Treating and Teaching

After 15 minutes of probing, Alan finally gave a reassuring smile. "Nothing to worry about, Dave. He'll be back to normal in a few days."

Gasps echoed in the room as Maya, Agnes, Tom, and a few others present there were shocked by Alan's casual remark. He then picked up a hunting knife and turned to the others. "I want everyone except healer Maya to step out."

The servants immediately left, but Agnes and Tom remained rooted to the spot. Alan raised an eyebrow at their defiance.

"I've seen the worst my husband has gone through these past few months. No matter what happens, I will stay," Agnes declared firmly, with Tom nodding in agreement.

Alan sighed. "As you wish, but please don't panic at what you're about to see." With that, he pulled out a bottle of medicinal alcohol, poured some onto his blade, and began preparing to start the procedure.

"Lilly, Irene, would you like to learn about human anatomy.? Today would be lthe lesson on the spinal chord." Alan turned to the girls thoughtfully and said. Both nodded eagerly and rushed to join him, while Maya, curious, also positioned herself on the other side of the bed.

Agnes started to feel panicked. Who calls others to watch a treatment, especially someone, who doesn't even appear to be older than 20?

Alan retrieved some cotton cloths from his storage ring, ready to begin.He held the sharp edge at the base of the hilt of the knife from his thumb and forefinger and slowly began to glide his fingers towards the sharp tip .

The Alcohol sizzled and started to evaporate and the blades edge started to glow with a deep shade of orange.

What!!? Maya and Irene both looked at Alan in shock. Alan looked up and winked at them placing a finger on his lips in a silencing gesture.

With grace and skill that surpassed even master healers, Alan sliced open Robert's back from the base of his neck to his lower back. Agnes screamed in terror, and Tom who was watching lost his consciousness. Dave quickly caught Tom and gently laid him on a nearby sofa.

"What have you done... what have you done?" Agnes screamed in panic. Chris turned back in irritation and gestured for her to come closer. As she approached the bed, she was horrified by the sight.

Not only Agnes, but Lilly, Irene, and even Maya were shocked by what they saw. Robert's spine was so damaged that it resembled a shattered glass tube clumsily pieced back together by a child.

"How... how could something like this be fixed?" Maya shook her head helplessly.

Alan grinned and began explaining the intricate details of the damage and where each piece of the bone fragment should be placed to the girls.

Maya was so taken aback and surprised that she felt as if she were back to her early days of learning, when Helen had explained things to her while treating wounded soldiers. She looked at Alan in awe, thinking to herself, "You are truly worthy of being called Helen's grandson."

The information Alan provided went beyond anything Maya had learned or heard from other healers. His knowledge was so extensive that he could even pinpoint which nerves were affected by each bone fracture and the resulting adverse effects on Robert's body.

The girls listened with rapt attention, forgetting they were in someone else's home. They began asking questions, which Alan answered confidently and without hesitation. Chris also contributed some important insights to the discussion that Alan had overlooked.

Even Maya started taking notes, scribbling at such a fast pace that her words became illegible to others.

After more than two hours, Alan stood straight, stretched, and looked at Chris. "What do you think, Chris? Did I miss something?" Chris examined the arrangements of the spine made by Alan with a critical eye and nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, Al, I think you've done better work than what I would have done," Chris admitted. "I might have overlooked these four bone splinters and these two nerve networks. Chris pointed out at few places. My healing would have achieved at most a 90% recovery, and it would have taken at least three weeks to reach 99%. But now, I feel he will recover more than 98%, and with proper care, he could even recover 100% within a week."

Alan shook his head with an amused smile. "You always downplay yourself, Chris. Do you think I missed the arrangements you made while I was explaining to the girls? You did a meticulous job, my friend. I would have checked it again, but you got it right on the first try itself."

Then Alan turned to Maya, who was awestruck. "You know, healer Maya, this guy here is the prodigy of my grandmother. He climbed the ladder from the bottom, starting with cleaning cloths and waste from patients, then assisting healers, and eventually surpassing my grandmother in most healing aspects. He's a true prodigy." Alan patted Chris's back proudly.

Chris scratched his head awkwardly and smiled sheepishly.