Chapter 1057: Veterinary Malpractice

Chapter 1057 – Veterinary Malpractice

Lux stared at the orange cat lying against his shoe like a defeated tiny warrior who had spent all nine lives fighting a war, lost seven, misplaced one, and was now trying to file a complaint about the remaining one.

The cat was breathing.

Barely.

Its dusty orange fur moved in shallow rises. Its ears twitched once, then fell flat. Its paws were dirty, small claws half-extended against Lux’s shoe like it had tried to grab him before passing out.

Lux bent down.

He slipped one hand beneath the cat’s tiny body and lifted it.

Naomi watched his face change.

Lux did not suddenly become soft in the obvious way. He did not gasp or panic. But his eyes narrowed with focused gentleness, and his fingers adjusted with ridiculous care around the fragile creature. He cradled the cat against his chest as if handling a wounded soldier.

Naomi stood. "What happened? Did the earthquake injure him?"

Lux blinked.

Then looked at the cat.

Then, with completely inappropriate calm, he lifted the cat slightly.

"It’s a she."

Naomi stared at him.

Adrian also stared at him.

Lux, as if this was very important medical evidence, gently lifted the orange cat like a trophy and angled her body just enough to inspect. "She is a female cat."

Naomi’s expression went beautifully dead. "Even the cat is female."

Lux nodded with solemn acceptance and cradled the cat against his chest again. "I have something for all female creatures."

Naomi closed her eyes. "Lux."

"What?"

"That is not a sentence you should say in front of my father."

Adrian, who had spent the last several minutes watching his ancestral tower collapse, a sorcerer statue turn to dust, a mysterious soul fly into the bushes, and now a demon prince check a cat’s gender with professional seriousness, looked like his soul had quietly stepped out for air.

Lux looked at him. "I said creatures."

"That did not improve it," Naomi said.

Lux adjusted the cat closer to his chest. "She is injured."

Naomi’s irritation vanished instantly. "We need to bring her to a vet doctor."

"Yes," Lux said.

But then he paused.

Something pulsed beneath his fingers.

Not the cat’s heartbeat.

Something deeper.

A small ember hidden under fragile flesh. Old. Bright. Unstable. Not demonic exactly, but not normal either. The little body was weak, but the presence inside it...

Lux’s eyes sharpened. "This is not a normal cat."

Naomi froze. "What do you mean?"

Lux looked down at the unconscious orange cat. "System."

The interface flared open beside him, dark-gold light folding itself into a small panel.

[Entity Analysis Initiated]

[Target: Orange Cat]

[Species: Felis catus]

[Biological Status: Severely Weakened]

[Injuries: Minor External Abrasions / Mana Shock / Soul Displacement Stress]

[Age: Approximately 1 Year]

[Gender: Female]

[Anomaly Detected]

[Soul Signature: Foreign Occupation]

[Original Soul: Dormant / Displaced but Not Destroyed]

[Dominant Soul: Recently Released Ancient Sorcerer]

[Compatibility: Unstable]

[Current Risk: Vessel Collapse If Mana Surges]

[Commentary: Congratulations. The tower became a cat. This is not standard architecture.]

Naomi and Lux exchanged glances.

Adrian slowly raised one hand and rubbed his forehead. "No," Adrian muttered. "No, absolutely not."

Lux looked at him. "You saw the panel."

"I refuse the panel."

"The panel is not dependent on your approval."

Naomi moved closer, eyes fixed on the cat. "So... the sorcerer took over this cat’s body?"

"Seems like it."

Naomi’s face softened with worry. "Is the real cat still inside?"

Lux’s expression became more serious. "Dormant. Displaced, but not destroyed."

"That does not sound good enough."

"No," Lux admitted. "It does not."

The cat’s ear twitched weakly.

A tiny rumble moved through her chest, not a purr, more like an exhausted growl that had lost its audience.

Lux looked down. "Still angry."

Naomi gave him a sharp look. "Can you heal her?"

Lux hesitated. And that hesitation made Naomi more nervous than any confident answer could have.

"I never healed an animal before," Lux said.

Adrian stared at him. "You are saying that now?"

"I mostly deal with demons, angels, ancient beings, corrupted cores, and occasionally emotionally unstable billionaires."

Naomi deadpanned, "Emotionally unstable billionaires?"

Lux glanced at Adrian.

Adrian’s face darkened.

Lux looked back at the cat. "Case study ongoing."

Naomi sighed. "Lux."

He lifted one finger. "Also, if I heal her carelessly, I might turn her demonic."

Naomi’s eyes widened. "You might what?"

"Not intentionally." Lux looked down at the cat and softened his tone. "I will not be careless."

The field was still full of broken tower dust. Cracked stone surrounded them in a wide circle. The foundation where the tower had stood looked like a wound in the earth. The air smelled of old magic, shattered mineral, and the strange metallic sweetness of absorbed curse residue.

Not exactly a clean treatment room.

But the cat was too weak to wait.

Lux inhaled slowly.

Then lowered his hand over the small orange body.

"Dark Healing."

Black-gold light poured from his palm.

Naomi held her breath.

The magic touched the cat gently at first. It spread across the dusty fur, seeping into scratches, easing torn skin, stabilizing the shaking muscles. The cat’s breathing steadied slightly. Her paws relaxed. A faint pulse of ancient white light flickered beneath the orange fur, then dimmed.

Lux narrowed his eyes and reduced the output further.

A cat was not a demon.

Too much power and the vessel would break.

Too little and she might fade.

His Dark Healing wrapped around the body, repairing what could be repaired, smoothing the shock damage, forcing the cat’s heart into a stronger rhythm.

The system panel updated.

[Dark Healing Applied]

[External Injuries: Closed]

[Mana Shock: Reduced]

[Vessel Stability: 57%]

[Soul Conflict: Unresolved]

[Status: Unconscious]

[Recommendation: Specialist Required]

[Commentary: You did not turn the cat into a demon. A successful day for veterinary malpractice.]

Lux exhaled.

The glow faded.

The cat remained limp in his arms, but her breathing was better now.

Naomi stepped closer. "She’s still weak."

"We need to bring her to Ely."

Naomi nodded immediately. "I agree."

Adrian looked between them. Then looked at the ruins.