OverXelous
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18. Those in Need
🕑 Added 2025-01-14 14:00:06 +0000 UTCThe morning sun cast long shadows across the large house’s driveway as Alex, Mark, and Sarah piled into Mark’s SUV. The drive into the city felt surreal to Alex. Even though they’d gone into the Safe Zone multiple times, the city was so different than he’d ever seen.
The immediate difference wasn’t something he would have ever noticed before the integration of the System and his time spent in the Celestial Rift. As they drove through the city and Alex looked around with his enhanced left eye, he was again startled at how much more devoid of mana Earth was, when compared with the Rifts. He thought back to his walk through the cherry tree forest, to Eura’s personal garden, and how overwhelmed his senses had been. At the time, it was hard for him to make sense of the flows of mana, and at certain times, especially with many cultivators around, it caused him to get a headache. However, in the concrete jungle of Earth, there were many zones completely devoid of mana, making the area seem gray in his enhanced vision. He would occasionally see a splash of color and mana from individuals who were easily recognized as those who had awakened or wore cheap enchanted gear that leaked mana.
That paled compared to the strange feelings he got as they drove the SUV through a checkpoint to enter the Safe Zone. A few miles outside of the city, everything seems abandoned. There were cars pulled off on the side of the road and while there were some people moving around, they were often walking toward the Safe Zone entrance. Once through the checkpoint, even though the city had always been busy and full of people about their business, it now felt crowded and tense.
“More checkpoints than usual,” Sarah noted as they slowed down to pass through another military stop. Armed soldiers stood guard while a line of cars slowed to pass through the single-lane entrance. Most of them held guns, though Alex could see more medieval weapons among them, often carried by those that he could see mana leaking from.
There’s definitely an increase in the Awakened that they have at the checkpoints.
From a sense of security for those in the Safe Zone, Alex was happy to see that they were embracing the way of things. If there was a nearby monster break and help was needed, someone with levels would be needed more than someone with bullets.
He thought back to some of the early Rifts he’d entered and the low-level monsters within. There was no doubt that the firearms would still be effective against those types of monsters.
If I could punch a boar to death with a bit of mana enhancing my strength, a bullet has still got to have some stopping power.
Alex assumed that the Unawakened with modern firearms wouldn’t begin to run into issues until things were over level ten, had more stats, and had the potential to use a few skills of their own. If their defenses were too high, or they were too quick and aggressive, the bullets would quickly become ineffective.
His phone buzzed with a text from Olivia. As he opened it, he saw just an eye-roll emoji and a link to an Adventurer Guild forum post. He skimmed it quickly and found himself rolling his eyes, too. The comments section was filled with praise for Rylan and his recent helpfulness at the Guild.
“What is it?” Mark asked as he glanced over before looking back to the road.
“Eh, Olivia sent me this post about Rylan becoming the talk of the Guild. Everyone’s going on about how amazing and helpful he is.”
Mark snorted. “Good for him, I guess. I still don’t like him. Just seeing how he acted at the Christmas party before we were even members… I don’t think someone like that changes overnight.”
“Not our problem to worry about,” Alex said as he sent a skull emoji back to Olivia. He asked what her day looked like the next day and if they could meet up. She said that she was working the Voss estate again for the next few days and said that he could come up and spar with her if he wanted to hang out.
God, she’s just as bad as Mark.
He agreed to meet up with her and put his phone away as the hospital came into view. It was the same one where Alex had been treated just days before. Mark navigated the SUV through the packed parking lot and had to take a spot some distance away. All three of them stepped out of the warm car and into the cold air, quickly putting on jackets and hunching their shoulders.
Alex came around the far side of the SUV, and they made their way toward the emergency entrance. Sarah bumped into Mark’s shoulder, and Alex heard her mumble, “Let’s hope this works.”
Mark nodded in response and shivered. “Yeah, I don’t wanna lose the little dude. It’s been awesome to see him gain his confidence back.”
Inside, the fluorescent-lit waiting room buzzed with barely controlled chaos as nurses hurried to and fro. There were worried family members slouched in small chairs and a quiet whisper of conversation only punctuated by the occasional announcement over the PA system.
