It's been two days since the tour of the temple of wisdom. There were a lot of coping classes since we will be having our last duty this semester. We will be exposed to one of the greatest hospitals. It was built to honour Hipocralis' knowledge and to his students who saved a lot of people during the times. 
Hippocrates Haven of Healing, one of the most famous hospitals in this dimension. Surprisingly we were able to experience it because Thorne was one of the chief executives, Callista told me that. 
I was wearing the duty uniform from Hipocralis and I was waiting for the other teams. There were some members added from other groups to join us today. 
“This is it, last stop Hipocralis and we'll be ending this” Arlo said excitedly. I'm also close to finding out my past. 
“Aren't you nervous, we'll be exposed to one of the best hospitals” Arthur said as his voice cracked a little. 
“I am, who wouldn't” Caden said as he looked at me. Of course I'm nervous. What did they expect? 
“Of course, I am,” I said, giving them a weak smile. The carriage started to move, I opened one of my notebooks to review the basics. I don't want to be embarrassed in front of everyone. 
Few minutes later, the carriage stopped. There's the electric mix of excitement and nerves coursing through me. I slowly came out from the carriage and so did the others. As we walked inside, It was the usual view from my last visit. 
The building has a gothic-style architecture with pointed arches, tall, narrow windows, and decorative stonework. One of the buildings is covered with foliage, ivy, that climbs up the walls.
A courtyard-like area is in front of the building, paved with light gray cobblestones. Fountain is a circular pool of water with a stylized pattern or design visible within the water. 
I spotted Thorne at the entrance, his simple button-up shirt and trousers paired with a crisp lab coat. The addition suited him effortlessly, amplifying his already striking presence. He stood there, waiting, exuding an air of authority and confidence that made him all the more captivating.
“Good morning, Doc.” We greeted him. 
"Good morning. I hope you're prepared for this duty," he said, his tone firm yet composed. "If you perform well and prove yourself, you'll earn a spot among the students accompanying me to Glacierbrook."
I can’t afford to miss this chance—it’s my opportunity to return to my old home. Helping the people there is a noble cause, but uncovering the truth about what happened to my parents remains my ultimate goal.
As we moved on, the Professor discussed some rules and regulations for the hospital, some tips and some student alerts for upcoming emergencies. As I followed, I looked around observing some patients.
Some were restless, Patients roaming with casts, nurses pushing wheelchairs, and some patients were here due to magic mishaps. 
“Quick question, What is the significance between pale complexion and glowing veins?” Thirne asked, looking at us both hands on his back maintaining his authoritative self. 
“Glowing veins may indicate something unnatural due to exposure to artifacts, hexes—though that depends on where the patient lives” I said, I couldn't stop explaining though I needed to stop but I couldn't. 
“Meanwhile, pale skin may indicate that the patient is weak due to the strong effect from a particular source. In other words, her system is failing” I said. 
Stop
I kept silent, paused and some of the other groups from other clinical instructors before blinked looking at me. My group mates before looking at me smiled like proud brothers. 
“Very well,” Thorne said. 
“I’ll be assigning you to some of the patients here, some of you will be behaving pairs to one patient” he said. As he called some of my dury mates, I waited for my turn. Later on I was the only one who's not called. 
I looked at Thorne confused. “And you, Coffey, since you're the one who answered my question earlier, I'll give you the patience and see what's going on,” he said. 
He dismissed some of my dutymayes to go to their assigned area as Thorne accompanied me to a room with only one patient. 
She was lying down, isolated from the other patients. According to her documents she only has a magic fever yet, she's weak as her skin was pale as if veins were visible. 
“Magic Fever?” I asked confused, yet something inside me was telling me that it's not. 
“I know what you're thinking, my diagnosis is anemia or you call it, crimson drain. Anyway it's your task to find out” he said. 
I looked at her and looked at Thorne, I can't say no but I know that this will be complicated. 
“You'll do great, if you need me just come into my office. Alright?” his voice softened. 
I nodded in response, he walked away leaving me outside the patient's room. I sighed as I grabbed my equipment as I went inside. 
I went to her and introduced myself as I checked her pulse and breathing, I also checked a few physical assessments as I noted it. 
“How are you feeling, Miss Dale?” I asked, smiling. He looked at me, her eyes still widened reddish, she turned to me slowly, I suddenly feel nervousness towards me. 
“There’s no need to check on me, doctor. It’s written—I only have a few days left,” she whispered, her eyes locking onto mine with a chilling intensity. Her voice trembled, as if she were speaking from a trance, or some drug-induced haze.
I fought to keep my composure. “Please, ma’am, don’t say that. Tell me where it hurts, so I can help you.”
