The wind howled through Ravensboro, carrying along the screeches and hisses of the unseen. It whistled through broken doors and shattered windows that once had housed bustling shops or happy families. The air itself felt thick, akin to syrup, with strange, unsettling energies.

  David, his face gaunt and weary, knelt beside Isabell. He invoked a single short tune, and divine runes appeared in the air around him. The notes danced around the pair, sharing their green light with others surrounding them in a ring.

  These people appeared otherworldly, with dagger-like ears, dressed in white robes, and with feathers in their hair—not normal feathers but shimmering constructs that gave off heat and light. If one stood close, they smelled of the sand of a desert.

  The runes slowly merged into a body in the middle of a room. Isabell had been healed too quickly, and David tried to help her again. Purple lines formed under her skin, snaking along with her veins, and black blood leaked from her mouth.

  David's magic, in a bid to heal her, had accelerated the spread of the disease inflicted on her by rats. These were no ordinary rodents. They had been warped by the green. Their bodies were swollen, the eyes glowing with malevolent intellect, and their bites evaded even the unconventional healing he had used.

  Around them, a small ring of survivors had formed—Isabell and her dagger-eared companions, but also the townsfolk of Ravensboro that she had taken in. Fear was etched on their faces as they stared at David. Some even made the sign of the cross, while others folded hands, beginning to pray.

  David ignored all this, his mind being with Isabell. A tendril of his soul, as thin as a sheet of paper, had extended into her body. His expression was grim after his hand placed itself beneath her navel. He felt the heat rolling off of her into his hand. Scorching, he almost withdrew his hand but remained steady with a grunt.

  Inside of her, David saw sights he never wished on his worst enemies. Tiny mycelium had formed. Purple fuzzy threads had burrowed themselves into her body. Not just her meat was infested, but also her organs.

  David swiveled his head, looking at her leg. Small tendrils of purple pulsed. Even visible on the outside, they had begun to eat the flesh away.

  Within his mind he saw the damaged to her. He wanted to recoil or to empty his empty stomach. Fungus grew inside of her. Bending her flesh and using it as breeding ground for more. She looked more like ground beef inside than a human being.

  But there was a thread of hope. It grew slow. What should have taken weeks to take over her body had only taken hours, thanks to David's magic.

  " Someone give me a dagger or scalpel. " David commanded, distracted by his thoughts.

  The loud ringing of steel sliding across the floor sounded out. David caught it inches away from his booth and unsheathed it. It was simple, unadorned steel with no markings. Its only feature was the slight curve of the blade and stylized leaves similar to palm trees on its guard.

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  Slowly, David brought the blade closer to the shimmering purple threads on Isabell's leg. He leveraged the blade between her skin and a loose tendril. Doubt crossed his mind, but he pushed through. He cut the tendril off, bringing the blade further into the air.

  Black blood leaked from the tendril, and it withered quickly, and Isabel did not scream. With today's events, David expected a different outcome.

  A heavy breath escaped his lips. He was relieved, as he had half expected Isabell's body to have an adverse reaction to a tendril of mycelium dying. Convulsions of her body, shouting, and even screeches had passed his mind. David looked inside her body once more, the only change being a tiny fraction of mycelium having died.

  David realized this needed to be quick. He could heal the meat, organs, and flesh within Isabell. But it would hurt—incredibly so—not him but Isabell, and considering the twitchy hands of the guards around, David was not keen on finding out how quickly fearful men and women could do him in.

  " Vanessa, it's safe to come close. " David said, waving her over.

  She frowned and chewed on her lips before walking the short distance. Immediately after reaching Isabel and David, she knelt, said a prayer David could not hear, and folded Isabel's hand with her own.

  " Hiii Iz, I'm here. Tom's safe, you know. Much has changed since you've been asleep," David heard Vanessa say.

  She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. A grim determination flashed across her face, and the feathers on her head shimmered in orange light.

  David did not wish to rob either of them of the tender moment, even though deep down he knew Isabell would never hear the words. Some form of magical-induced sleep had overcome her. This was not his doing but something the fungus inside her caused.

  Tears ran down Vanessa's face, but David did not interrupt. Sobs and heartfelt cries engulfed the pair. Vanessa accidentally touched David's hand, but she quickly recoiled. The moment was broken.

  " I won't leave Iz, alright? I'm here for you. Remember our promise? We'll rebuild the town so Tom's dad and my parents have a place to come back to. " Vanessa said emotion in her voice.

  " Can I see your arm?" David asked Vanessa.

  She reluctantly stretched out her arm, but as David's fingers drew near, she recoiled. With one eyebrow raised, David stared at her. He saw her grit her teeth and stretch out her arm once more.

  " This will feel... odd. " David stated, unsure how to describe the sensation in a few short breaths exactly.

  A new tendril had formed and invaded Vanessa. Her teeth ground into one another, and veins popped up on her face. David knew the feeling wasn't pleasant, but Vanessa's reaction seemed a tad excessive.

  " You are infected. The area is on your ankles, about the size of a thumb so far. You could most likely burn it away with your flames. " David stated.

  Her robe erupted in flaming light; a teether had been created between the feathers and the robe, and its edges began to blacken. David had begun to respect the blond dagger-eared girl. She was decesivie and he enjoyed that about others.

  David felt a warm touch of heat on his cheek, which soon turned into a scorching pain. Shuffling his knees, he put an extra foot of distance between himself and Vanessa, eying the feather suspiciously.

  " She is infested by a fungus. " David began. " I'll need to localize the areas of infection and then we can treat them. "

  A chorus of whispers echoed in the small room, accompanied by the nervous shuffles of boots.

  " It doesn't spread quickly. I'm sure the beginning stages are easy to remove, but she is advanced—very advanced, " David said.

  He gulped down a big lump in his throat. Should he speak up? David could easily tell them why her disease was so advanced. But he was also sure Vanessa had already discovered the reasoning.