Over the past year and a half, due to Lady Seph's sudden resurgence and the announcement that she resided in Chilyoja Waypoint, the number of tourists that frequently visited the remote town skyrocketed. To deal with the increased influx of people coming into the waypoint daily, Mayor Nadeo had requested permission from the government to expand the four walls of their borders and refurbish many of the older buildings, hoping to transform into a commercial hub. Nevertheless, Rome was not built in a day, and it will take time for the transformation of Chilyoja Waypoint to be complete.
Hordes of half-finished buildings were littered all about the now booming town as hundreds, if not thousands of new jobs were being created for construction, commerce and tourism. Every time Mayor Nadeo sees the transformation of his precious town, a prideful tear would drip down his fatigued face. When Aldrich's Keep had been overrun by a beast horde, he could only fear that the worst was to come. After all, the town was highly reliant on the now demolished fortification for trade. Thus, it was fortunate that Lady Seph had come to the rescue and added a new form of revenue for the Mayor's Office.
The population of the small town had increased dramatically as a result. The packed streets of the commercial hub had only grown more crowded and isolated regions that typically so no signs of life had turned into bustling neighbourhoods.
"Healer Shin, will my child be alright?" Inside the confines of his booth, Shin was currently tending to a young girl, who was no older than the age of eight. With a pale face, the girl seemed to be caught in an endless daze as she occasionally sneezed, spewing mucus everywhere in the process.
"She just has a cold… Hold up!" Assuring the concerned parent, Shin uncorked his healing gourd and exquisitely controlled his Healing Water out. Shin's first spiritual ability allowed him to create and manipulate water as he pleased and after years of practice, the young teen had fully mastered the art.
When he first awakened his Spirit, Shin was utterly clueless on how to control the droplets of water that The Sovereign Koi would often create. Often times, in the beginning, he would spill the water he created all over his body, allowing the orphans to gain a good laugh from his silliness. Fortunately, through trial and error, the black-haired boy had found the best possible ways to control his ability. Now, if he so wished, he could even treat a patient with surgical precision.
"Okay, little girl. Can you take a deep breath in?"
"Hmmm? Mnnmmm!!!" Confused as to why the physician asked her to do such a strange manovure, the girl turned back to look at her mother. Only when her parent nodded her head, did she oblige.
"I will be using my ability to clean your nasal cavities, please don't be scared okay?" As he said that, Shin slowly moved his Healing Water to the face of the young girl.
Afraid of the strange object that was approaching her, the little girl visibly moved her body backwards only to be stopped her mother's gentle embrace. "Don't worry, Healer Shin won't hurt you. Just stay calm okay?"
"Haha, your mother's right! I wouldn't dare to harm you! Take a deep breath in, it will be over in a moment." Once he was sure that the girl had followed his instructions, Shin used the Healing Water and covered her nose and her mouth.
Careful not to choke or drown the little girl, Shin carefully observed her expression. If there were even a sliver of doubt, the young healer would immediately cease his treatment. Fortunately, after two seconds, the little girl persevered, and there were no signs of discomfort.
"Good, just like that… 'Heal!'" Exclaiming out in a commanding voice, the water covering his patient's nose glowed in a cerulean light, instantly tackling the root of the girl's illness.
"Alright, all done!" Immediately moving the Healing Water away from the girl's face, Shin ended the treatment. The treatment was over in less than five seconds. Thankfully, the little girl was able to hold her breath for that long.
"Is it really?! Abigail, how do you feel?" Stunned at Shin's healing methods, the mother concernedly asked her daughter.
"Mommy? I think… Okay?" Earlier on, Abigail's voice was weak and soft as mucus coagulated deep in her nasal cavities. Realising it instantly, Shin resolved the problem in one fell swoop.
"Ah! Great! Thank you so much, Healer Shin!"
"Haha, your welcome. For Abigail here, she should be cured for all symptoms but to be safe, I will prescribe some herbs for her. Do not let her ingest the medicine that I'm giving you. If you have a diffuser, boil the herbs in the diffuser and let her sleep next to it, breathing in the aroma in the process." Explaining the method of treatment, Shin smiled broadly. It was not the first time he healed a sick child that had a worried parent.
"So she's completely healed?! That's great, Abigail!"
"Yes, mommy!"
"Now you can go to school tomorrow!"
