she had already passed away.”

“And Hakuya?” Char Char asked softly.

The good doctor wiped a tear from his eye as he shook his head, “The side of the clinic had been blown out, and all that I saw beyond was darkness. Hakuya was nowhere to be seen. He left his belongings and disappeared into the night.”

~

In a small office in the railyard district of Noga, the young monk named Edwin had finished his preparations. He had cleared an area of the room in front of the table and set five candles out in a line. This simple arrangement was the set up for “Candle Lighting”, a meditative technique that focused the spirit of the practitioner and purified it. The full ritual used nine candles, but the letter only specified to use five, which was his limit, anyways.

He had already meditated for several hours, calming his mind and cleansing his thoughts of all distractions. During the meditation his body underwent several subtle changes. At times he’d feel empty, and at others full of energy. He’d feel heavy, like his body was made of lead, and then light as if he was floating above the ground.

It was completely silent in the building, but Edwin would occasionally hear things. Whispers in the corners of the room. The fluttering of wings. The splash of water. All of these were illusions, distractions from his practice.

He kept his eyes half-closed and unfocused. At times the shadows in the room would flutter about and he’d see the hazy shapes of creatures moving about. He’d see specks of light in his vision floating lazily about. Sparkles of dust drifting at the edges of his vision. These too were illusionary. They didn’t matter.

Though they didn’t matter, that didn’t mean they didn’t exist. These sounds and images were echoes of the spirit world. As he meditated and his body and mind became more attuned, such phenomenon would naturally arise. The trap was becoming excited about these sights and sounds, putting meaning or weight onto them, and losing focus.

Too many monks reached a fledgling connection to the spirit world and were unable to progress because they were too focused chasing those sensations.

Edwin breathed out softly and then stood up, his eyes still relaxed. With his feet shoulder width apart, he held his hands up in front of him, parallel to the ground in a wide circle, as if he were hugging the trunk of a thick tree. His hands were loose, fingers apart and pointing at each other. He felt his weight sink into the ground as he rooted himself through his feet. He breathed in through his nose, imagining his breath rising up through his mind, then traveling down his spine and into a point just below his navel.

He held the breath in his navel, circulating it for a moment, then exhaled, feeling the energy rise up through his lungs and out through his mouth in a soft, silent breath.

This he repeated for another hour as he relaxed into the posture, feeling the minute sensations in his body as his meridians aligned with each other.

At a certain point in the meditation as he exhaled he directed the breath towards the first candle. After a few seconds it began smoking, and then lit spontaneously into a rich red flame.

Soon after, the second, then the third lit. Each flame was slightly brighter and white in colour.

During this time Edwin did not focus on the candles or track his progress. He only further deepened his concentration. This quality of focus was what set him apart from his peers, and what made him the most promising young monk in the monastery. He did not train for any worldly benefits, or to gain power or knowledge. Rather, he listened seriously to the teachings of his masters and trained for the sake of training.

This version of candle lighting was much different in quality than what he had demonstrated at Sansen Zhao’s dinner. It wasn’t just that the flames were larger and brighter, or that their colours were more pure. At the party, Edwin had directed his focus into directly lighting the candles. This enabled him to perform the trick faster, but it was a shortcut that was draining on his spirit. The true method, which he was following now, actively invigorated and strengthened his spirit.

This cultivation method was one of Heaven Gate Monastery’s greatest treasures that it had preserved and passed down for a thousand years!

Finally, after an extended period of time, the fourth and fifth candles lit. At this point, the flames were three inches high and ranged from bright red to pale yellow in colour.

Seeing that the fifth candle was lit and stable, Edwin picked up the vial filled with the thin, smoky liquid glimmering with rainbow coloured strands.

In his heightened spiritual state the myriad illusory sounds and visions suddenly grew in intensity. He suddenly became aware of seemingly hundreds of spirits with strange and twisted forms circling around him with bulging eyes that were all focused on the vial.

As soon as he uncorked the lid, all of these spirits rushed towards the vial in a shrieking ravenous frenzy.

Upon seeing this Edwin didn’t hesitate, but quickly downed the catalyst in a single gulp!