༺ Treatnt (2) ༻
1.
Like usual, Alia’s day began with a visit to Siwoo’s room.
It had been a month since Yebin started her intensive treatnt. Most of his organs, except for his brain, had been healed.
Consequently, the intricate magic circles that had once enveloped him were removed.
Yebin Smyrna’s skills were clearly exceptional beyond doubt.
After all, she restored Siwoo’s ruined body, which was on the death door if left alone, to its original state in a matter of days.
Just as promised, she managed to do what other witches wouldn’t be able to do, restoring a badly damaged human body to this extent.
Now, even without delaying his biological clock, Siwoo was able to breathe and maintain his heartbeat on his own.
All his physiological functions, including cardiopulmonary performance had been reinstated.
Alia could finally let herself feel a glimr of hope that he might survive.
When she saw color returning to his skin for the first ti, she grasped his hand to feel his pulse for a long while.
But, Yebin’s suspicions regarding how he might turn out to be different than before weighed heavily on her chest.
Nevertheless, she repeatedly muttered to herself, ‘Just him being alive is enough…’ as she carefully counted the calluses that perated his fingers one by one.
“Oh, I apologize… I didn’t realize you were here.”
“No, it’s fine. Please co in.”
The door swung open as Yebin entered the room.
Compared to the strange attire she wore the first ti they t, she looked more like the impressive witch that she was.
Alia quietly and gently released her grip on Siwoo’s hand.
Yebin’s effort and dedication had been so remarkable that Alia, who had been watching from the sidelines, had nothing to nag or be concerned about.
Not only did she devote twelve hours a day on his treatnt alone, she also dedicated another eight hours imrsing herself to research on ‘Magnetism Magic’ for the sole purpose of recovering his brain.
She only had four hours allocated for rest, practically committing her entire day to Siwoo’s treatnt.
Alia was well aware of this, that was why she refrained from constantly asking Yebin for details on his condition.
However, in monts such as these, her desperation for answers couldn’t be contained.
“How is his condition?”
“Well, everything except for his left eye, which I intentionally didn’t heal to make room for the brain surgery, has returned to normal. His condition has stabilized too.”
Turning him from a half-dead, brain-dead state to his current condition was nothing short of a miracle.
It was an achievent that even modern dicine would have deed implausible, if not straight-up impossible.
“Now, all the preparations have concluded. We will proceed with the reconstruction of his magic circuit as well as regenerating his brain in three days.”
Alia rose from her seat, approached Yebin and enveloped her in a deep embrace.
“Thank you so much, truly…”
“Y-You don’t need to go this far. Baroness, your support was, oh—!”
“Thank you, thank you…”
Yebin barely managed to escape her tight embrace that pretty much suffocated her.
If she said she didn’t feel a sense of accomplishnt, she would be lying. Nevertheless, there was still sothing that she had to convey to Alia.
“You can spend more ti with Mr. Siwoo. I’m only here for a brief check-up. I’ll take my leave now…”
“Okay…”
Yebin sighed as she closed the door and returned to her room.
A large table, brought from the dining room, was swamped in a hill of brain models and thousands of sheets of paper.
If Shin Siwoo had been one of many irrelevant animals, she wouldn’t need to do this much preparation.
She already restored the necessary functions for his survival, as well as inciting the neuroplasticity.
All she needed to do would be to wake him up from his coma.
But, it was her duty to restore him as closely as possible to his original state.
To maintain his thoughts, mories, ideas and behavioral patterns.
Additionally, her plan, which had been cruising smoothly like a sail in a tailwind, had co to a halt.
Despite receiving her master’s papers and ticulously reviewing the knowledge passed down to her through her brand, she could only co to one conclusion.
She decided on a three-day buffer period so she could explore other options, but realistically speaking, the probability of finding an alternative to her original plan was dreadfully low.
“But how am I supposed to convey this to the Baroness…?”
Yebin slumped onto the table.
The dical procedure itself was complicated and her shyness made it difficult for her to articulate the problem.
Above all, she didn’t know how to bring this solution to the Baroness. This was her biggest concern, sothing she worried the most about.
