Chapter 208 - Intruder In The House Of Healing

Click—Clank.

The glass doors of Eldoria Hospital swung outward as an elderly homeless man stepped out. He adjusted a fraying flat over his thinning gray hair and casually walked along the perimeter wall, doing his best to blend into the scenery and mind his own business.

The courtyard and the surrounding streets were completely bustling with life. Because of the ongoing national tournament, people were constantly streaming to and from the medical facility. As the old man walked, the ambient chatter of the worried crowd washed over him.

"... I just hope the injured students will be alright."

"... Yeah. Especially Nichole Firestar and Ryan Sindelle... I heard from a friend that the internal trauma from yesterday’s matches was so severe, the Saintess had to step in."

"... Other reports say the healers are working around the clock. Everyone’s praying that Junior and Kiana will be fully restored in time for the tournament matches later this afternoon."

The old man kept his head down and subtly drifted away from the crowds. He rounded a sharp corner off the main road and navigated through a tight space until he reached the end of a dimly lit alleyway that ran along the blind side of the hospital.

Swallowed hard, he raised his trembling hands and nervously clapped twice in quick succession – clap, clap.

He paused for a second and clapped twice again – clap, clap.

Finally, after another brief second, he clapped one last time – clap.

He lowered his hands and waited in the terrifying silence as his heart pounded against his ribs.

".... –!!!"

"Don’t turn around," a low, dangerous voice rumbled directly into his ear. "Just answer me. So, what is it?"

*Gulp* "R-Room 509, s-sir..."

"509? That’s the very top floor, isn’t it?"

"Y-Yes, sir. Only the incredibly wealthy or those with a prestigious family name are admitted up there..."

"Ahh... Of course he’d be up there, huh?"

Before the old man could panic further, he felt a smooth, light weight drop into his coat pocket. An unmistakable golden glint reflected on his eye.

"There’s a little extra in there than what I originally promised you. Consider it a reward for being so quick with getting the info and not raising any suspicion."

"Thank you... thank you so much, sir. I can finally help my family get through the winter with this... I can buy the medicine–"

"We both know you don’t have any family Mr. Homeless-Man. Though, I do hope you better your life after this. Now scram."

The old man didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly walked away and exited the alleyway without looking back, completely vanishing into the wider city streets.

Once the oat was clear,Kurt calmly emerged from the shadows. He then left the alley and casually made his way in the direction of the hospital’s main entrance.

Click—Clank.

He entered through the glass doors and smoothly navigated the crowded lobby, sliding down into a vacant chair among the waiting visitors. Sitting back with his ankles crossed, he lazily scanned the arena of the lobby, looking for something specific.

’C’mon. It should be right around here somewhere....... Ah.’

His eye locked onto a hanging polished bronze sign that read: Staff Room. Restricted Access.

’Bingo.’

Kurt closed his single eye and took a measured breath as he reached deep into his core to grasp the fundamental anchor of his unique ability.

’Time is mine to control as I will it. Whatever shape you take, you’re mine for the taking.’

He opened his glowing blue eye, and whispered a single command under his resonate breath:

"Pause."

Instantly, a wave of silent energy rippled outward from his position. The vibrant world immediately slowed to a grinding halt as everything turned into a dull, monochromatic shade of gray.

The ambient noise of chattering voices, crying children, and scurrying footsteps vanished into a vacuum of dead silence.

Glancing slightly to his left, his eye landed on an elderly woman who had been in the middle of coughing into a handkerchief. Kurt observed her closely and realised that although she looked almost completely frozen, her chest was still moving at a painfully slow velocity – so slow that to any casual glance, it would look perfectly static.

’Yeah... that probably shouldn’t be happening. I said "pause", not "slow down". Looks like I’ve still got a long way to go before completely mastering this domain.’

Shaking off the thought, he stood up from the chair. He walked across the silent, gray lobby, navigating past the motionless forms of nurses and patients, and pushed open the door to the staff room.

Inside, the room was filled with several physicians and nurses completely frozen mid-action. As Kurt began looking around the lockers for what he needed, a sudden ache throbbed behind his temples. A warm droplet escaped his nostril, and his nose started to bleed as a wave of sudden weakness washed through his limbs.

