Kael pushed farther into the woods, breath coming a little faster now. Twigs cracked underfoot, the scent of damp moss thick around him. Overhead, the canopy grew so dense it felt like twilight, even though he knew the sun was still well above the horizon. Up ahead, the birds had grown oddly restless. They flitted from branch to branch in jerk motions, issuing sharp, uncertain chirps that clashed with the usual melodic calls. Some simply fell silent altogether, tiny dark shapes watching him from the boughs Then, from somewhere off to his left, the underbrush gave a soft, deliberate rustle. Kael froze. The sound was heavier than a rabbit or fox, something shifting its weight, careful and low to the ground. The birds above him broke into sudden squabbling alarm calls, wings battering leaves as they scattered higher into the trees.
Kael swallowed, tongue dry.
"Niv?" he called, voice cracking despite himself.
Silence returned, except for a faint stirring in the bushes, like claws or hands moving through leaf litter. Every instinct shouted to turn around. But his feet drove him onward, lured by fear and the tenuous hope that it could still be her. Kael stood there for several heartbeats, muscles tense, ears straining. The woodland appeared to breathe around him. A lengthy, whispering exhalation through the many leaves. Somewhere in the shadows, a lone twig snapped deliberately. His pulse sounded in his throat. He moved closer, fighting every desire to scream, and reached out with one quivering hand to knock aside the low-hanging branches of a thick holly shrub. The leaves pinched his skin, which was chilly and sticky from lingering dew.
For an instant, he hesitated. The world pressed in close: bird calls fell away entirely, replaced by a heavy, suffocating hush. Even the usual insect whine seemed swallowed by the dense air. It felt as though the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting. Kael's own breath shuddered out. Then, with a sudden thrust, he parted the branches.
Dark earth gaped beneath the leaves, churned and torn as if something had scrabbled violently at the soil. Clumps of moss lay overturned, and small tufts of course, brown fur clung to the undergrowth, slicked with something dark that glistened faintly in the dim light. He didn't realize he was backing up until his heel caught a root and nearly sent him sprawling. A strangled sound escaped his throat, not quite a gasp, not quite a word as he righted himself, hands trembling.
Alone, deep in that suffocating wood, Kael suddenly felt how small and breakable he was.
And how very, very far from help. For a heartbeat, all was still again. Then the bush he'd just inspected gave a sudden, violent shiver, leaves rattling, small stems jerking as if something inside had lunged. Kael froze, mouth dry, hands gripping the tree trunk so hard his knuckles blanched. A low rustle came from within, distinctly purposeful. Not the casual scuttle of a small animal, but something larger moving with grim, creeping intent — the underbrush parting in a slow ripple that came straight toward him. His breath hitched. He staggered back another step, boot heel catching on a root. His heart pounded so hard he thought it might burst through his ribs.
The bush ruptured with a fierce rustle, branches flinging outward and leaves tearing loose in a flurry of green. Kael let out a choked, high-pitched scream that resonated strangely through the silent woods, his hands coming up to hide his face as he lurched backward. Instead of claws, fangs, or a horrific shape, Dr. Nividia struggled out of the tangle. Her field coat was splattered with dirt and pine needles, and her hair was dangling in wild wisps from its customary tight knot. Her eyes widened as she saw Kael, who stood there shivering, chest heaving, one hand pushed firmly over his pounding heart. For a minute, neither of them spoke.
Then Nividia blinked and let out a half-choked laugh, one hand flying to her mouth.
Kael—! Holy ****. Did you just scream?"
Kael didn't answer, still trying to catch his breath, face pale as parchment. Nividia just stared at him, shaking her head in stunned awe, the faintest grin pulling at her mouth despite the seriousness of everything around them.
"I… I can't even believe you made it this far out here. You can't navigate your way out of Clarkson City without Moogle Maps. Are you lost already?" Kael opened his mouth, closed it again, then managed a weak, breathless rasp.
"Probably. I'm. *sighs* God! I'm never going to live this down, am I?"
Nividia just snorted, stepping forward to clap a muddy hand on his shoulder.
"Not a chance, city boy." Despite everything the fear, the mystery, the clawing dread still lurking at the edges of the forest, Kael almost laughed. Almost.
As Kael attempted to press himself flat against the depression of the fallen log, there was a brittle, splintering creak. His weight, together with Nividia's bracing shoulder, became too much for the rotting wood. The trunk gave a quick, shaking heave, dropping several inches with a harsh crack from shattering heartwood. Before either of them could scramble back, the entire side of the log collapsed underneath them. They tumbled together in a tangle of limbs, tumbling through fragile undergrowth. Kael's yell was cut short by a painful bang as he rolled, leaves and twigs whipping into his face. Then everything went briefly weightless.
He hit the creek with a teeth-rattling splash, the cold piercing so hard that he lost his breath. Water closed over his head in a burst of bubbles. For a brief, scared moment, he kicked violently, arms reaching for a grip. With a gulp and spit, his head broke through the surface. The current was not strong, but it yanked at him, dragging him several feet downstream before he could claw at the slick mud on the bank. Nividia appeared a little farther down, coughing and swearing. She gripped a root protruding from the embankment and hoisted herself up with a deep groan. Kael was about to launch a desperate joke when something attracted his attention downstream.
