At the Mintaka Healing Campus
Inside the Mintaka Healing campus, the cries of wounded warriors echoed alongside the clatter of medical equipment. Every bed held a patient wrapped in linen bandages; some bled through their dressings, while others lay completely paralyzed. In one corner, a man screamed and shivered, his eyes rolling back into his head. Healers rushed to his side as his wounds began to rot, emitting the foul stench of putrid pus.
"Xurien, we need to prioritize this one!" shouted a healer whose hands glowed with blue energy. She scanned the patient using a conjured neuro-statistic plate that displayed a fluctuating cardiac status. "His internal organs are under attack... the energy plate is reading abnormal neuro-hyperactivity within his brain." The woman, a Blue Healer with curly hair, looked panicked. "his pulse is skyrocketing! This isn't normal."
Xurien immediately examined the patient's wound, which had turned a decaying purple, while his entire skin took on a sickly yellow hue. The patient was restrained as his muscles went into violent spasms and his joints stiffened. His eyes flickered rapidly until, at the peak of the seizure, the light in his eyes vanished, leaving only blank black pupils as he lost consciousness.
"Is he dead?" The Blue Healer's eyes widened. Her hand glowed brighter, turning into a blue cardio-monitoring screen. The pulse waves flattened dangerously. "His heart rate is bottoming out."
Xurien attempted to feel the patient's internal state using a white healing energy that acted like a sonogram emanating from her palms. Images of the anomalies inside formed in her mind. "No... it can't be," she whispered.
"His vascular system failed, his blood vessels burst... his Celestial Genes are... dead," Xurien answered, her own heart racing. As her mind traveled through a molecular vision of the patient's blood and cells, she saw black, parasitic "rabies" devouring the celestial blood, replicating with terrifying speed.
"It's a systemic virus," Xurien said, her fingers dancing as she wove white threads of energy. Each string pierced through organs and tissues until she reached the microcosmic field of cells. "Based on its behavior, it has its own systemic colony." The black cells moved in an organized fashion, attacking and defending against white blood cells while systematically dismantling the celestial gene barriers. "I'll call it the Myrmex Virus. They feed the virus's mother cell to produce dark cells that destroy the DNA of Celestial Genes." Her cellular vision blurred as her anxiety grew. "Like ants... they won't leave as long as their queen or mother cell is alive. It's not contagious through the air, but anyone pierced by an AS-Myrmex stinger will suffer this 'switch-off' of their Celestial Genes."
The other healers choked back gasps, staring at their patients with a mixture of pity and horror. Chaos erupted as they exchanged frantic reactions.
"Myrmex virus?" Gaeia stuttered. her hand shaking as she scribbled notes for the report to the King.
"Isn't that fatal?" another cried. "It's a silent killer," the Blue Healer added. "Like termites destroying the foundation of a kingdom."
"This is scarier than dying in battle," Chalthrea whispered, her light dimming in fear as she looked at the bandaged soldiers as if they were already under a death warrant. A cold draft swept through the room, feeling like the touch of a reaper's scythe.
"The King and the officials of Thallerion must know... the military is in grave danger. They are currently in the middle of a fight!" Rubiel exclaimed. The others nodded. Xurien continued to trace the mother cell through the veins, feeling the nervous system where synapses were beginning to fail.
"If I'm not mistaken... this is an anti-celestial gene activation. Why wasn't this in the Cyprioxian reports?" Xurien paused, her face hardening. "Because of this neglect... many will suffer if we don't act now."
"But Xurien... we aren't allowed to interfere with the work of the Religious Healers."
"The victims will be paralyzed until they can no longer move, and their Celestial Genes will die," Xurien explained. The healers recoiled from their patients. "Don't be afraid, it's not contagious."
"Then the warriors must stay away from the front lines—in short... this virus turns you into a paralyzed human with no abilities," a Thallerion healer realized.
"What Xurien means is... once the stinger hits, it's like rabies; the signs aren't immediate, but it slowly devours the entire Celestial Gene structure."
Xurien stopped her molecular scanning, and the astral strings vanished like mist. "Yes. And when that happens... awakened warriors temporarily become normal humans—it is Genetic Silence."
The room filled with the scratching of pens and trembling voices. The patients who were conscious began to scream. "No! No!" An Awakened-warrior crawled across the floor, dragging his body like a corpse. "I am a Warrior-Tank! I don't want a miserable life... please... heal me, Lady Xurien!" He reached for her feet, tears hitting the floor. A Red Healer stepped in, conjuring a steel board to lift him back onto his bed. The infirmary felt like a wake.
