The Xylan child, small and fragile on the gleaming examination table, seemed to fade even more under the emerald-violet light filtering through the clinic's broad windows. Chen He's internal clock, still ticking to Earth's rhythms, screamed urgency. The [Pediatric Vulnerability Assessment] trait continued to feed him data, highlighting the unique fragility of young Xylan physiology. The child's core bioluminescence regulators, usually a vibrant, steady pulse, were flickering erratically, like dying embers.
"Kael, the micro-fusion emitters, calibrated to two hundred nanometers, please," Chen He instructed, his voice low and steady. Kael, the Xylan assistant, with his naturally shimmering skin, quickly gathered the necessary tools – not the bulky laser arrays Chen He might have used on Earth, but sleek, palm-sized devices that hummed with contained energy. These were Xylan equivalents, but Chen He's Modifier System had optimized their output and finetuned their controls to an impossible degree.
"And the crystalline thread," Chen He added, reaching for a spool of incredibly fine, almost invisible filament. This wasn't ordinary Xylan material. The Modifier had provided him with a formula, guiding him to synthesize a bio-conductive crystalline polymer from local Xylan flora. It was designed to mimic and enhance the natural pathways within Xylan bodies, a concept far beyond their current medical understanding.
His plan, refined by [Holistic Insight], was audacious. He couldn't simply fix the damaged regulators. He needed to create a temporary bypass, a "light-shunt," using the crystalline thread to reroute the child's vital bioluminescent energy around the failing primary regulators. This would give the child's own healing processes a chance to kick in, while the sonic bath post-op would gently re-stabilize the cellular structure.
With [Absolute Precision] guiding his every move, Chen He began. His energy-based tools hummed, slicing through the child's delicate crystalline skin without leaving a mark, the wounds sealing almost instantly behind the beam. He worked with a speed and grace that stunned Kael, who watched, mesmerized. Chen He was operating on a scale so minute, even Xylan surgeons using their most advanced instruments would have struggled. He was essentially performing cellular-level surgery, weaving the bio-conductive thread into the child's internal pathways.
Each delicate stitch with the crystalline thread was like mending a strand of pure light. The system showed him the energy flow, a luminous river, redirecting itself around the damaged zones, the flickering core beginning to stabilize, albeit faintly. The child's dim glow brightened by the smallest fraction.
The procedure took only minutes, but it felt like hours. When he finished, stepping back, the child lay still, but its faint glow was now steady. The odd twitching of its limbs had ceased. The Xylan mother, who had stood silently, clutching her hands to her chest, let out a soft, melodious sigh of relief.
"It will need time," Chen He said, his voice a little hoarse. "And the sonic bath is critical. It will help its body accept the bypass and begin to heal its own regulators."
Kael, usually reserved, spoke, his voice filled with open awe. "Doctor, I… I have never seen such a technique. To weave light itself…"
Chen He simply nodded. "Every being has its own pathways to healing," he murmured, a vague truth that was also a complete evasion. He couldn't tell Kael about the Modifier, about the blueprints for the thread that had appeared in his mind, about the impossible precision that came not from years of training alone, but from a silent, unseen power.
As the Xylan child was carefully transferred to the sonic bath chamber, its tiny form now enveloped in a gentle, humming glow, Chen He felt a familiar, subtle warmth spread through him. The system pulsed in his vision.
[Challenge Complete: Pediatric Energy Bloom Trauma. Reward: Trait Upgrade – Pediatric Vulnerability Assessment (Level 2: Enhanced predictive modeling for long-term growth and developmental impact; unlocks early intervention protocols for congenital Xylan conditions).]
A new facet of understanding clicked into place regarding Xylan child development. He felt a sudden, deeper comprehension of their growth cycles, their nascent bioluminescence, and how subtle damage could manifest years later. It was a terrifyingly powerful insight, and it opened up entirely new avenues for treatment – not just for injuries, but for preventing future ailments.
He looked out at the alien, beautiful Xylos sky. His past on Earth felt like a distant dream, but the purpose he'd lost there had found a new, unexpected home amongst the glowing citizens of this strange world.