A narrow, murky ribbon of scarlet twisted slowly through the sluggish water, winding over fragments of moss and floating leaves. It wasn't dazzling, but rather a black, muddy smudge that faded as it traveled, disappearing into the deeper eddies. Kael's throat worked. He cautiously dipped his hand into the water and brought it to his nose, only to flinch and choke. Nividia pushed herself upright, eyes narrowing. Then he saw her expression shift from confusion, to recognition, to a sick, hollow dread.
"That smell…" she whispered hoarsely.
"Kael — that's the same as the tissue slides from the farmer's hen I operated. It's exactly the same.
They moved further along the muddy bank; their gaze fixed on the faint swirl of dark hue that swirled downstream. Around a bend, the water pooled slightly deeper, tangled in a tangle of fallen branches. A deer's body floated there, partially immersed and listing to one side. Kael came to a halt, his chest tightening with pain. The animal's fur was matted with blood and slippery with dirt, and its eyes were dull and sunken. Jagged bite scars carved deep into its flank and neck, not clean predatory wounds, but vicious, ragged tears that appeared almost frantic.
Its belly ripped grotesquely open. Smaller fish rushed in and out of the mess, dispersing when the carcass moved slightly under the pull of the stream. Nividia's eyes widened in surprise, and she put a palm to her mouth.
"Jesus, those are not wolves or coyotes. I didn't even eat most of it." Look at the pattern—they basically tore it apart. Kael could barely nod, bile burning in the back of his throat. It had the same harsh, chemical tang as her lab slides, and the stench was thick, sweet, and putrid. It was clear, and outside it was much worse.
Nividia jerked her head toward the direction of the trees.
Come on. We need to return. If the water is contaminated, the situation will not end here; I must notify the city's environmental board. And I need to make sure the farmer damn remembered to separate his flock. Her eyes watered from the stink, so she covered her mouth and nose with the crook of her elbow. The reek stuck to the inside of Kael's nostrils, foul and sickly sweet, but he instinctively copied the action. Half-jogging through the underbrush, they pushed past brambles that grabbed on their coats and stumbled over roots.
Kael kept his head down, his thoughts racing in erratic, terrified loops. What if it all came back to that one mouse? What if his mistake allowed something archaic, unfit for modern existence, to enter the world's bloodstream? He did not express any of it. Not yet. Not with Nividia so intent, reciting emergency procedures under her breath. By the time the glittering glint of the mobile lab appeared through the trees, Kael felt hollowed out by fear. Nividia grabbed his shoulder briefly, a short, anchoring movement.
"I'll handle the local officials. Get samples ready. Maybe check to see if that farmer's place is still stable. You—"
"I need to find Lee, Kael thought desperately. I need to know exactly what we unleashed."
She stopped and scowled at him. "Helloooooooo... Kael, go sit down for a bit. Kael?
Whatever else she might have said was drowned out by the roar in his head, and Kael just nodded silently. "Desperately, he thought, I must find Lee, I must know exactly what we let loose… Sorry, Nividia."
Three days before the first recorded human case, 8:22 am. Westview, Clarkson International lab
Three days later, Kael returned to the sparkling, sterile corridors of Borealis, the overhead fluorescents throbbing softly as if with restless energy. He hadn't slept more than a few hours since that day in the woods, plagued by half-formed nightmares about blood-slick water and vacant, decaying eyes. He hesitated outside Dr. Kim Sun Lee's office, forcing himself to breathe steadily before knocking. Instead of Lee's dry, cutting voice telling him to come in, the door opened to reveal the doctor's young assistant. She looked shocked for a heartbeat before giving him a polite, brittle grin.
"Dr. Kael — Oh. Sorry. Dr. Lee is currently on medical leave. He has not checked in since he departed. I have been forwarding his urgent correspondence. Is there anything I can pass along? "
Kael's stomach twisted. The office behind her was overly immaculate, the desk meticulously organized, as if it was attempting to pretend nothing was wrong. "No, it's fine." I'll contact you again later."
Meanwhile, a few kilometers away, Westview Creek was a maze of temporary fencing and bright caution tape. City officials dressed in pristine windbreakers and thick boots walked carefully along the riverbank, clipboards and cameras in hand. Dr. Nividia Raos stood in the thick of it, mud splattered up her pants, chatting animatedly with a group of environmental officers. She gestured down to a collection of tagged soil cores; her face hardened with intensity. A convoy of water sample tanks flanked the access road, as workers in chest waders proceeded through the creek carrying nets and portable testing kits. The entire place buzzed with frantic activity, as if everyone knew they were still missing the underlying problem hiding just beyond their data sheets.
Dr. Nividia stood stiffly at the edge of Farmer Jeb's porch, her boots leaving muddy impressions on the aged wood. Beyond them, the fields spread out under a cloudless sky, deceptively serene, punctuated by grazing cows and distant forms of other tiny farms.
