As promised, I'm shamelessly fueled by feedback.

Thank you very much TowerofBabel form AO3 for being my first review! Also, my first review was also criticism, so, I wanted to raise this question with everyone:

How long do you like your fic chapters to be?

Feel free to shoot me a PM or vote on my FFN page, as there is a poll on my profile. I'll take your votes into account when I write :D

Without further ado, I present to you,

Chapter 2: The Healing Tower

"Number #459, go ahead inside," the man at the window told her, registering her grimoire and showing her towards the tall doors to the left of the window through which he was working. Nova thanked him politely and then headed the way he'd shown her. She almost bumped into another one of the contestants, but managed to avoid him.

"My bad," the girl apologized, not paying him much mind, before entering through the large doors. She didn't notice the curious blue eyes which followed her every move as she took in the space. Nor did she spot the way the boy shrugged, his smile turning to another one of the contestants, as if dismissing her completely. But, Nova was more focused on the space itself than the other examinees. Perhaps, she should've paid more attention to the boy she'd almost bumped into. After all, he was the one who has emerged among the best candidates of the exam, gaining an unfortunate nickname The Cheery Berserker, which also turned quite a few squads away from him. He's ended up as a rather strong addition to the Black Bulls. And, he, the battle-loving-almost-sociopath Luck Voltia, had rightfully judged her as not worth starting a fight with.

"I mean, it's unfair, right?" Nova whined, all her previous caution about the man in front of her thrown to the wind. Elian had proven to be quite the listener and a rather nice conversation partner. Somehow, despite Nova's reservations about talking to him of her failure in the Knight's Exam, he'd ended up leading her into venting her frustration. "It's just stupid to rate only the worth of examinees in battle, no? You also need a good healer on the field, no?"

"Well…" Elian began to answer her, but Nova interrupted him again.

"They'll regret it, I swear," the girl took another sip of her summer wine, an obvious reason for her loose tongue. "I'm going to become the best surgeon Clover Kingdom has ever seen and I'll make every single one of those stuck up captains regret that they didn't take a chance on a magic type you can't use in battle!"

"That's the spirit!" Elian encouraged with a hearty laugh. They'd ended up choosing a small café, a real hole in the wall, away from the main streets, where they'd sat down and started talking. First, Nova had indulged him and explained a bit about her magic. She used a mixture of Creation Magic and Healing Magic, together calling it Operation Magic. It allowed her to create a space she called Operation Room, or OR for short, in which she controlled the body of her patient at will. Her tools were mostly actual physical ones, since creating them drained her mana too much. Yet, she did create additional scalpels or saws in order to help her work, and she did use spells for disinfection or pinpointing the internal injuries. Elian had been all too eager to hear everything about the odd mixture of techniques that weren't commonly mixed in the field of Healing Magic.

But, along the way of discussing magical possibilities, training Nova could do in order to improve and possible applications in battle, the two had become comfortable with each other. When Nova had mentioned how she'd failed the Exam, Elian had decided to treat her to a celebratory drink of summer wine, under his careful supervision, in hopes of future success. That had only loosened her tongue more. Even the man himself wasn't sure he'd wanted that much information about the other candidates the girl had noticed nor about her personal life. Yet, he didn't discourage her from oversharing.

"Do you think I would be a good Magic Knight?" Nova asked, peering up at him from her spot where she lay almost sprawled across the table, her arms spread out and cheek on the dark wooden surface. "I mean, do I have what it takes?" Elian paused at that, one hand coming up to stroke his beardless chin.

"I'd say, by what I've seen of Knights, that you would do well in any of the squads," he answered honestly. "Perhaps the captains have become too focused on pure battle prowess in the recent years, forgoing potential over already present fighting abilities. Then again, maybe there is a better place for you."

"What do you mean?" Nova asked, eyes rising to meet his dark ones.

"If you'd indulge an old man," Elian smiled, taking out a piece of paper and a pen. "There is a job opening of an apprentice to a rather well-positioned healer at the Royal Capital. If you go to this address at the Capital in a month and introduce yourself, you could find your place in supporting this kingdom without joining the Knights." He slid the paper across the table to the girl. She took it, trying desperately to make out the curvy letters that appeared rather blurred on the page to her.

"That's very generous, Elian, but I don't think you have enough pull to get me in there, wherever there is," Nova shrugged, placing the paper down. "I mean, unless you're going to come out and say that you've got some kind of pull with the Wizard King or something!" Nova laughed at the idea, shaking her head.

"Well, you consider it, you have a month," Elian took out a few coins and placed them on the table, paying the tab. "I don't think you're fit for traveling in your state, there's a room that you can rent here for the night. Consider my offer, though." He stood slowly, looking down at the slightly less miserable girl than a few hours before, when he'd first met her at the Black Market. "It's been really nice chatting with you, but I'm afraid I've got some more business to take care of in the city."

