Understanding and Application of Healing Abilities (2)
"Alright! That wraps up today's lesson. Since it's the first day, there won't be any special assignments. Just take some time to reflect on what we discussed today! Good work, everyone."
"Thank you, ma'am."
With an energetic voice, the teacher's words announcing the end of class echoed through the room. Watching the other students rise from their seats, I gathered the writing utensils I'd brought just in case there was anything worth noting and slung my bag over my shoulder.
"Ah, Miss Baek Seol, could you stay behind and talk with me for a moment?"
However, just as I was about to head back to the dormitory for some rest, the teacher stopped me.
"Eek, yes…."
Come to think of it, the discussion about my ability earlier had been glossed over rather vaguely. I'd completely forgotten in my hurry to get home. She must have something to say about it.
As I set my bag down and prepared to sit, I noticed Ju A-rin, who had been heading toward the door, turn her head in this direction. She met my eyes once more, the corners of her own crinkling as she offered a soft smile.
….
Why? Why is she doing that… It's scary….
If I were a bit more shameless, I might have smiled back. But I'm the type of person who shrinks away inside whenever someone smiles or speaks to me without reason….
In the end, I hurriedly lowered my head. Until Ju A-rin disappeared, I pretended to have discovered a fascinating pattern on the desk and immersed myself in its study.
With a rattle, the door closed. Only then did I lift my head. By then the teacher had already approached and stood nearby.
The stern expression she'd worn earlier seemed like a lie. Now wearing a bright, sunny smile, she pulled up a chair and sat down beside me.
"Hmm, Miss Baek Seol. Sorry for suddenly asking you to stay."
"Eek, it's alright. Um, is there something in particular…?"
As if to ease my slight tension, the teacher continued in a gentle tone.
"It's nothing major! I simply wanted to talk about your ability, Miss Baek Seol. May I ask when you first awakened your supernatural ability?"
For a moment, an unpleasant memory I didn't want to recall flashed across my mind. I pressed my emotions down firmly inside and answered.
"Umm… It's been a little over a year."
"A post-natal awakener, and quite a late case at that. Then you probably haven't had many chances to learn about supernatural abilities?"
"Yes… Actually, I didn't even know I was supposed to come to the academy. I don't know much about any of it…."
"Don't worry! Baekhwa Academy is an excellent educational institution. How you should use your abilities going forward, what mindset an ability user should hold when viewing the world—you'll learn it all gradually and grow accustomed to it in time."
The teacher, who had been smiling softly, warmly took my hand. Then her expression shifted to one of solemn gravity as she continued.
"However… there are a few important points we must address. Miss Baek Seol, do you truly understand what your supernatural ability is?"
I shook my head at the teacher's question.
"Umm… I don't really know. Only that if someone is hurt, I can help them recover…? I haven't used the ability much in the first place. I've only tried it a few times on my family at home…."
I hadn't even known the ability was called Healing. Come to think of it, who decides those names anyway…? Most are intuitive like mine, but there were also cases like the Princess's Royal Flower, Wi Ha-yeon's Ice White, and the teacher's Pure White, where the name alone made it difficult to guess the ability.
Is there some kind of classification standard?
"Hmm, I'll speak plainly." While I was lost in thought, the teacher suddenly made a frightening face, grabbed my shoulder, and declared firmly, "Miss Baek Seol's supernatural ability is an extremely dangerous one!"
"…Yes?"
The teacher stood up abruptly and brought over the basket containing the doll I'd used my ability on earlier. The cute dolls with their bright smiles lying peacefully together looked rather adorable.
"The dolls inside each represent the kinds of damage that healing-type ability users can restore. From fresh abrasions and mild illnesses like colds, to old scars, fractures, severe internal conditions, and even physical impairments such as limb amputation. Of course, actual humans would require far higher levels of ability control, but the fact that you can restore these dolls means… when you push your recovery ability to its limit, you can heal the same category of injury. Do you understand what I'm saying? If Miss Baek Seol succeeds in developing your ability to its utmost limit through endless effort at the academy… you will become a god of healing that surpasses modern medicine."
Overwhelmed by the enormous scale of what the teacher was saying, I straightened my posture. What was this? A story of such massive proportions? All I'd ever healed were my aunt's Ether Runaway, the cut on her thumb from a kitchen knife while cooking, the burn from a cigarette spark that landed on her arm, or the scrapes from falling off her bicycle….
…It did seem rather concentrated on one person, but let's move on. Since even healing a small wound left me completely drained, I'd never considered it such an incredible ability…. But from what I was hearing, even if it wasn't possible right now, it sounded like it could accomplish all sorts of extraordinary things.
But… what meaning did an ability that hadn't existed when it was truly needed hold?
I tried hard to ignore the unpleasant sensation rising in my chest like a coiling snake and spoke.
"Umm, it doesn't really hit home for me, but… isn't it good if the ability is outstanding? I could do a lot of good deeds. Right now it's difficult because healing even one wound drains all my strength, but…."
"That's exactly it. The fact that it's too outstanding!"
Fortunately, it seemed I'd hidden my darkened mood well. The teacher continued without any noticeable change in tone.
