Sem didn't have to go far before he found the one he was looking for, as Sheila and the Tanzha were already making their way up the village path. Upon seeing her, Sem gave off a short gasp, as he was taken aback by the sheer coincidence.
"Sheila!" he exclaimed, as he soon ran up to her.
As Sem approached, the Tanzha stopped in place, awaiting the completion of the two individuals' interactions.
Sheila's breath hitched, as she too was caught by surprise.
"Sem..." she muttered, as he soon stopped before her.
"Sheila, are you okay?" he hurriedly asked, as his hand touched the side of her head as he inspected her.
Sheila was rather surprised by the way Sem was showing his concern, as she read the very worry on his face.
"Sem, I'm fine..." she white-lied, as she tried to calm his concern even a little, "...but... there is something we really need to discuss," she added.
Sem flinched slightly, realizing that he may be behaving a bit over expressive. He then dropped his hand from Sheila's contact, and straightened himself as he prepared to ask his next question.
"That makes two of us. Malin and the others are waiting for us, so we need to hurry."
Sheila perked up concerningly, as she nodded and hurriedly began following Sem to the property entrance. Sem turned only after Sheila began walking ahead, but he soon got back ahead as he led her and the Tanzha woman to the others.
"I believe I already know what this is about," Sheila exclaimed at the two of them, plus the Tanzha approached the temple grounds, "This woman here told me everything."
"Yes. We've already done a thorough examination, and have run the necessary tests to reach our conclusion," the masked woman confirmed, "but I'll leave it to your friend to fill you in."
It only took a few moments for Sem, Sheila and the Tanzha to turn into temple grounds. As it was active morning hours, some of the students had stopped when they noticed the Tanzha heading for the dojo, as curiosity caught their attention.
"Good. There's a more pressing matter that requires your attention," Sem stated to the Tanzha woman. "Another one of your people may need your assistance."
As they entered the dojo, Sem slid open the panel to Kenrir's private quarters, allowing the masked woman to enter. Kenrir, Malin and Ulva immediately turned to see who had entered, and as the woman did, Sem quickly closed the panel behind her and pulled Sheila off to the side. He didn't want to interfere with the Tanzha's works, and had instead decided to remain outside in the entrance hall. With all the commotion, Sheila hadn't gotten a glimpse of Variann's condition.
"Sheila, I need to know what occured while I was away. Ania and Yonka told me that you fell sick with something. What happened?" he asked.
Sem looked to Sheila with a broadly serious demeanor of expression. His adjacent means of expression made his matter of worry quite clear. Sheila's eyes reflected back at him, her eyes and face soft with a knowing weight on her shoulders. Standing there, barely two feet away, Sheila's gaze fell upon her hand as she rose it to display the clear evidence lingering in the palm of her hand.
"We're all sick... Every one of us who were out in the forest, contracted something around the time we noticed those holes everywhere..." she explained, as Sem stumbled his gaze upon the dried blood in Sheila's hand.
"It's just as we feared..." Sem muttered, his eyes squinting at the explanation.
Sem lifted his gaze up to Sheila's face once again, as her eyes soon followed. She hadn't dropped her hand, as she simply stood there in a distraught expression.
"How did this happen?" Sem asked. He needed answers, and more importantly, he needed to know if there was any way to stop it.
"There's something we don't remember," Sheila began to explain, "The Tanzha people refer to it as Plagthasuraus. We don't remember it because it excretes a toxic fluid, one we're not immune to that causes a strong amnesia upon entering our bloodstream."
Sem listened closely to Sheila's explanation, as a powerful dread weighed over him.
"They say it's a great underground beast, which travels through the earth like rapidly growing roots tunneling under a tree—and it's fast. Faster and larger than any of us could have kept up with."
As she explained, Sheila's voice began to tremble—and as she came to a pause, she swalled hard, as the pressure of a depressive anxiety weighed heavy in her chest.
"Is there a cure?" Sem asked softly. He could barely speak above a whisper, as the overall weight of their situation settled in.
Hearing this question, Sheila's eyes became glossy, as they had immediately welled up from the resurfacing realization of what this meant for everyone involved.
Seeing this, Sem knew right away of the yet unspoken answer, and his heart seemed to clench in his chest.
"No..." Sheila muttered, her voice broken as the tears began streaming down her face. "There's nothing we can do..." she stated, cracking in her voice.
There was only one question left that Sem could ask, and he feared the worst.
"Is it contagious...?" he asked, with wide eyes and stuck open lips of horror.
Sheila's whole body was trembling, but she slowly shook her head as she gave her answer.
"It's not... The toxin itself bonds to our blood on a cellular level, but even if it comes in contact with someone else's blood, it's not like a disease that can just be passed. The Tenzha told me it acts as a defense mechanism for the beast involved—a beast that had been enraged... but..."
Sheila's voice cut out, as she tried to take in a deep, shuddered breath.
