The Sovereign's Fury

Chapter 2

The voice on the line pulled Leo back into a past he had tried to bury.

He remembered how his father had always been obsessed with him becoming a titan of industry. The old man hated Leo’s fascination with the Ancient Arts of Healing. Forced into the city’s most prestigious business academy, Leo had done the impossible—he finished top of his class. But on the day of the ceremony, he simply handed the degree to his father.

“You wanted this. Now it’s yours. I’m done living your life,” Leo had said, walking away from the family mansion without a cent to his name.

He had spent years traveling, finding the legendary Master of the Six-Path Needle, learning until his hands could bring men back from the brink of the grave. But his career ended in blood.

 A patient had died during a complicated soul-stitch, and his master had banned him from ever touching a needle again. Leo was certain his father had sabotaged the surgery just to force him home.

Now, irony had come knocking. The same man who broke his dreams needed those forbidden skills to survive.

Despite the grudge, Leo couldn't let him go. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep if he watched the old man wither away when he had the power to stop it.

“Fine,” Leo muttered into the phone. “Where is he?”

“I’m sending the coordinates now,” Uncle Chen replied, and the line went dead.

A notification popped up with a private clinic’s location. Leo flagged down a taxi, his nerves jumping as he stared at the blurred city lights. Facing his father on a deathbed was going to be the strangest moment of his life.

'Maybe the old man was right about one thing,' Leo thought. 'The world is too cold for love.'

When he reached the hospital, the atmosphere was heavy. It didn't feel like a place for healing; it felt like a tomb. The hallways were cleared of regular staff, replaced by guards in dark suits.

He approached the man sitting behind the marble reception desk.

“I’m here for Silas Vane,” Leo said, standing his ground.

“Another beggar who can’t even show respect?” the receptionist, Jace, sneered. “That’s *Lord* Vane to you. What does a scrub like you want with a man who owns half the city?”

Before Leo could fire back, a gruff voice echoed from the corridor.

“Is the cleaning crew late again? The floors are a mess.”

Jace looked at Leo’s faded jacket and let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, I see now.” He reached under the desk and shoved a bucket and a mop toward Leo’s chest.

Leo opened his mouth to correct him, but Jace cut him off.

“Don’t talk, just scrub. Room 5. If I see a single streak, you’re fired before you start.”

Leo gripped the mop handle. The room number was exactly where Uncle Chen said his father would be. He swallowed his pride and headed down the hall. 'I'll settle this score later,' he promised himself.

But when he pushed into Room 5, the space was empty. No bed, no equipment, just a bare floor.

His phone buzzed.

Young Master, please forgive me. In my panic, I sent you the wrong wing. Head to the East Tower,” the text read.

“Dammit,” Leo hissed, dropping the bucket with a splash.

Just then, the sound of frantic footsteps filled the hall. A group of doctors rushed a gurney toward the emergency suite. As they passed, Leo caught a whiff of something foul—the scent of Wither-Root Poison. It was a lethal, magical toxin.

He knew that smell anywhere. If those doctors tried standard medicine, the patient would be dead in minutes.

In the confusion, he bumped into a woman standing near the doors.

“Watch it, you clumsy idiot!” she snapped, her eyes flashing with fury.

She was incredibly beautiful, but her face was twisted in a mask of arrogance. Leo didn't stay to argue. He followed the gurney, seeing a card fall from the patient's pocket: Victor Sterling.

Leo stopped. A small spark lit up in his memory. Victor Sterling had been the only man who defended Leo during his medical trial years ago. This wasn't just a patient; it was a debt of honor.

He stepped into the trauma room just as a doctor was prepping a syringe.

“If you put that needle in him, he’s a dead man,” Leo’s voice boomed, stopping everyone mid-motion.

The doctors and nurses spun around, shocked by the interruption.

“I know you’re desperate, but that’s the wrong move. The poison will react and hit his heart instantly,” Leo said, stepping closer.

The woman from the hallway stormed toward him. She was red with rage.

“Doctor Miller, why is this janitor in here?” she screamed. “This is the Governor of the State! The head of the Sterling Empire! Get this lunatic out of here!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Monica. He said he was part of the cleaning staff,” Dr. Miller stammered.

'Governor? So she’s the second daughter,' Leo noted. He remembered the rumors about Monica Sterling—wealthy, loud, and incredibly spoiled.

Monica glared at Leo. “Give me one reason why I shouldn't have the guards break your legs.”

“I’m a man who knows how to save your father when these guys don't,” Leo replied calmly.

The staff broke into mocking laughter.

“The greatest surgeons in the country are here, and a guy with a mop thinks he knows better?” Monica mocked. She pulled a few bills from her purse and threw them at Leo’s feet. “There’s your pay. Now get out before I call security.”

“I don’t want your money,” Leo said.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Paying back a favor to a man who deserved better.”

“What is this noise?” A cold, authoritative voice cut through the room.

The tension broke instantly. It was Sarah, the eldest Sterling heiress. She was stunning, but her eyes held a power that made the doctors bow their heads.

“Sarah, this bum is claiming he can heal Dad. I’m having him tossed out,” Monica said.

Sarah ignored her sister, her eyes fixed on Leo. “And you’re so sure of yourself?”

“Your father was struck by a Shadow-Vein Curse.

 These doctors are treating a heart attack. If they keep going, he won't last ten minutes,” Leo said.

“Why should I trust a stranger?”

“You don’t have to. But your father doesn't have time for a debate.”

Sarah stepped closer, her gaze searching his. “If you’re a genius, tell me what’s wrong with me.”

Leo didn't hesitate. “You have a recurring pain in your left shoulder, your vision blurs when you’re stressed, and your Qi is blocked in your lower abdomen. 

You’ve been living on caffeine and painkillers for weeks.

”

The room went dead silent. Monica’s jaw dropped, and the doctors exchanged panicked looks. Leo had diagnosed her perfectly without even touching her.