2025-10-14 16:05:15The message arrived before dawn. “URGENT: Hospital Board Inquiry. Attendance Mandatory.”
Rick read it twice, the words blurring on the screen. His stomach tightened. The rain outside hammered the window in steady rhythm, too much like a pulse he didn’t want to hear.
Evelyn stirred under the covers. “Another emergency?”
He shut off the screen. “Board meeting. They want to review the Lila case.”
Her voice thickened with sleep and dread. “Already?”
“Someone leaked footage,” he said quietly. “Probably internal.”
Evelyn sat up. “Rick… don’t go in there alone.”
“I have to.”
He dressed in silence, the glow of the golden rune briefly lighting his wrist before fading beneath his sleeve.
The boardroom smelled of disinfectant and tension. Seven members sat in a semicircle, holo-screens casting their faces in pale blue light. Yuren Sun stood at the far end, hands clasped behind his back, calm, unreadable.
The chairman, Dr. Mei Zhao, adjusted her glasses. “Dr. Franklin. We’ve received an external complaint from the Healers’ Syndicate regarding your conduct during the Lila Morrison resuscitation.”
Rick kept his voice steady. “What complaint?”
“That you performed an unauthorized procedure involving non-standard acupuncture meridians, without peer supervision or institutional approval.”
Rick’s heart thudded. “I saved her life.”
Mei Zhao’s tone remained cool. “That isn’t the question. The Syndicate is concerned that your method constitutes the use of esoteric biotechnic intervention, an act prohibited under Article 47 of the Medical Ethics Accord.”
Across the room, a man in a black coat sat silently, Syndicate insignia glinting on his lapel. His eyes never blinked.
Rick forced himself to breathe. “With respect, Article 47 forbids untested gene-altering tech. I used needles and pressure points, nothing supernatural.”
The man finally spoke, voice soft but edged. “And yet the child’s body emitted anomalous luminescence. Explain that.”
Rick looked to Yuren, who gave a slight nod, permission to answer but not to confess too much. “I can’t explain it,” Rick said. “All I know is that her pulse synchronized when I aligned the channels.”
The Syndicate man leaned forward. “Aligned them how?”
Rick hesitated. “By instinct.”
A murmur swept the board. Mei Zhao tapped the table. “Enough. Master Sun, as his mentor, what is your evaluation?”
Yuren stepped forward, voice measured. “Dr. Franklin acted under extreme duress. His decision was reckless but not malicious. I take full responsibility for his training.”
The Syndicate agent’s gaze sharpened. “You defend him.”
“I defend life,” Yuren replied. “Something your regulations occasionally forget.”
The room froze at the challenge. Mei Zhao sighed. “The board will deliberate. Until further notice, Dr. Franklin is suspended from independent procedures.”
Rick opened his mouth, but Yuren’s look stopped him. When they stepped into the corridor, Rick whispered, “You said you’d help me.”
“I am,” Yuren murmured. “By keeping you alive.”
By midday the hospital corridors buzzed like a hive. Everywhere Rick turned, whispers followed. “Did you hear? He’s under investigation.”
“The Syndicate thinks he used forbidden meridians.”
“Maybe he sold data to the underground clinics.”
Each rumor twisted sharper than the last. Rick pushed into the staff lounge, jaw clenched. Evelyn stood by the coffee dispenser, eyes wide. “Rick, what happened?”
He poured himself black coffee, hand shaking. “They’ve suspended me. Pending investigation.”
Her face paled. “God. The media’s already running with it. They’re calling it the Golden Fraud.”
He set the cup down too hard; coffee splashed over his fingers. “Isaac’s behind this.”
She hesitated. “You can’t prove that.”
“I don’t need proof. I can smell his fingerprints.”
Evelyn lowered her voice. “Yuren told me to keep you calm. If you fight the Syndicate, they’ll erase your license.”
Rick’s laugh was hollow. “Maybe that’s what they want.”
From the doorway came another voice, cool, amused. “Or maybe you brought it on yourself.”
Isaac leaned casually against the frame, tablet in hand. “I just watched the footage. Impressive light show. Want to tell me how you did it?”
Rick’s eyes narrowed. “You leaked it.”
