Ball of Nothing

Zero woke up early the next morning and at pancakes with Lovina and Hua Tuo. Cleo was out in the fields and that gave the witch some time alone to teach the brunet what he needed to do.

Hua Tuo looked tense and Lovina was worried. Zero had been exhausting himself for the past hour to perfect the magic. He'd experimented on all types of plants available and even on himself. Hua Tuo panicked when Zero wanted to remove his big toe entirely and try reconstructing a new big toe. Naturally, they didn't allow Zero to practice on himself. Lovina's heart almost gave out when Zero suggested it the first time. In the end, they agreed to let Zero try it out on some flowers outside.

Zero regrew petals, leaves, stalks, and roots with increasing efficiency as he practised. He didn't stop till the sun was up.

"We should get going now. I heard that it will be a busy day. We have patients to check up on later so save your energy. After that, you'll help me prepare some medicine."

The brunet agreed and thanked Lovina for her hospitality before they left.

Standing in her living room, Lovina looked at all the plants that bloomed with vitality after Zero's treatment. The witch had mixed feelings about Zero's talent. On one hand, her heart was at ease knowing that the village would probably be alright even if they faced Count Carrabas' army. On the other hand, she was worried and afraid for the young doctor. The path he has chosen would not be a simple or easy one. Lovina only wished she could become his ally and accompany him on his travels. Unfortunately, she couldn't leave the village. Perhaps, she could teach Zero some magic to protect him and share with him some stories to deter him from walking such a thorny road.

With her mind made up, Lovina left her apartment to seek Zoe out.

***

"Good morning Zero! Did you sleep well?"

The brunet saw Grandma Moppo and grinned. "I slept very well, thank you. How is your knee this morning?"

The fae-dwarf smiled warmly. "It hurts a little but it's not as bad as it was last night."

She welcomed them in and Zero glanced at Hua Tuo nervously. The physician said nothing and only gave him a reassuring nod. Zero sighed and mustered all his courage before surprising Grandma Moppo with a question.

"Grandma Moppo, what is the first thing you'd like to do if you could run and jump again?"

The fae-dwarf blinked and thought for a while. Zero's heart pounded in his chest.

"Don't you think I'm a little too old to do such things?"

Zero shook his head. "Not at all."

Grandma Moppo laughed at his honest answer and had to wipe tears from her eyes. Zero waited patiently for her reply.

"Oh Zero, if I could run and jump again, I'd visit the Sky Bridge."

Zero nodded. "The view from the Sky Bridge is something that should not be missed out on. I'll take responsibility for bringing you there if I do not succeed."

Grandma Moppo blinked. She knew they talked about healing her knees before but didn't expect it to happen so soon. She wouldn't be surprised if she was told to wait for another year so Zero's declaration was a very pleasant surprise.

"I'm in your care now, doctors," Grandma Moppo bowed humbly.

Hua Tuo assisted the old lady to the living room and made her comfortable before Zero started his work. Hua Tuo assisted by using acupuncture to numb all feeling in her legs. Zero cast a sleeping spell on the half-dwarf and concentrated. Hua Tuo's lecture stuck with him and Zero felt around Grandma Moppo's knees to feel the outline of the bone.

"Remember that once we cut open the skin to reach the bone, you have only ten minutes on each leg. If I think that she's losing too much blood, we stop immediately. Are you ready?"

Zero nodded and donned his mask. Hua Tuo wore gloves and a similar mask. Zero sterilised the surgical knives and Hua Tuo started cutting. Zero swallowed when blood began to flow without any signs of stopping for a while. The experienced physician held the skin open and was chanting some spell to keep the area around the wound isolated from the living room's air. Zero ignored the blood and focussed on examining the state of Grandma Moppo's knee. The bone structure looked frail and Zero noticed how badly worn her knees were.

As practised, Zero focussed his magic and reconstructed the bone to how it would have looked like. Hua Tuo was very alert and paid attention to everything from the spell to the blood, Grandma Moppo's condition and Zero's progress. He admitted that Zero worked very quickly. In three minutes, Zero had completely restored one knee. Hua Tuo had to stitch the cut back and Zero took over maintaining the area around the wound isolated. According to Hua Tuo, it was important so that the germs in the air will not enter the wound.

Once the wound was sealed, Hua Tuo took over the chanting and Zero focussed on closing the wound with normal healing magic. Once that was done, he cut away the stitches quickly and healed the rest. Hua Tuo let the spell drop once Zero was done. He needed a breather and it hasn't even been twenty minutes. Working with magic always tired him out.

"I'll be taking a short break to recover the mana. Please ensure that the patient does not wake up before we are completely done. Do you require mana potions?"

Zero checked his status and shook his head. Grandma Moppo's venison stew helped a lot and he still had some reserves for a few more operations.

"Can I use healing magic to improve Grandma Moppo's overall health? From the examination earlier, it's not only her knees but all her bones suffer from calcium deficit."

