The Luminary (a dottore oneshot)

here comes trouble

That first look of mixed horror and disgust had stung like a thorn.

You had grown to expect smiles and nods of praise when you told others of your dreams of becoming a doctor. Just about any profession within the medical field had always held high respect. You could say you were motivated by your desire to help people but you'd be lying if you said you couldn't see the mora signs reflecting in your eyes.

Your letter of acceptance to the Sumeru Akademiya had been received with cheers and tears of joy. You could see that look of pride plastered on everyone's faces- including yours.

Your arrival in that pristine school had also been met with hums of approval. The so-called sages were beyond grateful to have more aspiring doctors in their hands. You were well aware of all the corruption within the medical profession, yet you pushed it away, believing that healing the commonfolk and getting paid adequately was all you could ask for.

The first few months went by smoothly. You excelled in most of your classes, spent most of your time in the House of Daena, made sure your uniform looked as polished as possible, dished out assignment after assignment... Sure, you could say you'd purposefully turn a blind eye to all those fleeting rumours about the Fatui, a certain scholar or Lesser Lord Kusanali herself. You just wanted to get ahead in your life with as little inconveniences as possible.

Until one day, a chance reared its head from the depths of the ocean.

The Akademiya had recognised your potential and decided to make you an offer you couldn't possibly refuse. You were allowed to pick an additional course earlier than most students. There were two options: botany and anthropology.

Herbs and medicine had never been of true interest to you; anthropology on the other hand...

You were quick to submit your decision to the lady at the front desk. She had a welcoming grin up until she read the paper slip. Her smile faltered as she turned to look at you with the first look of dismay you had received in years. It hurt a little, enough to make you flinch awkwardly. You could only pray you weren't about to get lectured for your choice.

''Is something wrong?''

''No, no. It's just that... you see, anthropology is a difficult choice and you're so young, so maybe you should go for something easier. Not many students pick anthropology so, you might be pretty lonely. Besides, there aren't enough professors to help you out. Most of them resigned since anthropology isn't that important anymore and you see - ''

You could tell she was chewing on her words, scrambling for excuses to get you to change your mind. It was as if the word anthropology itself had been tainted by some kind of malicious force. In all honesty, her agitation made you all the more curious.

You shook your head, smiling politely.

''My decision is final.''

---

You expected to be able to start the course within a week, yet for the first time in the Akademiya's history, they seemed to be struggling with scheduling and gathering resources. You soon gathered word that the students who had picked botany had no such issues. It soon struck you that you were probably the only one who had gone for anthropology.

Whatever might have happened within that course really smeared its image with mud. It probably scared away any interested students and pushed the Akademiya to leave it to gather dust in the corner. That didn't bring you down though. You were determined to get to the bottom of that rabbit hole.

It wasn't as if you'd always let curiosity get the best of you, right?

After a few weeks, you finally got to experience your first lesson in Anthropology. Unbeknownst to you, there was no need for pens and notebooks. The scribe who guided you to your assigned classroom mentioned it'd be a practical lesson. He gravely avoided eye contact when you finally reached the underground floors of the Akademiya.