Fragment
Auto-translated
On this day, the clinic seemed unusually bright. The surroundings seemed to play with new colors, while simultaneously retaining their familiar tones.
— You've got something stuck to your face, — Mira stated as a greeting. — Go wash up.
— These are called whiskers, — Ryohai demonstratively smoothed them. — You could say they're a souvenir specifically for you, haha.
His colleague looked at him as if he were an idiot and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
— Wash. Your. Face.
The Miran fell silent for a moment, a sort of irritated fatigue in his eyes.
— Don't worry, the boss is about to give me a dressing-down for being late anyway...
He proceeded to the door and grabbed the handle.
— Ryohai?
He turned around. Mira was looking at him with her usual sullen expression, but there was something new in her eyes now, something he had never seen before. Respect, mixed with regret.
— Good job surviving.
A shadow of a smile flickered across the girl's pale, frowning face.
Giving an indefinite grunt in response, the youth opened the door and entered his mentor's office.
Eisen was standing before his desk, leaning his hands on it and staring at a single point, thinking intensely about something, until the appearance of his student interrupted his thoughts.
— Ah, Ryohai, glad to see you. You're just in time. I've encountered some difficulties with one of the patients, and there's catastrophically no time to resolve the issue...
The doctor circled the room, gathering his things.
— Are you going somewhere?
— Exactly. An urgent call, so to speak. A difficult task lies ahead...
An unremarkable book with a worn cover fell from under the mentor's arm. It seemed the doctor didn't even notice. Recognizing it as his Elheim gift, Ryohai leaned down and picked up the volume, which had fallen open. Among the pages, he saw an inserted photograph from Ivain Scabiosa's collection titled "Fair Wind." In amazement, the boy hastily closed the book and placed it on the table. He hadn't expected to see something like this in his mentor's office... Apparently, everyone has their own outlet.
— Sounds quite intriguing. Would you share the details?
— Of course. I see no reason to hide it from you. Especially since it concerns you directly.
— Is that so? Well, I'm listening.
Eisen stopped and folded his arms behind his back, thoughtfully surveying his office.
— A request from Gungnir. Or a mission, if you prefer. Yes, I receive such things sometimes too... It's in the western forest. Something like a mass training session. By the way, you should be there as well. Veserod and Alessia are already waiting.
Taking the Elheim souvenir in his hands, the mentor carefully placed the book into the packed suitcase and snapped it shut.
— I thought you were leaving for somewhere far away...
— In a sense, that's true. You know, although medicine is an exact science and does not welcome the subjunctive mood, one can see truly strange things on the border between life and death. For example, just look at this.
Pulling back the curtain from the window, he invited his student to approach. Before him, Eir was performing a vulgar dance in a swimsuit and rabbit ears on her head; with one hand she held a pole, while with the other she elegantly, mysteriously, and alluringly twirled a bonsai in the air. Noticing that Ryohai was looking at her, she immediately blushed, her face almost becoming the same color as her hair. Stopping her dance, she threw the plant at the guy. He easily dodged, but the girl vanished in an instant. With an awkward laugh, the aristocrat placed his interior element back on the windowsill.
— What things does one not envision when one doesn't fully understand what one truly desires, right?
— ...
The guy stepped back. The logic of what was happening collapsed like a house of cards with every passing second. Eisen stopped smiling.
— Remember the question you need to solve?
— ...
His throat went dry. Now he remembered everything and understood everything. A black helplessness surged and filled his soul.
— Brothers... and sisters... Eir, Veserod... I must be with them...
The mentor's face changed, taking on a bewildered and sad look. Seeing him like this was not easy, and the stone on his heart became even heavier.
— Perhaps it's even better this way. There is nothing more terrible for a doctor than to be near loved ones in a moment of need and still find themselves unable to help.
— I must return...
Eisen sighed heavily and stepped away, disappearing somewhere into the depths of the room. From his desk, Detlef, prepared for the operation, stood up and raised his saber.
A quick check—the katana was not with him. Emerging from stealth, Karl chuckled and vanished behind the door.
A strike...
His vision went dark, a wave of pain pierced his body. It felt as if half his bones, if not more, had been broken at once. A long bloody imprint was traced on the cold stone of the sloping ledge. However, he was still alive, but the fall continued...
From behind the ajar door, Mira watched the events unfold, as usual eavesdropping on his conversation with Eisen. A gloating smirk played on her lips, but it was obviously fake. The haughty gaze, stuck like an unremovable mask, could not hide the shock and disbelief in her eyes.
