Somewhere in the seventh district
A refractive barrier membrane slowly covered a white two-story brick building from the sky slightly above its roof.
The spectacle was so intense that the people felt the boundary between fantasy and realty blur.
With a long sigh, a man, probably in his early thirties, slowly lowered his long staff and the light that shined from the eyes of the serpent that coiled around it disappeared.
The moment the staff touched the stone pavement, the large snake slithered towards the arm of the man and went on to loosely wrap around his neck down to the torso.
He was wearing a simple white robe that had the sleeves especially cut off that showed his slightly muscular arm which was rare for a mage of his caliber.
Although his robe was simple and his appearance as a whole was rather ragged, his feet were covered by what were surely fine leather sandals that would put the paws of a feline to a shame in canceling noise while walking.
The man didn't pay attention to the crowd that surrounded him. He already grew accustomed to the constant attention he would get whenever he performed a spell or two.
When he was still living in the second district, which was more commonly known as Eanna, feats like the one he did would be commonplace but within the walls of the seventh district, it was definitely a sight to behold.
"Done... This should hold for a while."
The man whispered to himself in a deep and husky voice as he inspected the seemingly half globe in appearance barrier that he erected around his house.
As if dancing, light reflected over the surface of the barrier like how it would have in the surface of water.
After looking quite pleased, the man pressed his staff over the stone pavement and walked while using it as one would use a cane.
As he walked through the barrier, the light that reflected on the surface of the area that he passed became more refracted. He immediately entered the barrier's premises and continued towards the door of his house.
The spectators thought the scene just now was rather mystical but they were put off at the sight of a snake cuddling around him.
Inside his house laid tens of people which consisted mostly of children.
Cries echoed in every corner as the people lying on thin brown cloths laid on the ceramic floor writhed in pain.
It would have remained as a pitiful scene where sick people begged for help if not for one problem - one that escalated the situation to a more horrifying scenario. One that, all considered, was so eerie that it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to if one would say that it was of the occult.
The man from before walked towards the center of the room and looked around.
After turning his head from side to side a few times, he focused his attention to a boy who seemed to be feeling worst in the group.
The boy he diverted his attention to was turning vigorously in agony and painfully grasped for air. The old woman beside him couldn't do anything but let him squeeze her hand as she tried to hold her tears.
The man walked towards the boy and knelt on the floor to reach for the kid.
"It buuuuurns!"
The boy cried as he writhed in pain under his blanket.
"He's getting worse, doctor..."
The old woman couldn't hold her emotions anymore and started to cry.
"Let me see him."
The robed man looked at the old woman beside her and moved closer.
The old woman moved out of the way for the doctor to have a better position beside her grandson.
The doctor took the boys hand from his grandmother and was shocked with what he saw.
Looking at the boy's profusely sweating face, he was definitely tan in color but his hand was charcoal black!
The doctor quickly removed the blanket that was covering the boy and saw that even his legs were darkly colored black. He then looked at the head part and realized that the black discoloration has reached the neck area.
The black discoloration was surely not a simple disease. The pigmentation started as a small burn-like lesion on the skin over the heart area that displayed a wrapping smoke like pattern as it quickly spread through the body.
It was already worse that it has spread very fast but the black pigmentation also had another feature. Often times, it would pulsate from black to a lava like glowing color that would cause very painful stimulations.
"How's your breathing?"
"I can brea— ighaahh"
As the doctor checked for other symptoms, the boy's skin that had black discoloration turned to glowing red.
"Aaaaaarghhhh!"
The boy pulled his hand away from the doctor and curled, turned and tossed in pain.
The doctor hurriedly placed his arm over the boy's torso and pressed on it to keep him from moving. Het then brushed the little child's fringe and forcefully but carefully pulled an eyelid open using his thumb.
"Listen... You're going to be ok. I promise." The doctor assured the boy as he looked straight into his one open eye.
"But first you have to help yourself. You know what to do right?" The boy didn't give a reply. He just continued to writhe in agony.
"Right? Come on you can do it." The boy, after hearing the doctor's encouragement gave off a slight nod.
The doctor removed his arm from the boy's chest and caught the boy's hand with his other hand.
The child tried as hard as he can not to struggle too much.
Their fingers locked together and the doctor started:
"As the sun in this connection, I give light to thy life..."
The doctor chanted calmly and then let out a long sigh. With his actions, his hand that held the boy's started to burn in orange aura.
"As the moon —aaggh... In this connection, I accept the light for thy life." The boy struggled to mutter the words but the moment he finished, the orange aura that burned in the doctors hand started to transfer slowly over his hands as it slowly turned to a soft blue hue.
The blue aura ran through the boy's skin. As it covered his whole body, smoke came out as if the soft colored aura extinguished the lave like glow only that it returned to just plain black
The boy started to calm down and then immediately fell asleep.
The doctor panted for a while as he stood up. It would have been easier if the grandmother didn't pull his arm in appreciation but still, it made him very happy nonetheless to see the boy okay.
The moment he stood up, he heard someone shouting from the door.
When he looked to see who it was and what was it for, he saw a young man and woman, probably in his early twenties, with an unconscious person.
The young man who was carrying the unconscious person in his back had an unkept golden hair and rare green eyes that went very well with his facial features.
The young woman on the other hand, had waist-length crimson hair and pale white skin that shouldn't have been possible to have in a very hot dessert city.
The doctor looked at the red-haired lady in astonishment. But before his body could follow his thought process, the golden-haired man shouted again.
"Is there someone named Ophiuchus here?!"
No one replied. Everyone was busy tending to their sick.
"Anyone? Is Ophiuchus here?!"
The doctor walked back towards the center of the room and answered, "I am Ophiuchus...," as the snake that wrapped around him slithered back to his staff.
Author's notes:
Akashic Records- said to be an alternate world that houses all knowledges may it be from the past, present or future. It is sometimes reffered to as God's mind. Nostradamus was said to be of the few people who had access to the said world.
Ophiuchus- name of the constellation "Serpent Bearer". He was known Asclepius when he was alive before Zues turned him into a star. He is the God of Medicine.
Gilgamesh- a legendary king that ruled Uruk and lived 2500BC.