Chapter 2: Illness
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"Lucian."
A voice called out to Lucian, rousing him from his despondent state. As he turned around, he pushed the matters regarding his parent's whereabouts to the back of his mind.
"Yes, Cyrus?" Lucian responded. He knew there was something wrong as Cyrus's voice faltered when he called out to him. Although he didn't know the cause of this, Lucian was still worried nonetheless.
"There's I don't know how to say this except for... there's an issue. Both Silas and Daphne...they're uncharacteristically pale," Cyrus muttered with a deepening frown. As he recalled their weak breaths, he was almost certain there was an issue, or maybe even a sickness involved.
However, this type of incident was classified as a rarity once the otherworldly energies appeared. Since the energies strengthened them, rarely did humans fall victim to minor illnesses. Thus, he was left clueless as to what the root cause was.
"Pale? Let's go check on them," Lucian responded without a second thought. His younger siblings were the crux of his worries. Their safety took precedence over everything else simply because they were his family.
However, as he made a move to head towards the doorway leading to living chambers within their family mansion, Cyrus caught sight of his hand clutching an item on his chest. This tickled his interest, "Were you thinking about Mom and Dad again?" he inquired.
"Ah, yeah kind of. It plagues my mind quite often," Lucian admitted before releasing his shirt. Blanking before the window in his parent's study had become a frequent part of his monthly routine.
Hence, in regards to his answer, Cyrus sulked momentarily as well but that expression soon vanished.
"We'll find them, or at the very least, we'll gather some answers. After all, it has been 8 years since everyone was called into that towering construct. There are bound to be people who were affiliated or possess knowledge about them still alive. We just need to locate them," Cyrus said.
Lucian remained quiet for a while, but he peered into his brother's similarly aquamarine eyes. A resolute gleam circulated within the depth of his eyes and he eventually nodded, "We will, we won't rest until this happens."
Upon establishing their shared determination, both Lucian and Cyrus exited the private quarters of their parents. A few short moments later, they arrived within the corridor that led to their rooms.
The trip was silent, uncharacteristically so. After all, their minds each shouldered a significant weight, sometimes affecting their moods.
Suddenly, the instant they arrived at the door of their siblings' room, they felt a weird aura. While it was similar to the new atmosphere of Alteria, it also felt eerily different. The appearance of the weird vibe immediately aroused suspicion.
"Do you feel that?" Cyrus questioned with a solemn expression.
"Yeah, I feel it. Something is wrong...let's enter quickly!" Lucian exclaimed, bursting through the doors without restraint. As he did so, he bore witness to an unsettling sightboth his younger sister Daphne and young brother Silas clutching their sheets.
Their petite bodies released a cold sweat as their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Without a second thought, Lucian rushed towards them and pressed his hand on their foreheads. To his surprise, their bodies were cold to the touch!
Additionally, each exhale pushed a frosty breath out of their lungs.
"I-I've...never heard of a situation like this. What do we do? Do we call medical services?" Lucian asked in a panic. Unfortunately, Cyrus's expression paled when he heard this.
Truth be told, their current situation wasn't that great. While the Salvatore Family possessed an illustrious status prior to the Priming, afterward, it was a different story.
Unlike before, where they possessed members in all levels of society, ranging from officers to elected officials; now, there were just a normal bunch of straggling children. Their experience was like a fall from heaven to the depths of hell.
Outside of these siblings, there were only a few other scattered child remnants. Furthermore, the new world order intended to gravitate away from the use of old resources.
Things such as prior currency, lesser materials, material items such as paintings, furniture, etc., were on the decline. While still accepted, it wasn't the prominent choice. It was rare to find wealthy individuals still interested in the mementos of the old order.
This was because those who returned from the Fractured Monolith came bearing gifts, or rather tools to change the world! They introduced the world to refined ores, sturdier minerals, valuable equipment, advanced assistance technologies, and even potions to elevate their strength!
Likewise, areas such as medical services, training routines, and governing systems became far more refined and potent. After all, the old methods weren't effective enough. Of course, these luxuries brought with them increased expenses. Not to mention, the supply of the new items was extremely limited.