"Thank you for listening, Elian," Nova said from her spot, her voice becoming small. "I didn't know how much I needed that." Elian smiled down at her, reaching over and ruffling her messy black hair.

"It's no problem, kid," he grinned. "Let's see each other again at the Capital in a month."

"Sure," Nova waved at him as he left her alone in the small café. Soon, the waiter came over, taking the money from the table and then turning to the girl.

"Miss, there is a bit too much here for the tab," he told her. Nova sat up, looking at the man with a frown.

"A tip?"

"Still too much, miss,"

"Then, can I rent the room above for a night, as well?" Nova asked, thinking back to what Elian had told her.

"Oh, that makes sense," the waiter nodded. "Of course, let me know when you're ready and I'll take you upstairs." And he left her alone to nurse what was left of her summer wine. Nova looked at the cup which Elian had ordered, half-empty on his side of the table. It contained chamomile tea.

"Thanks, Elian." She whispered to herself, before downing the rest of the wine and standing up. The girl grabbed the piece of paper from the table with the address and walked towards the cash register to seek out her waiter. "Could you show me to the room now, please?"

Returning home took Nova five days in total. She traveled light, with only her pouches and a single bag of necessities. She didn't have a change of clothes. It wasn't that she couldn't afford them, but that she hadn't brought one with her. The girl had left home much in the same fashion as she'd left Kikka, with only the clothes on her back, supplies in her pouches and a single bag which she'd gotten along with her food at the local market.

The trip was, much like the one to Kikka, rather uneventful. Nova took measured breaks at well-known rest stops for travelers, camping in already prepared spots and leaving as soon as she was done having her breakfast in the morning. She gathered fruits along the way and mostly finished them off before the next stop. By the time she reached her hometown, a small village called Tateni, she looked as if she'd been on the road for longer than five days. Her hair was a mess and she was a bit thinner than when she'd left her parents' home earlier that month. The whole adventure, now behind her, had taken a mere span of twelve days. Less than two weeks, and yet it felt like a whole month had passed.

"Back already, little Nova?" Their neighbor, Marcus, greeted her with a smile from his field of corn. "Since you're back, you didn't get into the Knights, did you? You know there's always a spot on my harvesting team for you, girlie!"

"Thanks, Marcus!" Nova politely waved and smiled, trying her best not to show how much the comment affected her. She'd dreaded coming home. It wasn't that her village was full of mean people or anything. It was just that they had simply never believed her able to become a Magic Knight. And, their doubts had proven true. She was no good. She hadn't managed to reach the first step of her dream. She'd failed.

"Nova, back already?" Estelle Goldin stood at the door of their home, a basket of laundry in her arms. She was a fairly slim woman, short in stature and of pale hair and skin. Her eyes were the most prominent part of her features. They were large and bright green, just like Nova's. She'd inherited that from her mother, just like was normal for her family. Almost every woman of her mother's line had those stunning green eyes.

"I'm home, mama." Nova broke into a run, a wide smile on her face. Estelle's basket dropped to the ground, the laundry spilling over the earth, wetting it, but neither of the two women cared for that much at the moment. Instead, the young girl threw herself into her mother's arms, welcoming the scent of cinnamon and green tea, accompanied by the vanilla smell of the candles she used for her fortune-telling sessions. "I'm home."

"Welcome home, sweetie." Estelle didn't ask why Nova was back. She knew that her daughter coming back could only mean one thing – she hadn't passed the Exam. Instead, all Estelle did was hold her offspring as tightly as she could, welcoming her back into familiarity. And, for the second time after the results of the Exam had been announced, Nova cried.

"So, you're going to go?" Estelle asked her daughter as they re-washed the laundry together by the local stream.

"Mhm," Nova nodded. "While I'm not so sure Elian has enough pull to get me such a prestigious position, I'm not going to give up. I want to do this. I want to do good for the kingdom. The kind of healing we're still missing… I'll bring it to the Capital."

"I've done good, haven't I?" Estelle laughed, a hand coming up to cover her mouth delicately. "Look at you chasing your dreams relentlessly! I can't wait to tell papa." Nova blushed, returning to furiously scrubbing the stained shirt under her hands. "Ah, Nova, you're going to rip it!"

"I'm not!"

Weeks seemed to pass so quickly, despite the teasing words coming from numerous villagers. They all wanted to know how the Exam was and why exactly did she fail it. But, other than that, they also wanted to offer the young girl a place in their business and reassure her that she doesn't need to become a Magic Knight in order to be useful. Nova knew they meant well. That was partially what strengthened her resolve to leave the comforts of her home once more.

"Take care!" Estelle yelled after Nova's form at the back of the cart full of goods for sale.