They found Sam and his parents near the check-in desk, where a nurse in dark blue scrubs was gesturing animatedly as she spoke.
“But how can you be sure it’s safe?” Mrs. Grant was saying as they approached. Her hands were clasped tightly together. “He’s just a boy, and these patients-”
“Mom,” Sam interrupted gently. “I’ve done this a lot in the last week and hundreds of times in the last two years. The nurses here already know about my abilities, too. That’s why she’s got things set up like this.”
Mr. Grant placed a steadying hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Linda, remember what Sam showed us last night? Let’s at least see how this goes.”
Sam caught sight of Alex and the others approaching, his relief evident in the tired smile he offered them. The nurse took advantage of the moment to continue her explanation.
“We've selected cases where traditional treatment has been… failing,” she said. “Severe injuries, complicated breaks, conditions that would normally require extensive surgery or have poor prognosis. Dr. Singh reviewed each case personally. I have his notes here and will be going through each one with you as you work. If you are not able to help, that’s okay. We have more that we can do for these people, but it could be more expensive or extensive than this.”
“Is this… really okay?” Mr. Grant asked, looking skeptically between his son and the nurse.
“I assure you, sir, each of the participants has signed a waiver and agreement to be healed by Mr. Grant. Many of them are desperate for his aid, especially after word has begun to spread around the hospital of what he can do.”
Sam’s cheeks were flooded with some color, and he ducked his head in response. “I understand, I’ll do the best I can.”
The nurse led them through the double doors and down a long corridor to what appeared to be a converted physical therapy wing. The large room was lined with beds and examination tables, and about a dozen patients were already waiting. Each had charts prepared, and two other nurses stood off to the side of the room, prepared to help as needed.
The organized but communal setup made it clear that this wasn’t a typical day at the clinic.
They prepared this specifically for Sam to work.
Alex smiled, happy that they were realizing the value in Sam’s powerful set of skills. In a selfish way, this would also help further prove their point to Sam’s parents.
The first patient was an elderly man who’d suffered multiple compound fractures in a car accident. As Sam approached the nurse, Alex noticed how naturally his young friend had slipped into his role.
His voice was gentle but confident as he spoke to the man, explaining what he could do in simple terms that managed to comfort the patient. Even though Mark had gone with Sam each day to heal patients, while Alex was stuck in the hospital, and Mark had told Alex of how well the teenager did, it was a different case to see it in person.
When Mark had been bragging to Alex about how well Sam had done on their first few trips into the hospital to heal, Sam had grown embarrassed. He explained those people needed something. Sometimes, it was just a friendly face; sometimes, it was the comfort of healing; sometimes, it was a confident silence. He had shrugged and said that his own troubles didn’t seem so large when in front of those people.
Alex had been impressed with the insight and was happy to see Sam thinking through his own feelings and what was happening.
Sam smiled at the man with a broken arm and shoulder. “This might feel a bit warm,” he said as he placed his hands carefully near the worst break. “But I promise it won’t hurt. Just try to relax and let me know if you feel any discomfort.”
His eyes widened in wonder as Sam activated his [Healing Touch] skill, and Alex could see the mana light up his hands through his Heavenly Eye. The visible bulge of bone slowly smoothed beneath the skin. Angela made rapid notes on her tablet while Mrs. Grant watched with a mix of anxiety and amazement.
As Sam moved to check the other injuries, Alex moved to stand next to Mr. Grant. The father’s expression was complicated. Pride and concern warred on his face, and Alex could tell, even at a glance, that he was exhausted as he watched his son work.
Probably hasn’t slept since the first call with Sam. At least not a full night’s sleep.
“He’s different now,” Mr. Grant said quietly. “When he told us everything last night… about the Rift- about everything he went through and… about you…” He trailed off and eyed Alex through the corner of his vision before shaking his head. “Part of me wants to lock him away somewhere safe and never let him near danger again.”
“I can understand that,” Alex replied. He watched as Sam smiled encouragingly at a young girl with a broken leg. “He’s grown so much even in the time I’ve known him. The Rift was terrible, and in some ways, Sam had it even worse than I did, but it didn’t break him. I’m not an expert at this like Sarah is, but I can’t imagine that sheltering him away would help him heal. If anything, it would keep him frozen in his current state rather than letting him grow and continue to heal.”
