Yeah, I gave Terra the profession of a doctor. See what I did with his last name?
And if you're seeing this correctly, there's something going on and it has to be a bit unnerving, no matter what you say.
All the same, hope you like.
Constructive reviews and compliments are welcome. Rude comments are not.
I own nothing except my OCs.
Read, leave a review, but no flames.
Chapter 11: Terra and Unsettling Illnesses
By the time the carriage arrived in Twilight Town, the daylight was starting to disappear beyond the horizon, and all the townsfolk were bustling about the streets to finish their daily routine before night came their way in the sky. It gave the four sisters much relief to be among civilization once again after all that they had experienced out in the middle of nowhere; not to mention, now that they are someplace safe, they can enjoy being around more sociable folk and reunite with the relatives they hadn't seen since their parents passed away.
"We've arrived in Twilight Town, sir. We're lookin' for Dr. Terra's place, are we?" the driver asked.
"That's our first destination. We have to see that the Chastain sisters have arrived safely, and explain to Terra what delayed them," Eraqus replied.
"But how are we going to explain to our cousin what happened to us on our way to Twilight Town?" Mary questioned, "We've been out in the middle of nowhere for a few days, and we have told you on the way there about everything we experienced. He'll want an explanation as to what caused us to be delayed, or stranded for that matter."
"Well, we'll just have to find out when we get there," Aqua promised.
After traversing through the streets of the town, the carriage arrived at a two-story abode nestled close to the medical house; the home wasn't anything too fancy like some of the more aristocratic manors that were scattered across the area, but it was as hospitable and inviting as it could get. The Chastain sisters remembered when their cousin, Terra Lander – from their mother's side of the family – settled there to pursue his medical profession after years of training under his mentor (though, at the time, none of them knew that it was Eraqus who mentored him in the field); since then, he has been well-known among the civilians as one of the best trained doctors in the country whom many have wished they could be.
When the carriage stopped at the open gate to the house, everyone stepped out one at a time with Professor Eraqus taking the lead. The sisters followed behind him and watched as he used the knocker to let whoever is inside know that someone is there; within moments, the door opened and a short woman in her mid-forties looked out to see who's arrived at the doorstep.
"Can I help you, good sir?"
"Pardon my interruption, madam, but is Dr. Lander here?" Eraqus asked, "I have matters to discuss with him, and want to inform him that his relatives have arrived."
Then, another voice – a masculine one – questioned, "What did I just hear? Is there someone at the door?"
"There are visitors, Dr. Lander. It's the professor and his students. And…" the middle-aged woman paused a moment to look past Eraqus to see the four Chastain sisters standing right behind him. "Oh! Doctor, your cousins have finally arrived in Twilight Town. All four of them are, as a matter of fact."
Then, footsteps approached the entrance and the door opened wider as a young man came over to see what was up. Standing around a similar height to the professor, he is presented with dark brown, tussled hair spiking around a few places with short bangs and blue eyes; but his attire consisted of a gray buttoned shirt with a copper-colored ascot around his neck and a black waistcoat with red trimmings, along with tan trousers held by a gray leather belt and black buckled short boots.
When he saw who it was meeting him, he was quite surprised. "Professor Eraqus, am I surprised to see you again! I had heard that you were on your way to assist in Twilight Town's medical mystery, and, I'll be honest, I thought that you needed time to get here."
"I came as quickly as I could, along with a little extra help," Eraqus replied politely, "But I'm sure you didn't come greeting me to just know why we're here, didn't you, Terra? I had to stop a moment because there are four young ladies who were meant to rendezvous with you, but due to unforeseen circumstances, were stranded out in the middle of nowhere."
Terra looked past Eraqus to see Mary and her sisters giving shy smiles and waving their hands, and upon recognizing them, moved past to meet them face to face; relief could easily be seen on him as he examined each of them to make sure nothing is wrong with them.
"Mary, Jane, Caroline, Mina…What happened to you all? When you didn't arrive as you intended to, you had me worried," Terra chastised them firmly, "I was about to fear the worst."
"We didn't mean to make you worry, cousin Terra," Jane answered first, "We had a terrible accident on the way there, and it's left us stranded for days."
