Breathing felt warm again, it felt right again. But an apprehension consumed the back of her mind: What if he came here with a purpose? What if he’s only talking to her because he wants something from her?
“. . .”
No, that’s perfectly reasonable. We all watched as the sun had burst from its stomach, a lesser star to bathe us in evernight. This isn’t the time to play house and be nice, now was it?
“Cain, tell me the whole story.”
“What do you–”
“I’m a Blythe. Half-breed, but still a Blythe. Now regardless of whether or not I may have caused the world to go to shit, I know something’s going on for a kid my age to seek someone like me.”
She’s not important after all– she was about to say, but . . . the world itself called her name―as if she’d undergone an apotheosis taking her to full Divinity.
“What’s going on?”
“. . . Haahh, you Blythes always break expectations.”
Raseyla wryly smiles, despite what she said, she doesn’t really feel like a Blythe.
“Right, here’s what’s going on.” He stepped to the edge of the roof and– a tall fencing rendered in… he clenched it in his hand. “You saved a Francis Blythe and he took you to our hospital. Father worked to heal you, when all of a sudden―”
△▼△
Patient: Raseyla Blythe (Tentative)
Injuries: Third-degree burns across the body.
―――――――Time of death: 1500
―――――1501
―――1505
――151?????3???????????
Cain rushes the patient down a stretcher and across the halls, up ahead is his father, making sure nobody gets in the way.
“―Time of death, 1516–”
“Just quit counting already, she won’t die and I won’t let her!”
Interrupting Cain was a short foxian woman, who’s locks, furs, and pupils are a rare, possibly one of a kind pinkish hue, almost reminiscent of a certain candy―he’s never seen an Asxetan or any half-breed creature with such appearances.
How this woman’s able to keep resurrecting her is beyond him . . .
Meanwhile, Cain and the other doctor, his dad, share a Kerusian heritage. Both bear black hair unique to Kerusians, and although Cain has his mother’s Jade-green eyes, Sadao has the Kerusian sea-blue.
“How much longer until–”
“We’re here!” Sadao cuts her off and turns the table to the room. “Cain, settle her on the table while I prep my tools!”
“Right away!”
With assistance from the foxian lady, Cain took Raseyla off the stretcher and settled her into the table.
Once there, her apprehensions formed in her face. “. . . What is that?”
“Pseudo-Golems, they’re there to help us with emergency surgeries. Dad commands them through a control scepter.”
It’s a very new technology, proposed by Sadao himself before Vestia’s Academy Lords. Should there be a lack of healers, a licensed user of this technology may use a control-scepter to command the rune-coded liquid golems to do their jobs. Sadao pours his blood into the scepter’s gemstone―
―Bringing to life the silvery liquid metals found on the canisters affixed to the surgery table. They float and arch over the patient, emitting a runic-light as it crosses from the patient’s head all the way to her toes.
“Ah…” The foxian woman nodded, “So it helps a user do the work of multiple healers all at once?”
“Exactly, it’s his life’s work!” Cain said back.
Though magic and superhuman feats are commonplace in the world, very few healers exist in the world.
“The girl has third-degree burns everywhere in her body, by all means she should have died before you had the chance to resurrect her,” Sadao said. “With this, I’ll be able to find the heart of the problem.”
The woman’s brows furled, “Don’t tell me…”
“Something wrong? He’s just scanning for the injury, healing won’t be possible if―”
“―Stop this machine, now!” Her voice boomed into the room, breaking glass and forcing Sadao against the wall. Dad was about to shout back when– “She can’t realize where her true injury lies―”
Her eyes went blank, and she fell to her knees.
“――”
Sadao mouthed the words ‘Miss Fox?!’ but he couldn’t speak, too weak to even squeeze the words out.
But that doesn’t matter, not anymore. His eyes also went blank, and much sooner than he did with the fox―he began to foam at the mouth. All this frightened him, Cain stepped back and grabbed at anything to support him, only to cause the surgery trolley where they keep their surgery tools to fall off to the side.