Mr. Grant nodded, and they watched in silence as Sam finished healing the girl. Her delighted laughter filled the room as she tested her now-healed leg.
“We just sold our house and property, you know,” Mr. Grant said. “Moved into the Safe Zone because we thought it would protect us from all this.” He gestured vaguely at the air. “But, the world’s changing whether we want it to or not. And my son…” He smiled slightly as Sam began explaining his healing process to the next patient. “He’s part of that change.”
“He’s good at this,” Alex said. “Really good. Not just the healing itself, but with comforting people.”
Sam’s dad nodded. “His mother won’t like the idea of him going back to your house, mainly because it’s outside of the Safe Zone. She certainly won’t like the idea of him entering another Rift.” He sighed heavily. “She thought he was dead once already. But I’ll talk to her. Try to help her see what I’m seeing right now.”
Sam looked over at them, and his face glowed with a boyish grin. The fear and uncertainty that had haunted him in the Rift were all but gone, replaced by something stronger.
Alex smiled back at him and saw a small nod from his mother, who stood behind him. He looked back at Mr. Grant. “I can’t promise he’ll always be safe,” he said honestly. “It would be a hollow promise with how uncertain everything is. But I can promise you he won’t be alone and that our group is strong. With us, he is likely one of the most safe places that he could be. Sam and I are likely two of the highest-level people in the entire country. “
He wasn’t really sure if the Grants realized how large of an achievement it was that their son was close to reaching his class advancement.
They may not care, but eventually, I’m sure that they’ll grow to understand how strong Sam is.
Mr. Grant was quiet for a long moment as he watched his son continue to work. “Sometimes,” he said finally, “being a parent means learning to let go, even when every instinct says to hold on tighter.” He turned to Alex with a wry smile and water building in his eyes. “Doesn’t make it any easier, though.”
Comments
OverXelous
Not cringy. I appreciate you saying it!! Reading things like this goes a long way to remind me that there are people enjoying the story the way that it is. It's hard to remember that sometimes when most chapters have at least a few people pointing out what they think could have been done better. So, yeah! Thank you!! Don't worry, I'm still loving writing this story and really have so much more that I can and want to write for Spell Weaver.
spoonful_of_sugar
I tend to hoard chapters before binging, but I wanted to leave some encouraging words: Please keep writing! Cough. It's a bit hard to express because it just sounds cringy af, but I really really like the story so far, and it's extremely hard to dig for gold nowadays.
small_brain_boy
YES!! More happy Sam moments!!
Beeees!
I fully agree, I like how this continues the trend of really looking at how society changes in a slower way and the things people have to grapple with. Like a parent having to let thier kid find thier own path forward in this brave new world
Neil
Definitely a good thing! I'm not sure agree about Book 1, it felt very natural where you have these supernatural elements show up in these strange ways and it all feels fantastic and unknown only to suddenly become very real and dangerous for the main character. Book 2 starting out slow is such a common problem in this genre. It's a fundamentally hard problem going from constrained, low information, low power with a huge looming problem to that problem being solved (at least partially), power levels much higher, more open to communication and information, and without an immediate problem to solve.
OverXelous
I think this sounds like a good thing? Haha, I've enjoyed writing the story and don't want to create tension out of nowhere or just for the sake of creating tension. I enjoy writing the happy moments. That being said, I probably should in the future books, do a bit better of a job at introducing the stakes earlier in the story to begin building tension. Both in Book 1 and 2 I feel that it comes on too slow.
Neil
This is the second time (the first being the tournament) where this story really not taken the path I expected. The previous chapter felt very ominous, and I was predicting they would show up to the hospital to find Sam not there, and there would be a whole arc of rescuing him from either his parent’s attempts to shelter him or their attempts to use his use his powers for selfish reasons. (Wasn’t sure of their motivations yet). Seeing them accepting and cooperative with Sam’s wishes is… surprising and somewhat refreshing. Those sort of plots always feel a bit emotionally manipulative.