"Send a letter to Prince Cerceux's headquarters immediately," Xurien ordered. But before the Green Healer could leave, she stumbled, her glasses clattering onto the cold floor.
The doors to the campus swung open. A group of women in white robes entered, bringing a warm aura that clashed with the cold facility. Their cross-topped staves thudded against the floor.
"Listen, Thallerions. This is a dangerous plague, not a simple sickness. Only the power of the Crux Entity can treat this." A large woman spoke, her nose wrinkling at the smell of rot. Her iridescent green eyes swept over the healers. She slammed her staff down. "Back away from the patients!" shouted Davina Hebronor, a Cyprioxian.
"The anti-celestial gene virus isn't contagious," Xurien replied, her fingers trembling in the presence of the formidable woman who seemed to shrink the room. "If we stop, the virus will only spread faster."
"How does this girl know the true nature of the virus? Impossible," Davina muttered under her breath. She stepped toward Xurien. "We have conducted deep research. Do you think you know more than us, girl? You are a mere Thallerion healer, yet you claim to know the virus's type?"
"We studied for a year to identify this—are you a fortune teller?" another Cyprioxian woman mocked, laughing harshly.
"Lady Xurien is a High-Grade Healer," Xurien's companion defended. "She passed every exam and training at the Thallerion Celestial Gene Academy."
"Silence! We aren't talking to you," Davina's voice boomed. "You should show respect—we are the primary contributors to the healing arts."
"We are Thallerion blood," Xurien said, her fists clenching. "As healers, our bodies are our medical tools. Do not look down on us!"
"You're just quack doctors," a Cyprioxian sneered. "Don't brag about your 'Grade' or abilities."
"Davina," Xurien said, her jaw tightening. "Why did you allow wounded warriors to return to their mission if you haven't removed the virus yet?"
Davina's fist tightened hidden in her robes. "If I admit we didn't know, they'll think we are irresponsible. We are supposed to be the masters of magic healing," she thought.
She took a deep breath and held her head high. "That wasn't our fault. The magic-virus worsened because the warriors were too eager to fight, or perhaps they got bitten again. We have been secretly studying a solution, and before you even 'discovered' the virus, we already sent the info to the kingdom. Don't be a know-it-all, Xurien—we've already been where you're just arriving."
"Get out of here," a religious healer shooed them. "You belong in clinics for the disabled and the lepers."
"Or go to the field and be useful... stay out of our business, busybodies."
"We came here to visit your patients," Xurien retorted. "Many are dying—are you actually treating them?" A tense silence fell between the two teams. "If we hadn't come, we wouldn't have known the state they were in."
"Leave, Xurien, before I report you to the higher ranks of the Cyprioxian Religious Healers for interference," Davina ordered, thumping her staff.
"You don't heal the sick... you only heal for the name of Cypriox to earn praise. Because of you, many warriors could lose their power." The staves of Davina's group began to glow as Xurien's green eyes lit up in defiance. "Don't stop us from healing if you can't save the patients yourselves," Xurien added.
Davina fought to keep her grip steady. "I can't let people think we're too harsh, especially with Prince Cerceux around—it would ruin our image if I violated the Thallerion Hunter's Code," she whispered to herself.
The light on her staff dimmed. "You seem quite proud of your group, Xurien. Why don't we make a contest of it? There are two rooms and two teams in this campus. Let's see how far your abilities get you—it would be shameful to refuse, wouldn't it?"
Xurien paused as her companions nudged her back, whispering not to engage. "We were born as Thallerion healers... not to be belittled. At this moment, we are Hunters of Viral Agents," she told her team. Xurien stepped in front of Davina. Despite Davina's height, Xurien looked her in the eye as a scalpel manifested in her hand. Her teammates followed suit, their hands glowing with surgical instruments.
"Fine! But I'm telling you... even if we break protocol, the logic of being a hunter is just. we will compete not just as healers—but as Hunters of Viral Agents!" Team Xurien's eyes blazed. Even the paralyzed patients let out a weak cheer.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. This virus is made of magic, not scientific experiments—our victory is guaranteed." Davina stepped closer, her shadow looming over Xurien.
"When we win... promise you will never go near the Prince again. You will go back to Cypriox to serve the Alpha Church. Because you interfered with our official work without permission, I will ensure you are barred from marriage and remain a nun for life." Xurien's team gasped.