“Miss? Dad? . . . what’s going on–”
He stopped on the spot―his very hands moved on their own, grasping at his throat―as if this was the only way to keep himself conscious for what would come.
△▼△
Written to the genetic code of all populations of the world are a few details, and few pieces of lore regarded as common sense―
Terrible bells rupture through the heavens and collide with the earth, all life rendered to harken―they forget how to lay eyes on all creation, they lose every bearing that makes them intelligent, they are reduced only to mere beasts―their purpose as living beings redesigned to witness the voice of the world.
As for those closest to that girl―
“Ghhaaaahhh!!” “Aaahhhh!!” “Ghhh….” ““. . .””
Their feet crash against the floor, their chest plummeting, while their faces planted sideways to the ground . . .
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
―For instance, a miracle preludes the manifestation of a Godly being. And with it, every mortal will know their name, their face, and what they are.
R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????R?????a??????s?????e???y???????l?????a????? ???? R????a???s???e????y?????l?????a??? ??? R???a???s???e???y???l???a??? ???R???a??????s?????????e??????y???????????l???????a??????? ??????
Why they were born, the philosophical answer to the meaning of life . . . even if only for a moment, it meant comprehending their newest God.
W???i???l???l??? ???e???n???d??? ???t???h???i???s??? ???w???o???r???l???d??? W???i???l???l??? ???e???n???d??? ???t???h???i???s??? ???w???o???r???l???d??? W???i???l???l??? ???e???n???d??? ???t???h???i???s??? ???w???o???r???l???d??? W???i???l???l??? ???e???n???d??? ???t???h???i???s??? ???w???o???r???l???d??? W???i???l???l??? ???e???n???d??? ???t???h???i???s??? ???w???o???r???l???d??? W???i???l???l??? ???e???n???d??? ???t???h???i???s??? ???w???o???r???l???d??? W???i???l???l??? ???e???n???d??? ???t???h???i???s??? ???w???o???r???l???d???―――――――――――
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
△▼△
―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――’Cain…’――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――’Cain…’―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
“Cain!” Sadao grasped both of his shoulders, “Come on- wake up! Don’t you dare leave me–”
“Clear out of the way!” The foxian woman rubbed her palms together, electricity appeared when she pulled them apart, and she slammed her palms to Cain’s chest.
“Hnggghhh!!―”
Restarting his heart, no matter how painful it might be. Dad shouted his name, and placed his palms to his neck to check for his pulse.
“. . . Haahh, thank goodness…”
Hearing his relief brought Cain the same feeling, he could trust that he’s going to live. Despite his lack of medical knowledge compared to his dad, Cain knew exactly what happened to him.
It wasn’t just an ordinary heart attack―for a moment, his very heart ‘forgot’ how to function―and if that was the case–
“D-d–...” he couldn’t breathe, much less speak, but he had to get it across! “The- th… others!”
The foxian’s eyes widened, and she stood. “Healthy as your boy is, he won’t be the only one affected by the world’s voice!” He planted his palm to his back, working on numbing his pain, “I’ll teach you two both of these spells. Save as many as you can!”
“...Alright, I won’t make the same mistake of not immediately listening.”
Without a chance for even rest, Cain begrudgingly nods, and once he did, the foxian placed one thumb each at the both of their foreheads―
―Once again, their minds are overwritten, but this time--
‘. . . Ahaha… Did you see that, mom? My storms did more than just hurt someone.’
An ancient memory, embedded into their genes. The wisdom of the past is now imparted to their rightful heritors―upon all of Reign’s lore, there was only one such being known for these miracles.
“. . . Lorana,” Sadao muttered. “You’re the wisefox engraved upon the Cultivation name.”
“. . . Yes.” The foxian lady frowned, “There will be time to talk about that too. But for now, we’ve got people to save.”
As soon as she said that, Dad stood, and Cain followed.
“―S- Stay away!!”
. . .
