The infirmary was located on the second floor of the commons, the opposite direction from where the library was. For why a place meant to treat the sick and numerous injuries was only accessible by winding stairs, was a mystery to Tyrus. A more accessible ground floor location would have been preferable, would it not? If a student had a broken leg or was super sick, what then?
He could imagine it now—some poor student doubled over from exhaustion, barely able to stand, being told to climb a flight of stairs just to receive treatment. Or worse, someone with a shattered limb being dragged up each step, wincing in agony while their friends struggled to carry them. The thought made him shake his head. It seemed like an oversight, or perhaps some architect’s cruel joke.
Tyrus winced when a jolt of pain flared throughout his head, and he stumbled. Fortunately, two pairs of firm arms caught him just before he toppled over the staircase railing and landing face first in front of a crowd.
"What sort of architect constructs an infirmary on the second floor?" growled Igneal from Tyrus's left. "It's obvious that placing a whole medical wing on the ground floor would be more practical."
"Glad I'm not the only one thinking that," Tyrus huffed, clutching his head.
To his right, Kylis adjusted her posture and wrapped Tyrus arm around her shoulder. "Less complaining, more walking. Unless you want me to carry you. I might look skinny, but I have carried baggage twice my size back in the Northern Mountains."
Tyrus managed a weak chuckle. "Baggage... Sorry for being such a burden."
"Apologies. I did not mean to refer to you as such. You are hardly the heaviest thing I've had to haul."
"You know, if you're going to collapse, at least do it somewhere convenient," Igneal commented, steadying him as they climbed the last few steps. "Like, I don’t know, in front of a healer?"
"I’ll keep that in mind," Tyrus muttered, his vision blurring for a moment. He felt the warmth of Kylis’ grip tighten, grounding him. They finally reached the infirmary's double doors, where Igneal wasted no time pushing it open with more force than necessary.
The inside was filled with the sharp scent of herbs and medicines. It was spacious and well-lit, with balls of golden light floating around a coved ceiling. Beds cleanly furnished were spaced out with their own private screening and wooden stands that either were empty, contained a bowl of fruit, or even a vase of flowers.
Currently, less than half of the beds were occupied by students of different years. One student had his back turned to the door with a bloodied cloth wrapped around his shoulder, grimacing as a relatively young man—maybe sixteen or seventeen—walked over to him. In his hands was a square communication device that he was repeatedly tapping on while speaking to the patient. He was garbed in the academy's uniform yet had a white gown that stretched to his knees and the words 'Trainee' on the back."
"Can I please get your name and year?" said the trainee.
"E-Elias, first-year student," the boy grumbled.
Tyrus ears perked up. Through the pounding happening in his head, he recognized the name and voice to which it belonged to and squinted. Sure enough, as Igneal and Kylis guided him to the bed across from the trainee, it was the freckled-face boy he had Augmentation Mastery I with.
After a few more taps, the trainee nodded. "Okay... Now, can you tell me in detail the cause of your shoulder wound and what led to the injury?"
Elias's face turned red as he averted his gaze, mumbling something under his breath. The trainee, unfazed, simply arched a brow and waited.
“I, uh…” Elias hesitated before sighing. “A buddy I know in one of my classes told me that he got strong by practicing and fighting wild beasts in the wild. So, I thought I'd give it a try," Elias admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Went past the academy’s outer perimeter and figured I’d take down something small to test my limits.”
The trainee’s expression remained neutral, though there was the slightest twitch in his brow. “And?”
Elias groaned. “And it turns out a ‘small beast’ isn’t actually that small when it’s lunging at you with claws the size of your face.” He gestured at his bandaged shoulder. “Didn’t go as planned. I ran back to the gate, bloodied and defeated, and ran to the nearest instructor. After some help, she advised me to run to the infirmary to receive proper treatment since her affinity with light was low."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The trainee brought out a pair of gloves and donned them. “Well, I'm not one to judge your actions since I was in your shoes once. Let’s see how bad it is."
He unwrapped the bloodied cloth around Elias's shoulder. Elias winced as the fabric peeled away, revealing a jagged wound running just below his collarbone. The gash was deep, the skin around it swollen and bruised, but it had stopped bleeding for the most part. The trainee clicked his tongue. “You’re lucky it didn’t tear any deeper, or you’d be bleeding out on the floor. Still, it's a good thing you came here as quickly as you could. What type of beast did this to you?"
