Beautiful Life, Hideous Humanity

Even if it may wilt one day, that is all part of living together. That is what really makes it beautiful.

I finally understand what he meant by that now. Saying goodbye to that cat was sad, but also beautiful. Where one life ends another begins. That is life being discovered over and over again.

...What makes life beautiful, indeed.

Krervo, you sly devil... Always one step ahead!

But my title is at stake! I'm going to deliver a blow you won't forget... Aldo can fetch me what I need from the past... Yes! This would be revolutionary! No one has yet attempted...

Messaging me at this hour? Who would be so...

"...Reminder...your upcoming health examination..." Ugh. I forgot I'd made that appointment.

*Sigh* Nothing to do but get it over with.

Does it have to be all the way in IDA city...? I suppose if I leave now, I'll still make it with time to spare.

Hey!

I thought that was you, Nonold!

Aldo? This is an odd place to see you. Are you having health problems?

Me? Oh, no. I just came by to visit a friend. And you? Forgive me if it's private, but... is everything alright?

I always take my health screenings this time of year.

Screening...?

Surely they had DOCTORS in your age. Though true, this particular practice was first implemented for factory workers.

It's routine procedure nowadays. Medical institutions offer a docket of general tests for signs of illness. It's largely preventative. Early detection is key for treating most illnesses.

Couldn't a scientist like you do all that himself? Must be hard to get all the way out to the hospital.

Why bother, when they have other people for that? My research demands my full attention. I'll leave the mundane science to the professionals.

You ought to have yourself looked at as well. You may feel healthy, but one is never too young for foresight. Nothing stresses our loved ones like a sudden health scare.

(He did say his father died quite young... Was it illness?)

That's a good idea. I'll have one soon.

A wise decision. Do you have a preferred physician? If you need a referral, I can have one arranged.

Sniffle...sob...

What's gotten into you?

I thought I heard someone crying...

What happened? You okay?

Oh! Professor Nonold...

I'm sorry, am I supposed to, Ah. Yes. You attended my recent lecture.

Please, Professor!! You have to do something!!

AUGH! Down, down!

It's Papa! He's... HE'S...!

Unhand me, child! And cease this blubbering!

Aldo, fix this!

What exactly am I supposed to...

Uh, okay everyone. Deep breaths...

Feeling better?

I think so. Thanks...

Why don't you tell us what's going on? Something happened to your dad?

I dunno what to do... He... The doctor said he's gonna die soon...

He's been in the hospital a really long time... But he's just getting worse. He stopped talking, even. Half a year ago...

...I'm sorry to hear that.

You're researching immortality, right, Professor? Like how to stop death?

You sought out my lecture hoping for a way to save your father.

...Well? And where is he? I'd like very much to examine him.

You think you can cure him?

There's nothing I can't do! But these things take time, and that's not something all patients have. We won't know until I see his condition for myself.

Right...

I'll take you! His room's on the 4th floor.

Mama! Guess what?! Professor Nonold said he can cure Papa!

I said no such thing! I'm simply here to look at him.

Nonold? THE Nonold...? Professor Nonold Wellstein?

Who else? The Genius Scientist, at your service!

It's an honor, of course! But what business could an esteemed researcher such as yourself have with our...

My annual health exams.

Ah. You'll want the 2nd floor, then. I'll have someone come around to...

AHEM! Forgive me, Professor, but I must ask that you not touch my patient!

Aldo. Would you mind taking the child outside?

Whuh? Oh... Sure.

Hey, how about we go play for a bit? Looks like the grown-ups need some time to talk.

The child had hoped I might heal her father. I won't bother you for his charts, Doctor. It's clear what we're dealing with.

...Yes. He might hold out another month, but beyond that, unlikely.

A month... In this stage, your husband cannot hope for recovery. I might, however, be able to grant you and your daughter one final wish.

A wish...?

It's my understanding that she wishes to speak with her father. Naturally, I would hear your opinion on the matter, however...

There you are. Apologies, that ran longer than expec...

WHAT. Is H-E doing here?!

My health screening, as it so happens.

You came on the same day?! Did you two plan this?

Screenings were always conducted during this time during our time at KMS. I saw no reason to deviate. ...When was the last time you had an exam, Aldo? Even when you're young, it's beneficial to...

On it. I already got the pitch from Nonold.

Well, Professor? You can fix Papa, right?

I'll be honest. There's nothing I can do for him.

I could do something for you, though. If you'd like.

What does that mean...?

All in good time! For now, it's best you stay by his side.

Aldo! We'll be taking a trip to your era. I must see that adaptive specimen again. The...Gentia, was it?

Ah. Moonlight forest, right? When we went to find that flower for your friend.

I don't mind. But what for?

Still chasing that immortality elixir of yours? You don't change. I know you've been seeing a terminal patient. Aldo told me the story.

Hypothetically, you'd what? Stop me? How quaint. I've told you, I have no such intentions. Besides, that patient is beyond help.

What ARE your intentions then?

No concern of yours. Come along, Aldo! Moonlight Forest, on the double.

It's here! Let's begin.

What a marvelous change in pigmentation... In a non-native environment, no less! The creature exhibits incredible adaptability.

Really? Looks the same as ever to me...

Hee-HEE! It wants to scare us off! Deimatic behavior, typical anti-predator response.

You're taking more fluid samples?

For this compound, I require seeds. Unfortunately, I don't imagine it would appreciate my extracting them.

LIVE samples, please. As before, we only want to subdue it.

We're done here. These samples should be more than enough.

I thought that Gentia compound only worked on plant matter. What are you making?

The immortality elixir, yes. What I have in mind, though, would not postpone death... ...but rather hasten it.