Her lips curled into a knowing smile, and her eyes seemed to pierce right through me. “It’ll be too late,” she whispered again, as though the words were meant for someone else... or something else.
“Ma’am, there’s no such thing as ‘too late,’ if you just let me help you,” I said, my voice steady despite the unease crawling up my spine. She didn’t respond to my question, her eyes darting around the room as her murmurs grew frantic.
“Don’t... Don’t!” Her voice was strangled, almost a hiss, as she tilted her head sharply, irritation flashing across her face.
“Please… please… don’t!” She gasped again, her words slipping into a frantic panic, as if her grip on reality was slipping, her mind unraveling before me.
I was about to say something when a tattoo was engraved on his wrist and an eye—an unusual eye that made me so overwhelmed. 
Her screams got a little louder when someone pulled me away from her. 
“Stay back, who's your professor, didn't you know that she's off limits?” she asked. 
As they were about to tie her up with cloth, a strange long scar was from her back. 
“Wait!” I said. 
They stopped looking at me confused. “Hold her, please,” I said. 
“Ma’am, stay back. This patient is off-limits, and students are not going to assess her,” the man said, his voice cold with authority.
“I know, but I was assigned to do so. Please, hold her still—I need to see her!” I insisted, my stomach tight with both dread and curiosity.
“Ma’am, if you force this, I won’t hesitate to kick you out of this hospital. You’re just a student, and you don’t have the right to request this. Now leave, or I’ll—”
“Watch your mouth, Vincent,” a voice cut in, sharp and deadly. “If anyone’s getting kicked out, it’ll be you.”
The man was stunned , still holding the victim pale, an intense aura dominating the atmosphere. I looked behind me as I saw Thorne standing as his authoritative self yet he stands so tall glaring at the man. 
“Who the hell are you to badmouth my student?” he snapped, his tone razor-sharp and laced with venom.
“Sir, it was against the rules. I’m just looking out for her safety, nothing more,” he defended, his voice tight with urgency.
“Professor, I’ll—” I started, but he cut me off with a glare that stopped me dead in my tracks.
“You were assigned to assist every staff and student here, not to tear them down. Do your fucking job, or you won’t like what comes next.” His voice was low, threatening, each word dripping with warning.
The man named Vincent stayed silent. Thorne gave me a signal to proceed. As they held her down I gently removed her hospital gown. My breath hitched when my eyes fell on her back— a horrific, jagged ‘X’ carved deep into the skin. 
My heart quickened, a flash of memory crashing into my mind: the sound of terrified screams, gollowed by the crack sounds of whips in the air. 
I stumbled backwards my pulse raced as I bumped into a solid wall behind me. Startled, I whirled around, only to find Thorne standing there confused. 
“Coffey?” he called. 
I immediately looked at him. “Y-yes, I'm done” I answered. 
A few minutes later I was in the lounge for students, I was resting my head on the table dealing on what to do, my parient is for sure where abused. But I don't think that's the only reason why she's here, why did she developed with that kind of illness. 
I was scribbling in my notebook, I didn't realize I drew the similar tstroo with my parient on his wrist. 
“Hey Zai!” Arthur greeted. 
I didn't looked at him, I was looking at what I did as my hands voluntarily shaded my drawing. 
“You look down, something matter?” He asked again. 
I looked at him this time he's with the other groupmate from the other groups last time. “Not really, I was assigned to a patient the same from professor’s questions. I don't have any leads from it at the moment” I said.
“Except from, patient is suffering from physical abuse based by the ‘X’ mark on his back” I added and sighed. 
“Ohh, that's tough… But nice drawing tho” he smiled. 
“Why did you have that?” Shane, Arthur’s partner at the moment she look st my drawing confused. 
“It was my patient’s tattoos and surprisingly I can manage to draw” I said looking at her “Do you know what is it?” I asked. 
She nodded “That's the hex eye, it's usually the tattoo of some members from a hex cult” she replied at me. 
my brows furrowed. “What do they do?” I asked. 
“They're one of the brutal cults that I know. They forced some of their family to join but if they wont the member has the right to do anything about it” she said. A chill runs through me. 
“Okay… But I am not sure how that signifies her illness” I said still a little probelmatic. 
Shane was about to say something when we heard workers rushing towards the wards, I immediately stood up as I saw Thorne marching towards our direction.
“Move! New patients” he said as we immediately run towards them. The patients filled of injury along to their bodies, some of them were already unconscious, some if them were having broken bones and such. 
My body moved on its own, as I helped the staff what to do.The hospital was starting to get chaotic. Cries from the loved one outside the emergency room were outnumbered yet some of the medical teams came to help us. 
