[THE FOLLOWING DAY.]
The rhythmic sound of footsteps on the metallic floor could be heard. A man was walking down the aisle of a military building when a high-ranking officer summoned him to make a report; he was Major Fischer.
He had already recovered from the Blirdoth assault thanks to a healer's intervention, but he was mentally tired as he didn't have time to rest properly; after all, only a day had passed since the attack on the city.
Everything went well after the mercenaries' intervention, especially once the fierce lioness joined the fight outside the barrier. She quickly killed the most dangerous creatures, and once the thaids ended up being in inferior numbers after seeing the woman's fury, they quickly retreated.
However, they were too organized; if what happened previously didn't give Frant enough reason to think an Heniate was behind this, now they were sure.
Major Fischer had been summoned to talk to General Becker, as he was one of the few that battled the Blirdoth; coupled with the fact that he was the officer tasked to investigate the parasite case, it was clear that there would have been people that wanted to talk to him. After all, this was strictly linked to the attack on the city.
The Major finally arrived in front of the office door he was summoned to and politely knocked on the door. He heard a deep voice from inside, commanding him to enter.
"You can enter," the person inside the room said. The Major took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to face whatever questions were thrown his way.
Major Fischer then opened the door and went toward the chair in front of the room's desk.
The table was full of paper, books, pens, and stamps. It was weird to see paper documents at that time and age. Still, aside from those things, there were even holographic computers, a tablet, and many documents scattered on the desk.
Major Fischer put himself in front of the chair and saluted the man in front of him, General Armand Becker.
"You can rest," the general said.
Then the man gestured to Major Fischer to sit on the chair before the desk, and Fischer complied. He felt a bit uneasy as he walked towards the chair; the man in front of him wasn't a simple one, and he couldn't help but notice the severe expression on General Becker's face.
"I called you here because I wanted more information about the Blirdoth; it seems you directly fought the beast, right?"
Fischer kept a serious and concentrated look on his face, and with conviction, he replied: "Yes, sir, but I had to retreat at a certain point. I could not fight it alone, and my intervention was basically useless." Becker nodded; he had seen how powerful that beast was.
"Don't worry about that. Many reports told me it was almost impossible to win against that thaid. I'm not here to blame you. However, the reports say that you were also the person tasked with investigating the beasts' behavior. Tell me, what were your conclusions about the matter?" The general asked with an intrigued look. Maybe the man could enlighten him about the reasons for this beast's attack. He was certain that an Heniate was behind the attack, but he wanted to understand why.
"Well, as we already reported, we found traces of parasitic contamination inside the beast bodies we brought back before the attack on the city. These parasites have also been found inside all the creatures that attacked us. For this reason, we concluded that a sentient parasite monster named Heniate was behind this," Fischer said with a professional tone fitting for a military man.
"Because of the Blirdoth, we haven't been able to find out where the beast lives, but it's in the east, near the borders of Etrium, probably," Major Fischer said.
The man kept looking at Becker, saying, "It was clear from the beginning that its threat level was high, but it only increased after the horde started to march toward New Alexandria. Moreover, it seems that the parasite monster is not only a threat to our city but also to neighboring regions, but I wonder why it didn't attack Etrium."
Fischer was still sitting in front of the man. He had to say many things, but there wasn't probably enough time to say them all, so he tried to be concise.
"As for the parasitized monsters, as we already reported, their saliva and blood are full of parasite eggs. We have discovered that human contamination is possible and leads to insanity and mutations."
…
…
…
The discussion went on for a quarter-hour, during which Major Fischer briefed the general about what he and Professor Derr Xillion found out thanks to their studies on Ranger Lakwosky.
It was clear that General Becker had put the parasite responsible for the monster invasion at the top of his to-exterminate list. Major Fischer also emphasized the importance of finding a way to prevent the parasite from spreading toward other important cities, such as Fasard, as it could pose a significant threat to national security. The general nodded in agreement and promised to allocate more resources towards this endeavor.
"Major, I want you to keep studying the beast. Find out as much as you can; I will give you full authority regarding this matter," the general said.
"I will also give you the authority to perform a screening inside the population; if what you are saying is true, we could potentially face another calamity due to the people affected by the parasite. We can't possibly leave potentially dangerous people in the city. If, as you said, removing the parasite is possible, then I want you to start immediately treating the citizens," Becker said.
"Professor Xillion is almost done with the cure. We just need some time, and it will be done, sir."
"Good, you are dismissed." The urgency of the situation demands prompt action, and you both must do everything in your power to ensure the safety of our citizens. Keep me updated on the progress."
The Major saluted and then went outside the office with a resolute look. He had a lot of things to do, starting with finding all the people bitten by the creatures and healing them all with the aid of Professor Xillion. Then organize a task force to find this damn parasite and end it as soon as possible.
***
"Aaron!"
"Mom!"
The two ran toward each other and embraced. Amelia looked at her son; he was full of dust and dirt, and even blood was on his shirt.
"What happened to you?!" Aaron's mother shouted, looking at her son, who had a ghastly look on his face.
"It's a long story," Aaron replied.
"A story that you better start telling me!"
Aaron took a quarter-hour to tell his mother what did happen to him in the hours the city was under attack, a time during which his mother cried several times as she had to listen to how Aaron had to see people die and how he almost kicked the bucket a couple of times. However, when she learned how her husband had died, trying to protect his only son, she started wailing in an unconsolable way, and the healers had to give her some sedatives.
It was only due to sheer luck that Aaron survived—clearly, it was also thanks to the fact that he was a member of the Red Palace and was among the best ones at that. If things had been slightly different, he would have already been transformed into monster poop.
"The only important thing now is that you are safe," Aaron's mother replied with a gentle but sad look. She embraced her son again, tightening her grip on him this time. After a couple of seconds in each other's embrace, Aaron asked his mother a question.
"Mom, what will we do now?"
Reluctance could be seen in Amelia; she didn't know. She was still processing Eddie's death, and talking about the future wasn't easy for her. Amelia obviously understood that Aaron was worried, but she didn't have any suggestions available. They had to go on regardless.
"We will find a way, don't worry," she replied, clenching her fist. Aaron nodded, grateful for his mother's reassurance but still uncertain about what the future held for them. He knew they had to keep moving forward, but the weight of Eddie's absence made it feel like an impossible task.
"Ok…"
After a while, a healer came to check on Aaron. Luckily, he was unharmed physically, but emotionally, he was a mess.
"Hello!"
"Hello..."
The doctor immediately went to Aaron and looked at him.
"It looks like you are overall fine." The healer then turned to his mother, Amelia. "We had to keep him here due to what he saw," he added.
"I know, thank you," the woman replied.
"Ok, let me check again if you have some problems; it won't take much."
The healer then made Aaron take off his shirt and lie on the bed. He then started scanning his body with some weird devices that allowed him to see bones, organs, and the like. It was precise and very clear. Luckily, even after this double-check, the young man was mostly fine. The healer then proceeded to ask him a few questions about the accident and his emotional state and then recommended that he see a therapist to help him work through any trauma he may be experiencing.
"All right, everything is done. You are ok, but I suggest you take your time to rest. Unfortunately, we need to treat many people, so I will dismiss you from the hospital, as we need some space. You can go to the reception to sign the papers," the doctor said to Aaron and his mother.
He then left the room while Aaron dressed and left the building with his mother.
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