Chapter 17 – The Scalpel

1859 Words
For the first time in a while, the trio splits up into separate directions. Julianna pretends to be escorted by Leo as a gambler who lost everything in the casino, while Skylah and John remain in the room, preparing for a small mentor-mentee session. Julianna : "Hello? I'm in the wagon with Leo now." Skylah : "You don't have to report every single minute detail via the Instalator you know." Julianna : "I'm just testing to see if it's still working." John : "I can't believe you two are still bantering despite physically being apart." Julianna : "Alright alright... Father John." Julianna notices how Leo, who is sitting across from her in the wagon, is slightly amused at the dynamic of the trio. Leo Eta : "The mysterious man warned me of you three. I was informed that you have similar powers to him, but I'm still amazed at how you can change your appearance like that. I have no idea who or what you all are...… I just hope for my wife's return…." Julianna : "Don't worry, I will do whatever I can. Besides, Skylah promised you too. He may not seem like much, but trust me, he'll come through with his promises." Leo Eta : "Alright...…" Leo's chattiness is overwhelmed with his thoughts and worries as Julianna accommodates the mood with respectful silence throughout the journey in the tiny wagon. Meanwhile, John and Skylah sit with crossed legs opposite each other on the floor of the rented room as they begin their session. Skylah : "Excuse me, but why are we sitting? Shouldn't we do this outdoors so we could have more space for practical demonstration of our powers?" John : "There's no need for that. You have a slight inkling about how to use the powers already, seeing how you managed to pull off those gimmicks in the casino. I just need to provide you with a little more guidance. These powers are like an extension of our souls. It has a great affinity to what we know and what we are good at. For example, I was a surgeon before I became a priest, hence..." John raises his right hand slightly with his index finger pointing up. As he flexes his muscles, a sharp aura engulfs his hand, forming a pointed end on his index finger. John : "See here, this aura on my hand has conveniently become as sharp as a surgical scalpel that I can use to operate..." Skylah : "Or kill." John : "That's right. Due to my medical knowledge, I am also able to infuse my aura and control parts of my body that could not otherwise normally be done. This was how I avoided being killed by the Man in Hoodie. He was aiming for my heart, but he missed it because I repositioned it. He did not realise this when he pierced right through my chest." Skylah : "So you can reposition your heart to the right, similar to people with Dextrocardia?" John : "Something like that." Skylah : "What about Julianna? What was she before this experiment took place?" John : "I'm not sure. Somehow, she doesn't like to talk about her past, not even what she does as a living." Skylah : "Well, I was a lawyer. What am I supposed to be good at?" John : "I don't know, to be honest. But, at the very least, you should be able to use your powers at a basic level." Skylah raises his right hand and forms a sharp aura around it too. Skylah : "Well, I guess doing this must be one of the basics then." John : "Sometimes I wonder how you could pick things up so fast at the rudimentary stage yet remain so...…." Skylah : "Unskilled? You don't have to mince your words. And, for what I'm about to ask next, I apologise for not mincing mine too... All of us travelled back in time with the promise that we could change our pasts. Whether we still have this intention is beside the point. The fact remains that each of us has a past so tainted that we resorted to Dr. Sofia's experiment. This means that there is something more that drives your motivation…." John : "You mean our motivations…. Johannes and I..." Skylah : "I'm sorry." John : "Don't be. I understand where you're coming from. It's just... a little difficult for me to talk about it." Skylah : "Again, I'm sorry, but this is important." John : "Very well. I had a son…..His name was Jace. Jace was my pillar of strength when my wife died. He was only 7 years old when that happened. Due to my work schedule as a surgeon, the hospital was his home. We spent more time in the hospital than in the house we slept in. He would eat, shower, and do his schoolwork in the hospital. My colleagues were very supportive of me. Due to my predicament, many took turns taking care of him. As a result, the entire hospital was like a family to him. Being his home, he would of course roam around when he was free. He would visit patients who were lonely, giving them fruits, candies, and, of course, hope. He was like a miracle boy. Everywhere he goes, he heals what doctors couldn't -- broken hearts….. For his age, he was extremely mature. Who wouldn't it be, when you grow up in a hospital where death is an everyday occurrence? Apart from the hospital, most of our time together is spent in our weekly Sunday church. He always looked forward