"Your cousins had trouble locating a village since they were trapped in the forest path, with the only option being to stay in an abandoned abode isolated from civilization," Professor Eraqus explained to him, "But they had a nearly dangerous run-in with the unfriendly residents there, and were forced to flee for their lives. Fortunately, we found them along the road and rescued them before anything worse could happen to them."
As he listened to this, Terra nodded in understanding, processing the information given to him. However, everyone else knew that the professor was only partially lying as per the instructions since they didn't want him to know what exactly happened to them unless dire circumstances call for the truth to come out.
"That is very disconcerting, really. If I had known about that, I would've gone out to get you. I am very sorry you had to experience all of that," Terra apologized in remorse.
"No, no, no, it's alright. It was an unforeseen circumstance that trapped us out there without any available options for help," Mary reassured him quickly, "After all that we went through, it's refreshing to be back within civilization and with close relational circles."
"Amen to that, my cousin. If you'll pardon my breach of etiquette, I shouldn't keep all of you out here," Terra replied as he moved the door wider, "We'll speak more over a warm meal and a spot of tea at the ready."
This perked up Jane and Mina right off the bat.
"It has been a while since we've done that," Jane said with enthusiasm.
"That would be most appreciated after everything that we went through." Mina agreed.
After spending the afternoon discussing petty business over a spot of tea, courtesy of Terra, it was nearing evening and warning everyone that night is about to blanket the sky to have all who are day-walkers return home to rest for tomorrow.
"Pardon my asking, Professor, but could you inform me on who requested you to come and help our hospital?" Terra questioned, "I understand that there has been a rather puzzling medical mystery, and I am well aware since I've had my share of examining patients suffer abnormal ailments beyond modern science's understanding. But what I would like to know is who instigated this."
Eraqus sighed deeply. "It might come as rather odd to you, but it was your town magistrate that asked me to come down here and investigate the series of unexplained illnesses with the hopes that a solution could be found. From what I could understand, you made the examinations and reported your confounding discoveries to him when he last came to inspect the hospital, and then he subsequently wrote to me after more civilians started suffering from this ailment. As I recall, you also mentioned me as you attempted to help your patients recover from their malady to the best of your efforts."
The conversation quickly caught Mary's attention. "Wait, you mean there is an illness going around Twilight Town that hasn't been solved? Did we miss something about that?"
"Well, how do we explain that…?" Ventus wondered as he contemplated how best to describe the situation. "Basically, the professor heard about a strange case of anemia spreading around the town, and he was called in to investigate the matter."
"And as we knew that Terra was working in Twilight Town within the medical field, Ventus and I chose to accompany Professor Eraqus and help him investigate the illness," Aqua added.
Although the professional talk about medicine was a little over their heads, the Chastain sisters could tell from the way Ventus and Aqua were talking about the events on the medicinal side of the spectrum that they have more experience and knowledge in that field. However, on Mary's part, she couldn't help but think back on that night when she saw the enthralled females being led into the tower at Hollow Bastion and saw them vanish without a trace; just the idea of what might've happened to them suddenly made her start shivering in dread.
Unknowingly, her trembling caught her younger sister's attention and made her check what was up.
"Mary, what's the matter?" Mina asked in concern.
Mary shook her head. "It's…nothing, Mina. Nothing's wrong. I was just…thinking."
Even though she was able to convince her sister that there's nothing on her mind, her reactions didn't evade the professor's notice; from the corner of his eye, he watched Mary's movement and caught on that there was something on her mind that she possibly failed to mention, and it made him wonder what it is that was bothering her. However, he did promise that he wouldn't pry in any deeper unless it is necessary to do so, especially since what he did learn from them thus far showed that there is a trace of trauma lurking within the dark parts of their subconscious minds. Though, it made the wise elder question which of the sisters knows more of the situation and of the things they've seen.
"Dr. Lander, you have a visitor waiting for you. Magistrate Ansem has arrived."
The maid's call caught everyone's attention as Terra got up to meet the town leader at the door, leaving everyone else a moment to themselves. That was when Mary took the initiative to ask about the subject of the maladies in town.
"Let me ask something, Professor: anytime someone falls into this ailment, have these same people either disappeared for a period of time or came home much later than they normally should?" Mary questioned.
This caught the attention of Eraqus. "What brought this on?"
Mary hesitated. "…I don't know. I just…had a suspicion on the things I've been hearing."
