OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 205: "You Need Me."

Chapter 205: "You Need Me."

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A constant sound rang out through the small room.

It was a reminder from a monitor that Emir, who was lying on the bed, remained alive and healthy.

His mother, Laura, remained by his side, gently patting his head as he slept.

Moments later, Lyra arrived, passing by several medical equipment and an incubator that housed Emir's arm.

"I'll perform the surgery." She announced.

Lily, who was sitting near Emir's feat, looked at Lyra in shock.

"Why? Isn't it better to let the pros do it?"

"Right... why dear?" Her mother supported her.

"Can't trust them."

Lyra answered simply as she removed the IV drip that was implanted in Emir's veins.

"It won't take long... The nanocells have fully healed his flesh. Now I only need to reattach his arm..."

"Thankfully, we managed to incubate it before it rotted, so he'd be as good as new in a few minutes."

"Will it hurt?" Lily asked in a quiet voice.

"...No, he's sleeping. The anesthetics we have did their job, so don't worry, the pain will be suppressed, alright?"

Lily nodded, while Laura showed a silent smile as she stood up.

She grabbed her daughter's hand and left the room, leaving Lyra alone to focus on the surgery.

As Lyra prepared, she meticulously sterilized her hands and the surgical instruments.

After a deep 'breath', she approached the prince's right.

"You got this..."

With gentle movements, she made an incision along his arm, following the guidelines provided by her database.

She was careful not to disturb the nanocells too much, as it would cause them to heal his arm again.

Something that Lyra definitely wouldn't want.

The surgery proceeded smoothly as she expertly reattached his arm, aligning the nerves, blood vessels, and tissues with precision.

Minutes felt like hours when she carefully began the process of sealing the wound.

Then the room was suddenly filled with a soft light.

A waving hush disturbed the neutral Aether in the environment.

This was the result of Emir's Aether Core accepting his arm back into its system. 'Good.'

Meanwhile, his nanobots activated, accelerating the healing process.

And finally, after a few seconds, the surgery was completed.

Lyra stepped back and observed her work.

Emir's arm was securely reattached, and the nanocells were already working to ensure a rapid recovery.

She sighed in relief, knowing that he would soon wake up to find himself whole once more.

Exiting the room, she joined Laura and Lily, who had been waiting anxiously.

Lyra's face was calm, and she wore a reassuring smile.

"The surgery went well..."

"He'll need a few minutes to wake up, but he'll be fine; this is nothing to him."

Laura's eyes filled with gratitude, and she hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, dear... You've saved my son."

Lily, too, couldn't hide her relief.

"You're amazing.... Thanks for always taking care of that massive dummy."

[That guy's a smartass but he never stops being reckless.]

Lyra smiled warmly at them both.

"Of course. I'll always be there for him; Emir's my man."

They chuckled and sat huddled together, waiting for him to wake up.

***

After a few minutes went by, Emir's eyes flickered open, gazing at the white roof.

He looked to his left and spotted a beauty that would topple countries-his AI companion- watching over him with a smile.

But then his eyesight was blanketed as Lily jumped over the bed's frame, crashing directly into his face.

He massaged his nose and looked down at his sister, who rubbed her head in pain.

"Ugh... Why is your head so hard?"

"Pause that thought. The real question is, why the hell did you jump at me?"

Sniffle.

"...Isn't that how it usually goes?"

She spoke as her head remained stuck to his chest.

"You trying to act weak is creepy, sis; you can drop it."

Sniff... Sniffle.

"Shut up..."

Hic!

Her tiny form kept trembling over his body as she tried to rub away her tears using the

medical gown he had on.

'So she's actually worried, huh...'

'I guess I was insensitive there.'

Emir's eyesight was blanketed once again as Laura pushed his rising head back into the

pillow.

"Relax sweetie... we have everything now. You can just relax."

Her soothing words never stopped as she patted his head.

But when she noticed him shift his body, she quickly pulled her hand away.

However, Emir softly grabbed her hand before it got away, and pulled it back to his head.

Laura showed a bright smile, her once grief-stricken face showing calm.

[You're quite the mama's boy, aren't you?]

[Of course... The mom, the mom, the mom, then the dad, or so the saying went.]

[Anyways, she's very important to me, and if patting my head calms her down, then why not?]

Lyra giggled.

[...How about me?]

Emir's hand reached towards Lily's fluffy hair, creating a chain of patting.

[You're important... In a different way, but important nonetheless.]

[...I'm happy with that.]

[By the way, is Elijah at home? And are the idiots fine?]

[Yes, he's sleeping right now. As for Emma and Jake, they went to check up on Kiera and her

gang.]

Emir brought Lily's head close and paused in thought for a moment.

[... You think they're alive?]

[Hopefully, but we can't bet on it. They aren't replying, and based on what Alex told you, their

deaths would be nothing but guaranteed.]

[...All of them? Just like that? .... All our work and money spent on training them down the

drain?]

[Yes.... Now do you still think that Alex was a good man?]

[I do. Good men do bad things sometimes. As they say, the road to hell is paved by good

intentions.]

Emir let out a long sigh, which ended in a chuckle.

[And you know, before leaving, I told them to prepare themselves. That death would come. So

I'm not to blame... right?]

[No, you're not.] [Why did you lie? I thought that we banned that?] He scolded with a scoff.

[I didn't lie. We are all to blame; their deaths fall on my shoulders just as much as yours. You might be our leader, but I also didn't give them anything to fall back on and left them to die.]

[Using a technicality... Touche~.]

...Though that doesn't matter.'

'At the end of it, everything falls on the leader.'

'Me.'

'But she still wouldn't blame me...'

'She needs me.'

Emir then looked at his mother and said:

"You guys can go home now.... I've got a meeting to attend."

The mother and sister pair reacted similarly, about to reprimand him, but soon their wits

grew about them, and they calmed down.

Lily finally got off Emir, wiping away the remnants of her tears as she stepped next to her

mother.

"C'mon Mom, let's go.

Laura nodded and followed her daughter out of the room, both appearing angered at their

dismissal.

"You can't blame me! I only have tonight to meet the Elite-"

Bang!

His words got caught in his throat as Lily shoved the door behind her.

Tsk!

[I'll educate that dumb kid later... For now, Lyra, go get me a VR headset, a NeuroLink.]

She nodded while commenting:

[Emotions.... Quite fickle and stupid.]

[Says you.] Emir quipped. [That's exactly why I'm saying it.]