Chapter 12: An Unexpected Guest
843 Words
The afternoon sun painted the forest in shades of gold.
Echo let out a long stretch as he walked beside Dorothy.
"...I'm exhausted."
Kodie yawned loudly.
"...Me too."
Echo raised an eyebrow.
"You slept on the way back."
"I rested."
"You slept."
"I rested... with my eyes closed."
Echo sighed.
"...You're impossible."
Dorothy covered her mouth, hiding a soft laugh.
"Both of you did well today."
Echo smiled proudly.
"...Really?"
"You've begun observing before acting."
She glanced toward Kodie.
"And you've stayed awake longer than usual."
"...That's impressive."
Kodie looked surprisingly pleased.
"...Thank you, Ma'am."
Echo blinked.
"...You actually took that as a compliment?"
"...Of course."
"...I was being sarcastic."
"...Oh."
"...I'll still take it."
Echo couldn't help laughing.
---
As the little cottage came into view...
A figure stood quietly outside the wooden gate.
A man wearing a deep blue cloak.
The moment he saw Dorothy...
He immediately bowed.
"Ma'am."
Dorothy's gentle smile widened.
"...Edric."
"It's been quite some time."
"It has."
Echo looked between the two.
"...You know each other?"
Edric chuckled.
"I should hope so."
"I was one of Ma'am's students."
Echo's eyes widened.
"...Really?"
Dorothy calmly opened the gate.
"He wasn't nearly as diligent as he likes to claim."
Edric scratched the back of his head.
"...You still remember?"
Dorothy smiled.
"I remember every one of my students."
Echo whispered softly,
"...That's amazing..."
Dorothy looked at him.
"It's not difficult."
"...Family isn't something you forget."
For a brief moment...
Echo lowered his eyes.
Family...
That word still felt unfamiliar.
Dorothy noticed.
But said nothing.
---
Inside the cottage...
The familiar scent of herbal tea filled the room.
Dorothy poured four cups.
Edric accepted his with both hands.
"...Thank you, Ma'am."
Echo tilted his head.
"So..."
"What do you do?"
Edric smiled.
"I'm a healer."
Echo's eyes sparkled.
"Really?"
"So Ma'am taught healing too?"
Edric laughed.
"She taught far more than healing."
Dorothy quietly sipped her tea.
"...Within reason."
"Of course, Ma'am."
Echo noticed something strange.
Edric looked nearly forty years old.
Yet...
Whenever Dorothy spoke...
He sat perfectly straight.
Almost like a student afraid of disappointing his teacher.
Echo leaned toward Kodie.
"...Is everyone like this around Ma'am?"
Kodie nodded.
"...Pretty much."
"...Should I be scared?"
"...Only if you break her favorite teacup."
Echo immediately moved his cup farther from the edge of the table.
Edric burst into laughter.
"...A wise decision."
---
After a pleasant conversation...
Edric slowly stood.
"I should be heading back."
Dorothy nodded.
"I'll walk you out."
The two stepped outside together.
Echo began collecting the empty cups.
Behind him...
Thud.
He slowly turned around.
Kodie was already asleep on the sofa.
"...Seriously?"
---
Outside...
The warm breeze gently swayed the trees.
For several moments...
Neither of them spoke.
Then...
Dorothy quietly asked,
"...It's not simply a social visit, is it?"
Edric smiled bitterly.
"...You always notice."
He lowered his head.
"...It's my daughter."
Dorothy remained silent.
"She's become an excellent healer."
"The townspeople admire her."
"Patients trust her."
"Even senior healers praise her."
He paused.
"...But."
His voice grew quieter.
"I haven't seen her truly smile in years."
Silence settled between them.
"I've treated broken bones."
"Deadly poisons."
"Magical curses."
"I've saved countless lives..."
A helpless smile appeared on his face.
"...Yet the one heart I couldn't heal..."
"...Was my own daughter's."
Dorothy quietly listened.
Never interrupting.
Never judging.
Only listening.
Edric took a deep breath.
"She blames herself for things beyond her control."
"No matter how many times I tell her otherwise..."
"...She refuses to forgive herself."
He slowly bowed.
Lower...
And lower.
"...Ma'am."
"I know I'm asking for too much."
"But..."
"...Would you accept Mira as your student?"
The wind quietly carried the scent of wildflowers between them.
Dorothy closed her eyes.
For just a moment.
When she opened them again...
Her familiar, gentle smile had returned.
"...Bring her."
Edric looked up.
"...Really?"
"I cannot promise miracles."
She looked toward the cottage where Echo and Kodie were bickering over whether sleeping counted as training.
"But..."
"...Sometimes."
"Children don't need another teacher."
"They simply need..."
"...A place where they can learn to smile again."
Edric's eyes softened.
"...Thank you."
---
That evening...
As the sun disappeared beyond the mountains...
Far away in a peaceful town...
A young girl quietly finished treating her final patient.
"Thank you, Miss Mira!"
"You really are amazing!"
She smiled politely.
"I'm just doing my job."
The patients left happily.
The clinic became silent.
Slowly...
The smile faded.
She opened a small wooden box resting beside her desk.
Inside...
Lay a simple silver ring.
She gently picked it up.
Holding it close.
"...Mother..."
Only silence answered.
A single tear almost escaped...
But she quietly wiped it away.
Outside the window...
The evening breeze gently stirred the curtains.
Somewhere...
Far beyond the forests...
Someone was waiting.
Though neither of them knew it yet...
Their meeting...
Would change both of their lives forever.
---
End of Chapter 12
«Some wounds leave no scars...
Yet they are the hardest to heal.
Sometimes... healing begins with simply finding a place where you belong.»
- Writer
