Today was a different day than any other days.
Money, power,... what does it means to someone who is about to die?
The call of mortality reaches everyone, however, some gets call earlier than other. Not even 15, a flower that blooms at dawn before wilting away at noon, such is the fate of the young girl treated as a delicate flower.
There was not even a speck of dust in her room, like a delicate flower that would die with the slightest touch, she is treated with the most care.
However, the more she lives on, the more her eyes dimmed.
The more she is treated as a delicate flower in the room inside the palace, the more her will to live disappear.
Everything comes to an end one day. And one of these days, that girl longed for death.
That is the fate of a flower.
And yet that day was different from any other days.
The guards unveil the curtain to allow the doctor in to see the girl treated like a flower.
This person was a different person from the other doctors. In his eyes there was not even a tiniest speck of respect or fear.
It was strange, but that was what she noticed. He didn't fear her, not at all. He didn't seem to fear the authority of her father either. His mind was on something else.
However, that disrespect gave her hope. Hope for a straight answer, was it her time to...
"Tell me doctor, how much time do I have left?"
The face of the guards next to the man turn pale, and the delicate girl laughs at that. She already knows about her mortality. Now she only wants a straight answer.
However, that guy, that strange guy looks at her and dismisses her answer entirely. With a rude voice, with a strange accent, he told her
"How much time? No. After I'm done you will have just as much time as any other girl... As long as you don't die in some horrible accident of course."
The answer almost causes the guards in the room to fall over.
'As long as you don't die in some horrible accident of course.'
Now, who would have the guts to say that to the daughter of the prime minister of the Lanton Empire? It could be understood as wishing for death, and the prime minister is extremely protective of his daughter. How could anyone who says that be left alone?
But the man was left alone.
The guards was too fearful to do anything.
Now that causes the girl to wonder.
Just who is this guy?
...
The new doctor was tall, and always cover his face with a mask or other.
His whole body is covered in a large coat. He only shows his face at day instead of night as if he has other business at night, and even if she tries to find him at night, she couldn't.
The guards was also clueless. However, it was more like they were powerless, how could they stop someone like that. However, what 'that' is, they never told her.
But how could someone this mysterious be allowed near the daughter of the Prime Minister?
At the first meeting, he only gave her a cursory glance as if he didn't even care for his patient. His tone was always rude.
And yet, he was also nice.
He was frank to her, and didn't even one show any fear or interest. It was this disinterest that create the image of a professional.
He didn't fear anyone, he didn't care about anyone.
He also seems old, yet young at the same time.
She could not tell what he is thinking at all time, he has this foreboding scary feeling that seems like he is just too much for her.
At that first meeting, he told her frankly.
"Your body is transforming into that of a monster.
Soon enough, your face will harden and gain carapace. Slowly, you may lose the capabilities to think straight. Sometime you may also be consumed by violent desire just like beasts do. Sore may also appears everywhere on your body as you lost more of your humanity and start to gain diseases that only animals have. Your lungs and inner organs may transform into that of a beast, however because it is that of beasts, they are not suitable for human and will kill you in due time."
For the longest time, the delicate girl stares at the man.
For so long, no one dare to tell her anything because they were afraid she may not be able to take it. But now, everything was lay down clear for her to see.
The more she hears it, the more it makes sense.
For the longest time, she felt that the blood that flow within her has changed, and when she accidentally pricked herself one fateful day, the blood turned blue, instead of red like a human does.
She has scale. Many tiny scale once day, the maids was all eager to pluck it out for her, but the more they pluck, the more it hurts, and they were all executed.
She has read a book about her empire founding a long time ago. It was not appropriate for a young girl, but she did.
She could also guess why this is happening to her.
The human chimeraic experiment.
The previous leader of the empire was cruel enough to experiment on his own descendant to make a "superior" bloodline. That was why her father rose up in rebellion, he won but the price was extracted on his daughter.
Slowly, she closes her eyes, and then when she opened it, she smiles.
"So when will I get my last mercy?"
Isn't it simple? A fate like that, wouldn't it be far more merciful to die. However, at that moment, the doctor slaps her extending hand
"Last mercy my ass. Drink this."
It was a strange odorless liquid carried in a glass bottle.
The bottle was made of clear glass, allowing one to see the golden liquid within. It was like liquid gold, glittering like the metal in the sun.
It is an unorthodox item within the Lanton empire, if she is not mistaken, it is the "potion" of those people from the South.
There was many 'quacks' in the world who peddle their magical potion, though intellectually she knows that they must have worked for for some empire like the Mahaima kingdom uses them, most of the potions are just quackery.
Flowing mercury was one of those quack potion, and this item has a strange resembling to that.
This guy is quack, definitely right?
However, the man just stares at her, expectingly.
This guy is definitely, 100% a quack.
However, she obediently takes the potion in her hand and drink it, she is going to die, what matter is the method?
However, slowly, she starts to breathe regularly again.
The unconscious pain in her spine disappear. Her hearing was changed. The world is not dimmed in her eyes anymore. Suddenly she sees brighter.
However, at that moment, that guy puts his face closer to her. Through the mask, she could not feel his breathing, and so she was not that uncomfortable, but at that moment, that guy was examining her eyes .
"A membrane was covering your eyes, stopping the color blue to get through. Not seeing enough blue could cause a person to be melancholic you know?"
He says.
Suddenly he takes out something from his bag.
It was a pen.
A pen whose cover is dyed in deepest blue.
"Take this. If you have doubt, takes this and see if you could still see this."
It was like the crushing ceiling of despair that was crushing down on her has disappeared. Slowly, she moves her lips
"Am I cur-"
"No."
She stares at the masked man for the longest time again. Slowly, testing the tip of her tongue
"Then, may I ask the brilliant doctor what just happened to me?"
"I just alleviate the symptoms, some of these symptoms could kill you too, without needing the disease. Now that we have taken care of the symptoms, we could finally tackle the cause itself."
She stares at him once again,
Where did this guy come from? Giving her hope like that, doing something no one has been able to do before.
"Doctor, are you from the South?"
"Yes. But I'm tired now, the procedure is being set up by your father men, I will see you later."
The man walks out of the room, without even telling her what the procedure was.
However, at the last moment, he stops.
Suddenly, he took out three other potions
"Just in case. I will be going out for a while. If I'm not back on time, administer these potions appropriately. You should take one every three months, and the disease will be suppressed. It is not like I won't be back before the year end."
With callous words like that, the man walks out of her room, leaving the delicate girl behind, deep in her thought.
The girl who has no hope suddenly has hope again.
However, it seems the scientist was busy.
After that fateful day, he has disappeared completely. No trace of him was left, not even a single hint of where he has gone.
It is like he has disappeared from his room.
The girl who has hope suddenly has her footing pull away from her.
However, she still waits.
With the three potions given to her, she still has a bit of hope.
However, right now, she is staring at a blue pen that was given to her.
Harshly, she grips it, causing it to break.
"You liar! You quack! Your suspicious person!"
And the voice disappeared into the night.
That person is busy.