Before any more questions could be brought up, their attention was shifted when Terra led another person into the lounge. The guest was a man older than most of the other visitors, almost around the age of Eraqus or more, but with shoulder-length light-blonde hair as well a light goatee and moustache and orange eyes; it could be seen that he's wearing an overcoat embroidered around a few places and leather boots made of finer materials the town has to offer, so it's safe to say that he's one of the important figures in Twilight Town. Then again, it was heard that he's the magistrate, so it only made sense.
When he removed his hat out respect, Ansem gave the guests a welcoming smile. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I humbly apologize if I interrupted anything, but when I heard that our visitors have arrived, I had to come at the first opportunity I could get." He first turned to the sisters out of respect. "You must be the Chastain sisters, aren't you? Dr. Lander told me much about the four of you."
Jane stood up to greet the magistrate on their behalf. "It is an honor to meet you, Magistrate. I apologize, but we had just arrived in town and haven't settled in yet. Not to mention, we've been hearing that the town is having problems."
"You wanted to speak with us, Magistrate?" Eraqus asked, ready to get in business.
"Yes, I did. I know it's a little rushed, but I would like to know if anything could be done to ease our townsfolk," Ansem replied, "Are you willing to look into this right now while everything has quieted down for the moment?"
"I'd be glad to do that, sir. I hope you won't mind my apprentices helping me out in this investigation, since they do require more experience in the field," the professor agreed willingly.
As this was going on, Terra approached the girls and apologized, "I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, but I have to look into the hospital and give the diagnosis over there. Kairi and Xion should be on their way to see all of you, and if I know them, they'll be more than happy to see you."
This perked Mina quite a bit. "That is most wonderful! It's been a long time since we last saw cousin Kairi and Xion, and it would be nice to know how they've been after all these months ago."
"I couldn't agree more. I'm tired of all the talk we're hearing right now, and frankly, I'd rather oblige myself in the pleasure of acquainting with those who live in the town," Caroline agreed, though it was clear that she was getting sick of hearing about topics she had no interest in.
Mary groaned at her elder sister's comment, naturally knowing that the only reason her sibling would ever want to socialize is to find an advantage that can get her out of her current status.
"Well, then, I suppose we shall be on our way to the hospital. I promise I will return later to speak with the four of you later tonight," Eraqus said humbly, "There is still much we have to discuss about while we are here, and I will need more information from you if at all possible."
"We'll be here," Mary promised.
As their cousin was leading the professor and the others out the door, Terra turned back to make sure that they'll be fine. "Are you sure about staying here? The hospital is not far from here, and I don't want to keep all of you waiting."
"No, we'll be alright. We have to do some unpacking anyway," Jane reassured him gently.
"Also, we have been used to managing ourselves ever since what happened to our parents," Mina added, "so we should be alright."
With the sisters' confidence confirmed, everyone moved their separate ways in order to fulfill their business without any more interference or problems to deal with.
Later on, in the hospital, Terra led Professor Eraqus, his apprentices, and Ansem through the corridors toward the sick room where the patients with the strange illness were being kept until further notice. Within the sick room, a number of doctors and nurses were hard at work with the men and women being kept in the cots, trying to restore them through any available remedies they have at their disposal as well as monitoring their body temperatures for any changes; it could be seen that the patients were either slightly pale and struggling to breathe or were weak enough that they could barely move a muscle.
"Right now, the number of patients we have under our watch is a total of twelve," Terra explained, "For the past month; we've had reports on where they've been found when they failed to arrive at their intended destinations and their conditions upon being discovered. As far as we could find, each man or woman found would be afflicted with an unexplained physical weakness and loss of blood in their systems. No matter what we tried, we couldn't find any clues as to what caused their ailments in the first place. I'll admit I was confounded on this as well."
"Do you suppose there might be a possible explanation as to the cause of this sickness?" Ansem questioned.
"There is always an explanation to even the most baffling of medical mysteries," Eraqus replied, "We just have to see if we can dig deeper into the case and find any overlooked clues."
"Where do we start investigating, Professor?" Aqua asked, ready to do the job.
"Inspect each of the patients within the area, and see what you can find," the professor instructed his apprentices, "Be thorough on it, though. Any clue we can find could give us an answer as to the perplexing epidemic."
"We're on it, Professor," Ventus answered, barely containing his shyness.
