The Boundless Prophecy

Chapter 1 (1.10(b) Venretin? Not Venretin)

The magical solution, once confined to textbooks, now stood before him. It felt akin to a character from folklore coming to life in the very room. Wallace had never anticipated encountering this substance, considering his focus had primarily shifted to surgery in recent times.

Trento motioned for Wallace and Voss to gather around the patients, recognizing their qualification to perform the excision. Benito, swift and efficient, delicately unwrapped the bandages encircling the patient's head. As the bindings loosened, a more repulsive, blackish fluid oozed forth. Wallace fought off a queasy sensation, the rancid odors assaulting every nook of his nostrils.

Caren stepped back after placing the tray on the bed. While Wallace and Voss deliberated on the optimal area of the wound for examination, she swiftly moved to the bedside, pressing her fingers against Ronan's wrists. This pulse assessment wasn't for diagnosis but to gauge the time left for the procedure.

"I believe time's running short," Caren commented after a brief thirty-second check. Wallace, deeply engrossed in discussion with Voss, hadn't noticed Caren's monitoring of Ronan's pulse. Startled by her worried expression, he straightened up, troubled by her demeanour.

Maintaining her grip on Ronan's wrists, Caren pursed her lips, her expression grave. "I may not match your expertise in pulse reading, but this is quite evident." She shook her head, her distress evident.

Wallace comprehended Caren's implication instantly. It seemed mere minutes remained before they could lose this patient.

With a swift motion, Wallace seized the scalpel from the tray, mentally outlining the excision's parameters. Despite the mounting time pressure, his hands remained resolutely steady.

To Wallace's astonishment, the scalpel slipped from his grasp, finding itself in Voss's hand. Voss's deep, resonant voice echoed through the air, "This is my patient. I'll handle it."

Wallace felt visibly irked by Voss's abrupt seizure of the scalpel, rendering him momentarily baffled and speechless as Voss began working on the wound.

Trento and even Hoshiko angled their heads to get a clearer view of the wound, pretending as if they hadn't witnessed the unexpected exchange. Voss proceeded without explanation, focusing solely on the task at hand. Meanwhile, Caren released Ronan's wrists and observed Voss's excision, attempting to brush off the tense atmosphere.

Using forceps, Voss extracted a portion of the brain tissue, swiftly manoeuvring the scalpel through the tissue, separating a piece with remarkable speed. Benito positioned the copper container for Voss, receiving the specimen before passing the container to Hoshiko.

Unfazed by the lack of commentary or objections, Hoshiko swiftly claimed the container, striding purposefully toward the smaller examination room adjacent to the old Revivify Wing. Wallace had previously noticed this modestly equipped room near the unit's entrance. While its equipment might not match the comprehensive setup on the second floor, Wallace trusted that the dean had ensured its functionality.

Hoshiko proceeded into the compact examination space, immediately commencing work on the specimen.

Meanwhile, Benito swiftly moved to her counter, retrieving the carefully poured solution. Laurana, engrossed in patient reports, periodically glanced at the patients, ensuring their stability amid the procedure's concentration.

Approaching Ronan's bedside with the small mug containing the golden solution, Benito confirmed Wallace's speculation, her tone laden with urgency, "This is Venretin. The current supply in our cupboard won't last beyond tomorrow."

She positioned the small mug near Ronan's lips, allowing the Venretin to trickle slowly into his mouth and down his throat.

Wallace harbored a faint hope, yearning for some instantaneous miracle as he witnessed the Venretin infiltrate Ronan's system, akin to the sudden vanishing act of a magical elixir. Yet, to his dismay, whatever miracle was unfolding remained imperceptible to the naked eye.