Make the patient's life SHORTER?! I thought we were trying to help him!

Can we not jump to conclusions? I assure you, there's a method at work. I don't suggest it out of cruelty.

I would offer an advance, if you will, on the patient's remaining life. He would not last long after, but the treatment would give him a burst of vitality, make him feel well briefly.

A patient in that man's condition wouldn't regain his full movement, but he'd recover well enough to converse with his family.

You want let that girl talk with her father one last time. Still...

As things stand, the family will part without goodbyes. This treatment would hasten that parting, but allow them to create one final memory. Final partings are just that. We don't always get to prepare for them, and often we are left with regret.

Do you...regret how things went when your own father died?

I am a HIGHER BEING! With my goals, I've no time to be fettered by the past.

Though I do often wish I had one last opportunity to speak with him.

But we have more pressing concerns, no?

I have my samples. Let us hurry back to the hospital.

You waited for me, Krervo? Surely you have better things to do.

I finished my checkup with time to spare.

And I'm obliged to stick around to assure you aren't attempting yet another affront to medical ethics.

You've got it wrong, Krervo. He just wants to give them...

What? An "advance"?

...I'm against the idea, naturally. I understand that in that moment, there might be real joy in their conversation...

But to shorten his time means to rob the family of time to prepare for the inevitable.

It's a mere false hope. If he's healthy right through his final moments, his passing becomes more difficult to process.

Better to pass up a final bit of joy with our loved ones, because it might be too stressful? How grim.

No. I'm saying making the most of the full month left will be more beneficial in the long run.

Even without speech, his hearing remains intact. He may not be able to respond, but his family is communicating with him. The time remaining belongs to the patient's family as much as to him. It is not our responsibility to interfere.

Life, in its full beauty, encompasses both aging and death...

It is fleeting, and therefore precious... Yes, precisely so!

This is the natural order. To a genius like myself, such truths are plain.

However! To strive, to defy the laws of nature! That grisly struggle, THAT is human!

Call it monstrous, but I wanted MY father to live, and I'd have defied fate to do it!

Nonold...

A few more hours! Minutes, even!

If I had even that short time to speak with him, I wouldn't be so woefully trapped in the past now.

His life was incomplete. But perhaps if he could have ended it amid gratitude from his family, it would have felt less so.

We were not so lucky. I was naive then, and understood so little of life and death. I see now that time... More time is always precious.

That medicine of yours only takes that time away.

......

Tell me, Aldo. In your opinion, does this medicine do more harm than good?

I think...

I think...we ought to give her the medicine.

All that girl wants is to talk with her dad one last time. They've been in this half a year already. They've BEEN grieving. Clearly that's not enough. She wants to hear his voice, wants that closure. It's the reason she tracked Nonold down.

Whether or not they go through with it is something they must decide as a family. But they should be aware of their options. This one included.

(...You can't fix the past, Nonold. No matter how many other fates you rewrite.)

Oh...

I remember you. You're that girl's mother, the one we gave the medicine to.

Thank you so much for your help, Professor. I can't tell you how much it meant to our family.

If I may ask, how did your husband's condition progress?

He left us seven days after his treatment.

I see... My condolences.

Oh, not at all. We'd been prepared for it for some time. Thanks to you, Professor, our final days as a family were happy ones.

It...was so wonderful to hear his voice again. Such a relief to know what he'd been feeling all those months, to exchange goodbyes.

A part of me wanted to keep him there forever, of course...

But the time you gave us was worth every second.

And your daughter?

She's back in school, and doing just fine. It was difficult for her at first, but I think being able to hear from him helped. I cannot thank you enough.

It was my pleasure. I'm pleased to see you've moved forward with your lives.

I think...maybe we shouldn't give it to them. The announcement from the doctor was a big shock. It's hard to think clearly in a situation like that...

Like Krervo said, I think what that girl needs is just time to process. So if it ultimately takes time away... I'm not sure Nonold's drug will be helpful.

...Very well. You're willing to deliver the news, then? The development of my treatment was unsuccessful. And they should make proper use of the time they have remaining, in what way they are able.

Oh...

Oh? I remember you...from the hospital.

Thank you so much for your help, Professor. I can't tell you how much it meant to our family.

I'm sorry I was unable to do more. Might I ask how your husband's condition progressed?

Like the doctor predicted, he left us about a month after.

I see... My condolences.

Oh, not at all. We'd been prepared for it for some time.

Thanks to you all, though, our final days as a family were happy ones.

Deep down, I knew he was there with us. He would squeeze my hand from time to time...

We missed his voice, but... It was helpful for our daughter to know he still heard her. She had a smile on her face every day.

That final month was the most peaceful I'd felt in ages.

And your daughter?

She's back in school, and doing just fine. It was difficult for her at first, but I think being able to talk to him so long helped. Would you pass my regards to Krervo, as well, should you see him?

I will be certain to.

It sounds like their family was able to say their goodbyes the way they wanted.

Indeed. Rightfully so. I would not wish what I lived on anyone else. With that, Aldo, I bit you adieu. Progress awaits, and I cannot afford to stand idle.

Nonold, hang on.

I just wanted to say... Don't be so hard on yourself. You said you wanted more time to express gratitude to your father...

But don't you think he already knew even without you saying it?

Explain.

Because families understand each other like that.

He knew how much you loved him, he didn't need it spelled out.

Maybe your father's final moments weren't as sad as you're imagining.

Hmph. A little late to speculate, I'm afraid.

I just think you ought to...

If you have time to philosophize, you have time to fetch me more samples.

Okay, okay. Wherever you want to go. Just say the word.

Without the need for words...

Now there's a lovely thought.

...You have my gratitude, Aldo.