"As of now, we will begin Sevental's high School Graduation party," an announcer said as the crowd cheered.
This is the start of our party tonight. The farewell gala that marks our transition to College Student life.
You bet I have been dreaming about this for a long time.
As the party started, I walked towards my girlfriend. She was wearing a beautiful silver dress. Her name was Amus. At that time, she looked 10,000 times more beautiful than she normally did.
Wait just a second. I am not saying that she is not beautiful.
It's just that she is, in fact, so much more beautiful than she normally is.
Okay, that may not be convincing enough, so let me just move on.
I reached out my hand to her and said, "Shall we dance, my dear?" I winked at her. In response, she slightly looked at her friend group and said, "I'll see you all later." She took my hand smiling as I guided her to the dance hall.
As we got into our positions, Amus held onto my shoulders, and we began dancing gracefully in the hall. Although people were moving like they were partying, we just danced like it was an 80s ball despite it being the 21st century.
But somehow, the music organizer saw us and decided to play more classical music in hopes of matching our dance.
"The staff gets the mood, huh? Shall we get serious?" Amus playfully said whilst forming a cute smile.
"Ready when you are," I said.
In truth, Amus and I had practised days before this. I told her I wanted to make my last day in High School one of the most memorable memories of my life. She initially declined it but ultimately decided to go with it.
As we danced through the hall, the other couples began dancing. I can feel genuine happiness. I don't even feel ashamed about the overlooking eyes at me. Our story started in high school, and we are what you call high school sweethearts. So I think this ending I had planned will be the perfect epilogue for me and her.
Truly a night to remember.
Yet I didn't expect that would happen.
Suddenly, the lights went off, and the ground shook. Everyone in the building could hear the sound of glass shattering following an emergency siren.
Undoubtedly it was the day the world changed forever.
***
Bip bip bip~
I opened my eyes to look at myself on ventilator, a type life support machine.
Whilst beside me, I could see someone who was being resuscitated.
Am I on the verge of death?
What happened?
It took me quite a while, but my vitals suddenly became normal. I moved around as I knocked the infusion pole, attracting the medical staff's attention.
"Hey! Are you awake? Do you…" A nurse asked as she looked at my vitals panel.
After that, I was discharged from the ICU and placed in a normal room intended for quarantine. I found out that the doctor had seen that I had developed a resistance to a disease that is currently wreaking havoc in the world.
It was named Corona. My success with the treatment meant that I had developed the proper antibody to protect myself from further infection by this disease.
Then I asked him about any other patients, which revealed that most of the friends at the party had all been contracted with the disease. Which made me uneasy.
"Don't worry though. Somehow we have developed a miracle drug that can cure the disease. You are one of the test subjects that proved the effectiveness of that drug." The Doctor said.
I see.
So It was not hopeless for the others.
They can just use that drug and be healthy again.
"However, we need some samples of your blood and other stuff to properly analyze it. Will you be so willing to participate and help the other patients?"
I looked at the television, which was talking about the cases of Corona.
It is rising to the point that many, many deaths might happen.
I can't just stand here and do nothing, right?
"I accept. Let me help you make everyone back healthy again."
The Doctor smiled as he offered his hand, "I am thankful Mr. Thalamik."
"Same here. Thanks for saving my life doctor...?"
"Doctor Vellar, I will do my best to use the miracle drug and samples of your blood to combat this disease," he said reassuringly.
Then, a few weeks went by, and I began giving my blood samples to the hospital, which was used to further evolve the drug. On those days, I, too, have been discharged from the hospital. However, I frequent the hospital to check on my friends and family. My Father and Mother and Amus' family had all contracted the disease, which made me uneasy.
As months went by and more people became healthy, the internet became swarming with conspiracy theories regarding the sudden pandemic and who was behind the miracle drug. At first, I paid them no mind until one day.
The president of my country suddenly made a public statement.
I was at my house with my family at the time.
