Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 254: The Realm Of Possibilities

Chapter 254: The Realm Of Possibilities

"Before we start, I want to know what you are expecting in return," said the old man as he sat up in his wheelchair.

Bin An Sha snorted but didn’t say anything. There was nothing we wanted, but most didn’t understand that. Being a doctor was a lot like having a calling. You didn’t help people to get all sorts of riches. In fact, while we were paid well, it wasn’t nearly as much as what it could have been.

"Glassware, vases, and 500-count sheets," I said, knowing that he wouldn’t believe my honest answer. He had nothing that I wanted... nor could he really do anything for us.

"What?" he asked, sputtering as he looked between me and Bin An Sha as if he was expecting the other man to protest at such a request. "That’s what you want? Not food or protection, but cups and sheets?"

"Very specific cups and sheets," I replied with a smile from where I knelt in front of the man. "Ones that the Princess of City A is demanding of my team to bring back."

"Who the hell is making demands like that? Drink from your hands if you don’t have cups; you don’t need that shit in this world," hissed the man.

I nodded my head as I entered his body. I could see where the fire had taken away most of his ability to function. The burn scars on his legs were so much worse than those on his arms. I was amazed that he was able to function through that much pain on a daily basis.

Sending the healing energy into the older man, I continued to explore his body, making sure that I didn’t miss something.

I heard Bin An Sha reply to his question, but I couldn’t concentrate on the elder’s answer.

His brain was worse than anything I had ever seen before, even Rips.

"You!" hissed a man standing on the other side of the mirror. He was much younger and prouder than the current man, but it was easy to tell that they were the same person.

The mirror image stood straight, his pinstripe suit tailored to his body, and every part of his screamed power and money.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in here?" he continued. He was pounding on the glass as if he was trying to escape, but that wasn’t the way to do it.

He was literally trapped in his own mind.

I held up my hands as I approached the man. He couldn’t be more than 20 years old, but I felt terrible for him. It couldn’t be easy to be trapped in a body that couldn’t respond to you. "I am here to heal you," I murmured.

Trying to be as non-threatening as I could be, I sat down on the floor and stretched my legs out in front of me.

"And just how are you planning on doing that?" hissed the man, his eyes narrowing at me as if I had given him the gravest of insults.

"It’s kind of what I can do," I shrugged. "But, shall we start with names? I mean, that is normally how two strangers start an interaction."

My power continued to flow through the old man’s body, healing everything that it touched. However, if I couldn’t free his mind, he would still be trapped.

"I am Wang Tian Mu, sometimes known as the Healer," I said, looking up at the man.

He sniffed at my words before opening his mouth. "I am Liu Hao Yu, the Butcher of the Bay and the Head of the Red Dragon Syndicate."

His name reminded me of one of my favorite books, but I suppressed my smile. The world had many bays.

"Pleasure to meet you," I replied instead, nodding my head. "Do you know how you became trapped?"

"The fucking bitch," sneered Liu Hao Yu, tilting his head back and forth to crack his neck. I sent more energy into his physical body, especially around his neck, to ease the tension there. The man groaned in pleasure before his eyes widened. "How are you doing that?"

"I’m magic," I shrugged, a smirk on my face. "But seriously. Healing is my power. I am healing your body, but if you can’t unlock your mind, you are still going to die quite quickly."

"Is that whore still around? I will kill her if she is," pressed the man, looking around his mirror world as if he could see the woman he was talking about.

"If you are referring to Wu Bai Hee, she isn’t here. She is back in City A, pregnant and waiting for her supplies," I answered. I didn’t know if he needed motivation to keep living, but I was never against throwing Wu Bai Hee under the bus.

"The child isn’t mine," snapped the Butcher, the knuckles on his hands turning white under the pressure he was putting on them.

My eyes widened, that possibility never once entering my mind. It wasn’t even the age difference of over 50 years that surprised me. I just... didn’t see someone like him willing to ’contaminate’ himself with the Princess.

"I don’t know what she did to me," he admitted, leaning against the mirror frame, his arms and legs crossed in front of him. "But she made me younger... I looked younger; my body responded better than it had in over 50 years. The longer I listened to her, the better I felt. Until one morning, I woke up here, and my body was no longer in my control."

I nodded my head. "There are some studies showing the power of the mind. Maybe, when she was manipulating her way into your life, she made you remember a time when you could do everything better. Psychology isn’t exactly my field, but I know the mind can make miracles."

"Do you think that when you are done with my body, I can go back to that state?" mused Liu Hao Yu, shaking his head at the very idea.

"I mean, anything is possible," I admitted. "Humans have superpowers and zombies are roaming the earth. You regressing in age isn’t too far out of the realm of possibilities."