Cries, Screams of pain echoed. I managed to help one by one so that they'll be transferred into safety. Severe patients moved to the operating room, Thorne was with them doing the operation, we stayed as some doctors took over. 
Later, we managed to assist the patients one by one. Back in the lounge, some of my team collapsed to their knees, utterly drained. I was just as exhausted, my legs threatening to give out, but I couldn’t stop—not yet. Despite all the people I had helped today, there was one person I needed to prioritize.
“Patient in Room Five has lost control!” a frantic yell echoed from down the hall, cutting through the heavy silence. My heart clenched as I recognized the room.
Without hesitation, I bolted towards it.
“Zaira!” I heard Caden call out behind me, panic lacing his voice. I didn’t stop. Thorne wasn’t here. I couldn’t wait for him—not now, not when time was slipping away like sand through my fingers.
My patient, together with Vincent’s men, restrained her. She's lost in control, Vincent saw me with dissatisfaction. 
“What happened?!” I said, running towards her checking her. Her veins glowed in blue, she was screaming painfully as his skin was pale that I could see through her veins. 
Her skin clung tightly to her bones, every edge and line painfully visible, a ghostly reminder of how fragile she had become. Her hollow eyes locked onto mine, pleading silently, a depth of desperation I could hardly bear.
Then, in an instant, chaos erupted. Vincent and his team were shoved aside by an invisible force, their protests drowned out by the sudden frenzy. She lunged toward me with unnatural speed, her movements erratic and wild. Before I could react, she had me pinned to the floor, her sweat-drenched body trembling uncontrollably. Her breaths came in short, ragged gasps, her strength both alarming and inexplicable.
I heard a loud slam on the door, my heart quickened as my body numbed—I haven't seen anything like this. I looked at her with unnatural moments. I calm myself, looking her in the eyes. 
“Miss Dale, It's me, Zaira your doctor” I said with my calm voice, trying to give him comfort. 
“Help… Me” she pleaded, and with a struck moment. She yelled again curling beside me in pain. 
I immediately sprang to my feet and rushed to her side. My eyes caught something unusual on her abdomen—a strange, intricate figure etched into her skin, pulsating faintly as if alive.
She screamed, her cries raw and piercing, echoing through the room. My breath hitched as I noticed the figure beginning to shrink, its edges fading into her flesh. At the same time, her veins began to glow, their eerie light pulsing in rhythm with her labored breaths.
The color of her skin drained further, leaving her even paler, as if the very essence of her life was being siphoned away.
That thing should be removed.
I immediately restrained her, keeping her from thrashing too wildly, and reached for the syringe. My hands trembled, but I couldn't hesitate. With precision, I injected her, watching as the sedative took effect, her struggling subsiding into weak whimpers. My chest heaved, my breaths ragged.
I knew what I'd just done—administering a sedative without Thorne’s approval. I was dead.
The door burst open with a deafening slam.
“Coffey!”
Thorne’s voice thundered through the room, equal parts shock and fury. His gaze swept over the chaos—Vincent’s men unconscious on the floor, Vincent groaning as he regained consciousness, and the patient on the bed, pale and barely hanging on.
“Are you alright?!” he barked, his sharp tone laced with genuine concern.
“Professor, she needs surgery!” I blurted, my voice urgent as I met his fierce stare.
“What? Coffey—did you inject her without—”
“Yes!” I interrupted, desperate to be heard. “Please, just listen to me!”
His jaw tightened as he fell silent, his eyes boring into mine.
“She’s under the influence of a black magic artifact,” I explained, my voice trembling but firm. “Someone abused her—they made her swallow it. It’s draining her system. If we don’t act now, she’ll die.”
Thorne narrowed his eyes. “Coffey, a magic artifact? That’s—”
I didn’t wait for him to finish. Grabbing the edge of the patient’s gown, I exposed the unusual markings on her abdomen. The artifact, faintly glowing beneath her skin, pulsed like a living thing.
Thorne froze, his usual composure faltering as he took in the sight.
“I know I overstepped,” I said, my voice breaking. “But if we don’t get her into surgery now, she won’t survive. Punish me later, just—please, Professor.”
A heavy silence hung between us before he let out a sharp sigh
“Keegan, tell the operating team to prepare,” he ordered, his voice steady.
Relief washed over me as Caden dashed out of the room. Thorne turned to leave, but stopped abruptly at the doorway.
“Let’s go, Coffey,” he said without looking back.
I blinked, startled. “Y-you want me to help?”
“She’s your patient, isn’t she?” He turned, his expression softening just enough to surprise me.
“Yes, Professor,” I managed, still stunned.
“Then come along,” he said, his tone gentle but firm. “You don’t want to miss your first operation.”
