In a garden beneath the moonlight, Jing Yuan sat alone in a chair surrounded by the soft chirping of birds.
A stack of documents rested on the table before him. Ena's clinic permit sat neatly on top.
Yet his attention was elsewhere. It remained fixed on his open palm, the same hand Ena had examined earlier.
Slowly, he turned it over.
He recalled the feeling of her robe wrapped around his hand.
"How interesting, Miss Ena"
An amused smile touched his lips.
A moment later, he leaned back in his chair.
Resting his chin on one hand, he closed his eyes and listened to the chirping birds.
The scent of fresh flowers drifted through the garden.
"It is my honor to meet you, the Apothecary of Finality"
Feeling that unique aura of stillness intertwined with Abundance, Jing Yuan opened his eyes.
Bina stood before him, her expression unreadable.
"Hmm. Good to meet you, General Jing Yuan" she replied calmly.
Her gaze shifted toward the documents resting on the table.
Jing Yuan followed it.
'How unexpected'
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Then with a remote, he turned off the speaker that had been playing bird chirping sounds.
The garden immediately became quieter.
"Now then, are you here for Miss Ena?"
Bina's eyes returned to him.
"Yes"
Far away, Ena remained asleep beneath the gentle morning light.
(...)
The system waited patiently as Ena shifted beneath her blankets.
(Host, wake up)
At the system's artificial voice, her eyes slowly opened.
(06:00)
She stared at the clock hovering within the interface.
(06:01)
(...)
(Host, did you fall in love with me~)
Ena rolled her eyes.
"I'd kiss Aha before I fell in love with you"
Her morning voice came out slightly deeper than usual.
(Ugh! Critical damage!)
'How playful...'
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Enough, Chibi Circuit. I have things to do"
(Affirmative, Host)
With a quiet breath, she sat upright.
"Alright, Ena. Time to start the day"
Then she headed for the bathroom to change into her usual clothes.
When she returned, her gaze settled on the robe resting beside the bed.
Taking a step closer, she looked down at it.
Her hand reached out until her fingers brushed gently across the fabric.
It felt soft beneath her touch.
Bringing it closer to her face, she closed her eyes.
A faint floral scent lingered on the robe.
'Be well'
knock knock
The sudden sound broke her concentration.
Opening her eyes, she glanced toward the door and quickly put the robe on, fastening it securely.
Walking toward the door, her hand stopped just before touching the handle.
She gave the robe one last glance.
Then she opened the door.
click
Yunmei stood outside with a wooden tray in her hands.
"Lady Ena, breakfast is ready"
Stepping aside, Ena allowed her to enter.
Yunmei crossed the room with measured steps and set the tray on the table beside the window.
Then she reached behind her and produced a letter.
"A letter for you, Lady Ena"
She offered it with both hands.
Ena accepted it.
A polite smile remained on Yunmei's face.
"That is all, Lady Ena. Do you require anything else?"
After a brief pause, Ena answered.
"No"
"Then may I excuse myself?"
After receiving a nod from Ena, Yunmei quietly departed.
click
Ena held the letter and looked around the room.
Everything was still.
Looking back at the letter, she examined it carefully.
It was plain white.
After confirming there were no markings, she turned it over, flipped it upside down, sniffed it, and held it up to the morning light.
A faint shadow appeared through the paper.
'Hmm... Alright. Nothing outrageous, please'
Carefully, she opened it.
"Hmm..."
Inside was nothing more than a sheet of paper filled with writing.
Nothing exploded. No clown emerged from the envelope.
Satisfied, she unfolded it and began to read.
The letter turned out to be a permit to open a clinic.
At the bottom, the seal of the General of the Luofu was clearly stamped.
Ena blinked.
"That's very quick. But we only met yesterday..."
'Is he that powerful, or was this already prepared?'
Her eyes flicked to her robe.
'Wrapping it in his hand should be enough to block my blessing aura, right?'
A faint frown crossed her face.
'I need to find a contingency...'
She nodded to herself before setting the letter aside.
Then she walked over to the table near the room's window.
"This soup again..."
Her eyebrow lifted as she looked at the familiar Springdew Vegetable Broth and the steaming tea beside it.
Leaning in, she sniffed it.
'Smells like usual'
In the broth's surface, her reflection stared back at her.
