Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Village Healer

The bell above the clinic door rang softly.

"Master Kyle! Are you here?".

Lumi's cheerful voice echoed through the small wooden building.

The clinic was already crowded.

Villagers waited patiently on long wooden benches, some holding children, others supporting elderly family members.

The scent of dried herbs filled the air.

Behind a wooden counter, a young man carefully tied fresh medicinal plants into small bundles.

"Good morning, Lumi."

His calm voice instantly caught Lyra's attention.

She raised her eyes.

For a brief second...

Time seemed to stop.

Golden eyes.

Black hair tied loosely behind his neck.

Simple clothes stained with traces of crushed herbs.

He didn't look like a nobleman...

He looked like someone who had spent years saving lives.

Kyle smiled at Lumi.

"You came earlier than usual."

Lumi stepped aside.

"I brought someone."

Only then did Kyle notice the white-haired stranger standing quietly near the entrance.

Their eyes met.

Lyra felt an unfamiliar sensation pass through her chest.

It lasted only a heartbeat.

"..."

Why...

Did this stranger feel strangely familiar?

Kyle frowned slightly.

The same question crossed his mind.

Had they met before?

Impossible.

He would have remembered someone with silver hair.

Lumi broke the silence.

"This is Lyra."

"I found her injured in the forest."

Kyle's expression immediately became serious.

"The forest?"

He looked at the faint scratches on Lyra's arms.

"You should have come yesterday."

"I'm fine."

Her answer was short.

Kyle didn't insist.

Instead, he pointed toward an empty chair.

"Sit."

"I'll examine your injuries after I finish treating these patients."

Lyra nodded quietly.

As she sat down, her eyes wandered around the clinic.

Shelves lined every wall.

Dozens...

No...

Hundreds of herbs.

Some drying upside down.

Others carefully stored inside glass jars.

Without thinking, she stood up and walked closer.

Her fingers hovered above a bundle of dark green leaves.

"...Moon Fern?"

She shook her head.

"No... similar scent."

Then she picked up another herb.

"This one shouldn't be stored beside Fire Root."

Kyle stopped writing.

He slowly lifted his head.

"...Why?"

Lyra answered naturally.

"They react to moisture."

"Within a few days..."

"The Fire Root loses its medicinal properties."

Silence filled the clinic.

Even the old man waiting for medicine looked toward her.

Kyle stared at Lyra for several long seconds.

Then...

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Interesting..."

He closed the medical record in his hand.

Kyle picked up the bundle of herbs from Lyra's hand.

"You said these two shouldn't be stored together."

"Why?"

Lyra answered without hesitation.

"The leaves release moisture after they're dried."

She pointed at the dark green herb.

"It won't kill anyone..."

She then pointed at the reddish root.

"...but it will weaken this one's healing effect."

Kyle remained silent.

He untied both bundles and examined them carefully.

A faint scent rose from the leaves.

After a moment, he nodded.

"...You're right."

The old woman sitting nearby looked surprised.

"You knew that, Master Kyle?"

"I did."

He placed the herbs back on the shelf.

"But very few people notice it by smell alone."

His eyes returned to Lyra.

"You've studied herbal medicine?"

Lyra paused for a second.

"I learned from... someone important to me."

It wasn't a lie.

She had learned everything from the royal healers of the Emerald Realm.

Kyle walked toward another shelf.

This time, he deliberately chose three different herbs.

He placed them on the table.

"Then tell me."

"Which one would you use to reduce a high fever?"

Lyra glanced at them for only a moment.

She picked up the smallest leaf.

"This one."

"And these?"

Kyle asked.

"They can reduce fever too."

"But only if the patient isn't dehydrated."

She looked at the yellow flower.

"This one shouldn't be given to children."

"It can slow their breathing."

The room fell silent again.

Even the patients waiting for treatment had stopped talking.

Kyle crossed his arms.

"You answered too quickly."

Lyra simply shrugged.

"The smell tells me enough."

A little boy sitting beside his grandmother suddenly spoke.