"Today, I am here to announce the 'truth' behind the pandemic. Corona was actually not a disease. It is a symptom where the body absorbs a substance and contaminates the organs, posing it. The substance itself… It was magical energy or mana. Corona was short for Corrosive Mana."
Then, the flashes of the camera began to flurry, and based on the recorded press conference, I could hear people beginning to murmur.
"Mana is a substance that makes us capable of using magic. A thing which hadn't been present in our world until now."
What he was saying is too fantasy-like that I can't help but think he is either crazy or I am crazy for hearing such unrealistic things.
"The miracle drug that has been helping most of the humans. Is actually developed by a researcher. To be exact, he is a researcher from the elven race."
My eyes widened to see someone was presented forward. That person had pointy ears, clearly resembling the description of elves in fantasy games. But this is too much, and it can't be real.
"With the elf's help, we managed to develop a drug to cure mana poisoning or Corona and evolved the body to be capable of at least tolerating mana."
All of this just does not make sense. This is too much to take in.
Mana?
Elves?
Magic?
Why did everything turned our like this?
***
As time goes, things were revealed one by one. I guess now, with more details revealed, it started to make more sense.
It is said that the barrier that divided the world of Fey, Demi-Human, and Spirits somehow broke and transported them to the Human Earth, which is what happened on 25 May 2020. The coming of those other races also brought Mana or magical energy and interfered with mankind's physiology. Because we are not accustomed to Mana, it poisoned most people. Only some managed to withstand it without getting sick.
Since then, many of the other races have entered human society. Some harbour ill will against them, and some are quite accepting of them. I mean, it was the elves, after all, who saved mankind from Corrosive Mana.
Well I actually didn't have a quite differing opinion with people that sided with the other races. Since where I live doesn't really have borders with those other races, I didn't really have a problem and proceeded with my life as usual.
But maybe something did change for me. As of now, instead of getting into a university, I decided to work directly since I think new job opportunities will appear due to magical energy being present in the world.
Approximately one year after the accident, sometime in May, while scrolling through job postings on my laptop, I stumbled upon an opportunity that caught my eye.
"Mana Medic Apprenticeship Program"
The description was brief, but the words "training in the application of mana-related medical practices" jumped out at me.
I remember spending months giving blood samples, visiting friends in the hospital, and witnessing the effects of Mana in this new world firsthand.
I thought this might be something I could do.
The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I am already connected to the medical field and consider that mana will become a central part of life. Pursuing a career as a Mana Medic wasn't just about treating patients; it would greatly influence shaping the future of medical endeavours. I could be on the front lines of this new reality, helping people navigate the changes and challenges brought by mana.
With a deep breath, I clicked the "Apply" button and filled out the application. It wasn't a typical job—no experience required kind of stuff. Just a willingness to learn and a desire to help. But as a rule, I decided to ask for references from some of my friends in the hospital that I used to get treated and frequented. I felt excited as I submitted my application, knowing this was the first step toward something bigger.
Ever since that day, I can't help but be mortified by the fear of death. Particularly, it was more of a fear of losing Amus. So now, I want to work as hard as possible to marry her faster than ever and have a family with her. You know, cherish the moments I have with her left. I thought about that every night.
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. I was called in for an interview at the Mana Medic Training Center. The place looks like a modern facility that had been repurposed from an old university.
Maybe it was Indicolite University's old building?
The interview was less formal than I expected. It consisted mostly of questions about my experiences during the pandemic, how I handled stress, and why I wanted to become a Mana Medic.
"Why do you want to pursue this career, Thalamik?" the interviewer, a woman with a kind smile and sharp eyes, asked me as she looked over my application.
I didn't hesitate and answered from the heart. "I've seen what mana can do to people, how it can change lives. I want to help those struggling with it and ensure they have a chance to live healthy lives in this new world. And also maybe to increase the standard of health itself for other people."
She nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer.
Of course, I did not disclose my primary reason. Which was to get money fast and marry my lover ASAP.
Then, the following week, I received an email with the subject line: Welcome to the Mana Medic Apprenticeship Program.