New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Inside an office, on the top floor of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham, a doctor was looking at test results for a full check-up. On the tests, a name was written at the top.

*Patient name: Winston Owen Jr.*

Bloodworks: Normal

CT Scan: Normal

Genetic Markers: Standard

Bone Marrow: Normal

“This makes no sense.”

The doctor had an incredulous look on his face. In general, he would be happy that all these results came back normal.

But the patient in question was suffering from an incurable genetic disease. But now, even the genetic markers of it were gone.

It was like his body had reset to a normal state, after being ravaged by the illness for all his life. He should be happy about this, for his patient.

But instead, he was stumped. The doctor had never treated Winston intending to rid him of the illness.

There was an experimental cure in the works, but that was still in the lab testing phase. All he ever did for the kid was make sure he stayed healthy and alive, at least until treatments could be invented.

“There has to be a reason. A genetic disorder doesn’t just vanish!”

He was wracking his brain with this. If he could find what had changed, and what made Winston suddenly heal from this, he could replicate it, and possibly become world famous. 𝚍ｏ𝚟𝚕.ｏｒｇ

He grabbed his phone rapidly, tapping the direct-line button to his secretary.

“Yes, Doctor Jones?”

“Call the Owens and set an appointment with them as soon as possible. I need to run a new set of tests on their son.”

“Alright, doc. You have a busy week this week. Should I set them for next week?”

“Cancel any appointment at the time that best suits them as soon as possible. I don’t care about the other patients right now. The Owen child is my new immediate priority.”

“On it, sir.”

The call was made within seconds of her talking to the doctor, and within minutes, she had cancelled another appointment to set them in. If her boss told her to spit in the prime minister’s child’s face, she would.

Finding an easy-going job like hers, with pay and benefits like she had, was like finding a pearl in the ocean.

‘I wonder what has made him so high-strung. Did he make a breakthrough in his research?’

***

In Korea, a young woman by the name of Jin-Sil, was currently in her backyard, bow in hand. She was in a state of hyper-focus, her eyes closed, the bowstring taut, almost as if the world around her had stopped.

She was listening to the sound of the wind, blowing through the grass, and the birds, chirping in the trees. Every little sound was like an echo in her mind.

This girl, was currently one of the strongest archers in New Eden, gamer tag Athena Woodland.

Summer break was just around the corner for her, and the plum tree in her yard was filled with ripe fruit, about to fall at any moment.

Jin-sil kept her attention on sound only, shutting out any other sensory input. Because of this, she didn’t see her father come into the yard, although she heard his footsteps.

But as the man was about to talk to her, Jin-sil suddenly snapped her bow to the opposite side of him, toward the plum tree. Releasing the bowstring, an arrow left it with great speed.

The father was slightly stunned at her swift movements. He hadn’t seen his daughter with a bow in hand for so long; he had almost forgotten she used to wield them.

Hearing a thunk in the plum tree, her father turned his head to look. Embedded in the trunk, the arrow she had fired, with a plum fruit on the shaft, dead center.

Looking back at his daughter, he noticed her eyes were closed. He couldn’t believe she had shot with her eyes closed, as that was impossible.

So he stood there, waiting for her to shoot another arrow. Jin-sil pulled another arrow from the quiver on her back, which her father found weird.

He had seen her in competitions, and her quiver was always at her side, not on her back. But he said nothing and watched.

As she nocked her arrow, and pulled the string, she heard a small snap, toward the plum tree again, and her bow moved fast as lightning. Releasing the arrow, it flew true, and another arrow with a plum fruit on its shaft, this time embedded itself in their yard’s wooden fence.

A smile found its way on her lips, and unbeknownst to her, on her father’s lips too. But the man wanted to see more.

He grabbed a pebble on the ground and threw it at his daughter, aiming for her midsection. He was expecting it to hit, breaking her concentration.

But that wasn’t what happened. Jin-sil, heard the whistle of the stone coming at her, and where it came from, and didn’t hesitate. She backflipped away from her position, drawing another arrow from her quiver.

As she landed, she released the now-nocked arrow, and it flew straight at the pebble. The semi-blunt arrowhead shattered the small stone, before thinking in the wooden pillar, barely a few inches away from her father.

The man’s face paled.

“How dare you fire at me! You could have injured me, you unfilial daughter of mine!”

The man’s face was contorted in a mix of rage and fear. But just as he stepped forward to teach his daughter a lesson, she nocked another arrow.

“Don’t, Father. You attacked me, and I defended myself. Let’s end it like this.”

The arrow pointed at the older man instantly killed his rage, replacing it with fear and hurt pride.

“You dare speak back to me?! Go to your room and don’t come out for a few days!”

Jin-sil didn’t make him ask twice. She grabbed her stuff and headed to her room.

She would rather be locked there, than have to listen to her mother’s lecture about talking back to her father. Or worse, have her father ‘Discipline’ her.

She thought her father would be proud that she took up the bow again, but it seemed his pride was of more importance than her happiness, as always.

‘I can’t wait to be back inside New Eden.’