While the two apprentices scattered off to make their examinations, Professor Eraqus took a look at the nearest patient in the room to see what he could find as evidence of something abnormal.
But as he carefully tested a few muscle areas and checked the patient's pulse, the good doctor noticed something amiss that he was certain the average doctor failed to delve into. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that there were two small marks on the victim's neck; though it was old, starting to heal, he was able to see signs of red where the blood would've emerged out of the wounds.
"Terra…has anyone taken note of the marks on each of the patients?" he asked with suspicion in his voice.
"I did a few times, but I had no idea what to make of it," Terra replied, "I wasn't sure if it was part of the unusual symptoms."
Ansem, curious as to the subject, had his own question. "Do you have an idea what could be ailing the ones resting here?"
"I do have a few ideas, since I have experienced my share of this illness you've shown me," the professor replied vaguely as he took notes on his finds, "And where I'm standing, the patients are undergoing a rare case of blood deficiency. However, this is unlike anything known within medical studies."
By this time, Ventus and Aqua returned to give their reports on what they've found in their analysis.
"We've found that the patients are all experiencing physical weakness and unusual losses of blood," Aqua explained, "Sadly, none of them have any recollection as to the cause of their ailments."
"And that's not the worst of it: we also found marks on their throats. Some of them are almost completely healed, while others were still fresh," Ventus added in the report. "I've never seen anemia or blood deficiencies like this before, to be honest."
Carefully piecing together the information, Professor Eraqus quickly began developing his suspicions on the source of the mysterious illnesses he was alerted to; he knew that there was no way these poor townspeople could've fallen victim to such a thing on purpose, and it was no coincidence that they each suffered blood loss that was beyond the knowledge of advanced medical science. Only he knew what the true nature of this disease was, but since he didn't have any solid evidence of what he has in mind, he had to hold that thought until he gathered more data and found something that could convince his acquaintances into his mindset.
In fact, he did have an idea on where he could start gathering the concrete proof of the cause: one of the sisters, Mary Chastain, seemed to be the one with the most knowledge. Perhaps he could acquire something out of her? She had explained about the accident, and about they were almost stranded in the middle of the wood. Perhaps she might have a clue on where to begin …
"Tell me something, Magistrate: have there been any bouts of disappearances within your town along with these unexpected ailments?" Eraqus questioned as he gathered everything.
Ansem thought about it for a moment. "No…not to my knowledge. If there were any indications of disappearances, I would've been notified on how long they haven't been heard from. Usually we don't officially report of any missing person unless they haven't been seen within forty-eight hours."
Terra, feeling like he was missing something, asked: "Where are you going with this, Professor?"
"I might be stretching things, but there's something I want to ask one of your cousins about. I have told you about their accident that left them stranded, did I not?" Eraqus asked. When Terra gave him a nod of knowing, he continued his explanation. "Well, it may not make any sense to you, but I am wondering if the accident your cousins had has a connection to the troubles within the town. I was hoping I could have a word with them."
"You mean they might have something that could lead us in the right direction?" Ventus asked out of curiosity.
"That's true. One of them might have information that could assist us," Aqua agreed.
The professor nodded. "Possibly…"
"Well, in that case, I'll bring you back and let you speak with them," Terra agreed, then turned to Ansem. "I am terribly sorry for leaving the hospital so abruptly, but we have other places to be. Will you be able to hold on until we've confirmed the truth behind this epidemic?"
"I have other matters to attend to anyway, but I hope you will find the answer to this disease that is unnerving our people," Ansem complied, indicating he had pressing matters that need his attention more. "Should you find anything that could put the fears of the people to rest; I'd be more than generous to reward you for your efforts."
Shortly after, Ansem left to attend to his own affairs, which only left the professor and the doctor with the elder's students with thoughts on the crisis at hand. Though it was clear that there was still more work to do, one thing had to be settled at the least.
"Professor, for what reason would you really want to ask my cousins about the things they've experienced?" Terra couldn't help asking.
"There's something in this puzzle that needs to be completed, and as much as I do not want to push them, I would like to believe that there is something they could help me on," Eraqus explained as he finished his notes, "And out of the four, I am quite sure that Miss Mary is the best person I could ask about sensitive topics with. She seems to be the person who is more willing to discuss what her other sisters would want to forget, and I will admit it would be for the better with two of them. However, anything she knows could be useful for this case."