Iris hurriedly walked towards the man who introduced himself as Ophiuchus. He was panting really hard but he couldn't care less. Sweat ran down his face as if a glass of water was poured down directly unto him.
Ophiuchus also walked closer to meet the stressed man but he couldn't help but to inconspicuously looked at the girl that entered the room with him.
The middle-aged doctor grasped the sides of his robe as he focused his gaze at the red-haired lady's pale-white hands. His heart beat fast enough that he even zoned out.
"Please help..."
Ophiuchus returned to reality as he heard the words from the man in front of him. He was truly a doctor through and through that the mere mention of the word 'help' would heighten his focus ten fold
"What happened?"
"I'm not sure but I think he used too much mana. His breathing started to diminish since he collapsed and now, I can't even feel it even though his right here at my back!" Iris tried to explain as fast and simple as he could.
When Verus fainted after he punched him straight to the face, he thought that everything would be alright but then he and Senna noticed that he started to become cyanotic. That was when they realized that his heartbeat and respiration was falling at a very fast rate.
Ophiuchus grabbed an arm from Verus' that was dangling from Iris's right shoulder. He then palpated for the unconscious man's radial artery found in his wrist and continued to trace its origin until he arrived at the antecubital fossa on the opposite side of the elbow.
"This is bad..."
Ophiuchus didn't want to sound so grave but it was the reality of the situation. Still, he maintained the composed expression that he had built through the years of practice. He was well aware that if he himself panicked, more so will the kin of his patients.
"Lay him down."
Iris quickly followed the doctor's order and laid his friend in a supine position.
"Kid... Kid... Hey kid! Wake up..."
Ophiuchus slapped Verus's face softly to assess his level of consciousness but he didn't respond.
The doctor went closer towards Verus' face to feel for his breath while simultaneously palpated for his failing carotid pulse.
As soon as he ruled his patient wasn't breathing accompanied by a faint pulse, Ophiuchus immediately started chest compressions.
After thirty repetitions, he tilted Verus' head slightly, opened his mouth and delivered two rescue breaths.
He checked again for his breathing and pulse but it still showed the same findings as before.
"Aren't you going to give him some of your mana? You're the one people call the snake bearer right? You have that gift!"
"It's not that simple."
Ophiuchus looked troubled. He stole a glance at Senna who stood behind Iris and stared for a moment. It took him a few second until he nodded himself again back to reality and returned his attention at the unconscious man in front of him.
"The normal transfer is a mutual thing. The recipient should be awake to finish the ritual. But there is another way..."
The doctor tore Verus' surcoat and shirt with a sharp knife he had with him, exposing the young man's bare chest. He then continued to cut a few inches of skin and blood came out instantly.
He pressed one hand firmly over the clean wound and sighed.
The snake that was with him stretched his head to block the doctor's view and looked at its owner's eyes.
Ophiuchus nodded and said, "Mala, bite."
Mala's eyes burned with an orange glow. The snake then started to crawl over Ophiuchus' arm towards the palm that was over Verus' chest and continued to bite the doctor's wrist.
Expecting a certain amount of pain, he managed to prevent severing the contact of his palm and the patient's chest and only showed a slight twitch in his facial muscles.
As the snake's large and sharp fangs sunk into Ophiuchus' skin, blood started to drip and soaked the piece of paper immediately.
"This is a little dangerous but we have no other choice."
Iris was about to ask what he was doing but before he could open his mouth, the doctor's hand slowly sunk into his friend's flesh. He could only gulp at the sight of an unknown while anxiety bubbled up inside him.
Ophiuchus closed his eyes and held out his other hand. Out of nowhere, moisture started to form around it.
He opened his eyes again and then the what was once only accumulating moisture started to condense to form mist which immediately became drops of water floating around his hand.
The doctor pressed his hand deeper into Verus' chest.
In the spectators' perspective, what the doctor was doing looked like it would have really hurt but the man laid down on the floor remained motionless.
Then, in all marvel, from the darkness of Ophiuchus' pupil crept a cloudy orange that covered his iris.
The drops of water floating around glowed in orange hue synching with the doctor's eyes.
Everyone in the room couldn't help but look at the seemingly bright majesty that appeared in the center of the wide room.
The drops of water then collected into a clump and covered Ophiuchus' free hand. He flexed and then stretched his fingers once and the water followed his movement like a glove.
He placed his now glowing hand over the other and said, "Mala, guide me."
Mala bit harder and more blood came flowing out of Ophiuchus.
Iris looked closely in wonder as the orange glowing water crawled over his friend's skin and made an intricate branch-like pattern while tracing his superficial blood vessels and at the same time slowly uncovering the doctor's hand.
Unknown to all the spectators, what Ophiuchus did wasn't simply tracing his patient's superficial vascular system. It went as deep throughout his whole body as it assimilated with the young man's blood itself.
By the time the pattern reached Verus' feet, the doctor slowly pulled his hand out and raised it a little.
Mala slithered a little more towards the end of her owner's hand just enough so that her head hung proudly over the patient's blood covered chest.
"Do it..."
With Ophiuchus' words, Mala stretched her horrendously large mouth open and exposed her large fangs. Within moments, saliva accumulated on her fangs and dripped at the spot where the doctor entered Verus.
Mala's saliva mixed with Verus' blood. By the time it reached his slow beating heart, it turned into a spec of blue light.
Verus' heart beat harder and harder accompanied by the fading of the orange glow to a blue hue starting from his heart spreading to the far ends of his peripheral vessels.
The wound Ophiuchus cut started to close and the blue light faded the same manner it appeared.
The next thing everyone saw was Verus' vigorous coughing.
Iris sighed in relief, smiled and fell sitting on the floor.
Ophiuchus stood up with the support of his cane. He was really tired. Two consecutive mana transfers were vexing for him and the procedure he did with Verus only made it more taxing.
As Ophiuchus staggered to maintain standing, his knees felt weaker after hearing a voice call out to him from behind.
"You're called Ophiuchus, right?" Senna asked the doctor in a low tone.
The doctor hesitated to answer. Deep within him, he was afraid where the conversation would lead to but still, it would be weird if he didn't so he replied anyway.
"Yes, I am." His voiced trembled a little and waited for Senna's follow up
"You're magic..."
Ophiuchus tried to swallow a big gulp of saliva as he listened to the lady in front of him finish her statement. His nervous system was on edge as if pulsing from having either a fight or flight response.
"...It's of— divinity...?"
The doctor stretched his lips a little on one side. It was a smile of relief. He regained his composure immediately and then petted Mala on the head.
He looked Senna in the eyes and with all calmness replied.
"…Divinity? Whatever do you mean?"
He feigned ignorance but it was very convincing. He was happy at what was happening. In his mind, the doctor said to himself, "She doesn't remember," and gave off a wider wry smile.