"It is a rather interesting piece of genetic engineering, actually." Kyubey's head tilted to the side.
"Somebody created it?" Homura asked, examining T'fos' suspended form.
"It is exceedingly unlikely that it developed naturally." Kyubey looked at her. "The virus can only survive in temperatures approximately equal to the human average, with up to a maximum of eight degrees variance in either direction." He turned back to T'fos. "When it falls out of that temperature range, it will almost immediately self-destruct, releasing a short-lived enzyme that will cause other virions to self-destruct, causing a chain reaction that will erase all traces of the virus itself. The enzyme itself then breaks down shortly afterward, preventing analysis and erasing almost every trace of the virus ever being present in the first place. There are a variety of other conditions as well, which all add up to allowing the virus to survive only in humans, and preventing transmission, mutation, and surviving outside of those specific conditions."
"What does it do, then?"
"Several things." He continued staring. "It follows several stages, progressing through them as the virus replicates more. In the first stage, replication is slow, taking weeks to spread throughout the body. There are very few symptoms that the virus is present, and all of them are minor and can be mistaken for a variety of other things. In the second stage, the virions metamorphizes, the symptoms and effects progress to causing lethargy, increasing length of sleep periods, and increasing the amount of food required for the body." His head tilted to the side. "As an aside, the enzyme released when the virus self-destructs in this stage is different to what it is in the first stage. The same is true for each stage of infection."
He paused for a moment. "In the third stage, the virus utilises the extra energy from the increased food intake, and metamorphizes again. Lethargy remains present, as does the increased sleep requirements and the increased food requirements. New symptoms are deleterious effects on muscles, thus lowering the overall strength of the body, weakening organs, and other things of that nature."
"This virus sounds less like a virus and more like an organic, pre-programmed nanomachine."
Kyubey's head tilted to the side again. "The comparison is not entirely wrong." He noted. "Continuing: the fourth stage is the final stage. The virions metamorphize for the final time, and begins rapidly and destructively replicating, destroying the body's cells, damaging muscles, nerves, and other important systems. If it continued to replicate destructively, then over the course of approximately twenty two hours, the body will break down, eventually and finally ending in the death of the afflicted. However, the final stage of the virus also has more strict survival conditions, decreasing the range the virions can survive in. The body will almost certainly move out of that range before death occurs, but not before irreparable damage has been done. Chances of recovery after that point are measured in less than one point two multiplied by ten to the power of negative six."
"Who... would make such a thing?" Madoka's expression twisted in distaste.
"Given the relative stealth until stage-four, difficulty to cure, and exceedingly low transmission rate, this virus could serve well as a delayed assassination agent."
"We have long since concluded that to be its original purpose." Xine spoke, expression set into a frown.
"So, can you cure it?"
Kyubey was still for a few moments. "Yes. She is in stage-three of the infection, and we possess the capacity to manufacture the enzyme for stage-three self-destruction. That will not, however, heal her body from the effects she has already suffered. Her muscles have degenerated to the point that she will have trouble walking under her own power, and she will likely suffer other, related health problems. That will take a little longer to fix."
"I can take care of that." Madoka murmured.
Kyubey looked at her for a second, before nodding.
A moment later, he vanished, before reappearing a few seconds later with four small needles hovering around him, liquids in each one.
"One for each stage." He explained. "Just in case there are any vestiges of the other stages."
"Right." Madoka nodded. She turned to Xine. "If you would bring her out of stasis?"
"You- you cannot honestly expect me to hand over my charge without first analysing those cures." He stared at her. "I am a scientist, I cannot just trust an unknown cure from an unknown species!"
He... actually had a point, there.
"And how long will it take you to run your tests?"
His eyes narrowed slightly at my address, but he didn't act on it. "As soon as I can get my equipment."
"I'll be back in five minutes."
Ten hours later, Xine finally declared that the cure was, indeed, a cure.
Really, he had it down by six, but it had taken several more for Madoka to convince him to allow them to help T'fos.
I watched carefully as Kyubey guided the needles into the unconscious T'fos' arm, injecting first the cure for the fourth, then the third, then the second, and then the first.
Each needle disappeared soon after Kyubey was done with them, teleported away into parts unknown.
T'fos only woke up later, her eyes fluttering open to see Xine monitoring her.
"Xine?"
The princess apparently knew Xine personally. Huh. Interesting.
"Princess." He greeted her, a concerned smile upon his face.
"Where are we?" Her voice was light, barely more than a whisper.
"You are in my World." Madoka smiled, nodding at the woman.
T'fos looked at her, confused. "Who... are you?"
"My name is Madoka." Madoka continued to smile. "And... I am here to help."
Madoka breathed in, the Light beginning to flow around her, through her.
It manifested in around her, casting her in a golden, magnificent glow.
Madoka closed her eyes.
I watched the Light as it twisted, shifting and changing in much the same manner as the Darkness did when I used my own spells.
A moment later, Madoka opened her eyes, and the glow was tinged with a healthy green.
"Heal." She spoke. She didn't need to- the speaking didn't change the Light, all it did was unleash it.
The green light pulsed out, running over T'fos, sinking into her, through her, and then out of her.
I watched the light, and the Light, as it happened, seeing the effects on her.
It rejuvenated her, healed her, restored her. Her body, weakened by the virus, was again filled with strength, returned to the power she'd held before. A small bit of discoloured flesh underneath her eye vanished, changed to match the colour of her skin. A tiny scar on her hand vanished, gone without a trace.
It was over quickly. Before, she had been weak, only just cured from the virus. Now, she looked like she had never received it in the first place.
That is some magic.
Slowly, I held my hands up, gathering Darkness.
I thought of the way that the Light had twisted, changed.
The Darkness tinged green.
I fucking win, Cure!
Heh.
Heheheheh.
Ahahahahahahahahahaha!