“You’re with her, the ones who were– no, no no back off!”
. . .
“Aaahh– Haaaaa―A???s???g???g???h???h???a???a???a???h???h???g???g???g???r???r???h???h???h???????”
. . .
“Huh? Miss Lorana– why are you crying?”
“. . . I’m not, little man. Just– some things, you’re just not ready to deal with yet.”
. . .
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . Sixteen patients are gone. Half of them died upon hearing the world’s voice, a third ran away, presumably to die later―the rest of them they . . . Father said not to think about it.
When they gathered again, it was at the much more spacious reception hall. There were no patients left, save for―
“I’m sorry for bringing this up to you, Doctor.” Sir Francis, the knight that our patient saved. “This wouldn’t have happened had we picked a different place to heal her.”
“...Forget about it, the patient’s a ticking bomb, casualties would have happened either way.” Sadao sighed. “What about your wife, how is she?”
“Emeline’s… fine.”
The man represses something deep, something heavy.
“She told me not to worry, she also said… she saw the three of you surrounding the girl. Asked me to get a message across.”
Silence gripped both my father, and the lady wisefox’s throats. He himself was a bit overwhelmed so… Cain nodded to the knight, pressing him to continue.
“Don’t give the girl a hard time. Whether she’s a new god, whether she’ll end this world or not―she’s hardly an adult. Blythe or not, such responsibilities, expectations, even stigma . . . that’s too much for a growing girl.”
“Haa… I’ll play devil’s advocate.” Sadao sighs. “What if we just kill her now?”
“Sadao!” Lorana said.
She would have said more but Francis continued. “Setting aside all morality, and the justness of the act. Until we find a surefire way to kill what’s essentially a newborn god, I’ll advise against it.”
“For fear of making the situation worse, huh.”
Father stopped prodding from there. As much as the both of them despite the Blythes, there’s hardly any experts out there more capable than them, when it comes to killing the supernatural. As a professional, he’ll just have to trust his words.
Only . . .
“But she’s not a newborn God, is she?”
“―?!”
Francis’ follow-up statement shocked Lorana on the spot, his blue eyes sharply gazing at the Wisefox’s―as if already discerning her nature, as well as Raseyla’s own.
“All gods descend with miracles, some of course arrived causing pain. But none of them were proclaimed by the world to be its own end. What is she, Miss Cultivator?”
“. . . Just Lorana is fine. You’re just as capable as Reina describes you.”
There was a mild shock on Francis' face, but he pushed it aside, he wanted to hear her answer.
“Right… the best way to describe Raselya is through an analogy.”
Lorana began explaining.
“Think of the world as a container―it can be a bucket, or a tub―and now think of the world’s souls as the liquid it contains. While I don’t know the reason why, from what I observed―Raseyla is none of these.”
“Rather, her true nature is the hole at the bottom of the container. Every soul, dead or not, will flow through to her―and depending on the force of how much is absorbed, the hole will expand and progressively get worse. Ultimately causing more destruction the more life this hole makes contact with.”
“On the matter of how destructive Raseyla is… let me preface this by saying she’s not the first one this nation has witnessed. The first appeared 200 years ago, they were dormant up until recently, then awakened ― and it was then that your sister, Reina, investigated the matter. Because of their nature, Reina coined the term “Swarm” for them. Read and said as: ‘To Gather Around.’”
“That’s what she was investigating?” Francis said, “That’s why she asked me to mobilize the whole of our nation’s military?―”
“―That’s a very apt reaction for her, Francis. Apologies for cutting you off, but I’d like to get the full severity of the situation into perspective. Their destructive capability is not to be misjudged, they are mightier, far crueler, and much worse than even the Curse Author, or the God of the Mind. They have the very capabilities to change the world in scales never before seen―you’ve all seen it for yourself.”
“―Not through the little disaster Raseyla caused in this hospital, no. I’m talking about this Night-Everlasting. A swarm much like Raseyla caused all of this.”
