Man With Super Medical Skill (Matthew)

Rocco's quiet words instantly brought the sound of chewing from the opposite cell to a halt. Silence lingered for a moment before a hoarse, unnatural voice responded, "No, thank you for your kindness, but I am not in need-" "Kid, do you have a way out?"

The calm voice vanished, replaced by the sudden appearance of a pair of dim, crimson eyes. This was the first time Rocco had seen any emotion in those red eyes.

"If we leave, we will only harm others. Here, with simple meals and daily prayers, I find peace."

"Bullsh*t! Why should we rot in this forsaken place for the sake of fools outside?" The voice, now filled with anger and resentment, starkly contrasted with the calm tone from moments before.

"Christ wouldn't want us to leave," the voice continued, returning to its serene state.noveldrama

Despite it being the same voice, it sounded like two entirely different people were speaking.

"Jesus also said that if you don't trouble yourself with worries, others can't trouble you either. It's because of your heart-you can't let go!"

The calm voice fell silent for a long time before speaking again, softer now. "This is all my fault. My negligence caused all of this. If not for me, none of it would have happened."

Moments later, the furious voice returned, this time accompanied by a sinister laugh. "Ha! Aelred, you're something else. So righteous. You think locking yourself in here makes up for your conscience?! I came from you. Did you ever consider my thoughts, my desires?!"

There was a brief silence before

Aelred's calm voice resurfaced, filled with regret. I'm sorry, Aelred, for making you suffer with me here. But while we're in this place, I can give you full control of our body-just promise me we won't leave

The offer seemed only to enrage the other Aelred even more. "Full control? What good is that in this dump? All I can do is sleep. What's the point of having control?"

Before the calm Aelred could respond, the violent one continued to shout, "Yes, I killed hundreds, but they brought it on themselves!"

"You think staying here like this is worth it? I'll burn them some extra candles if that's what it takes!"

"Burn candles? Aelred, you're still deluded! Christ said all souls are equal, and for the sins we've committed, we deserve Hell's punishment! The fact that we're here, suffering so little, is already a mercy from God."

The argument between the two voices continued, then gradually faded into silence. Yet, those red eyes remained unsettling, watching from the darkness.

Rocco sat quietly in his cell, eating large bites of wild greens and noodles from his meal. His entire purpose for being here was to meet the man in the opposite cell. Montiria's first grandmaster-Aelred.

Aelred had once been an ascetic

monk with an incredible gift for martial arts. In just a few decades, he had ascended to the rank of grandmaster. At one point, King Gawain I had been preparing to honor Aelred as Montiria's Nation's Grandmaster, but then tragedy struck.

Without warning, Aelred lost control, going on a killing spree. Though his rampage lasted only three minutes, it left hundreds of civilians dead in its wake.

Afterward, Aelred mysteriously

disappeared for three days. When he reappeared, he stood silently at the gates of Montiria's death row prison, hands clasped in prayer, offering no resistance as soldiers shackled him. Massive iron chains, nearly two feet thick, bound his limbs, and his daily meals of simple tea and meager rations barely kept him alive, leaving him with no strength to break free from his chains.