"All ability users in Daehan have their names entered into the Management Bureau's registry the moment their powers manifest. They must enroll in the academy in the year they turn seventeen, and if they fail to obtain a license upon graduation, they cannot use their abilities. From an ability user's perspective, it may seem excessively harsh, but the nation has clear reasons for managing ability users so strictly. First, to prevent misuse. Shall I use myself as an example? Imagine if I hid away in some remote place, pretended to be an angel, healed the sick and suffering, but demanded they believe in God and offer their wealth. What do you think would happen?"
…I briefly pictured the teacher with a benevolent smile, healing diseases and warmly enveloping people with her wings.
"…They'd probably offer everything they own and join the faith."
"R-right. Thank you? Anyway, even without using examples of abilities with strong lethality, uncontrolled supernatural abilities have limitless potential for abuse. Unlike Daehan, which established its national foundation through the excellent leadership of the Heavenly Martial Order during the Great War, many other countries that still haven't recovered from the damage see ability users bypassing the government and acting as warlords. Therefore, powerful abilities must be approached with caution in and of themselves. Especially in a case like yours, Miss Baek Seol… you can imagine how horrific things could become if someone tried to misuse it, can't you?"
I nodded slightly and thought to myself. Hmm, but wouldn't it be fine as long as I keep my heart in the right place? I don't particularly want to make money with this… Of course, I have no intention of living like some saint, spending all day doing good deeds for others.
"And second. Because of that powerful ability, you could be placed in danger, Miss Baek Seol. Even Daehan ultimately failed to control all ability users through the Management Bureau. Countless criminals and ability users who operate outside the law are still roaming Daehan even now. And their primary source of income is… profiting through supernatural abilities. If your ability becomes known outside the academy, Miss Baek Seol, the chance that you become the top target for criminal organizations grows very high."
Eek, this is another angle I hadn't considered. What was this sudden interest? I didn't need it. Please take it back….
"…Of course! While you're inside the academy, criminals won't be able to reach this far with their evil hands. But security vulnerabilities can arise at any time, and especially since you currently lack the power to protect yourself, Miss Baek Seol, it means you must always stay alert and cautious. I've explained this to you separately on purpose, but eventually information about your ability will leak outside. When that time comes, the only one who can protect you is yourself. Do you understand?"
"Yes…."
I answered with a somewhat gloomy feeling, lowering my head. It seemed there were suddenly so many things to think about after entering the academy. I just wanted to live like drifting duckweed….
"Hmm, I only talked about heavy things, didn't I? Still, as you said earlier, the high utility of the ability is by no means a bad thing. Do you remember this doll?"
The teacher patted my shoulder and pulled one doll from deep inside the basket, holding it up for me to see.
Ah, that was… the one that had felt strangely blocked when I used my ability….
"The ugly one from earlier…."
"Yes, this is the one I made myself… What did you just call it?"
"…Nothing at all."
So she had made it herself….
"Ahem. This doll isn't an 'organic substitute mimic organism' but a pure ether construct made entirely from ether. I prepared it after hearing you could heal Ether Runaways. Surprisingly… you succeeded in restoring even this doll. This means your ability isn't limited to living beings—it may be able to interfere with the ether that ability users employ as well! Since my specialty is healing, I'm ignorant in other fields, but if others heard this, I imagine several people would come running with their eyes rolling back in excitement. For now, shall we keep this as our little secret?"
While looking at the teacher who gave a light wink, Na-rae's face flashed through my mind. Hmm, I'd chosen Na-rae as my partner in the heat of the moment, but I hadn't had any clear idea how to utilize the ability… It seemed I now had something to test.
"Well, it's not good to keep you too late… Let's stop here for today! Make sure to engrave everything I just said firmly in your mind."
"Eek, yes…."
"Lastly, do you have any questions?"
As I briefly reviewed the lesson content, the image of the homeroom teacher suddenly came to mind. The eye covered by the eyepatch, the steel prosthetic arm…. If I refined my ability further, would I someday be able to heal those kinds of things too?
"Um, by any chance… things like missing a hand, or an injured eye… could those be healed as well?"
"Ah, did seeing Teacher Jin So-hye bring that to mind?"
The teacher smiled as if impressed, but then shook her head.
"Ability users who can recover serious injuries like physical impairments are rare, but they aren't nonexistent. The royal family has the Benevolent Lord, for example. Teacher Jin So-hye's condition isn't due to lack of money or means preventing recovery."
I nodded as I listened. Hmm, no matter how rare healing ability users were, there had to be others in the world with this ability besides me. Thinking that way, as long as someone was still alive, could they ultimately be healed through supernatural abilities? But then why had the homeroom teacher….
At that moment, the smile naturally vanished from the teacher's face, replaced by another expression. It was one only an adult who had suffered and been wounded could wear—one etched with the traces of life.
"The problem is the cause of the wound."
I held my breath for a moment and looked up at the teacher. Her eyes had grown unfocused, as if recalling the past, and within them hid rather murky emotions I hadn't glimpsed until now.
"Wounds received from powerful dimensional beasts… cannot be healed until their lives are completely extinguished. The dimensional beast that took one of Teacher Jin So-hye's hands and one of her eyes is still alive and moving somewhere within a dimensional erosion even now."
I thought I glimpsed… a murky-colored hatred within those eyes.
"Miss Baek Seol, remember this well. All dimensional beasts are the enemies of ability users. Forever."