The next impact finally shattered the clouded, damaged consciousness, leaving no chance. Death came instantly.
— You've got something stuck to your face, — Mira stated as a greeting. — Go wash up.
— These are called whiskers, — Ryohai demonstratively smoothed them. — You could say they're a souvenir specifically for you, haha.
His colleague looked at him as if he were an idiot and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
— Wash. Your. Face.
The Miran fell silent for a moment, a sort of irritated fatigue in his eyes.
— Don't worry, the boss is about to give me a dressing-down for being late anyway...
He proceeded to the door and grabbed the handle.
— Ryohai?
He turned around. Mira was looking at him with her usual sullen expression, but there was something new in her eyes now, something he had never seen before. Respect, mixed with regret.
— Good job surviving.
A shadow of a smile flickered across the girl's pale, frowning face.
Giving an indefinite grunt in response, the youth opened the door and entered his mentor's office.
Eisen was standing before his desk, leaning his hands on it and staring at a single point, thinking intensely about something, until the appearance of his student interrupted his thoughts.
— Ah, Ryohai, glad to see you. You're just in time. I've encountered some difficulties with one of the patients, and there's catastrophically no time to resolve the issue...
The doctor circled the room, gathering his things.
— Are you going somewhere?
— Exactly. An urgent call, so to speak. A difficult task lies ahead...
An unremarkable book with a worn cover fell from under the mentor's arm. It seemed the doctor didn't even notice. Recognizing it as his Elheim gift, Ryohai leaned down and picked up the volume, which had fallen open. Among the pages, he saw an inserted photograph from Ivain Scabiosa's collection titled "Fair Wind." In amazement, the boy hastily closed the book and placed it on the table. He hadn't expected to see something like this in his mentor's office... Apparently, everyone has their own outlet.
— Sounds quite intriguing. Would you share the details?
— Of course. I see no reason to hide it from you. Especially since it concerns you directly.
— Is that so? Well, I'm listening.
Eisen stopped and folded his arms behind his back, thoughtfully surveying his office.
— A request from Gungnir. Or a mission, if you prefer. Yes, I receive such things sometimes too... It's in the western forest. Something like a mass training session. By the way, you should be there as well. Veserod and Alessia are already waiting.
Taking the Elheim souvenir in his hands, the mentor carefully placed the book into the packed suitcase and snapped it shut.
— I thought you were leaving for somewhere far away...
— In a sense, that's true. You know, although medicine is an exact science and does not welcome the subjunctive mood, one can see truly strange things on the border between life and death. For example, just look at this.
Pulling back the curtain from the window, he invited his student to approach. Before him, Eir was performing a vulgar dance in a swimsuit and rabbit ears on her head; with one hand she held a pole, while with the other she elegantly, mysteriously, and alluringly twirled a bonsai in the air. Noticing that Ryohai was looking at her, she immediately blushed, her face almost becoming the same color as her hair. Stopping her dance, she threw the plant at the guy. He easily dodged, but the girl vanished in an instant. With an awkward laugh, the aristocrat placed his interior element back on the windowsill.
— What things does one not envision when one doesn't fully understand what one truly desires, right?
— ...
The guy stepped back. The logic of what was happening collapsed like a house of cards with every passing second. Eisen stopped smiling.
— Remember the question you need to solve?
— ...
His throat went dry. Now he remembered everything and understood everything. A black helplessness surged and filled his soul.
— Brothers... and sisters... Eir, Veserod... I must be with them...
The mentor's face changed, taking on a bewildered and sad look. Seeing him like this was not easy, and the stone on his heart became even heavier.
— Perhaps it's even better this way. There is nothing more terrible for a doctor than to be near loved ones in a moment of need and still find themselves unable to help.
— I must return...
Eisen sighed heavily and stepped away, disappearing somewhere into the depths of the room. From his desk, Detlef, prepared for the operation, stood up and raised his saber.
A quick check—the katana was not with him. Emerging from stealth, Karl chuckled and vanished behind the door.
A strike...
His vision went dark, a wave of pain pierced his body. It felt as if half his bones, if not more, had been broken at once. A long bloody imprint was traced on the cold stone of the sloping ledge. However, he was still alive, but the fall continued...
From behind the ajar door, Mira watched the events unfold, as usual eavesdropping on his conversation with Eisen. A gloating smirk played on her lips, but it was obviously fake. The haughty gaze, stuck like an unremovable mask, could not hide the shock and disbelief in her eyes.
The next impact finally shattered the clouded, damaged consciousness, leaving no chance. Death came instantly.