He staggered and gripped the edge of a desk. It was the brutal aftereffects of the extreme strain he had forced his body through during his duel yesterday. He had not yet fully recovered.

"Damn it..."

He wiped the blood from his upper lip with the back of his sleeve and quickly searched the lockers. Finding what he was looking for, he pulled out a white doctor’s uniform and a sterile medical mask and quickly changed into them.

After he stepped back out into the corridor, he focused on the resonating word: "Resume."

The frozen world snapped back to life. However, the gray domain had not disappeared yet, meaning the spell was still eating away at his mana.

*Tsk*

Closing his eye for a brief second, he focused on a new command to fully sever the tether. He whispered the resonate word: "Cancel."

The lingering gray dissipated into nothingness, and the heavy drain on his mana completely stopped

’Alright.Room 509... here I come.’

Walking down the primary corridor, he passed by the mana-stone-powered elevators. Kurt barely gave them a glance, opting instead to take the service stairs right next to it.

And so, his steady ascent began.

...

By the time he reached the landing of the third floor, the sound of soft footsteps echoed from above. A senior doctor and a young nurse were seen coming down the stairs, reviewing a clipboard of patient charts.

Kurt kept his head down and his posture relaxed as he pulled a small notepad from his breast pocket.

When they crossed paths, the two medical staff politely nodded and greeted him. "Taking the stairs to avoid the rush too, huh?" the doctor asked with a weary smile.

"Yes. Excuse me, I’m in a bit of a hurry," he replied, keeping his voice altered as he walked past them toward the next flight.

"Wait," the female nurse suddenly called out from behind him.

Kurt turned his head just enough to acknowledge her.

The nurse looked up from her clipboard and offered a sympathetic look. "Are you headed up to the fifth floor right now?"

"... I am. Why?"

"Just thought I’d give you a quick heads up. There’s a whole bunch of stressed-out students lingering about up there. It’s a bit of a circus, so prepare yourself."

"I appreciate the warning. Thank you."

With their exchange finished, he continued his ascent.

Eventually he exited the door of the stairwell onto the fifth floor. As he walked down the quiet corridor, he immediately spotted the crowd the nurse had mentioned. A bunch of students were huddled together in a tight circle, completely blocking his view to the number on the door.

They were discussing amongst themselves in hushed, panicked whispers about whether or not they should actually go inside, each of them looking nervous and pale.

Kurt instantly recognized their uniforms. They were the Rivertonian student representatives – the very team that had been knocked out of the tournament yesterday.

"Excuse me. Would you guys kindly please move out of the way. This is a hospital, after all."

The students were startled at his authoritative voice. They then quickly shifted to the side to clear a path for the ’doctor’. As they moved, Kurt’s gaze swept past them and caught the bronze plaque mounted on the door. It read: Room 508.

Kurt gave the nervous students a courteous nod and walked straight past them, continuing down the isolated corridor.

Behind him, he heard Jason Campbell, the right hand of their captain, let out a frustrated sigh as he rubbed his face. "Look, we’re just being a complete nuisance standing out here like idiots. We should just go inside and face it."

Jason took a breath, turned the handle, and entered Room 508 first, the rest of his solemn teammates following closely behind him as the door clicked shut.

.....

Finally, after walking just a couple of paces, he reached his destination. The polished digits affixed to the plaque were unmistakable: Room 509.

A predatory smile spread across Kurt’s face beneath the safety of his medical mask. Without knocking, he stepped into the room. From within, a polite, slightly weary, but thoroughly relieved voice greeted the entering "doctor".

"Ah, doctor... thank goodness," the young man lying in the center of the massive medical bed murmured as his hands rested over his bandaged chest.

"The healing arts of the Saintess truly are a blessing... Honestly, after the way that F-rank struck me, I thought I was a dead man yesterday."

"Don’t worry," Kurt reached up and slowly wrapped his fingers around the edge of his medical mask, pulling it down to reveal his face. His single, piercing eye locked onto the patient with absolute malice. "We can still make that happen."

The color in the young man’s face drained until he looked like a corpse. His eyes widened to the point of tearing and his entire frame began to violently tremble against the pillows.

"H-Huh?! Y-You’re–!"

"Hello, Everett."