"..." Speechless at her mother's change in tone, the young girl opened her mouth so wide that an apple could fit inside. As all children were, Abigail thought that she could gain an off-day so that she could stay home from school. Unfortunately, her mother had other plans.
"Ermmm, I don't think it would be wise to send Abigail straight back to school. After all, she just recovered." Just as she was about to give up, a youthful voice came to her rescue.
Chuckling mentally to himself, Shin explained to Abigail's mother that it would be wise for the little girl to stay home. Taken aback by the young healer's voice, Abigail turned towards Shin as if he was the consecrated saint of her faith and stared at him with eyes of worship.
"Is that so? Well, if Healer Shin says so..." Although she really wanted her child to return to school, if her doctor said that it was inappropriate, it would be best to let her stay home for a few days.
"Okay, I think we're done here! Abigail, stay healthy okay?" Giving the little girl a mischievous wink, Shin smiled from ear to ear.
"Thank you, Healer Shin!!!" Drunk in happiness, Abigail and her mother left the clinic with light footsteps as the headed straight for the pharmacy.
All in all, meeting patients such as Abigail were a large part of Shin's life. Every morning, he would wake up early and do one to two hours of physical training. Perhaps due to his desire to meet Junius, his drive would be newly refreshed, and as much as he disliked waking up, Shin would always do his best to complete his physical training before he started his day. Once he was all freshened up, depending on the time of his shift, he would either study in the extensive library that Mayor Nadeo had built in Yakkyoku Clinic or treat the patients that came to see him.
Since he was still considered a novice, Shin was prohibited from treating the more severe cases, and the majority of his patients were those with minor colds or a light bruise. Nonetheless, he always treated each patient to the best of his ability. Perhaps it was due to his failure to save Ronlen back in Aldrich's Keep, Shin was meticulous in treating every patient, even if it meant that he had to go the extra mile.
Therefore, whenever he has a patient such as Abigail, it was always heartwarming to observe how desperate a parent would get when it came to the well-being of their children.
"Hah… Family, huh..." Unknowingly, Shin deeply sighed as he reclined back into his chair.
From young, he was told that he was an orphan and that he was picked up by the Frie Clan. However, it didn't change the fact that he was curious about his biological parents. What happened to them? Have they passed on? What would they do if they saw him now? Numerous questions flowed through Shin's mind everytime he thought about this issue.
"Whatever… Treating the next patient is more important…" Pushing aside the random thought that he had, Shin was about to call out for the next patient.
"*Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!*." However, before he got a chance to do so, heavy footsteps could be heard from the opposite side of the door and as it got louder with every passing second.
"HEALER SHIN!!! There has been an emergency!!!" One of the physicians that had been hired by Mayor Nadeo stormed into the black-haired youth's room, bringing dire news with him.
"What happened?!"
"There was a beast attack on a caravan four kilometres east from the waypoint! Over thirty people are injured! The Constable Headquarters has requested our assistance!"
Now that Yakkyoku Clinic had become the leading healing hub for the town's medical needs, the Constable Headquarters had formed a relationship with the clinic so that in times of emergency, the city could call upon the wealth of healing talent that the medical centre boasted. However, since Chilyoja Waypoint was a rather peaceful place, there had been less than three emergencies that required the assistance of Shin and the others.
"Oh god!!! Are there any fatalities?!"
"Unclear, but since it is an emergency, I assume that they all require immediate attention!"
"Does Master know about this?" Taking off his inside coat, Shin concernedly asked. After the Black Masks' attack, Lady Seph had instructed Shin to never leave the town without her authorisation, lest another attack happened.
"She does! And she sent..."
"Yip! Yip!" Bolting straight towards Shin's bosom, an adorable snowy white gerbil lovingly licked the boy's salty face. Being a Tier 8 Spirit Beast, Bingbing was the best bodyguard that Shin could have. Whenever he left Chilyoja Waypoint in search for Junius, Lady Seph always ordered Bingbing to follow Shin around, and this time was no different.
"Oh, great! Alright then, Master has given her approval! Is there a carriage waiting for us outside?"
"Yes! The rest of the healers are gathering as we speak."
"Okay, I'll be right there!!!" Clearing up his belongings at the fastest speed his hands could take him, Shin cradled Bingbing deeper into his chest as he rushed out of Yakkyoku Clinic.