It would have been easier if she hadn’t witnessed the Baroness’ affection and treatnt towards Siwoo.
She recalled Alia, who spent hours each day just holding his hand by his side.
“He ans so much to her. How could I possibly suggest that…?”
Whether she’d accept this surgery thod as inevitably due to necessity remained to be seen.
“But seriously, what am I supposed to tell her…?”
Yebin’s dilemma deepened even further.
2.
In a pitch black space.
Siwoo’s consciousness sluggishly swam aimlessly, drifting without anything to grasp or hold onto.
Below it were two, no, they had rged into one whole structure by now.
It was everything that Siwoo had built up in his life. But it had crumbled into re wreckage, as if they had been struck by bombardnt missiles.
However, these wreckages still shone so brilliantly even though their functions should’ve ceased.
“…”
Siwoo closely examined this sight.
After scrutinizing it, he understood it, however, his train of thoughts was interrupted.
To bridge the gap of his severed throughs, he could only rely on unrefined reasoning and instincts.
His eyes unwavering, undisturbed by anything, fixing themselves on the pile of debris that was once a magic circle.
He raised his arm.
Without any intent nor contemplation.
Nevertheless, like how it had always obeyed his will, the magic circle started to stir.
-Rumble!
The world transford as the black abyss trembled.
Gears, lines, points, characters and shadows, out of a golden light, they all erged at once.
Without any guidance given, they traced elegant trajectories like stars in a galaxy, following reason and instinct as they finally settled in their rightful places, each emitting a faint glow.
Creation erging from destruction, a philosophy as old as ti itself.
Out of ashes of such destruction, the legacy of tens of thousands of fragnts created a completely different form of ‘rule’.
In his pupils, a beautifully shining golden orb materialized.
Like an egg bearing infinite truths, new rules birthed within the midst of shadows.
“…”
Treating as if everything was aningless, he waved his hand as everything collapsed once again.
New ‘rules’ were ford, unrestricted by any existing ones.
Such a contradiction disintegrated into the abyss.
The shattered debris spread beneath him, just like before, awaiting for the command of their master.
Within the space, resembling a boundless sea of a dark abyss, Siwoo raised his hands, creating and destroying laws with every wave of his hands.
I.
Freedom.
What was ‘I’?
What was ‘freedom’?
A crease ford on his brow as the two words suddenly grazed the fringes of his consciousness.
Despite eons of contemplation, nothing materialized from the depths of his abyss.
Once again, he raised his hands.
Like a deity blindly rolling dice until he achieved his desired outco, he continued his symphony.
Just like how he was the creator of worlds, he was also the destroyer of worlds.
Ti was on his side.
After all, this abyss was his world.
3.
Alia laid on her bed, lost in thought.
Her research on Siwoo’s condition had co to a standstill for a long while now.
Since Yebin was already here, her research beca pretty much aningless anyway.
But, even her usual magic research ca to a standstill too, so her days had devolved into a monotonous cycle of tending to Siwoo and lying aimlessly on her bed.
“May I co in, Alia?”
“You may.”
At that mont, Sophia’s voice, accompanied by a soft knock on the door, entered her ears.
Although Sophia had always intruded on her privacy and relentlessly bothered her, her visits had beco more frequent lately.
Alia understood that Sophia was trying to comfort her grieving friend, so she felt grateful for her gesture.
As Sophia entered the room, she noticed Alia lying listlessly on her bed, sothing the latter had been doing for a while now. Seeing this, she let out a sigh inwardly.
She knew that Alia was having a hard ti due to the tragedy that befell Siwoo, but she didn’t expect that her friend would be having it this badly.
It felt like the tear stains on her pillow had beco a permanent decoration.
Nevertheless, she didn’t judge her friend, nor did she think that her friend was making a fuss out of nothing.
After all, Alia had already endured the shock of losing her master and once closed herself off emotionally.
She understood that Alia was a delicate child, imrsing herself in her own world while remaining cautious of opening her heart to others.
For such an Alia to finally gather the courage to open her heart once again, only to experience another traumatic incident, Sophia couldn’t take her condition lightly.
“Can I talk to you for a mont?”
“Sorry, I’m not really up for it right now.”
