SL: Chapter 731 – Day 5,929 – Medical Decision

“What’s the verdict doc?” I asked him after he had looked over Michelle and my mother.

“Complicated. Michelle’s body is alive, but her brain has spots of energy that weren’t hers. It was small and hidden, but I distorted them by quite a bit. Hopefully that would allow her to recover. The main issue were the tumor growths happening in her brain. I removed the tumors,” he said heavily.

“That’s good. That’s very good,” I said with a sigh of relief. “And my mother?” I asked.

“There is a large energy structure in her head. It is tied in with memories and other portions of her brain. I wouldn’t even know where to begin safely,” he replied.

“What? But you helped Michelle,” I said with a frown.

“It’s the difference between a car and a rock. The rock is harder to deal with in some ways, but you can only interact with it in so many ways. A car is complex. What was done to Amy is incredibly complicated, clearly the work of a meta-point and by someone with a lot of experience in such things,” he explained.

“And you can’t do anything?” I asked. “And will time fix it?”

“I can’t do anything safely and time wise, no clue. If you want me to try, I can, but the outcome will likely be a bad one,” he explained.

“Dammit!”

“There is also the possibility that it will break apart on its own if your mother gets more stats, which could be good or bad,” he explained.

“So, no matter what she is going to die. What if I meet with her and you monitor her condition?” I asked.

“Emergency intervention, it might be possible, but insanely risky. I can’t make any promises,” he said, and I just felt frustration. A level 13 monster was less annoying to deal with than the Divine Empress’s spawn.

“Haven’t you worked with biology and energy enough to know what you are doing?” I asked.

“And how many cases of this have I seen? There are no textbooks? Science, especially medicine is built on the knowledge of people who came before. If you had the Astrologer or Frank, then they might have a different idea than me, but a lot of energy work is personal intuition and understanding,” he countered.

“Michael, I know you are frustrated, but ultimately it is your decision, what risks you want to take,” Doctor Katz said.

“What would you do?” I asked.

“We can try escalating tests. Mentioning your name. Then seeing you at a distance. All while I carefully observe. But whatever energy construct is in her head, it has only gotten stronger, not weaker. It is absorbing energy somehow. I expect to reinforce itself,” he replied.

“What about moving her to a low energy area?” I asked.

“Again, it could work, but it would take a long time of study. Perhaps creating a null room with no energy would help. Or it could cause things to destabilize. Think of it like a car in motion. I need to turn it off without it crashing or being heavily damaged. With how interconnected things are, that isn’t simple, especially in someone’s brain,” he explained.

I hesitated. If it was a fight, then there were clear options. But a medical decision that could decide the life and death of my mother was far more difficult. “Do it,” I told him, pushing through my hesitation and worries.

“What?” he asked, since he had presented multiple options.

“Whatever you think is necessary to resolve the issue. If there are costs or expenses, I will cover them. Just do your best,” I told him.

“Very well. I will do my best to fix her,” he said and left. I collapsed into a nearby chair. Clarissa had been listening in but hadn’t interrupted. I glanced over at her.

“You think I made the right decision?” I asked.

“It is hard to say. There are too many unknowns. If Doctor Katz can’t ensure her life, then no one can,” she replied.

“I just feel like I am making a mistake,” I replied while looking down at my hands. “So much power, so little control over the future.”

“You aren’t a healer or a doctor. You are a fighter. People specialize for a reason,” Clarissa replied, trying to offer me some comfort.

“I almost think I went down the wrong path. Pursuing power through combat, rather than manipulation of energy. Perhaps I should have reconsidered after the Ritualist all those years ago,” I muttered.

“Or you could have died years ago. Only your strength allowed you to overcome the Divine Empress and the sphere. No one is good at everything,” she explained.

“Perhaps. But I being a healer might have been a better choice.”

“Without your Empire, your mother would never have been located. I think we both deserve some credit for that,” Clarissa said.

“True. At least Young Michael and Michelle are on their way to recovery,” I said.

“Michelle might have brain damage,” Clarissa said.

“As long as you are alive, then problems can be fixed. Michelle is alive, so there is a future there. I appreciate the effort, but I still think I made the wrong decision. Nothing is going to change my mind about that,” I explained.

“Well Doctor Katz is alive, but have you noticed, that he seems a bit off?” Clarissa asked.

“I have. But I figured he was stressed over so many people dying. He doesn’t see people as a number. He actually cares,” I replied.

“That could be a problem. There aren’t therapists around,” Clariss said.