"Make sure you eat well!" Marcus yelled as well, giving large waves from his spot next to Nova's mother and father.

"Don't take any shit!" Mavra Goldin, Nova's father screamed out, cupping his mouth to make sure the sound carried. Instantly, Estelle slapped his shoulder in reprimand for his language. Mavra wasn't like all the other villages. After all, he was tall, dark-haired and had sun-kissed skin. He was from the very border of the Heart Kingdom, his parents being from the other country. Yet, he'd fallen in love with Estelle and followed her to her small village in order to make her happy.

"I'll write a lot!" Nova promised, waving back to her sendoff party. The cart's wheel jumped over a small hole in the road, making her bounce and all the various goods clink and clank against each other behind her.

"That's quite a sendoff you've got there, little Nova," the cart driver, the traveling merchant who'd taken up residence in her village the year before last commented with a smile. His name was Oliver and he was always popular among the people in the settlement, especially children. They always crowded him and were eager to hear of his many travels. Nova could remember how she'd listened to the old man's stories when she was young, too. After all, he was the one who'd told her that her magic, just simple Creation Magic, could be so much more. He was the one who'd told her to seek out more books about the different applications of creation at the local library.

"I'm going to miss them so much," Nova admitted.

"That's good," Oliver chuckled. "I always miss Tateni when I'm on the road. It's one of the reasons why I settled there."

"Really?" Nova asked, turning to see the old man's back. And, as usual, Oliver launched into one of his tales of numerous travels and adventures.

Days passed quickly on the back of Oliver's cart for Nova. He was a fun conversationalist, seemingly never running out of stories to tell. They stopped in different towns along the way, making their trip longer than a week which it would usually take to reach the Royal Capital. Though, Nova didn't mind. Resting in different towns and helping Oliver with his sales was always fun, and she enjoyed it tremendously. She even got a chance to practice some of her magic and healing methods in the last town, Hakki, when there was an accident involving a misplaced saw and a leg. She'd been able to return full function to the limb within a few hours of work.

The odd duo reached the Royal Capital in the morning of the tenth day of their trip. Oliver woke Nova up just as they were nearing the entrance, where they had to show their traveling papers in order to enter. Nova presented her identification, a small card containing her name and basic information, and the guard checked her thoroughly before he allowed the cart to pass the gates.

"I'm going to be here for three days, if you need me," Oliver told the girl as he stopped the cart in front of the inn where he usually lodged during his trips to the capital. "Make sure to let me know how your quest goes."

"Will do," Nova offered Oliver the money for the trip which he pushed back to her.

"No, no," the old man said. "I couldn't possibly."

"No, Oliver, I insist."

"Well, let's agree that you can treat me to a drink if all goes well with your employment." The old man was adamant about not taking her fare.

"Alright, I can live with that," Nova laughed, packing her money away into her pouch. Then, she gave the old man a tight hug and waved goodbye as she headed deeper into the city, towards the address Elian had given her a month ago. She found herself in front of a tall tower, right next to the castle where the Wizard King lived. It was an odd structure, both wide and quite high, leaving quite an impression on the girl. The main gates dwarfed her once she neared them. She took a breath to compose herself, clutching the paper in her hands before she knocked and waited. Soon, the massive gates opened, a man stepping out.

"Hello there," he greeted in a pleasant voice. He was middle-aged, a rather tall man of greying hair with glasses on his face and a kind smile. "Can I help you?" He asked in his deep voice.

"I-I'm Nova Goldin," the girl replied, blushing at her stammer. "I was told to come here by a man named Elian when I was in Kikka last month. He gave me this note to give when I arrived." And Nova handed over the paper from her hands. She wasn't sure what the man would see in the note. It merely held the directions to his tower and nothing else. Though, it was signed with a rather interesting symbol which she couldn't recognize.

"Oh, Nova Goldin! I heard that you'd be coming," the man smiled, briefly looking at the paper. "I'm Owen, the healer here. Come in, let's talk." With another deep breath to center herself, Nova followed the man into the tower. He led her up a series of steps, to the second floor, which made her legs hurt from the workout. "I wish I could tell you that you get used to the number of stairs, but you really don't." Owen laughed, putting the girl immediately at ease. "Would you like some tea or juice?"

"Juice is fine, thank you," Nova said, sitting down when Owen motioned for her to do so. The second floor of the tower was a circular space filled with everything one would need in a cozy living room. She settled on the cushioned, comfortable couch in front of a wide coffee table, following the healer with her eyes as he went to the small kitchenette and prepared their drinks.

"So, miss Nova, I was told that you have quite the unique talent for healing," Owen told her as he placed two drinks on the coffee table and sat down in a sofa chair.

"Nova is just fine, sir, please," the girl couldn't help blushing at his politeness. "I use Creation Magic coupled with Healing Magic to practice surgery." The man's eyes widened at that and he leaned in, looking her over curiously.