"...I don't know how long we have..."
As Sheila's explanation came to an end, Sem stood there frozen. His eyes were locked on Sheila's, but his mind was anywhere but here, as he soon came to another realization.
"Have you seen them?" Sem asked her, now trembling in his voice, "Do you know what comes next?"
Sheila faintly cleared her throat, and her gaze dropped off as she took a deep, slow breath.
"I have..." Sheila stated, while giving the subtlest of nods, "I don't know... how to feel—but I'm terrified..."
Sem could see the movement course through her throat, as Sheila swallowed deep.
"I'm sorry..." he muttered in soft response.
Sheila's eyes soon returned to Sem's gaze, as she rose her head inattention.
"What about the others?" she asked. Sheila was terrified for herself, but she also knew what this meant for the rest of her equally affected friends.
"Variann is the only it's happened to so far," he began, "—and it's not looking good."
Hearing this, Sheila's breath hitched—and her eyes widened, as panic took hold.
Without another word, Sheila urgently turned 'round, as she stormed through the sliding panel to Kenrir's quarters.
"Vari—!" she cried out as she pushed passed Malin, Ulva and everyone, dropping to her knees at her bedside. Hurriedly, Sheila reached into her satchel as she pulled out the medication given to her. That was when a hand caught Sheila by the wrist.
"Don't waste the medication, I've already given her what I had on hand," the Tanzha woman insisted.
"She's lost all use of her senses, but she's still alive. Further use of the provided medication won't do her any good as she is now," the male Tanzha added in, before rising to his feet. "All we can do now is hope for the best."
Sheila looked upon Variann, whose softened figure lay there unconscious, as her voice was audibly trembling with tears raining off her face.
"Vari... You have to be alive... you can't give up now... It's too soon...!"
Kenrir slowly approached Sheila from behind, as he soon rested his hand gently upon her shoulder.
"Don't doubt her strength. Variann is a far stronger individual than this. I haven't the slightest doubt that she will push through this right to the very end."
Sem soon entered, and the wall panel was sealed closed behind him.
"Sheila—" Ulva muttered as she too approached her, "Variann's a strong girl. I too believe that what Kenrir says is right."
In that moment, the Tanzha woman released her grasp.
"Besides, your friends are going to need to take that as well. The sooner, the better for each of them," she reminded her.
Sheila had a strong knot in her chest, but she knew the Tanzha were right.
"Mm!" she unintentionally hummed as she quickly rose to her feet.
Sheila quickly opened the container held in her hand and moved over to everyone she recalled being present during the described event, as she handed a dose to each of them—while tears were still actively rolling down her face.
Kenrir, Ulva and Sem each received a dose in the order they were approached, and without question—though possibly some hesitation—they each soon ingested the medication on hand.
"We have to maintain a consistent schedule of taking these. It's a bitter taste, but this is the only thing that can delay things from getting as bad as it had for me, and has for Variann, for each of us," Sheila explained.
Ulva had cleared her throat after swallowing, as she could tell the source of iron was thickening up in her throat. Luckily for her, she hadn't yet experienced any further symptoms of the toxin, and hoped that with this she wouldn't have to—though she understood that sooner or later, her current symptom would eventually come back, and further symptoms could occur.
"So what do we do now...?" she asked hesitantly.
"If this is all we can do, then we need to start looking for our replacements," Sem commented, "We don't know how long we'll be able to look after the village, and with all that's happening, I need to spend what time is left with my family."
The room fell quiet, as everyone understood that what Sem was now saying, is right.
"I'll keep teaching for as long as I can," Kenrir stated, keeping his eyes locked on Variann in his bed, "I made a promise, and I have no intention of breaking it."
Sem's eyes shifted to Kenrir, and even though Kenrir had been facing away, Sem heard every word.
"Thank you..." Sem said softly. Kenrir however had nothing left to say in return, as Variann before him was already the only thing left on his mind.
"We will stay here for as long as you need us," the masked male stated, "At least until your friend is back on her feet."
The Tanzha both stood on their feet, and moved back to give Kenrir and Variann some space.
"What will you do Ulva?" Sem turned to her and asked. Ulva's gaze met fluidly with his.
"You're the only family I have," she answered broadly, referring to the group as a whole, "So I will wait here until Vari wakes."
Sem nodded to Ulva in approval, then shortly, turned his gaze to Malin as his hand met the handle of the sliding door.
"Malin, I'm leaving," he declared.
Malin nodded to Sem in return.
"I understand. Be careful out there."
With those words, the sliding panel opened, and Sem left the scene.
Everyone in the room turned to face Variann again, as they stood watching Kenrir interact with her in silence.
As Kenrir's expressionless face gazed upon Variann, he reached down a gentle hand to touch upon her head, as he began to remember...
"Don't give up..." he inwardly thought, as he held back his truest emotions.