He could feel hopeful gazes settle onto him in the hushed confines of the medic's office. Daron was a spark of light in their despair as they waited in medical beds due to their injuries. As the mist outside the window continued to obscure the world, he didn't know if their hope was misplaced or not.
They were apprehensive, but they longed to get better, the Energy Path Blockages causing visible pain to etch into their faces as Daron looked at them. He had taken a heavy burden upon himself in this room, and he couldn't afford to falter.
Beginning to plan the process out in his head, he took a deep breath.
Daron focused on the first student, a young woman whose Energy Path had been blocked by the malevolent influence of Noctus's sadistic games. Placing his hand on her forehead, he began to channel his Healing aspect through his Energy Path. The Energy soon flowed out of his hand, and he started channeling his own Healing aspect Energy into her, guiding it toward the blockage.
As he worked, the room seemed to hold its breath, the only sound the soft hum of medical equipment in the background. Daron's brow furrowed in concentration, his mind fully immersed in the delicate task. He could feel the resistance of the Energy Path Blockage, a stubborn barrier that had caused immense pain to the afflicted student.
Drawing upon the two skills he had learned from his training, he began to employ them in this healing process. First, he activated Aspect Freezing, a technique that temporarily suspended certain aspects of his Physique—Constitution and Strength. These aspects, while crucial for various physical feats, were not required for the intricate task of healing. Freezing them allowed him to redirect more of his energy toward the Healing aspect.
Next, he utilized Self-Inflicted Autoimmunity and used Aspect Trapping, a technique that temporarily sealed off the Constitution and Strength aspects to prevent them from interfering with his primary goal. This, however, came at a cost—depleting a portion of his total energy reserves. But to ensure total focus on healing, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
As moments stretched into minutes, Daron could feel a subtle shift in the Energy Path Blockage. It resisted, but his Healing aspect Energy continued to flow, gradually eroding the obstruction. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he maintained his focus, the room around him hushed in anticipation.
The mist outside the window seemed to mirror the enigma of the healing process, its ever-shifting nature reflecting the uncertainty of the situation. But Daron held onto a flicker of hope.
He prayed silently, not to any deity, but to the thought that this, too, shall pass; and for Nubby, who he couldn't save.
As the minutes dragged on, Daron getting to the ten minute mark, he felt his Energy rush into the Energy Path that was in the young woman's body, and he slowly started to retract his power from inside her. He had successfully dealt with the Energy Path Blockage inside of her body, but his job wasn't done yet.
As the medics saw Daron retract his Energy, and the painful look leave the face of the patient, they all were glad that this could end on a good note.
"I need a few minutes, but then I'll begin on the next patient," Daron said to the medics.
"Of course," the head medic replied.
Steadying his breath, Daron took a few minutes to meditate and recover some of his Energy, and to consult with the system.
'System, does this not count as a new technique?' Daron asked.
[At this current point, it doesn't. You'd need more proficiency and to use other aspects to make the baseline of the lowest level of technique. In the current scenario, you can only hope you don't have to do one of those things. So don't worry about that for now, Daron.]
'Alright. And yes, if I had to start using one of my other aspects here, that would be the worst case scenario.'
Looking at another student, Daron walked over to them. "I'm ready."
The medics walked over to supervise again as he started to heal the student.
As the hour went by, and more students were healed, Daron's Energy started to deplete and he had to stop for a thirty minute break. But, he had managed to heal seven more students within that hour, his proficiency in healing Energy Path Blockages getting better as the hour went on. There were still four left, but he was confident that he could do this now.
The head medic walked over to Daron and passed him a glass of water. "I'm Doctor James Bennet, by the way. I realize none of us have introduced ourselves."
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. Of course, you already know I'm Daron Finley."
"Yes. Everyone, come and introduce yourselves," Dr. Bennet called.
"Samuel Lee," one of them called out.
"Daniel Lee," another called.
"Brothers," Dr. Bennet replied.
"Maria Turner. Nice to have you with us," she patted Daron's shoulder as she passed him to check up on one of the healed students.
"Emily Clark. What Turner said."
"Quinn Davis," another person called out.
"We're a small team, so we'll be glad to have someone else on our side," the head medic said.
Nodding his head, Daron drank the water that Dr. Bennet gave him as he prepared to heal the final students that were hurt by Noctus.
As he began the healing process once more, Daron tried to maintain the same level of focus and precision he had exhibited earlier. Each case was unique, with different Energy Path Blockages requiring slightly different techniques and approaches.
The mist outside the window had begun to thin, allowing glimpses of the world beyond to slowly reappear. It was as if the outside world was beginning to align with the progress inside the medic's office.
It was time to heal the final student left, and there was a sense of relief in the room as all the student's looked on at Daron. They had experienced two ends of the spectrum; a violent, sadistic student who injured others just for fun, and a student who, despite not knowing if they could, tried their best to help those who were hurting, and in the end succeeded.
Looking at his Energy, Daron saw he didn't have much left for his Healing aspect, but he believed it would be enough. Starting the process, he put his hand on the boy's forehead and channeled his Energy. As his Healing aspect flowed out through his hand, he felt the Energy Path Blockages immediately as his Energy pierced into the student's forehead, which caused him to frown a bit.
"How long has he been here?" Daron asked, concentrating on trying to break the blockages.
"He should be the first one that came here," Dr. Bennet said.
Daron glared at him. "And you make me get to him now?"
All the medics in the room looked away from Daron and at the floor.
Shaking his head, he focused on healing the student.
A few minutes pass as Daron's expression hardens, but he still believes he can do it with his remaining healing Energy.
The medics could hear the sound of running from the hall outside, and unfortunately for them, it was coming straight for their office.
As someone barged into the office they were panicked, saying loudly "Emergency! In the gym, Noctus is fighting someone, but he doesn't appear to be holding back!"
The medics all lost color in their faces, not from the news of Noctus, but they knew Daron was already having a hard time with the last student, and from what he said at the start, it was pretty bad.
The man barging in had caused Daron to lose focus, his healing Energy dissipating from inside of the student's Energy Path. He didn't have enough healing Energy to continue.
Right then, the system pushed forward a task in front of him.
[Task: Prevent a possible death: +10 Experience]
Daron shook slightly before he turned to the door of the medic's office. "Out! GET OUT! NOW!"