Ch 579 - The Wager

"I don't believe I will lose," Sophie said, folding her arms. "So, I want to know what I get when you lose." She was absolutely convinced Alex would fail, and she looked forward to gloating.

"If I lose, I'll be your servant for ten years," Alex said, shrugging. "You can order me to do anything, and I'll do it." 

Sophie smiled, liking that idea. "Okay, that sounds good, but I must add one more thing." 

"What?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tell me." 

"If you lose—no, when you lose—then not only will you work for me at Woodside Clinic for ten years, but you will also tell me how to make those supplements of yours. How about that?"

Sophie began to fantasize about tormenting Alex with pointless and demeaning tasks, such as counting all the pills in the clinic or scrubbing the floors. Perhaps then she would recover from the embarrassment he had caused her.

Being able to make his supplements would also help her to feel better.

Maryann was aware of Sawyer's condition, so she grew alarmed by this wager. "Alex," she said. "I don't think this is a good idea.

"It's okay," Alex said to her. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

He chuckled, and then looked at Sophie. "So, do we agree on the terms of the bet?" 

"Wait," Isaiah said. "I'd like to join in the fun. Alex, if you win, then you can also marry my daughter." 

He thought it was a wonderful idea. If Alex succeeded, then it would show he was an extraordinary young man, and Isaiah wanted the best for his daughter. 

Sophie looked horrified. "Dad, no!" 

"No, I don't accept that part of the bet," Alex said, annoyed at Isaiah. "The original wager stands."

Then he stopped talking and squatted down beside Sawyer to examine him. 

After a few minutes, Alex asked for the silver acupuncture needles, and then he began to sort them into sets of nine.

"I thought you said the problem was with his mind," Sophie said, sneering at him. "So, why are you doing acupuncture on him?" She snorted. "Just what sort of trick are you going to play here?" 

"The acupuncture is only to help him relax and stimulate his nerve endings," Alex said, not bothering to look up. "It's not intended to cure the root of the problem."

He bent to his task, picking up nine of the needles and infusing them with his inner power. As he placed the needles, he pushed a little more power into them, a little like an electric current, letting them spark Sawyer's damaged nerve endings back to life.

He didn't stop there. Instead, he took another nine needles and did the same thing, placing them in different places.

"He's using the Harmony Technique," one doctor said in awe.

Jaws dropped as the others also recognized the special technique, and all eyes were on Alex, watching to see what would happen.

"Dad!" Sophie exclaimed, shocked. "Are you seeing this? How did he learn our ancient technique?"

"Quiet!" Isaiah hushed her, but his expression was troubled. 

Alex continued to place more needles, always nine at a time, and always infused with power, until eighty-one needles were sticking out of Sawyer.

"Eighty-one," Isaiah muttered, his voice trembling. "Nine sets of nine… It can't be…"

"It can't be what?" Sophie asked, not understanding why her father was so disturbed. 

"It's the full Harmony Technique!" Isaiah said excitedly. "He repeated it nine times and brought the full technique into play, and he's doing something else." He frowned. "I'm not sure what, but it's much more sophisticated than what I was doing. Compared to this, my technique was like a child playing at being a doctor. It's humbling." He shook his head. "This young man truly is skilled."

The other doctors gasped, stunned to hear Isaiah say such a thing, and Sophie was in shock. 

She struggled to speak for a moment, but the words wouldn't come. Eventually, she managed to choke out, "Dad, how could he possibly be so powerful?"

A thought occurred to her. "Now that he's learned our family's technique, he could be more powerful than you! Dad, you shouldn't allow people to watch you using your technique. They'll only use it to take your place, and you can't—"

"Quiet!" Isaiah yelled, interrupting her. "Just stop and think about it. I can't do anything like that, so how could he have learned it from me?" He turned back to watch Alex. "Until now. I hadn't even realized I didn't know the full Harmony Technique."

Everyone was silent as they struggled to believe what Isaiah had said. 

Sophie's legs almost gave out on her, and she just couldn't accept the truth. But when she glanced at her father's serious expression, she knew it wasn't a joke, and she blushed as she looked at Alex, feeling guilty for doubting him.

Maryann's eyes brightened, and she grew even more enamored of Alex.

Now that Alex had finished placing all the needles, he stepped back to look at Sawyer. With all those pins, Sawyer resembled a big, silver porcupine.

But Sawyer still didn't react. His eyes were dull, and his body remained stiff, and it was obvious he no longer cared about anything that happened in the world.

Everyone's eyes were on Alex, but he ignored them and stepped closer to Sawyer, whispering, "A true warrior makes up for his mistakes instead of confining himself to a wheelchair for more than twenty years."

Sawyer's eyelid flickered.

"You must be suffering so much to neglect yourself like this," Alex said softly. "Why are you torturing yourself? Do you really think this is helping?"

Another small twitch from Sawyer.

"It's not that you can't walk," Alex murmured. "It's that you don't want to take responsibility for your mistakes. You're perfectly capable of standing up or holding a sword, but you choose not to, because you're afraid of failure."

This time, Sawyer visibly flinched. 

"If I were the child you'd failed, I would hate you," Alex said gently, remembering the story Maryann had told him. "Because your cowardice and incompetence have allowed him to remain lost for twenty years."

Sawyer began to tremble, feeling like each word was slamming into him, and gradually, he grew angry.

Sophie and others were confused, but Isaiah was shocked, realizing he now understood what was happening. 

Alex had been right. It hadn't mattered what treatment Isaiah had performed on Sawyer. All the examinations, physical therapy, and medications had been useless, because the cause of Sawyer's problems wasn't completely physical. 

The key to helping Sawyer was dealing with his grief and guilt, which had been festering for so many years.

"Leave me alone," Sawyer said, his voice rusty from lack of use. He licked his lips, trying to wet them. "I deserve this. My life is already over." His eyes flashed with pain, and he swallowed hard. 

But, with each word he uttered, the acupuncture needles vibrated a little, sending healing energy into him. Little by little, the color returned to Sawyer's face, and he was clearly improving.

Alex's idea had worked, but it wasn't enough. Sawyer still couldn't come to terms with the past, and he could relapse at any moment.