“It’s important.”
Seeing Sophia’s serious deanor, Alia reluctantly sat up from her bed.
Her golden hair cascaded gracefully, carrying a pleasant fragrance.
“Is this about Siwoo?”
“Yes.”
Sophia settled onto the bed naturally, reaching out to hold Alia’s hand.
“What I’m about to say might sound uncomfortable and complicated to you.”
“W-What is this about? Is there sothing wrong with—?!”
“Calm down. I phrased my words poorly. This is mostly about you. It’s related to him as well, but…”
Sophia’s words raised a sense of concern in Alia and she began to worry if sothing had gone wrong with Siwoo’s condition.
Seeing this, Sophia calmly stroked her hair to comfort her as her face turned pale.
“How do you feel about him?”
Alia’s eyes betrayed her confusion, wondering why Sophia was being so cryptic. Because of this, she couldn’t formulate an imdiate response.
“I… Like him…”
After a long pause, she finally managed to speak.
Sophia tightened her hold on Alia’s hand as she asked another question.
“What about ?”
“I like you too.”
“Why?”
“…Do I have to tell you?”
Alia avoided eye contact as she turned embarrassed.
Seeing this, the other witch let out a sigh before nodding her head.
After seeing her friend’s strange and curious reaction, Alia finally spoke in a gentle tone.
“Because you’re always helping … Always there for … Also, because we’re friends…”
“Then, what about Siwoo? Do you like him as a friend? Or do you like him as a man?”
“…”
As expected, Alia couldn’t provide a clear answer.
In truth, Sophia had noticed sothing quite peculiar.
Certainly, Alia’s opening up to soone and becoming aware of her emotions was a positive developnt for her.
Part of the reason why Sophia was trying to pair her with Siwoo was to assist her emotional growth.
However, she failed to factor in how complicated Alia’s current state was.
Were her feelings for Siwoo simply a gesture of goodwill? Or was it love?
If the answer was neither of those, then perhaps she had misunderstood her feelings.
Nevertheless, Sophia couldn’t be sure about it.
It wasn’t like she didn’t think Siwoo could beco Alia’s partner.
A kind and respectable man like him wasn’t easy to co by.
Moreover, though she cherished Alia, she wouldn’t go out of her way to interfere with the latter’s romantic life.
“Can you please answer ?”
After a long hesitation, Alia finally spoke up.
“I think… I love him… Romantically…”
“What if you misunderstood that feeling?”
“Sophia!”
A sharp voice, like a shattered glass, cut through the air.
It was an imdiate reaction.
Alia’s furious eyes were fixed on Sophia.
Even if they were friends, she still couldn’t forgive Sophia for denying her feelings.
The glint on her eyes filled with such anger.
“I’m sorry, but I have to tell you about this. This is sothing you’re completely clueless about.”
“I might not know everything but I can at least tell that it’s love.”
“Alia, calm down for a mont…”
“Just by looking at him lying there, just by thinking he might leave my side makes my heart ache! If this emotion isn’t love, then what is?!”
Alia’s outburst of frustration was a confirmation for Sophia.
That she wasn’t in love with Siwoo.
Rather, she felt indebted to him and she felt fear that she’d lose him.
Both of them weren’t love.
Then, what was love?
What was guilt?
What was responsibility?
What was relationship?
What was affection?
What was kindness?
What was friendship?
Alia wouldn’t know the answer to any of these.
After all, she had just barely opened her eyes to the world and emotions.
Like a baby duckling that recognized the first creature it saw as its mother and followed it around.
If she had mistaken an emotion that she didn’t actually have, what would happen?
What if Sophia’s excessive interference had created an unnatural flow of emotions?
In the first place, what if the influence of ‘magic’ had changed their relationship to sothing else when it was rely a feeling of ‘goodwill’ toward each other?
Could that kind of feeling be classified as ‘love’?
“I’m sorry for making you angry, but there’s sothing I want you to hear.”
Sophia gestured and the door opened.
From behind the door, the twins stood with tear-filled eyes.
“Professor Alia…”
“We have sothing to tell you.”
They stood there, bowing their heads as if they were about to confess a grave sin.
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