Hua Tuo thought about it. Normally, he didn't want to interfere that much but with Count Carrabas' army prowling around, they could use any help they could get. Even if Grandma Moppo couldn't fight, it would be good if she could carry her own weight to run.

"Alright. Don't overdo it, we still have two more patients before lunch."

Zero agreed and Hua Tuo took a short break, drinking the mana potion he brewed yesterday with Lovina's help. It took about a minute before the potion's effect kicked in and the physician glanced over to his student. Zero was still busy feeding mana and Hua Tuo didn't think the brunet would be done soon. He took that chance to inspect Grandma Moppo's knee. The cut had been beautifully healed and Hua Tuo frowned. Zero did a really great job and there was no scarring. Normal magicians less proficient with healing magic tend to over-heal which causes scarring so Hua Tuo was proud of his student for not making such a rookie mistake.

"Have you recast the sleep magic?" he asked.

Zero blinked and looked at the still sleeping half-dwarf. "The magic is still in effect...?"

Hua Tuo smiled. "You're right. It's not necessary but sometimes there are people who have magic resistance so it doesn't last for as long as it should. Casting it twice is simply a precaution. You can dismiss the spell when we're finished. Zoe will cook a lot later for you to replenish the energy you require so until then, use it sparingly."

Zero nodded and they commenced operation on the second knee. Zero no longer flinched at the sight of blood. In fact, the success for the first round had boosted Zero's confidence and he moved with greater ease. Hua Tuo didn't feel as tired as he did the first time. Zero worked very quickly and the physician felt pride swell in his chest, watching Zero pass him the scalpel before he asked. It wouldn't be long before Zero could become a real doctor.

The process took no more than fifteen minutes this time but Zero was mentally fatigued. The operation atmosphere was so stifling that Zero needed some time to recover his state of mind. Hua Tuo saw how his disciple slumped over in exhaustion and grinned. To cheer the brunet up, he patted the boy's head.

"Congratulations on having helped perform your first surgery. Once we return, you'll be training how to hold a knife and practice stitching. Speaking of which, maybe we should ask Mitchnew to teach you the basics."

Zero grinned.

After Zero dispersed the sleep magic, they waited for Grandma Moppo to wake up. At first, the half-dwarf didn't feel anything strange. Hua Tuo ran an assessment of her health and had her walk around.

Out of habit, the fae-dwarf reached for her staff to help her stand and was surprised to find the staff heavier in her hands than without. The next thing she noticed was how she was able to straighten her back. That never happened in years. Lastly, when she took her first step, the half-dwarf noticed how light it was. Soon, she was trying to jump and threw her staff down.

"Does anything feel funny?" Zero asked nervously when the old lady didn't speak after a while.

Grandma Moppo startled Zero by hugging him with a force he never knew she had.

"Thank you, child. This old bag of bones still has a few more years of fight left. With this, I can take down some of Carrabas' men with me."

Hua Tuo tried to dissuade the old lady but Grandma Moppo was fast. She swung her staff with amazing speed and grinned.

"You shouldn't underestimate the blood of dwarves in me. In my youth, I could easily win against a wolf. I'll have no issues taking down a few hastily recruited farm lads in Carrabas' army."

Unable to convince the rejuvenated Grandma, the physician and his apprentice left to visit their next patient who lived not too far from the lively half-dwarf's home.

"Hello, Zero. I hear Grandma Moppo laughing from here. Is everything alright? She doesn't sound very sane..."

"How did you know that it was me?" Zero blinked.

Amaraline giggled. "I can identify who it is by hearing their footsteps. Unlike Leon or Jacqueline, your footsteps are lighter and calmer."

Zero chuckled. "What about Rima?"

Amaraline frowned. "She doesn't make noises when she walks. The same goes to Zoe, Hyelin and Moona."

Zero followed Amaraline in and Hua Tuo wondered how Amaraline would feel if she knew that her sight would be returning to her today.

"Wouldn't it be nice if you could tell who it was without having to hear their footsteps? Especially for the villagers who do not have footsteps..."

Amaraline smiled sadly. "Yes, it would be nice... unfortunately I'll have to do with guessing. Don't worry. I'm getting better all the time!"

Zero swallowed and became nervously silent for a while.

"Zero?" Amaraline grew worried when her guest grew silent. Somehow, the atmosphere was weird. Could it be because of what she asked of Hua Tuo yesterday?

"Amaraline," Zero started. "What if we can bring your eyes back? Of course, it's just the sense of sight. I'm not sure if you'd regain any cockatrice ability like Lowis or Clowis but just your sense of sight... would that be good enough?"

Amaraline froze "Is that why Grandma Moppo has been jumping? That new healing magic... did you find a way to perfect it?"

Zero grimaced. "I'm only asking because it isn't perfect. Things could go wrong, we don't really know because I've only tested it on plants. Plants do not have magic in their blood so I'm not sure what would happen if I restored your eyes. They may not be able to paralyse or turn items into rocks if you stared at something..."

