A Civilization That Survived Without Healing Magic

By the time Ryan and I reached home, I was completely exhausted.

The events from earlier kept replaying in my mind.

The injured people,blood.

The confusion everything never left me.

I didn't have the energy to think about it anymore.

I entered the house and sat down for a moment.

My body felt heavier than usual.

I fell tierd sleep.

That was the only thought that crossed my mind.

A few moments later...

I was already asleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was evening.

The sunlight entering through the window had already begun to fade.

I slowly sat up and looked around.

Ryan was sitting nearby on floor beside me.

He was quietly sorting through some of the herbs he had gathered earlier.

I looked at him and i feel like he have some questions for me.

He didn't say anything thou.

Neither did I.

For some time, we simply remained silent and did our jobs.

The events from earlier were still fresh in my mind i could even remember the smell of blood and that thought made me puke.

I could tell Ryan was thinking about something as well.

Eventually...

He broke the silence and raised his voice.

"Kid."

I looked at him with question expression.

"Hm?"

"I've got a question for you."

"What is it, old man?"

Ryan stopped sorting the herbs.

He looked at me.

"This has been on my mind the entire day."

"Earlier, when we were returning home..."

He paused for a moment.

"You told me something."

I already knew what he was talking about.

Ryan continued.

"You said you've seen a civilization that survived without healing magic."

I remained silent.

"I've been thinking about that ever since."

Ryan looked at me with genuine curiosity.

"So..."

"Could you tell me more about them, kid?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"About the civilization?"

"Yes."

"How were they able to live without healing magic and is it a land prefered by the god?"

So that's what was bothering him.

I took a slow breath.

"It isn't easy to explain."

Ryan waited.

I looked toward the fading light outside the window.

"But..."

"I can tell you what I remember."

Ryan remained quiet for a moment.

Ryan's expression became more attentive.

"So..."

"Tell me about them."

I looked toward him.

"The civilization I watched..."

"They understood the human body."

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Understood it?"

"Yes."

"They studied how the body works."

"The organs."

"And bones."

"Then blood."

"Then effects of injuries."

"And diseases."

Ryan listened carefully.

"They also studied what causes those diseases and how they spread."

I looked at him.

"And the people who spent their lives studying all of this were called doctors."

Ryan tilted his head.

"Doctors?"

"Yes."

He thought for a moment.

"So they're some kind of healers?"

"Something like that."

I shook my head slightly.

"But they don't use healing magic."

Ryan's expression changed.

"They don't?"

"No."

"They rely on their knowledge."

Ryan looked genuinely surprised.

"Then how do they heal people?"

"There are Different methods."

"there is Medicine."

"other way is a Surgery."

"And Treatment."

"Different techniques depending on what is wrong with the person."

Ryan remained silent.

I could see the questions forming in his head.

Then he asked:

"How long do those people live?"

I looked at him.

"That's the surprising part."

Ryan waited to listen the answer.

"Even the people in that civilization..."

"They usually don't make it to eighty."

Ryan stared at me.

"Not even eighty?"

"Not everyone."

I corrected him.

"But reaching eighty isn't something everyone achieves."

Ryan frowned.

"So..."

"That civilization has very few doctors?"

"No."

I shook my head.

"They have many."

Ryan's eyes widened slightly.

"Many?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me something else."

He leaned forward.

"If someone breaks a bone..."

"Or suffers an injury like the one we saw today..."

"Are there fewer people dying in pain?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

Ryan looked at me.

"Because of those doctors?"

"Because of their knowledge."

I paused.

"The human body has limits."

Ryan listened carefully.

"If an injury is beyond those limits..."

"Then even they can't save the person."

"But within those limits..."

I looked directly at him.

"...saving them is absolutely possible."

Ryan remained silent.

I continued.

"That's what I was trying to tell you."

"They don't have healing magic."

"But they learned how to work with the body."

"They understand what it can survive."

"And what it cannot."

Ryan looked down at the herbs in his hands.

For the first time...

He seemed to be thinking about healing magic differently.

Not as the only way to save someone.

But as one way among many.

Then he looked at me.

"Then teach me."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Teach you what?"

"Those doctors."

I almost laughed.

"Old man, doctors aren't something you can become overnight."

Ryan frowned.

"I didn't say overnight."

"You'd need years of study."

"Then what can you teach me?"

I thought for a moment.

"First aid."

Ryan tilted his head.

"First... aid?"

"Yes."

I explained what it meant.

"First aid is the immediate treatment given to an injured person before proper medical help arrives."

I looked at him.

"Like what I did today."

"The cloth dressing."

"Stopping the bleeding."

"Keeping the injured person stable."

"Those things can delay the situation from becoming fatal."

Ryan nodded slowly.

"So it delays the inevitable?"

"Sometimes."

I corrected him.

"It's not a replacement for proper treatment."

"But if used correctly, it can give someone enough time to survive until help arrives."

Ryan looked toward the window.

"If everyone here knew those techniques..."

"Then fewer people would have to wait helplessly for a healer."

I nodded.

"Exactly."

Ryan was quiet for a moment.

Then he looked back at me.

"Kid..."

His voice became more serious.

"If there is a way for ordinary people to help themselves..."

"Will you teach me?"

I looked at him.

"That's the first thing I'm willing to promise."

Ryan smiled faintly.

