chapter 4: hello, i’m your new teacher.

Even speed can take the time to teach

Medical university of élidora. amphitheater 7. 8:02 a.m.

The ceiling is high, the walls made of golden stone, but the interior is modern. a lecture hall like many others, with its rows of worn seats, suspended screens, and smart blinds. around a hundred students are already there.

Some doze off over their tablets, others murmur, their voices floating over the clicks of keyboards. a boy at the back of the hall listens to music, one eye half open.

There are the motivated, the tired, the curious, the invisible, the intimidated.

And then… the door opens.

A quiet silence spreads through the space, like a wave of instinctive recognition.

Dana Noctielle enters.

Her hair tied in a loose bun, thin glasses on her nose, cream blouse, simple tailored pants, elegant, flowing. not too strict, not too distant.

She doesn’t try to impose.

She arrives.

She calmly places her notes on the lectern, then looks over the hall.

And she smiles.

— "Hello, everyone."

The silence thickens.

Not boredom. expectation.

— "My name is Dana Noctielle. I’m a general practitioner at the hospital of white ashes, and until further notice… I’ll also be your professor of applied human medicine."

A few eyebrows rise.

She waits a second.

Then adds, with a lighter tone:

— "Professor Helios is on medical leave, but I’ll do my best to make you forget his… explosive passion for theory."

A few laughs rise. the air relaxes. shoulders ease.

She picks up a piece of white chalk, thin.

Her gesture is fluid, sharp.

She writes in precise letters: applied human medicine

— "We’ll talk about diagnostics, about listening, about clinical decisions in real situations, and sometimes… about things the books don’t teach."

She sets down the chalk.

Turns slightly from the board.

— "But first, I’d like to know you. who are you? why are you here? and what do you hope to learn?"

She sits, leaning a hip against the table.

Silence.

Then, a hand rises.

A young woman stands.

Alma, dark-haired, serious, straight as a pulled thread.

— "I want to become a heart surgeon. I love challenges… and fixing hearts."

Dana nods softly.

A large boy with circles under his eyes follows.

Tao.

— "Emergency. for the adrenaline. and because I always wanted to know how you handle chaos."

A girl in the front row barely whispers, hands crossed on her knees.

Lina, shy.

— "Pediatrics. I love children. and… they make me want to be brave."

Another clears his throat.

Mathis, torn jeans, hiding behind humor.

— "I’m here because I failed political science. but apparently, I have a good abdominal touch."

Bursts of laughter. general relief.

Dana smiles. that kind of laughter — she knows it. it’s the one that creates connection.

— "Well then… welcome, all of you. we’re going to learn, observe, make mistakes… and hopefully… laugh a little too."

She straightens up, then sits on the edge of the desk, legs crossed.

— "I’m not a great researcher. I haven’t published a book."

— "But I’ve treated people. real ones. fragile ones. tough ones. beautiful ones."

She scans the room, then adds, in a lower voice:

— "And I want to pass on what I’ve learned. not just with a stethoscope. but with the eyes, the hands… and sometimes, with silence too."

She checks the clock.

— "Alright. we’ve got ten minutes left. so let’s make a deal."

She stands again, half-smiling.

— "If each of you asks me a question, I’ll buy coffee tomorrow morning here in the hall."

Murmurs, glances… then hands rise.

— "Your first failure as a doctor?"

— "The moment you were scared?"

— "Your favorite patient?"

— "Do you think someone can be saved just by talking to them?"

She answers each one.

With honesty, with humility, with simple, careful words.

And that look… soft, focused, a little too deep, sometimes.

The bell rings.

Bags zip shut. voices rise.

— "See you tomorrow, Doctor Noctielle."
— "Thank you, ma’am."
— "Coffee’s included, right?"

She watches them leave.

She’s no longer a storm, nor a divine figure, not here.

Today… she is a guide.

And it suits her well.

End of chapter 4 – hello, I’m your new teacher.