Amaraline smiled. "Don't worry about it. If you could bring my sense of sight back, I'll be very thankful. Living in this dark world can be rather lonely at times. I want to see how much my brother has grown too. Besides, I have never been able to paralyse or petrify anything. The magic in my blood only allows me to see the future in my mind."

Zero nodded at Hua Tuo and explained what they intended to do.

"Of course, once you wake up, there should be no signs of having them removed in the first place. Unfortunately, the scars over your eyes from the old wound cannot be removed."

Amaraline was slightly frightened. The thought of removing her eyes and have Zero reconstruct new ones scared her. However, it wouldn't make a difference if she had faulty eyes or no eyes at this point. Her sight would not be returning to her.

"I-I would like to take the risk. If wouldn't make a difference if I had no eyes or defective ones now so I don't mind. Just... will it hurt?

Hua Tuo reassured Amaraline that she wouldn't feel a single thing during the entire operation.

"I see... Is it alright if I let my brother and uncle know? I don't want them to worry."

Hua Tuo nodded and told the fortune-teller that they would be back soon. Zero bounced away to find Clowis and Hua Tuo left to find Lowis to convey the message. The fortune-teller took that time to look into her future. After a few moments, a small smile appeared and she wiped the tears that fell from her closed eyes.

***

An hour or two later, Hua Tuo felt like he needed a nap and Zero downed an entire bottle of energy potion. He checked his reserves. Amaraline's operation was tricky. It was a lot messier too and Zero was only thankful that it worked. Although he got the colour of her eyes wrong, the fortune-teller laughed it off. Zero genuinely felt bad for not realising that the siblings shared the same eye colour. When they removed Amaraline's eyes, the cells were dead so her pupils turned black. He should've known that they were yellow and blamed himself for it. Hua Tuo had a different explanation for what happened.

"There is something called genetic in those cells you used to recreate the eyes and any body part. That genetic code in the cells usually decides how a person would grow. In this case, both yellow and black eyes in Amaraline's genetic code were equally strong. Yellow eyes won the first time they were created. However, during the second creation, black eyes won so that's what happened. It's not your fault. You need to remember that Amaraline is a cockatrice descendant and from what I know, the creature has two kinds of eyes."

Amaraline nodded in understanding at the explanation and grinned. "Zero, your teacher is right. The yellow eyes were the snake part of a cockatrice. My black eyes could've come from the rooster part of the cockatrice. You did a great job, although it is still slightly blurry now, I can see."

Zero nodded and promised not to beat himself over it. Clowis and Lowis who had been waiting outside were finally let in and Amaraline who saw them for the first time in a long while cried. The three were sharing a moment so Hua Tuo and Zero took their leave stealthily, not wanting to disturb the family.

"Who's next?" Zero asked, sounding tired.

Hua Tuo felt weary too but couldn't sleep just yet.

"Let's head back first. Wiser's cough can be treated with simply medicine and some normal healing magic. I'm also going to be making a new rule. Unless it is an emergency situation, no more than one operation that requires reconstruction magic in a day."

Zero agreed as they trudged back to their apartment.

For the first time since his apprenticeship, Hua Tuo allowed Zero to use his lamp to sleep and recuperate. Zero had Isis' permission to use the time dilution effect to allow them more time to prepare medicine later.

The nap lasted four hours in the lamp but only forty minutes on Earth. Refreshed, the doctor and apprentice duo started making pills and syrup with vigour.

Wiser wasn't expecting guests so he was badly startled when he heard someone knocking on his door. At first, he thought it was a product from all the stress lately. With new information from the scouts and Amaraline about Carrabas' army, the strategist had his work cut out for him. The coughing only got worse but Wiser ignored it.

"Who is it?" he called out as he went to get the door.

The moment the door was opened, Hua Tuo grabbed the human from behind and Zero shoved something into his mouth, making him swallow it. The man was too startled to react and allowed them to manhandle him to the bedroom.

"What-?! Hey, stop that! You have no right trespassing in my property even if you are a-" Wiser's rant was interrupted by more coughing and Zero watched as the man hacked out blood.

"I can't believe you let it get so bad. Lovina and Cleo could have easily treated it before it reached this stage. You're a strange person..." Hua Tuo mused and pulled out his needles.

Zero agreed and cast a spell of paralysis on the struggling Wiser. The strategist was appalled by their forcefulness but wasn't able to protest to their treatment. Whatever they made him eat was helping and Wiser allowed Hua Tuo to do what was needed. He almost fell asleep when Zero worked gentle healing magic into his system. It was so warm and comfortable that Wiser had difficulty paying attention to what Hua Tuo was saying.

"Take it twice a day. Use this whenever the coughing gets too bad and you'll be alright. Remember, eat and sleep at regular intervals. No cold drinks at night!"

As sudden and as quick as they came, they were gone. Wiser was left blinking at the door from his bed, wondering how that happened. Were doctors usually this forceful when it came to treating their patients?