Immortal Healer: Immortal Stonekeeper Prequel (2025) Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Open Wounds

Read chapter 24 of Immortal Healer: Immortal Stonekeeper Prequel (2025) by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

The trip back to London was uneventful, to say the least. Lucy could only offer a few words of condolences before hurriedly leaving, just in case someone saw her in her monstrous form. Duncan, on the other hand, simply opened a portal back to Hiroshima’s Ghost Market. Everything else was pretty much a blur. Buying the tickets, waiting for the train, ignoring the unconventional-looking passengers… It felt almost routine by now. Hilda spoke as much as a smothered hamster throughout the ride, and wasted no time burying herself in her medical books the moment she boarded the Witch’s Train. Meanwhile, Duncan couldn’t muster enough energy to think or do anything other than deal with their immediate needs. Every other thought was burned away, replaced by a stinging numbness. They reached the empty mansion earlier than expected despite taking a taxi instead of Duncan’s portals. He was too wrapped in his thoughts to notice the time passing. Hilda, on the other hand, only continued reading. Clouds swept overhead, obscuring the light from the moon and stars. A chilly breeze cut through the air, rustling the leaves of the giant oak tree in the middle of the mansion. Duncan took a moment to appreciate it while Hilda made her way upstairs on her own. Had it always looked this weary? There were dead branches littered around the tree, and fungi were growing at its base. It took Duncan another moment to notice the deep gashes on its trunk, barely noticeable from far but painfully obvious up close. He made his way to Hilda’s room as well, but paused just outside the door. What more business did he have here? It was over; they had won. Both Miguel and Kubo were dead. The Second World War was almost over. And knowing how governments operated, Kubo’s monsters would be simply treated as some form of mass hallucination. So it had to be over. After all, they had won. Right? Duncan pushed open the door anyway. If he was going to disappear from the world again, he wanted to at least make sure Hilda was alright before he left. Sure enough, Hilda was at her table, reading her medical books again. Her bag was barely unpacked, and all that she had taken out were her books. Duncan put his hand in his coat pocket, touching a marble that he had used to magically contain Yuri’s corpse. The idea was for Hilda and him to bury her as a final send-off, but the girl didn’t exactly look like she was in the mood to do so. So Duncan stood silently at the doorway and waited for her to be finished with her reading. After all, he had plenty of patience. It didn’t take long before he noticed how wet the medical book was. Hilda barely flinched at the handkerchief offered to her. Her eyes were puffy, and the book she was holding looked like it had been dipped in a river for a full hour. She tilted her head, looking up at Duncan before taking the handkerchief. “It hurts…” Her voice was choked from all the silent sobbing. “These books… they were supposed to make me happy, but… but—” “When a patient is wounded, the bleeding must needs be staunched. Or he will die in no time. This —” Duncan reached over and closed the book gently. “—is no tourniquet. This, right now, is but a distraction.” “This is all my fault—” “No—” “But it is!” Hilda insisted, slumping on her chair. “If only I’d just listened to mother— If only I’d just listened to you! None of this would’ve happened if I’d just listened and stayed home. Mind my own business, leave the world to its own devices… But no! I just had to leave the house, all for some… stupid sense of justice! And now… I have no one left. What even is the point of living in this world if I’m always going to be left alone?” Duncan held her close and felt the small pair of hands squeeze him back tightly. The girl bawled this time, trembling with every choked sob. “Not all consequences are a result of your actions.” He patted her head gently. “This is no punishment, lass.” “Sometimes, I just wish I could ride away from everything. Just get on a trai