“I am not worried. People change after battles. He is probably just mentally distancing himself. As long as he can still fix people, he is useful,” I replied.

“A bit cold,” Clarissa said, and I shrugged.

“I had accepted that he was dead. Also, people are only as valuable as their potential,” I replied. It was harsh but true. Most people would never amount to anything, even more so, in this place. One needed steel determination to get stronger.

“And if your mother dies, what then?” Clarissa asked me.

“Then that is what is meant to be,” I said without believing the words.

“Michael. I know you are lying. You have never gone out of your way this much for anyone else. And she is your mother. I don’t believe you for a second.”

“What exactly are you asking? If I will kill Doctor Katz in a rage?” I asked.

“Will you?” she asked.

“No. And I feel disrespected that you are doubting me.”

“That no sounded unsure. But I will hold you to that. Doctor Katz is skilled, but that skill only goes so far. And we need him long term. Unless you want to replace him?” Clarissa asked.

“No, I don’t want to replace him. Your point about specializations was well made. I am only good at fighting and killing,” I replied.

“And getting points,” she added.

“And getting points. At least I don’t have to find a replacement for Young Michael. That would have been a nightmare. Thank you for sending him out with one of your point gathering teams,” I said.

“I could tell his excitement was a bit much.”

“It is nice, but sometimes, I just need to think and not answer questions,” I said.

“Well, he will be busy the next few days until Doctor Katz is done working his magic,” Clarissa said. I closed my eyes, and we just sat in silence, waiting for Doctor Katz to come back and update us. Standing over his shoulder wouldn’t help with anything. I was going to put my trust in him and his skills.

It didn’t feel good to not be in control, but I wasn’t going to let the situation linger. I preferred quicker resolutions compared to waiting for some kind of change. Action over reaction if possible. While Clarissa might have been concerned about my temper, I knew this was a huge gamble. Even if I wanted things to be safer before Doctor Katz started, there was nothing that could be done.

Sure, we might try some things, but ultimately it came down to making a medical choice and living with the outcome. His car metaphor was on point. It was possible to understand the outside of the energy construct in my mother’s head, but it was impossible to see the internal workings.

Qi Ji Long had outdone himself with his vileness. He was weak, but his maliciousness and cunning, he inherited from his parents. I wasn’t a big fan of inherited personality traits, but he was the poster child for such a thing. The ultimate evil born of another ultimate evil.

I wouldn’t be sparing the children of my enemies anymore. Not even babies. It was a harsh lesson, but my mercy had cost me dearly. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. But it wasn’t like there were a lot of enemies out there with children I needed to kill off.

“So, what do you think, will another Divine Empress rise up?” Clarissa asked me.

“Really?” I asked her and she shrugged slightly.

“If we are hands off, the chances of something like that happening are quite high,” she replied.

“Well unless the Almighty System showers them with meta-points, I am not worried about anyone else. Only the sword and the voting. Also alien spheres. But people, they aren’t a real threat anymore, besides leaving behind some lasting damage. Why, worried?” I asked back.

“Just thinking about the future. How there might be a challenge to you one day,” she replied.

“Unless they use their meta-points for stats like I have, there is nothing they can do. And they will need three to beat me. I don’t think anyone is getting 3 that quickly. One yes, two maybe, three won’t be that simple. And while we might have disagreements, I trust you more than anyone else in this place,” I said.

“Which means just above nothing?” Clarissa joked.

“A bit more than that,” I replied seriously. I knew she was trying to distract me. But it wasn’t working. I could only hope and pray to the Almighty System that my mother would survive, and her head wouldn’t explode or some other terrible thing. There were countless options, and I knew that the bastard wouldn’t have made it pleasant in the slightest.

If I was Doctor Katz, I would have ripped out whatever was in her head and then healed what was left. Speed would hopefully avoid the worst of whatever would happen. But it was definitely not that simple. That was why an expert was needed.

“Your mother, anything you want to share?” Clarissa asked. I considered sharing something from my childhood but just shook my head. I wasn’t in a talking mood at the moment. I knew she was trying to comfort me, but there was nothing to do but wait. Whatever would happen would happen. Trying to distract myself wouldn’t change that. This issue with my mother would be resolved one way or another.

I thought of the vote and how I had to wait around to get answers for that as well. I eventually did, but it wasn’t what I wanted. Would she end up brain dead or something else? I let out a long sigh as anxiety kept gnawing at me.

I noticed I was clenching my hands tightly and forced myself to take a couple deep breaths and relax. No point in being wound up for whatever the outcome would be.