I swallowed hard, determination replacing my earlier fear. This was my chance to prove myself, and I wasn’t going to waste it.
Blue tinted light illuminated the room casting an ethereal glow on the gleaming on the instruments. I stood at the far end, gloved and masked, my pulse echoed in my ears. Thorne's voice cut through the tension steady and commanding as he barked for orders. 
“Scalpel. Steady, everyone” he said, I could feel him gazing at me as I started to calm myself. “Coffey, Focus. This isn't just a surgery” 
I nodded, gripping the tools tighter, but the sight before me made my breath hitch. The eyes of my comrades were looking at me supporting me. The artifact beneath her skin glimmered faintly, its dark veins stretching out like cracks. It was alive pulsing in defiance, resisting it to be removed
“Coffey” Thorne’s voice echoed in my ear, snapping me from a trace. “Are you ready?” 
“Yes, professor” I replied, through the weight of the task. 
He handed me a small enchanted scalpel, its blade glowing faintly with a spell. “You make the first incision. It's your patient—lead this” 
The room seemed to fall silent, every eye on me. My hands trembled but I forced them to keep it steady. The blade touched her skin and the artificant reacted violently. Dark energy shot out rattling the ward. The patient convulsed slightly. I froze. 
“Don't hesitate!” Thorne backed, his voice pulled me back to focus. 
I pushed forward, cutting just enough to see the artifact. It was a distorted, twisted shard of obsidian embedded deep, its surface etched with runes pulsating ominously. Sweat dripped on my brows as I reached the forceps. 
“She's destabilizing!” Caden shouted from the monitor. Her heart rate spiked erratically. 
“Hold her steady” he barked “Coffey, extract it now or we lose her!” Thorne exclaimed sharply. 
I gritted my teeth, plunging the enchanted forceps towards the shard. It wasn't just magic—It was a curse alive and resisting. My vision blurred as I heard whispers, taunts from the artificant. 
“Focus Coffey” Thorne's voice cut through like a blade. 
I gripped the shard tighter, ignoring the agony. With a final pull, it came free screaming as if it was alive. Black smoke curled out, disintegrating under the room’s enchanted ward. 
The patient's body relaxed, her breathing stabilizing almost instantly. I stood there, panting, the artifact still clutched the forceps. It felt heavier than it should, as through it carried the weight of every dark deed it was witnessed. 
Thorne stepped forward with his gloved hand. He took the artifact from me as he looked at me. I could see that his eyes softened, and for the first time there's a glint of pride in those eyes. 
“You've done well” he said, his voice soft, I could hear my comrades laugh and sighed in relief. I looked at them smiling still. Caden gave me a thumbs up and I nodded back. I turned my focus to the patient who's laying still. 
“The patient is stable,” Caden said, which gave me a hint of relief. But just as the relief was about to settle over the room, the heart monitor let out a sharp, jarring beep. Then another. Her breath hitched and her body began to convulse violently. 
“No,” I whispered, rushing back to her side. “No, no, no, stay with me!” 
Thorne moved quickly, his hands steady as he barked at the team for orders. “Stabilize her now!” 
“We're losing her!” Caden shouted and panic filled his voice. 
I frantically worked beside Thorne, my heart pounding as we tried everything to save her. Enchanted syringes, spells for stabilization—nothing was working. Her body was failing, breaking under the strain it had endured. The artifact was gone, but the damage it left behind was too much.
Her skin grew pale—too pale—and her breathing slowed to a whisper. Her eyes, once pleading and full of pain, stared blankly at the ceiling. The monitor let out a single, piercing tone.
“No!” I yelled, I was gently shaking her as if that would bring her back. “Please, wake up!” 
“Please…” I kept pleading. I look around trying what to do. Trying to think straight for other ways to save her. 
This is not her end! This is not her end! 
Thorne placed a hand on my shoulder, his grip yet firm yet grounding. “Coffey” he called his voice soft, low and heavy. 
I looked up at him, tears started to stream down my face. “We were so close, she was okay, where did—” my voice cracked. “Where did I go wrong, I thought I'd be saving her” 
“You gave her the best chance anyone could,” he said gently. “No one else would have come this close. You fought for her when no one else knew how.” 
His words weren’t enough to stop the ache in my chest, but they kept me upright as the weight of the moment threatened to crush me.
I stepped back, my trembling hands still gloved, stained with the traces of a battle I thought I’d won. Her lifeless form lay still on the table, the veins that once glowed now dim and empty.
As the team silently began to clean up, Thorne spoke again, his tone softer. “Coffey, go take a moment. You’ve done more than enough today.”
I looked down at her one last time, the weight of it all pressing down on me. I went to a nearby rest room as my body suddenly collapsed, curling seeking comfort.