Isaac’s smile didn’t waver. “Hard to leak what was already under review. Maybe the world deserves to see what kind of miracle worker they’re employing.”
“Careful,” Rick said softly. “You’re playing with lives.”
“Only yours.”
Evelyn stepped between them. “Stop this. You’re both doctors.”
Isaac’s tone turned sharp. “He’s not a doctor. He’s a gambler with a god complex.”
Rick took a step forward, but Yuren’s sudden voice froze them all. “Enough.”
The master entered, gaze cutting through the tension. “My office. Now, both of you.”
Yuren’s office felt smaller with both apprentices inside. Rain streaked the windows, thunder rumbling above.
Yuren sat behind his desk, fingers steepled. “You’ve turned my ward into a battlefield.”
Rick started, “Master, I.”
“Silence.”
He turned to Isaac. “You’ve been feeding rumors to external auditors. Do not insult me by denying it.”
Isaac met his gaze without flinching. “I shared data. Not rumors. Transparency protects the institution.”
“Transparency?” Yuren’s tone iced over. “Or ambition?”
Isaac’s jaw tightened. “Someone had to stop him before he drags your name down with his superstition.”
Rick’s fists clenched. “You think I wanted this?”
“You crave it,” Isaac shot back. “Every glance, every whisper, you feed on it.”
“Enough!” Yuren slammed his palm on the desk. The lights flickered.
For a moment the air itself seemed to hum, the faint golden resonance that always followed Rick now bleeding into the room. Isaac took a step back. “You see? It’s happening again.”
Rick looked down. His wrist glowed faintly through the fabric, light leaking like blood. Yuren rose slowly. “Rick. Control it.”
“I’m trying,” he whispered, but the pulse answered faster, syncing with the thunder outside.
Yuren caught his wrist, pressing a thumb to the rune. “Breathe.”
The light dimmed, though not before Isaac’s tablet recorded every flicker. When it was over, Yuren released him, voice low. “Both of you will report to the Clinical Review Division at dawn. You’ll assist in the trauma ward under supervision until the board decides otherwise.”
Isaac exhaled, victorious. “Understood.”
Rick stood rigid. “You’re grounding me.”
“I’m protecting you,” Yuren said. “From them, and from yourself.”
Rick wanted to shout, but Yuren’s weary eyes silenced him. Isaac left first, smirking. The door clicked shut.
Yuren turned to the window. “The Syndicate has begun to move. And you’ve given them reason.”
Rick’s voice broke. “I saved a child.”
“I know,” Yuren whispered. “And they fear what that means.”
Outside, lightning forked across the Salt Lake horizon, white veins glowing in the dark water. Rick stared at his reflection in the glass: pale, haunted, with a faint trace of gold pulsing beneath his skin.
He murmured, “If healing is a crime, then what am I?”
Yuren didn’t answer. The thunder did.
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Chapter 90. Departure To The Ruins
Morning light crept over the valley like a slow-moving wave of gold. It touched the roots of the living mountain first, then slipped across the grass that had grown overnight, then flowed down toward the stone paths Rick had carved. The air smelled fresh, like earth after a gentle rain, though not a single cloud floated in the sky. Everything here breathed. Everything lived.Rick stood at the valley’s edge with his pack open, sorting bottles one by one. He moved carefully, almost reverently, as though each vial held something sacred. His face was calm, but his eyes were sharp, focused, and touched by a quiet weight. The Elixir of Mercy was tucked deep in a padded pocket of the pack. Several stabilizing mixtures, dried herbs, silver needles, and Qi-thread tools filled the rest.Beside the pack lay a small wooden box carved with rune lines. Inside it rested the Homunculus Seed, sealed in a thin layer of glass crystal. It pulsed gently, faint blue light flickering like a heartbeat wai
Chapter 89. The Soul Elixir Completed
The valley was quiet the next morning, too quiet for a place that had recently woken into strange life. Mist curled low around the roots of the living mountain, drifting like pale ghosts between stone ridges. The air tasted heavy, thick with the scent of soil and something faintly metallic, the lingering echo of Qi storms that had raged during Bloom’s sealing.Rick sat alone near his alchemy circle, shoulders hunched. His hair was unkempt, his breathing slow and low, and his right hand kept trembling no matter how tightly he held it against his knee. Before him lay rows of cracked vials, scorched bowls, and half-dissolved Qi crystals. The experiments from last night had not stopped until dawn.He had failed nearly every attempt. But he was close. He could feel it.The formula he sought drifted at the edge of his mind like a shy whisper, a fragile truth that refused to step fully into the light. The Elixir of Mercy, the perfect Soul Elixir, the one that could heal life and memory w
