[Serialized Novel] "Heart's Fledgling" Episode 6

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It had been raining all day since this morning.
Today's appointment schedule was relatively busy, with two patients in the morning and two in the afternoon.

The second patient of the afternoon session seemed to be unable to speak.
Although they appeared to be able to see and hear, their only response to the doctor's questions was to nod or shake their head. This was their fifth visit. Their recovery seemed to be taking two steps forward and one step back.
The doctor performed the examination as usual, without changing his expression. If he were to say something like, "This isn't very good," it would likely only slow down their recovery further. So, the doctor proceeded calmly, carefully choosing his words:
"This part is more aligned than before, and this part is in the same condition as before." "You've managed to maintain your condition well." "Let's proceed at your own pace, [Patient Name]."

After the patient left, I panicked when I saw blood coming from the doctor's hands.
"There were thorns."
"Thorns?"
"Yes, when I touched your 'heart,' I was pricked by thorns."
I didn't really understand if there were thorns in a heart or whatever, but I couldn't understand why the doctor was keeping such a straight face.
"I-isn't it painful?"
"It is painful."
It is painful?! I couldn't help but retort in my mind.
"I'll heal it."
"How?"
"Um, I'll take my blood and, like... throw it at you, Doctor!"
When I said that, the doctor chuckled and declined.
"It seems the common way to use the lifeblood of a |Sylph| is to drip a single drop into water for the person you want to heal to drink, or to apply it to a wound. This is the first time I've heard of throwing it directly."
Is that so... I felt embarrassed and looked down.

Then why. I recall the past in a corner of my mind.
Why did my parents have to have their heads chopped off, be hung upside down, and have their blood drained? If only a single drop was needed, there was no reason for all that...
My head spun with pain, and before I knew it, I had fainted. When I regained consciousness, I was lying in the doctor's hands. He was apologizing repeatedly with a serious expression.
"...It's not your fault, Doctor."
I stood up unsteadily. What came into my view was a sea of blood. The doctor's hands were bright red. W-what is this?
"Why are your hands like that!?"
"Because I touched the |Fledgling's| heart."
"My heart? Were there thorns? Did I hurt you, Doctor!?"
I was stunned. The doctor shook his head and apologized again.
"I said too much."
"...Can you tell what I was thinking?"
"No, I cannot. All I can tell is which of the basic emotions you are feeling. Even when I say I touch the heart, I am only touching it; I cannot tell what the other person is suffering from or what they are sad about. I cannot know or understand the Fledgling's past."
Saying that, the doctor walked to the small kitchen in the back room with his blood-soaked hands and gently set me down in the sink. The pooled blood slowly stained my bare feet crimson.

When I was saved by the doctor, he didn't pry into my past. Although he said he touched my heart, he didn't know about it. He just saved me when I was dying on the ground back then. That was all.

The doctor stopped the bleeding as if nothing had happened and wrapped his hands in bandages.
"Let's check the appointments for tomorrow and the day after. With these hands, it's a bit... difficult to perform the alignments."
The doctor looked at me with a quiet smile. I tried my best to smile back.

I realized that my mind felt lighter now than it did before I fainted. Did I have thorns in my heart like that patient? I felt frustrated that I didn't know anything about my own heart.
Just thinking that he had touched my heart and aligned it while covered in blood made me want to cry...

(To be continued)

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