Tale Of A Berserk Healer

What is the lesson?

(What is the meaning? What is meant to be understood? That which heals, in greater amounts, can kill? Isn't that exactly what my understanding of sun magic is?)

But no! Moon magic had none of the harmful effects... so there are things that are purely good or harmful-

Ryth froze.

Master Benedict sat back, watching as the two of them thought it over, and noted Ryth's sudden change.

(Has he realized something?)

Meanwhile, in Ryth's head...

(I AM A F.U.C.K.I.N.G IDIOT!)

Oh. Well okay.

(Why on earth did I think that what is true for me as a human is true of everything? Sunlight isn't harmful in the same amounts with every lifeform!)

(Everyone and everything has a different resistance and effects to different energies and medicines!)

(But that's just something obvious... it's a lesson, but it's not the kind I feel ought to be the answer here.)

Ryth thought some more on it.

What did something being harmful to some degree, but not to another have to do with the path of being a healer.

The young noble tried to answer as he smiled, confident, but before he could a hand planted on his mouth stopping him.

Master Benedict gave him a look. "Wait until he also has found an answer. Then you both can respond."

How else could he be sure of both there ability?

The noble son nodded, leaning back as he shot a look of boredom and impatience at Ryth.

Ryth, meanwhile, felt pressured by this exchange.

(He already thought of an answer!? Shit! What is it!?)

Unconsciously he connected the issue to his magic, the sun and moon.

(The only difference to me is I choose whether it is harmful or-)

"...oh."

The apothecary raised an eyebrow.

"It's... oh that's obvious. I feel dumb."

The nobles son gave Ryth a weird look.

Master Benedict leaned back.

"Okay, Jonathan Dawnsbright! Tell me, what is your answer?"

Ryth turned to the noble son, Jonathan, expecting a similar answer. But... well...

"People are too stupid to know how much is bad for them, so we have to limit things for their benefit."

"..."

"..."

Both Ryth and Master Benedict stayed silent in somewhat dumbfounded silence.

Should we say... as expected of a nobles personality?

"What about you... uh... you never actually introduced yourself."

Ryth nodded, ignoring that awkward pause, and stood up.

"My name is Rytherian Noxim, as in the hunter who shot down the stars."

Master Benedict blinked. "You have quite the name... your parents must have had quite the aspirations for you."

Even Jonathan was giving Ryth a weird look.

The one in question grimaced. "My mother has... interesting ideas about my future."

Master Benedict nodded and gestures for Ryth to continue.

"It's our responsibility. Our choice. As healers, we have to CHOOSE what to do with the gifts of nature, and our own power."

"The lesson isn't what we are capable of. It's the cost."

The master sat back, pleased enough with their answers.

"Neither if you are wrong. Truth be told, most people after idiots, especially the rich who think money should fix everything."

Jonathan opened his mouth, only to be silenced and wilt a bit as Master Benedict shot him a look.

"The lesson is that it is your responsibility. YOU are the one who has to make the choices that will save or sentence lives. Which means, right here and now, you need to decide if you're willing to take on that responsibility."

"If you can't handle taking responsibility for those lives, then give up being a healer."

He leaned back, sitting on his stool as he put away the jar of flowers below the counter.

"So. Either of you giving up?"

Ryth didn't need to think. He thought it through, of course.

But this was literally was he'd decided in coming here. Commitment, to spend his entire life in pursuit of exorcising the unbreakable curse, healing an incurable disease.

"Till I am old and grey, I shall stalk my prey."

Ryth muttered, and Jonathan shot him a look. "A line from the Saga of The Star Hunter?"

"What, don't expect a peasant to know of it?" Ryth shot back, eliciting a "Hmph!" From Jonathan as he turned away, trying to cover up his surprise and brief moment of respect.

(What was I thinking, being impressed by someone so low class! If father knew...)

Jonathan felt a bit disturbed. He had come due to desiring respect, and the power an apothecary holds. His family had essentially told him that becoming an apothecary was best for a mere 3rd son like him.

But this idea of responsibility sounded pretty serious...

(No! I can't lose here, I AM good enough!)

Master Benedict sighed internally.

(The Dawnsbright kid has talent, but he's too pressured... maybe with time his psychology might recover, but right now I'm not sure about taking him on.)

He turned his attention to Ryth, and felt sudden surprise!

Ryth's eyes didn't shine with some mystic power, or some great revelation.

They simply looked at the master apothecary, and they held resolve beyond his years.

For an instant Master Benedict thought he saw something deeper, something unbreakable and made of the kind of stuff that makes steel look like tinfoil.

(...he's got a good mindset.) Finally it was all he could comment internally, unsure of what else to think of this.

"Sigh... seems both of you will continue."

He stood up, reaching out a hand to the side, as of to grab something.

Suddenly something flew from the corner, landing in his grasp.

(Holy shit-!) Ryth near jumped out of his skin as he realized what that was!

"That's a staff?!"

An actual... magic staff.

Holy shit.

Master Benedict laughed and Jonathan shot Ryth a look of disgust.

"Honestly, you commoner awakened..." Jonathan muttered under his breath.

Master Benedict waved his free hand. "It's fine, most awakened don't even have access to core creation techniques and have to figure it out themselves. Much less knowledge of how to create soul-binded magic items."

He showed the staff by placing it across both his hands horizontally.

It was gnarled wood, with bits of metal and crystal embedded into it.

It had growths of crystal the wood looked as if it had grown around, while traverses of thin spiderweb like metal strands were embedded into the ridges of the wood.

Small streams of water flowed within the cracks of wood, somehow, magically, IMPOSSIBLY moving as though small mini rivers in the staff's surface.

Finally in the top the wood grew out into gnarled roots holding a sphere that contained what could only be described as a storm.

Dark clouds and constant lightning flickered within the sphere, filling it, while rain endlessly fell to create a layer of water at the bottom. It all rotated to align to gravity, unlike the streams of water in the staff's surface.

"First it began as my understanding of eg healing power of earth, then water feeding into the wood to represent water's healing."

Master Benedict then sighed. "Unfortunately I never awakened a sun connection like I wanted, so rather than a healing sun being held by the roots, I have the storm I wield as a sky Mage."

Ryth stared, intrigued and amazed by the detail and magic embedded in the staff...

"So. Using your magic, seeing as you're both sun wielders, tell me what you can see in the magic between this staff and I."

...huh?

Ryth did a hard blink.

(What? How does that apply to me being a sun wielder?!)