Chapter 88. The Limits Of Perfection
The morning light in the valley was soft and pale, but it did not feel warm. The air carried a quiet unease, as if the world sensed that something new walked within it. Bloom sat on a stone near Rick’s alchemy circle, its vine-like legs folded neatly beneath its small frame. Its eyes glowed softly, pulsing in rhythm with a faint echo of Rick’s heartbeat.Rick stood a short distance away, breathing slowly, hands trembling as he heated a small flask with controlled Qi flame. His face was tired, the shadows beneath his eyes darker than before. He had not slept properly since the night Bloom was born. Luna stood at the edge of the circle, arms crossed over her chest, watching both of them with a mix of protectiveness and dread.Bloom watched Rick’s hands carefully, its head tilted like a curious child. “Why do your fingers shake?” it asked softly.Rick forced a weak smile. “Because I am still hurt.”“But you made me even while hurt,” Bloom said. Its voice carried a gentle innocence tha
Chapter 87. The Soul Bloom
The night in the valley was quiet, but it was not peaceful. The silence felt heavy, like the land itself was holding its breath. Rick had placed the Homunculus Seed on a smooth stone platform inside the ring of obsidian slabs he had carved with his alchemist code. The small seed glowed faintly, a soft white light pulsing inside its crystal-like skin. It looked harmless. It looked innocent.But Luna stood several steps away, her body tense, her eyes fixed on it as if it were a coiled snake waiting to strike.Rick knelt beside the platform, studying the seed. His fingers hovered above it but did not touch. He breathed slowly, steadying his heart.His pulse felt uneven ever since the first experiments. It was like two rhythms inside his chest were arguing with each other, one mortal, one divine.Luna finally spoke, her voice low. “Rick, this thing is not alive. It should not become alive. It is wrong.”He did not look at her. “It is a vessel. Nothing more.”“That is the same excuse use
Chapter 86. The Homunculus Seed
The valley had grown quiet over the past few days. The strange Qi rain had stopped falling from the sky, the shimmering plants had settled into steady rhythms, and the air felt heavier, as if the land itself held its breath. The dawn light stretched across the ground like a thin golden sheet, touching every root and stone.Rick stood at the center of the Alchemist’s Ring, surrounded by the obsidian slabs he carved his laws into. His eyes were shadowed from lack of sleep, and his hands trembled slightly. But he did not stop. He had collected a small pile of pale Qi crystals from the valley’s heart, crystals formed from the titan’s lingering essence and the valley’s healing hum.Luna watched him from a short distance. She sat on a rock with her legs pulled close, her expression troubled. Her crystalline arm glowed softly in the morning light, but her eyes were fixed on Rick’s movements.“Rick,” she said, her voice calm but tight, “you have been at this since last night. You need to
Chapter 85. The Alchemist’s Code
The sun had not yet risen, but the valley was already awake. The strange new life growing across the land pulsed with a slow glow, like soft breath moving through soil. Roots shimmered faintly under the earth, veins of Qi running through stone and water. Rick stood in the center of the clearing, the air cold against his skin, his breath rising like mist.He had not slept. His eyes were heavy, but they held a sharp clarity, the kind that came from painful truths finally settling in the mind.Behind him, Luna stirred from her makeshift bedding, rubbing her eyes with her good hand. Her crystalline arm shimmered with early light, casting rainbow reflections on the stone wall beside her.She stood slowly, watching Rick with worry. “You are awake again,” she said, voice soft.Rick did not turn. His attention was fixed on the obsidian slabs he had dragged from the valley’s edge. Dark, smooth, heavy stones lay arranged in a circle around the clearing. They reflected nothing, light simply sa
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