Shadows Over Arcadia Chapter 19: 19. I Can Fix You

Read chapter 19 of Shadows Over Arcadia by Zacheas on NovelPedia.

19. I Can Fix You I am Ren Drakemore, age 8, the unwanted second prince of Arcadia, the future King, and apparently, I am really bad at healing magic. https://shadowsoverarcadia.com/api/storage/objects/uploads/94d9f12d-768f-4ec3-a12d-51b487be4617 “What do you see?” Lady Muara asks patiently as we sit in one of the spotless white treatment rooms in the back of her apothecary. “She… has very little mana,” I say, squinting at the little girl perched on the treatment table, my eyes narrowing in concentration. It’s my first day as Lady Muara’s apprentice in healing magic, and it is not going well. I’ve been here for three hours and haven’t healed a single person. Muara told me right away that I wouldn’t be able to heal anyone until I first learned diagnostic magic. So all morning, I’ve stared at every patient she’s seen with growing desperation, trying to will myself to divine the nature of their injuries or illnesses. “Young Master, you can’t treat this like throwing fireballs,” Lady Muara explains patiently for what must be the tenth time. “You don’t just chant and flood the spell with mana. Both diagnosis and healing require finesse, not brute force.” “I know, you keep saying that, but all my magical senses are showing is that she has very low magical capacity, is physically weak, and is not a threat,” I say, evaluating the metrics I’m far more familiar with thanks to Shadow. “Hey, why is this boy making fun of me!” the grumpy little 5-year-old snaps indignantly, glaring at me from the treatment bed. “I am paying you to heal my daughter, not insult her,” says the girl’s father, a lesser nobleman, now looking concerned as his daughter continues her dramatic display. He appears far more worried about her temper than any actual insult. Her father is a young, well-dressed man who gives off the impression of someone born into wealth, having never worked a day in his life. This privilege seems to have led to a false sense of superiority and a warped perception of the importance of his present issue. “Daddy, I’m dying!” the little girl whines, swooning dramatically. “Make her heal me, Daddy!” Is this really how little girls act? Her voice is so high-pitched and grating. “Sir, training new healers is an important part of our service,” Lady Muara explains with a calm smile but a distinctly dismissive tone. “My apprentice will—” “But DADDY!” the girl screams, flailing around, her face flushing red. “WHAAA, WHAAA!” “I think I see what’s wrong with her,” I say loudly, trying to be heard over the girl's continued wailing. “Oh good, what’s her issue?” Lady Muara asks, wincing at the noise assaulting her ears. “Bad parenting,” I mutter, covering my ears as the noise escalates. The girl’s father, too busy trying to soothe his irate child, doesn’t even notice. “What medical issue?” Muara asks, fighting back a smile. “I don’t know,” I admit with a sigh. I can barely hear myself think. “Look again,” Muara instructs, leaning close so I can hear her over the shrieking. “This time, relax. Calm your mind. Block out the sound and everything else around you. Only when your mind is still can your senses sharpen enough to see the finer details.” “DADDY! Make them heal me right now!” the girl howls, switching effortlessly from fake tears to furious demands. The man looks desperately to Lady Muara, who shoots him a “Say one word and you’ll regret it” kind of glare. He looks completely stuck between a rock and a hard place. “Try again, but first, calm your mind,” Muara says gently. “Fine, I’ll try again,” I sigh. I close my eyes, trying to quiet my mind. I’ve never tried not to think before. Ironically, my mind floods with thoughts, the fear I won’t be strong enough, my loneliness, my worry about facing my father, my fear of failing to help others, and strangely, Maribel. Yet with a deep breath, I let it all slip away like water through my fingers. I open my eyes, focusing solely on the medical diagnosis spell. Suddenly, the glow of mana swirling around the