"Oh, now I see why he was so interested," the healer laughed. "You're quite the unique one, aren't you? So, tell me more about this surgery that you practice, Nova." There, she was in her element. Nova launched into an explanation of her medical practices and how she used it to help people.

The Healing Tower was a true marvel. It was a structure so bland from the outside, yet quite interesting from the inside. Just like a patient. The tower contained five floors, along with a deep basement. The first floor was the waiting area, which contained numerous beds and was staffed with aspiring healers. Owen had four people working under him, not including the new addition of Nova. Timothy, Mary, William, and Elizabeth were all commoners, from the Common and Forsaken Realm. So far, Nova had briefly met only two of them, William, who insisted he be called Will, and Mary. They had both passed their Magic Knights Exam, yet chosen to forego battle in order to become healers. These two people were the ones who managed the first floor of the tower. Decorated in pale yellow and fresh forest green, it was an area filled with hope of relief from ailments. It contained twenty beds and had various medical herbs, balms, and concoctions available in case of emergency. This is where the people who had wounds or illnesses were brought to first, before they got reassigned based on priority.

The second floor of the tower was a common area for the healers. While they all had their living quarters, they still spent most of their time there, devising different healing treatments, new procedures, while they dined and studied. It also contained an extensive library, which Nova had missed on her first visit to it. There was a kitchenette there, as well as a counter with available resources to prepare already existing balms and remedies and test new ones. This area was color-coded in plum and deep greens, along with various wooden furniture done in sturdy dark oak.

When one went to the third floor, they didn't immediately enter a large circular area as were the first and the second. This was a floor where the most urgent patients were taken to be treated in separate rooms. Each of the healers had their own space, which they had both stocked and color-coded according to their preferences. Nova had had the chance to peer only into Owen's room of preference, which was rather bland, aside from a single table with two chairs in dark oak, along with a bed where he positioned his patients before starting the healing process. He explained to her that she would receive her own space, free to decorate it as she wished, and that she could look into the other rooms for reference if needed.

The fourth floor contained the living quarters of the staff, as well as three separate bathrooms, to minimize the time they needed to get ready for work. Nova had been given the room across from Elizabeth's and in between Owen's and Will's. It was a rather small space, with only a bed, dresser and small desk for work, until she had the chance to decorate it. Though, she loved it. Mostly due to the fact that it had a large window overlooking the city, where she could sit in the old window seat. Though, it did need a few touch-ups in her opinion before it was ready for use.

The final floor of the tower was a herbal garden. The roof had been arranged to that it could open in spots, and every morning the staff would make certain to let in the sunshine so that the light-loving herbs could grow properly. Owen had explained to Nova how, since she was new, her most important task would be taking care of those plants and making certain they had everything they needed at all times. The four balconies which extended from the roof were also filled with herbs that didn't handle indoors well, along with tables and a single swing, which was, according to the head healer, the most popular among the staff.

Nova hadn't had the chance to see the basement, but she'd been told that it included various books which hadn't fit into the common area on the second floor, along with old instruments which weren't in use anymore and some magical items that old doctors had implemented in their healing. Altogether, the Healing Tower was a marvel in Nova's eyes. It was a treasure trove, and she would be living among its jewels.

"So, that concludes our tour," Owen smiled, stopping in the common area where they'd started their small walkthrough. "I understand that there's only one lever elevator, which often proves difficult, and that more than often you'll be in for a leg workout to the top. But, through the years, we've found that this is the most efficient organization."

"Oh, no, I'm just glad to be here," Nova bowed respectfully. "I'll work on the leg muscles, I promise." The head doctor laughed at that.

"You're in for a few breathless runs up and down the stairs, but you do get somewhat used to it," he smiled at the girl. "For now, I'd like to assign you a staff member as your mentor, and go from there. Lizzie should be back tomorrow, and then you two can get started on her patients. She will show you how we operate, and if you have any questions or suggestions, we're always open to innovation." Nova stood for a second, as if in a dream, when he was finished. Owen tilted his head, watching the girl carefully. "Is everything alright, Nova?"

"A-ah, yes," the girl stammered. "I'm just… I mean… This is so surreal. This is everything I've ever wanted to do. I just had no idea that a traveling businessman had so much pull." Nova turned to Owen to see him laugh nervously.

"Ah, well, that's because who you've met was the Wizard King himself, just on the road and in disguise." Her brain successfully short-circuited. In a flood, her babbling of the ignorant to her talent captains and the stupid system of the Magic Knights Exam came flooding back. Essentially, she'd called the most loyal subjects of the Wizard King fools to his face.

"T-the Wizard King…" And Nova promptly fainted.

I know this chapter was a tad too description heavy, but I hope I didn't bore you guys. Let me know how you liked it! :D