“It’s written on the scroll in your hand.”
As Mia explained to Kat that she had indeed read the text on the mysterious scroll, the head healer's reaction was a whirlwind of emotions. Kat couldn't fathom how this was possible. The language on the scroll had been deliberately chosen because it was nearly impossible to decipher. It was supposed to be a code that nobody could read, much less write. Kat's frustration began to pour out.
"How? How on earth did you manage to read that text?" Kat demanded, her tone a mix of bewilderment and exasperation. She paced around the room, running her fingers through her long black hair.
Mia hesitated for a moment before revealing the truth. "Well, a merchant sold me a booklet that explained how to read that language," she began, glancing at Jin, "The old man Jin could probably find it among our belongings."
Kat's eyes widened in disbelief once Jin found said booklet. "You're telling me that someone just sold you this booklet on how to decipher this ancient, secret language? That's absurd!"
“Maybe, I don't really remember if I bought it or traded it for something else. I was 3 or 4 at the time.” This was all a big fat lie, one that by pure chance Mia could tell. She made that booklet when she learned she could just read and write this world language to make sure that if she ever lost this ability, she would have something to help her learn it the hard way. The thing was forgotten until now so it really looked like something that barely survived the passage of time.
Kat's frustration only intensified. She turned to Huang, shaking her head in disbelief. "You, as her father, allowed her to learn such things? Some knowledge is dangerous, and a three-year-old girl shouldn't be learning other languages, let alone deciphering ancient scripts!"
Huang smiled proudly and calmly replied, "My daughter is a genius."
After a moment of trying to calm herself down, Kat turned her attention back to Mia and began a thorough examination. However, barely ten seconds into the examination, her demeanor shifted from frustration to utmost seriousness. She pulled the curtains around the examination table, blocking the view from the others in the room.
Kat explained calmly, "I need to examine you thoroughly, Mia, and this will require me to remove your clothes." The two men in the room, Jin and Huang, accepted the explanation, standing guard in case anyone tried anything untoward. Though Huang thought to himself, 'Not that anyone would try anything here, but you never know.'
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Kat proceeded to disrobe Mia, carefully inspecting her body from head to toe. Mia felt a flush of embarrassment as the woman's hands moved over her, but she had to endure it for the sake of her health. The examination lasted for about an hour, during which Kat's expressions ranged from surprise to anger.
When the examination concluded, Kat's face first turned pale, and then she appeared quite angry. She quickly covered Mia with a piece of cloth and started shouting at Jin while also calling for the rest of the family.
As everyone gathered in the room, Kat continued to berate Jin for not taking Mia to her sooner. She then explained the grave situation. Mia had a literal hole in her, one that, if left untreated, would eventually reduce her to an empty shell if she ever used even a modicum of mana. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on everyone.
Kat outlined two possible courses of action. First, Mia could heal over a more extended period, during which she would become essentially a normal girl. Any use of mana beyond that of an ordinary person would shatter her like fragile glass. The second option was a surgical procedure that would be intensely painful and last for at least three days non-stop.
Marry tried to protest, suggesting that they could find another way to heal Mia, but Kat cut her off, emphasizing that waiting further would all but obliterate Mia's chances of ever regaining her previous level of power, should she even survive.
A heavy silence enveloped the room, broken only by Mia's sudden outburst. "I'll do the surgery," she declared, her voice trembling with fear she didn't want to admit. "I'm ready. I'm not afraid of anything." The last part was a lie, but she tried to muster as much courage as she could.
Hearing Mia's determination, the rest of her family could do little more than offer their reassurances and ask if there was anything they needed to do.
Kat explained that they didn't need to do anything except stay out of the way. She wrote something on a piece of paper, handed it to Jin, and made it clear that unless the world was ending, no one should dare to interrupt her under the threat of death.
With that, everyone else left the room after offering Mia their support and good wishes. Kat prepared herself for the daunting surgical procedure ahead.
She moved Mia to another table, one made of stone this time, and began to prepare her both mentally and physically. She looked into Mia's eyes and said, "This will hurt, Mia. A lot. No matter how much you scream or beg, once we start, there's no turning back." Mia nodded, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and determination. The next week would be one of the most painful and challenging experiences of her life.