NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82: Lesson in healing 2
Before my eyes, Astraya began to glow faintly. Her minor scratches vanished, her slow breathing regulated, and the color returned to her cheeks. She appeared to be completely healed and stable.
This was indeed interesting. I particularly thought this method was best useful if you were unable to properly flow mana through to heal. But how could they heal complex or more serious injuries? That would really be the true test, I thought.
"Incredible!" I thought. I wondered about the reasoning behind this method of healing. My mother never used anything like this; she just flowed her mana directly into us. But then again, they did say every kingdom had its own form of healing. What were the advantages of this system?
Now that Astraya was stable, I had my chance to ask.
But before I could speak, the Earth specialist replied, "Unfortunately, she would need to get a lot of rest."
I seized the opportunity. "I presume it's because of the mana rush? What exactly is that?"
He nodded. "It's a state where a mage releases mana more than the body can actually handle, creating a type of sensory nullification where all side effects are null until it wears off."
Hmm. Sounds like an adrenaline rush to me, but not quite similar, I thought. This was getting interesting.
He continued, facing Astraya, asking if she was okay.
"Yeah, sir, much better," she replied. He looked genuinely impressed that she didn't feel tired yet, but he cautioned her, "You may not feel it now, but your body will need to rest. If only we had a Red Mana type here among the cloaks, concern about your stamina and rest wouldn't be a problem for you."
"Wait, that means…" I turned to the man. "So not everyone can heal or become a healer?"
The pierced lady continued, "To be a healer, you must have the capacity to control mana on a very intricate level one that doesn't cause you to drain yourself out or destroy another person's mana channels. The more you and that person don't have similar core types, the more risky it is to heal."
The brown-haired lady could see the stack of questions in our eyes.
"First, as an Atherhall healer, we are trained in the arts that state: Every Wound has a Form," she began. "Wounds—injuries, cuts, whatever you want to call them—cause damage to the body, mind, and soul. Some cuts may have healed physically, but the damage remains in other realms. Many kingdoms don't concern themselves with those invisible wounds, believing the mage is healthy. But what about the rest of the damage? This lingering damage continues to affect the mage or person."
She looked pointedly at us. "Our method treats the body, mind, and soul. You'll soon learn about curses, things beyond the physical that's why we practice this method, Conceptual Healing. Wounds exist in this material world and the transparent, spiritual world, which is why they have the names or words you heard us speak earlier. Therefore, as a healer, you must first perceive what Form the wound embodies in the person's body."
She then stared at Astraya. "Your sister's bruises may have been physical, but she was also bruised due to fear—the fear of maybe losing the people she cares about, you and your father. I'm sure she doesn't feel that fear toward Rose as strongly as before, but nonetheless, wounds, injuries, and scars are complex facts of life. We try as much as possible to be the perfect healers. That is the Atherhall way."
Wow, this was truly something worth learning, I thought to myself. I still had trouble sleeping due to that demon; it felt like it could pop up out of nowhere. Could I be healed from that also? If I presented myself and told them… no, too risky. I still had that twin problem, and how would they know exactly what to heal?
She chuckled lightly, clearly amused by how lost in thought we were—especially me.
"But don't worry. Astraya will learn all of it soon enough. Unless…" She tilted her head playfully. "You'd like to come with us too?"
I wish, I thought. But I haven't even met my useless bodyguard yet. Are all Elves like this, or is mine just a special brand of disappointment?
Seeing our confusion deepen, she lifted her hands in surrender, smiling.
"Alright, alright. Let me give you the basics," she said, glancing at her colleagues for support. "From what I can tell, you want to understand what types of injuries each mana affinity handles best, yes?"
She began ticking points on her fingers.
"If you're talking stamina, vitality, or jump-starting someone who's burnt out—that's Red Mana territory. Fire energizes."
"For fever, purification, toxins, and internal regulation," she gestured toward the pierced woman, "that's Blue Mana. Water cools, cleanses, restores fluids."
"For muscle and bone regeneration, structural repair, connective tissues… anything that needs rebuilding?" She nodded at the Earth healer. "Green Mana strengthens and regrows."
"And White Mana—Wind" she tapped her chest lightly, "is about circulation and breath. Moving air and energy through the body, clearing blockages, stabilizing shock, oxygen, mana flow."
She lifted her brow at us with a faint smirk.
"In simple terms? Fire wakes you up. Water clears you out. Earth rebuilds you. Wind keeps everything moving."
"Now, about those strange phrases we used," the man said, preparing to explain their three-body healing philosophy.
He continued, "The way we heal works on three main foundations that mana manipulation follows. It is the 'I am [form], [action], [effect]' structure. As healers, we must understand the core of Conceptual Intent Healing, as mana works best at interpreting the caster's intent but only if it's done right."
"Unlike the common method of Direct Healing where the healer channels mana directly into the person and heals through pure thought Conceptual Intent is much safer and more structured. But it can be much more complex the deeper you go."
The pierced lady took over, her expression solemn. "As he said, mana follows intent. Raw mana is just energy. But a declaration like the one we just made forces the mana to assume a conceptual counter to the wound's Form, turning that energy into a spell and thereby healing the person in need."
Then, a tone of authority cut through the air. It could only be one person.
"What's taking so long over there?" Lord Zedd called out, his voice even but carrying effortlessly through the tense street.
The three healers straightened at once. They offered us a final, reassuring smile the brown-haired woman mouthing, "Rest, Astraya! And nice meeting you, Astraga. Take care of your sister now, champ!" before hurrying back to their post.
All eyes turned toward the approaching royal. This was it. I knew they'd discussed enough, and he was here to take Astraya and begin mentoring her. But seeing him approach was intimidating.