The only methods to acquire them were by fulfilling a Guardian's duties. Which included but wasn't limited to entering the previously recessive Fractured Monolith.
Luckily, three years after the reappearance of the first generation, or rather five years ago, the once-dormant Fractured Monolith resumed activity. The first generation was granted entry without further calling as they bore a mark. Beyond that, the monolith began summoning others once again.
In light of this change, humanity chose to dissent away from accepting the old currency. But, they didn't just do so all at once.
As a result, people in situations like Lucian and his family arose quite frequently.
"We...don't have anything to offer for the medical services. Even if it's the most basic of evaluations, none of us are Guardians or even Awakened for that matter. We won't be subjected to the same priority they are blessed with," Cyrus grumbled.
Lucian felt his consternation and sighed. This situation was truly a headache; his siblings were suffering and judging by their symptoms, their condition was deteriorating quickly.
"It won't hurt to try, right?" Lucian countered stubbornly, attempting to get Cyrus on the same page as quickly as possible. Alas, Cyrus still seemed to be conflicted. Their current funds were at an all-time low. Any additional expenses would potentially devastate them.
Nevertheless, it was his siblings at stake. It took some time, but ultimately, Cyrus wound up giving his approval.
As soon as he received this answer, Lucian contacted the nearest medical facility. Meanwhile, Cyrus continued to caress the two little one's heads in an attempt to appease some of their pains.
"Hello? You have reached the Strellia Medical Facility. How may I help you?" A voice chimed through a device seeming to be a telephone.
"Yes, my siblings seem to have fallen ill. They are pale and their temperature keeps falling. Oh, and they're also trembling with cold sweats," Lucian answered hastily.
Silence befell the phone. At first, Lucian thought the other side had hung up, but all of a sudden an odd question sounded from the phone, "What color are their eyes?"
"Color? Blue?!" Lucian replied. He didn't need to think about it. A dominant trait of the Salvatore Family was different shades of aquamarine eyes.
"No. I'm asking what the current color is," the voice responded, brushing aside Lucian's answer.
"I'm not very sure. Their eyes are closed pretty tight," Lucian answered.
"That is beside the point. I suggest you open them and verify the color," the voice urged. Due to the urgency in her voice, Lucian obliged without asking further questions. He gently pried open their eyes and took a glimpse at the color. Shockingly, they were far from the color blue!
"Uh...Miss, their eyes are completely white," Lucian answered anxiously. Once again, silence filled the room. Except, this time, murmurs could be heard from the other side of the phone. It appeared the person on the other side was discussing the situation with someone else.
Finally, after some time had passed, they resumed the conversation. But, their tone had turned grim, "Are your siblings over or under the age of 10? Also, have they exhibited signs of weakness recently?"
"Weakness? No, this-..." Suddenly, Lucian paused to recount the past few months. He recalled his siblings frequently dropping their small ration. At first, he thought this was due to the grogginess that accompanied the process of waking up. But, it happened far too much to be chalked up to a mere coincidence.
Thus, Lucian switched his answer, "They're both 10 this year and have been experiencing some weakness."
"We'll send a team to your location shortly," the lady on the other side replied. From her tone, it was evident that she would hang up soon.
"Wait, wait! What's wrong with them, do you know?" Lucian exclaimed into the phone, frightened that she may disconnect at any given moment.
"Of course we know. They... are experiencing a weakness plaguing many people, but it is kept under wraps. For more detail, come with them and we shall disclose further information. Although I must warn you, depending on your age, it may not be a piece of information you want to hear about," the voice warned.
Moreover, the voice sounded apologetic, almost as if they were empathizing with Lucian. As he heard these words, his heart wrenched. He understood that their situation had gone from bad to worse. They were short of viable funds, and now it seemed there was an issue with their younger siblings.
Left with no other options, Lucian looked at Cyrus with a saddened expression, "They're on their way but don't rejoice. The situation doesn't look good."