"Master Kyle..."

"Is she a healer too?"

Kyle smiled faintly.

"Not yet."

He turned back toward Lyra.

"Can you read?"

"Yes."

"Can you write?"

"Yes."

"And can you organize herbs?"

Lyra nodded.

"I can."

Kyle walked to a cabinet overflowing with dried plants and sighed.

"I've been needing help for months."

He looked directly at her.

"If you haven't decided where to go..."

"You can work here."

"I'll teach you everything I know about human medicine."

Lyra blinked.

For the first time since arriving in the Human Realm...

Someone had offered her a place to belong.

She looked at Lumi.

The little girl smiled brightly and whispered,

"I told you he'd like you."

---

Lyra lowered her eyes for a moment.

"I don't know much about the Human Realm."

Kyle placed the herb basket on the table.

"Then this village is a good place to start."

She looked around the small clinic.

Patients were waiting quietly.

Some looked tired.

Others held children with fevers.

The room wasn't filled with luxury...

It was filled with hope.

"I won't be able to pay much," Kyle admitted with a faint smile.

"But you'll have a place to work."

"And you'll never go hungry."

Before Lyra could answer, Lumi grabbed her hand.

"Please say yes!"

"It'll be so much fun!"

Lyra couldn't help smiling.

"...Alright."

"I'll do my best."

Lumi jumped happily.

"I knew it!"

Kyle extended his hand.

"Then... welcome to the clinic."

Lyra looked at his hand for a brief moment before shaking it.

The instant their hands touched...

A strange warmth spread through both of them.

Kyle's smile faded.

For the briefest second...

A broken image flashed across his mind.

Silver hair...

A pair of emerald eyes...

Petals dancing beneath a giant emerald tree.

"...!"

He quickly released her hand.

A sharp pain pulsed through his head.

"You alright?" Lyra asked.

Kyle pressed two fingers against his temple.

"...I'm fine."

"It happens sometimes."

Lyra studied him quietly.

That strange feeling from earlier had returned.

She couldn't explain it.

It wasn't magic.

It wasn't fear.

It was simply...

Familiar.

Kyle picked up his medicine bag.

"We're delivering medicine to a few patients this afternoon."

He looked at Lyra.

"If you're joining the clinic..."

"You might as well start today."

Lyra gave a small nod.

"I'm ready."

Lumi clapped her hands excitedly.

"I'll show you where everything is!"

The morning passed quickly.

Lyra followed Lumi through every corner of the clinic.

"This shelf is for fever herbs."

"These are for stomach pain."

"And don't touch that cabinet."

Lumi whispered,

"Master Kyle keeps his rare medicines there."

Lyra smiled.

"I'll remember."

By noon, the last patient had finally left.

Kyle let out a quiet sigh as he arranged the remaining herbs.

"You learn fast."

"I've never seen anyone remember the shelves after seeing them only once."

Lyra looked around the clinic.

"It isn't difficult."

"The herbs have different scents."

"I simply remember them."

Kyle chuckled softly.

"I wish all my assistants were like that."

Lumi folded her arms proudly.

"I told you she was amazing."

Just then...

An elderly man hurried into the clinic.

His breathing was uneven.

"Master Kyle!"

"My grandson...!"

"He suddenly collapsed!"

Kyle grabbed his medicine bag without another question.

"Lumi, stay here."

He turned toward Lyra.

"You don't have to come."

Lyra looked at the frightened old man.

Then back at Kyle.

"I'm coming."

The three of them hurried through the narrow streets of the village.

When they reached the house...

A young boy was lying unconscious on a wooden bed.

Kyle immediately examined him.

His expression slowly became serious.

"I've never seen these symptoms before..."

Lyra stood quietly beside him.

A strange scent drifted through the room.

She frowned.

It wasn't coming from the boy.

It was coming from...

The handful of dried herbs burning inside a clay bowl near the window.

She walked closer.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Extinguish it."

Everyone turned toward her.

"The smoke..."

"It's poisonous."