to it. He told me that in the hospital, he loved seeing the joy of people healing from my scalpel's work; and in church, he loved seeing the same from God's scalpel. Of course, despite everything that he has done for the world--the world remains cruel to him. One day, a drug addict got admitted to our hospital for overdosing on the notorious drug, "Dopememine". It was a kind passer-by who found him on the street. His name was Pepper. Upon treatment, he was due for discharge. However, Jace took it upon himself to run a donation drive to help Pepper. He knew that a mere discharge would just lead to the vicious cycle of Pepper going back to his addiction. Jace wanted to raise funds to send Pepper to a rehabilitation centre instead. Jace, with his cute little offering bag that he borrowed from the church, managed to collect an impressive amount of money just by running around the hospital. Pepper, on the other hand….. saw it as an opportunity to get more drugs the moment he realised Jace was raising funds for him. Before Jace could complete the donation drive, Pepper was overwhelmed by his addiction. I have no idea where Pepper found a scalpel, but he used it as a weapon to forcefully pry the offering bag from Jace before running away from the hospital. Jace got stabbed in the gut during the struggle.... right in front of me….. his blood was all over the floor….. In Jace's final words when I embraced him..... he told me...…to forgive Pepper…. and told me to never stop healing the world…. Those were his final words..... He never made it out of the operation room....." Skylah : "Did you manage to find Pepper after that?" John : "Yes, I did, eventually…. I spent months going from street to street, in popular spots where drug addicts usually gallivant around, with a scalpel in my hand, wanting revenge. I wanted him to feel the pain Jace did. Alas, he was nowhere to be found…. One night, at my absolute lowest moment – when nothing in the world makes any more sense, I went back to the same church Jace and I used to go to on Sundays, just so I could get a sign from God out of my maze of misery. When I was praying alone, with my eyes closed, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I was speechless when Pepper stood before me as I turned my head. He was different. He gained some weight and his face was cleanly shaved. His eyes, though, were welled up in tears. He had in his hand an offering bag; the one he pried from my boy….. His first words to me were "I'm sorry". He gave me the empty offering bag and told me he had returned the money to this church. The offering bag had the church's label, which led him there. He frequented the church to wait for me, so he could return the offering bag to me. He believed that that was what Jace would've wanted. He also told me he is now working at a rehab centre, helping other drug addicts to fight their battles. At that moment, I realised that Jace had done something that I never could've achieved as a doctor. He has healed this man's heart. Even in his last breath, he was thinking about healing the world while I was holding my scalpel as a weapon. Every vengeful desire that was buried deep within me vanished. There was no way I could injure Pepper when Jace gave up his life healing this young man. That was the moment I decided to lay down my scalpel, and carry on Jace's last wish to heal the world, not as a doctor, but as a priest." Skylah : "Now I get it. Before transcending, I mean, before you have your souls split, your determination to heal the world is one-dimensional. The split caused the dichotomy of the "how". Now, Johannes thinks he is healing the world by getting rid of one of the most corrupted histories of Christianity. He is literally performing surgery on history with his 'scalpel'....." John : "To be completely honest with you, I'm still having trouble convincing myself that what Johannes is doing is wrong. I mean, we don't really know how time really works. It's merely us theorizing with our limited understanding of the world and morality." Skylah : "You and I may be theorizing with our limited understanding, but so is Johannes. The difference is that he's the one materialising his theory despite this limited understanding. A risk that is not his for the taking. A risk that billions would have to shoulder without the right to refuse such an undertaking." John : "You're right... Wait, hold on. You're supposed to be learning how to use your transcendental powers. I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time with my story." Skylah : "I thought I already did. I made a 'scalpel' with my hand. As for teleportation..." Skylah concentrates hard and manages to teleport from one corner of the room to another. Skylah : "There! I did it!" John : "That was unexpectedly fast… but...….." Skylah : "I know the teleport was a very short distance. I know whatever I'm doing now is merely the basics. Trust me, it's all I need. What's more important now is to see what's happening to Julianna." John : "Alright."
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