"Then you've got yourself a deal."

I nodded.

"Now..."

"There is something I need from you."

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I need to understand healing magic."

He stared at me.

"You want to understand the magic itself?"

"Yes."

"If I understand how it works..."

I paused.

"Maybe I can find a way to make something useful that doesn't require a trained healer."

Ryan thought about it.

Then finally nodded.

"Alright."

He placed the herbs aside.

"Then listen carefully."

I sat up.

Ryan began explaining.

"Healing magic works through mana."

"Not ordinary mana."

He raised his hand.

A faint glow appeared around his palm.

"Highly pure mana."

I watched carefully.

"When mana reaches a certain level of purity..."

"It becomes capable of interacting with another person's body."

"Think of it as a healing factor."

"It can blend into the other person's body and repair damaged tissue."

I frowned.

"So the mana itself is what repairs them?"

"Essentially."

"Then why can't everyone do it?"

Ryan sighed.

"That's the problem."

"The mana required is extremely pure."

"And producing that level of purity isn't easy."

I immediately understood.

"So that's why there are so few healers."

Ryan nodded.

"Exactly."

"The limitation itself is what makes healing magic so rare."

I thought about it for a moment.

"Then..."

"What if the mana could be purified after leaving the body?"

Ryan looked at me.

I continued.

"If we could somehow purify the mana before it enters another person's body..."

"Wouldn't that make it possible for people with less-pure mana to help?"

Ryan's eyes widened slightly.

"That's..."

He paused.

"That's an interesting idea."

I leaned forward.

"And if we could somehow make the process safer..."

"We might be able to create a healing technique that doesn't require a natural healer."

Ryan smiled.

"Looks like we've got work to do, youngin'."

And we did.

One Month Later...

For nearly a month, Ryan and I worked together.

We tested different methods.

Some failed immediately because the incorrect composition.

Others worked for only a short time.

But eventually...

We managed to produce two results.

The first was what we called Lesser Heal.

It required a separate solution to be rubbed onto the  injured person's body.

Once applied, another person who can be a medic or normal person with mana could transfer their mana through the treated area.

The solution acted as a filtering layer.

It prevented some of the impurities in the mana from entering the injured person's body.

It wasn't as effective as true healing magic.

But it worked.

And more importantly...

It could potentially be used by ordinary people but it was close to what we call a true heal.

The second result was completely different.

I looked at the spell formula in front of me.

It wasn't designed to heal.

Instead...

It was designed to remove something that made treatment difficult.

Pain.

I gave the spell a name.

Lethedyne.

Ryan looked at the strange name.

"What does it do?"

"It creates temporary numbness in the area affected by the spell."

Ryan frowned.

"Numbness?"

I nodded.

"In my world, there is something called anesthesia."

"Anesthesia?"

"It's used during medical treatment."

I explained it as simply as I could.

"It can make a person lose sensation in a certain area."

Ryan looked at me.

"So they don't feel pain?"

"Exactly."

Ryan stared at the spell formula.

Then he smiled.

"Youngin'..."

"What?"

"I think we're getting somewhere."

I looked down at Lethedyne.

The next few days passed quietly.

Ryan and I continued working on the techniques we had developed.

The results weren't perfect.

But they were something.

Then, one afternoon...

I heard several people rushing toward the house.

"they shouted in hurry Ryan!"

"Where's the healer?"

"Please, someone help him!"

I looked toward the door.

Several men entered carrying an injured man.

by the looks His family followed closely behind.

His wife looked terrified.

I immediately stood up.

Ryan approached them.

"Put him down here."

They carefully placed the man on the bed.

Ryan examined his arm.

His expression slowly changed.

I walked closer.

The man's arm was badly broken.

The bone had snapped almost completely.

His arm hung unnaturally, almost as if a branch had been broken in half and left hanging from the tree.

The man groaned in pain.

His wife stood beside him, trembling.

Ryan carefully examined the injury.

He remained silent for several moments.

Then he finally spoke.

"His arm is too badly damaged."

The man's wife looked at him.

"Can you heal him?"

Ryan didn't answer immediately.

"I can stop the bleeding."

"and reduce the pain."

"But..."

He looked at the injured arm.

"I can't repair the damage."

The woman's face went pale.

"What do you mean your were only person who can heal him?"

Ryan sighed.

"If I try to heal it..."

"The damage is too severe."

He paused.

"There is another option."

The woman stared at him.

"What option?"

Ryan's voice became quiet.

"I can remove the arm."

Silence filled the room.

The woman's eyes widened.

"No..."

She shook her head.

"No, please."

Ryan remained silent.

"If you remove it..."

She looked toward her husband.

"How will he work?"

Her voice began trembling.

"He's the one who feeds our family."

"I can't work properly due to my weak constitution."

"I..."

Tears began running down her face.

"Please..."

"Don't take his arm."

The injured man looked away.

I stood there silently.

My eyes moved toward his arm.

I looked at Ryan.

"Old man."

Ryan turned toward me.

"What is it, youngin'?"

I stepped forward.

"There is a way."

Ryan stared at me.

"What?"

I looked at the injured man's arm.

"We don't have to cut it off."

The room went silent.

Ryan's expression changed.

"Are you sure?"

I looked at the patient.

"I think so."

I clenched my hand.

"Let me try."