"Who cares if it was the same, I like the soup anyway"
With a shrug, she picked up her spoon and started eating.
The chopsticks on the tray remained untouched.
After breakfast, Ena went outside carrying the permit.
She walked for a while until she reached the building.
Looking around, she found an old man sitting on a public bench nearby, reading a newspaper.
Across the street, birds perched quietly on top of a building.
Children played at the roadside while cars rushed past them.
Ena watched closely.
The moment one child edged closer to the road, her posture tensed.
Parents immediately rushed in, pulling the children away while giving Ena wary glances as they left.
Ena opened her mouth, but no words came out.
'Why are you looking at me like that? You're letting kids play next to speeding cars!'
She exhaled slowly.
'I'm only worried about them...'
The old man on the bench looked over briefly, then shook his head in pity at her.
From behind, a green-haired man approached her.
"Those parents are irresponsible. Still, no one here has warned them"
Ena turned toward the voice.
The man met her gaze calmly.
Her eyebrow rose.
"Why hasn't anyone warned them?"
"Well, those kids are Preservation and Abundance Pathstriders. People here can't really compare to them"
Ena looked back at the spot where the children had been.
"Pathstrider..."
The man nodded.
"Yeah. Even if you threw a building at them, they'd probably be fine. That's why most people stay quiet"
A faint frown crossed his face as he followed her gaze.
"Still, it's irresponsible. The kids might be fine, but other people..."
He shook his head.
A brief silence passed between them before he spoke again.
"Anyway, the clinic is almost ready. Only the sign is missing. Give me a name, and I'll get it done quickly"
At his question, Ena looked back at his calm face.
"What?"
The man rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ah, sorry. Forgot to introduce myself"
He held out his hand.
"I'm James. I'm in charge of renovating your clinic. Nice to meet you, Miss Ena"
Ena studied his hand briefly before accepting it.
"Nice to meet you, James"
They shook hands briefly before letting go.
"So, Miss Ena, have you decided on a name for the clinic?"
Ena turned toward the building.
Almost immediately, March 7th's voice echoed through her thoughts.
'Reviva McBless! Also provides +400 buffs in exchange for rare items!'
A second later, Stelle's suggestion followed.
'Green Healing. Get treated here and receive a complimentary trash can!'
Ena chuckled softly to herself. Beside her, James raised an eyebrow.
After calming herself, Ena returned her focus to the building.
As she thought about what names the rest of the crew might have suggested, her smile slowly faded.
"Mùchūn Táng. That will be its name" she said calmly.
James noticed the shift in her expression.
"Understood, Miss Ena. I'll have it done shortly"
With a nod, he departed.
Ena watched him go, then stepped into the clinic.
click
Her gaze fell immediately on the counter.
She took a seat in the chair behind it and stared into the distance.
'Father...'
The warmth of his hands guiding hers during her earliest lessons as a physician.
Her father's final letter, the ink blurred by her tears.
'Uncle Xia...'
His white coat disappearing as he stepped away from the clinic, leaving her behind.
His grave stood silently before her.
Her long journey of saving lives, becoming a hero along the way.
Amid those memories, a head of white hair appeared.
Slowly, a familiar figure stepped into view.
Ena's hands pressed against her thigh.
'Yao-Yao...'
The one she remembered most, yet also the most fractured part of her memory.
The image of those emerald eyes streaked with gold remained vivid in her mind.
'Mother… why must you go?'
Her final and last memory was Yao-Yao calling out to her through tears, her sweet voice trembling.
At some point, Ena's head had fallen into her lap.
"One without constant virtue cannot practice medicine"
Reflected in her eyes were the hands resting on her thigh.
"Everyone deserves to live"
TBC
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...
Hey Hey Reader, Nilvan here.
With the completion of this chapter, the revision of Chapter 20 - The Space Between Words, will also be released. (It's now Chapter 21 after the release of Chapter 3)
Chapter 21 is the chapter where I found my voice.
Ehm. ~style~ If you want accurate, scientific, technical wording... very precise terminology, you know... maybe... hopefully.
Anyway, that's all from me. Have a good morning!
(❀❛ ֊ ❛„)♡
I finished writing and editing this chapter yesterday.
And I write this note today at 09:11, in case anyone was curious