As Elias was answering his question, another trainee appeared from down the infirmary's hall. A young woman around the same age as her peer had her hair tied back in a tight bun, her uniform neatly pressed beneath her white trainee’s coat. She carried a tray of supplies—cylindrical vials that sloshed at her movements, and crushed herbs on paper.
She paused beside the first trainee, glancing down at Elias’s wound with a clinical eye. “Another one thinking they’re ready for the wilds?” she asked dryly, setting the tray on a nearby stand.
Elias huffed. “I thought I was prepared.”
The second trainee gave him a flat look. “Did you? And what exactly was your plan if the beast had gone for your throat instead of your shoulder?”
Elias opened his mouth, hesitated, then sighed. “Panic, probably.”
The second trainee turned her attention to the beds across the room, scanning the occupied ones until her gaze landed on Tyrus. Her expression shifted from detached professionalism to mild concern.
“You,” she called out, stepping closer. “How long have you been sitting like that?”
Tyrus barely lifted his head, his grip on his temple tightening. “Not long,” he muttered, though his body betrayed him as another jolt of pain lanced through his skull.
By the time he blinked, the trainee was already at the foot of his bead, communication device in hand. With practiced ease, her fingers moved at lightning speed; her sharp eyes flicked between the screen and Tyrus, assessing him with a precision that made him feel more like a specimen than a person. And for a moment, a gold light shined behind her figure, coming from where Elias was currently receiving treatment.
"Your name is Tyrus, first-year in the academy," she said calmly.
Tyrus frowned. "How do you know my name? I haven't told you yet."
She rolled her eyes. "Please—it would be harder to not have heard of a Demi-human running around the academy, attending classes with everyone else. Your reputation precedes you.”
She tapped something on her device before slipping it into her pocket. Only now did she realize Igneal and Kylis were here, and her gaze flickered to the door. "Thank you for carrying him here. You can leave the rest to us healers and head on back. Your friend will be healed up and good as new within the hour."
Igneal crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Why are trainees handling the patients when that should be a job reserved for senior healers? Only the best of what is offered here should be handling the—"
Fast as a flash, Kylis covered Igneal's mouth, then bowed to the trainee. "I would like to sincerely apologise for Lord Igneal's rude remark about your credentials. I am sure you are all very skilled at your job. We will now take our leave. Thank you for your services."
The trainee's lips pursed, but she nodded nonetheless. Another bow later, Kylis retracted her hand and strode out the door. Igneal clicked his tongue and followed behind her. As soon as they were gone, the trainee muttered under her breath, “Overprotective much?”
She turned back to Tyrus, her professionalism returning. “Alright, let’s get to the root of this. What exactly is the problem?"
Tyrus exhaled slowly, trying to steady his breathing. “Headache… sharp, deep. Feels like it’s pressing down on my skull. And my heart—it’s like something is squeezing it. Not just drained, but... heavy.”
In great detail, Tyrus recounted the events leading up to this moment. He described feeling completely fine until the final moments of his experiment in the private training rooms. He explained how the pain and pressure had suddenly emerged after using Dual Shot for lightning and light. Tyrus also mentioned the unsettling experience of coughing blood and having liquid seep out of his nostrils. Despite shuddering at the memory, he continued narrating until he had covered all the relevant details.
Throughout the entire explanation, the trainee had been fiddling away at her device, not sparing him a single glance until a few moments had passed after he finished. "Okay, I think I understand the cause and why it happened. But just to be sure of the correct diagnosis."
From her coat pocket, she retrieved a purple crystal whose surface exhibited a faint shimmer. Pressing the crystal against his wrist, she watched as the light inside flickered erratically. Once it dimmed, she held the crystal toward the communication device, and they both lit up as an image of Tyrus's figure displayed on the screen.
Wow... it looks just like Tracer whenever it showed my health vials. I guess it makes sense that the academy would have something similar for an infirmary.
After a few seconds, the image stabilized, and the trainee tapped at the device. Her digits moved rapidly across the surface while her wide eyes shifted between the screen and Tyrus's features. Everything appeared normal until his gaze fell on the area where his chest was. A red mass was glowing where his heart should be, causing him to stifle a cry.
Uh-oh. Red!? Even I know red means something really bad happened! What is it this time?