Chapter 53: Life Partner

"What do you mean?"

Evan stared coldly at the doctor after being briefed about his condition.

"Your body has been taking a lot of damage lately, especially with the recent Rampages. Your nervous system and energy pathways haven’t had enough time to recover before you’ve been forced into another battle."

The doctor glanced down at the medical report in his hands.

"You’ve already experienced multiple Rampages within a very short period. Even for an SSS-rank Sentinel, that’s extremely dangerous."

Evan’s expression remained unchanged. "How dangerous?"

The doctor hesitated. "If you continue pushing your body like this, the damage may become permanent."

Evan’s eyes narrowed. "Permanent?"

"Yes." The doctor nodded. "Your body can recover from physical injuries, but repeated Rampages put a different kind of strain on you. Your energy circulation is becoming increasingly unstable, and your body is struggling to return to its normal state after each incident."

Evan remained silent.

The doctor continued carefully.

"You were fortunate this time. Your body sustained significant damage, but nothing that we can’t treat. However, if another Rampage happens before you’ve properly recovered..."

He paused. "It could be much worse."

Evan’s gaze lowered to the medical report. "How long?"

"At least a few weeks of proper rest." Evan immediately looked up. "A few weeks?"

"Yes."

"I don’t have that kind of time."

The doctor sighed. "I know you don’t like hearing that, Young Master Caesar, but your body doesn’t care how important your schedule is."

Evan’s expression darkened, "You’re asking a Sentinel to sit around doing nothing for weeks."

"I’m asking an injured Sentinel to stay alive long enough to keep being one."

Evan fell silent.

The doctor hesitated for a moment before looking at Evan again. "There is... one more thing you could consider."

Evan raised an eyebrow. "What?"

The doctor glanced at the report in his hands before clearing his throat. "I heard that you have a Fated Guide now."

Evan’s expression changed slightly. "Lumi?"

"Yes." The doctor looked somewhat uncomfortable. "Have you completed your Fated Bonding Ceremony?"

"No." Evan’s answer came without hesitation.

The doctor nodded slowly.

"I see." He seemed to consider his next words carefully. "Then... have you ever considered taking her as your life partner?"

Evan stared at him.

The doctor’s expression became slightly awkward under his gaze.

"I know, I know. As a doctor, this sounds ridiculous, and perhaps even a little superstitious, but there have been cases where Sentinels became more stable after forming a deeper bond with their Fated Guides."

Evan remained silent.

The doctor continued before he could dismiss the idea.

"I’m not saying marriage itself will magically cure your Rampages. There is no scientific evidence that simply becoming someone’s spouse will stabilize an SSS-rank Sentinel."

"Then why mention it?"

"Because your situation is unusual." The doctor placed the report down.

"Your Fated Guide has already managed to reach you during Rampage when other Guides couldn’t. From what I’ve been told, you’ve also responded unusually well to her presence."

Evan’s eyes narrowed.

"Unusually well?" His voice was flat. "By almost killing her?"

The doctor fell silent for a moment, "When you put it that way, it does sound rather bad."

Evan gave him a cold look.

The doctor cleared his throat and quickly continued.

"What I mean is that despite the severity of your Rampage, you eventually responded to her. Your power stopped escalating after she reached you, and you regained consciousness shortly afterward."

Evan’s expression remained dark. "She was unconscious for almost a day."

"I know."

"She suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries."

"I know."

"She nearly died."

The doctor sighed. "I know that too."

Evan looked away, his jaw tightening.

The doctor softened his voice, "I’m not saying what happened to her was acceptable. I’m saying that, medically speaking, the fact that she was able to reach you at all is unusual."

Evan remained silent.

"And that’s why I asked whether you’ve considered deepening your Fated Connection with her."

Evan’s gaze returned to him, "You mean the life-partner suggestion."

"Yes." The doctor hesitated before adding, "Again, I know it sounds like superstition. But if your Fated Connection is already behaving differently from a normal Sentinel-Guide connection, perhaps there is more to it than we’ve observed."

Evan’s eyes darkened slightly. He remembered the darkness of his mental space.

Lumi’s voice. Her ridiculous thoughts. The way she had walked toward him despite being terrified.

And the last thing he remembered before waking in the hospital was her blood.

He slowly looked down at his hands. "I don’t want her getting hurt again."

The doctor studied him quietly, "Then perhaps that’s another reason to consider it."

The doctor studied him for a moment before deciding not to say anything more.

He picked up the medical report and tucked it beneath his arm.

"Anyway, I’ve said what I needed to say. I’ll leave you to think about it."

He turned toward the door, but after taking two steps, he suddenly stopped.

Evan looked at him.

The doctor glanced back with a faint, amused smile. "Oh, and one last piece of advice."

"What?" He stared at the doctor, looking serious.

"If you really are considering making your Fated Guide your life partner..." He paused deliberately. "Try not to nearly kill her first."

Evan’s expression immediately turned cold.

The doctor laughed awkwardly and raised both hands. "I’m only saying! It would certainly make the courtship process much easier."

"Get out."

"Yes, yes. I’m going." The doctor quickly slipped out of the room before Evan could throw anything at him.

The door closed.

Silence returned.

Evan stared at it for several seconds.

Then his gaze slowly drifted toward the empty chair beside his bed.

For some reason, he could almost imagine Lumi sitting there, quietly watching him with those uncertain eyes.

His expression softened for the briefest moment, "Life partner?"

The words sounded strangely unfamiliar coming from his mouth.

And yet, for some reason, he couldn’t completely dismiss the thought as easily as he had expected.

Perhaps because part of him genuinely wanted to consider it.

But another part kept hearing his father’s words from earlier.

’If you had left her alone, perhaps her fate would have been better.’

Evan’s gaze darkened.

He couldn’t tell which thought was stronger anymore.

One side of him wanted Lumi to remain by his side.

The other wondered whether keeping her there would only bring her more suffering.

For the first time, Evan found himself caught somewhere in the middle, unable to decide whether becoming her life partner would protect her... or ruin her life even further.