"Prince Cerceux doesn't love you... he's just playing with you. I am the one he truly loves, and I'll accept his proposal when he returns." Xurien's heart felt like cold ice. The secret letters they had exchanged suddenly felt hollow.
Xurien's arms tensed. "Tsk. I didn't ask about your personal life," she said. "If you're done talking... we have work to do—here." Xurien looked the Cyprioxians over one last time. "But when we win... you and your lackeys better never set foot in Thallerion again. There are plenty of other Religious Healers in Cypriox with actual hearts."
The room went silent. Davina gripped her staff until her knuckles turned white. "So... you accept the challenge, Mestiza?" Davina smirked.
Lab 170: AS-Myrmex
Under an ancient tree, the shadows of the branches stretched wide, and dry leaves crunched under the men's boots. The cool shade touched the faces of the Awakened-Hunters as they breathed in the fresh air. They carried no weapons or steel on their clothes; they waited in disciplined silence for Prince Cerceux. In the distance, they could see the non-awakened shooters and officials on the barricade wall, awaiting the first command.
"Aim bows! 36 degrees North!" the command leaders shouted. Archer strings pulled tight as arrowheads caught fire. "Fire the Arrows of Orion!" A volley of arrows whistled through the air like a swarm of a hundred bees.
"CRROWNKS!!!" The AS-Myrmex crawling at the border shrieked. Flames erupted on the ground, and their exoskeletons popped like bamboo in a bonfire.
"Second line, move in! Note the hardened exoskeletons." The second batch fired blades dipped in gunpowder. The blades pierced the shells easily, but as they exploded, a sweet and salty scent of cooked seafood filled the air.
After twenty minutes, the biopunks looked like reddened lobsters, their shells polished by their own oils. Their chitinous legs cracked as the white marrow leaked out. The long anemone heads oozed a boiling green liquid. Their stingers popped like corn, revealing shrimp-like meat. The field looked like a massive lobster feast. The fire died down, replaced by a salty smoke and a savory aroma that hung heavy in the air.
"Victory!!" the soldiers cheered. "The biopunks are toasted! Man, that smells good. Like grilled lobsters!" they laughed.
"Wait, what's this? Why do I feel dizzy?" a leader asked. Blood suddenly dripped from his nose. "The birds! Look!" He turned to his men, but their joy had vanished. They stood like mute dolls, weapons lowered. "Hey, why are you quiet?" He shook them. "Answer me!" His head began to spin until he couldn't speak, his body paralyzed.
Birds swarmed the sky, circling once before diving into the field of cooked AS-Myrmex, pecking at the meat as if they had found worms.
A deadly silence fell as the archers collapsed. Men's muscles twitched, and teeth chattered as drool began to leak from their mouths. Their heads hung in shadow, their fingers twitching with a life of their own.
Meanwhile, among the Awakened-Hunters, a terrifying stillness took over. The disciplined men began to act like hungry dogs, sniffing the air as their feet moved forward. When Prince Cerceux arrived, he found them all hunched over.
"Prepare for the assault on the cave laboratory," Alexunther said, walking beside the Prince. The Hunters didn't turn; they didn't speak. They seemed deaf and blind. Only the clinking of Alexunther's gear broke the silence. "What's wrong with you? Stand at attention!" Alexunther's voice rose.
"Food. Food? Comrades, a feast!!" one warrior screamed, his mouth salivating. He sniffed the air, eyes rolling back as he grinned.
"What!?" Alexunther and Cerceux were stunned. "What are you talking about? We aren't going for food."
Suddenly, the hunters sprinted toward the Thallerion border. Their brains seemed to be under a command telling them they were starving; their eyes were consumed by a hallucination. Instead of the disgusting, charred remains of the AS-Myrmex, they saw a grand banquet overflowing with food—glistening red pincers and bubbling hot delicacies they had craved their whole lives.
"I'm hungry!! I have to taste it!!!"
"Hey! Come back!" Alexunther tried to grab their arms, but they broke free with unnatural strength.
"What is happening?" Cerceux's heart hammered. In the distance, he saw silhouettes of people jumping off the high walls. He grabbed his telescope. His eyes widened—non-awakened shooters and military officials were leaping into the field, heedless of the danger. "Am I seeing this right? Their minds are being controlled. The intel Davina Hebronor gave us was wrong. The smell of the cooked meat contains a Neurotoxin."
As Cerceux spoke, his own eyes began to play tricks. He saw a shimmering banquet overflowing with food. He punched himself hard in the face to snap out of it. Both he and Alexunther immediately covered their noses, feeling the hallucinations begin to claw at their own minds.