Jeb moved from foot to foot, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dirty pants. He avoided her gaze, concentrating instead on the creak of the porch rail beneath his grasp.
"So you're telling me," Nividia stated quietly and firmly, "that you sold the entire coop to Lakeview Poultry." Even though I specifically instructed you to keep them isolated."
Jeb's jaw tightened. He let out a harsh breath, eyes darting to his old truck as if wishing he could just drive off and be done with it.
"Doc, I'm in deep with the bank. The drought last season killed near half my pasture, and then that anthrax run off my best cattle. You know this. Now, my best chicken Pricilla, Breadwinner amongst the chicken is dead too! The feed bills — hell, the electric bills — I had to do something before I kick the damn bucket!
Jeb pulled his head up, eyes wide and instantly guilty adding a small lie.
"Doc, listen… I made sure they were okay. Eating properly and acting normally. Hell, even had mah' keepers checked them before they loaded up. They see nothing wrong with my girls!"
Her voice sank dangerously low.
"Nothing wrong?" I instructed you to isolate them for observation. Not for a day or a week, but until we knew exactly what we were dealing with. Now they're on a truck somewhere, heading straight to a processor."
Jeb's wrinkled face reddened darkly. His shoulders tensed, breathing quickened, and his fists clenched at his sides.
"I did what I had to do to keep this place alive. You think some old man with a suit gonna pay off my loans if this all turns out to be nothing? My sweethearts eat because I sell what I raise. I made da*m sure they were clear as best I could."
For a minute, they just gazed at each other, the farmer in raw, terrified defiance, the doctor shivering at the immensity of what may be unleashed. Finally, Nividia exhaled shakily, her eyes black with both pity and horror. "God help us all if you were wrong, Jeb." She turned swiftly on her heel and walked off the porch, her hands quivering as she dialed her emergency contacts. That particular conversation still lingers around Nividia's head even after being occupied recently about the environmental protection operation currently being conducted in the Westview Creeks Sanctuary, based with her mobile hub a small encampment was built around her from the workers that will be overstaying and monitoring the current status.
Two days before the first recorded human case, 7:14 am. Westview, Clarkson, Taikwon Int. Medical Center
That morning, Kael had stormed back into Borealis with the single-minded urgency of someone ready to confront an old man he thought was dodging accountability. He barely gave Lee's assistant a chance to finish her greeting before snapping:
"Where is he? Still on his comfortable 'sick leave' while we're buried in crisis?"
The look on her face stopped him cold. Her hands twisted nervously around her tablet.
"Dr. Kael… I was just notified. Dr. Lee's not home. He was admitted late last night to Taikwon Medical Center. And is currently in the isolation ward."
The words hit Kael like ice water. Isolation. Not simply bed rest. This is not even a standard infection precaution. That was where they sent patients when nobody knew what they were dealing with and it may be extremely harmful.
Kael arrived at Taikwon in less than an hour, as he went deeper, the bright hospital lights dimmed to more somber, practical fluorescents, and the hallways grew smaller. Thick walls and the eerie sight of full-suit biocontainment staff walking by with their heads down kept the isolation ward almost silent. At the end of the hallway, past a pair of sealed double doors, he found Lee's assigned private room number 'I-012" Kael hesitated with his hand on the glass observation pane, his breath ghosting a small fog onto it. Inside, the older man lay propped against pristine white pillows, skin an unhealthy pallor.
Dr. Lee awakened at the faint sound of Kael approaching, her lids peeling open to show bloodshot eyes that struggled to concentrate. Then he coughed violently, deep, wet, and rattling in his chest, like if something was tearing loose inside. It took several ragged breaths to calm.
He slumped back against the pillows, pale lips curling into what could have been a grin.
"Well, look at this," he said, his voice brittle and full of cynicism. "Dr. Kael himself graced my plague suite. Or are you here to point out how quickly your miraculous discoveries overwhelmed my poor old bacteria project? "
Dr. Lee's eyes darted around the sterile isolation room, as if hunting for shadows that might be listening. His voice dropped to a fragile rasp.
"It was after you forced my hand, Kael. When you came storming in demanding I culture that dead rat of yours. I ran the tests like you asked — but then… I couldn't stop."
He swallowed painfully, a tremor running through his shoulders.
"I had your pre-prototype samples. And I had the mixed ones from the mix-up day — the vials our poor, fired tech scrambled. I told you it was clean. Hell, I told myself that. But once I saw how strangely the cultures reacted to standard markers, curiosity got me. Old habits. Old ambitions."
His knuckles whitened around his tissue as he inhaled heavily, telling the actual reason why he abruptly filed a sick leave.
"I then cross-sampled them. At home, I use my own system. I wanted to know how the actual two samples reacted, so I borrowed a few conditioned lab rats before leaving the lab. The actual prototype was true as it says, what you developed was something worthy off… while the one that was mixed…. Mhmm."
Dr. Lee gave a hollow laugh, followed by another racking cough, with flakes of scarlet on his palm.
"Instead, I watched something fresh. Something I couldn't even begin to measure. The slides changed overnight. Cell architecture straightened and receptors multiplied, I fell asleep while I continued to monitor… Then I woke up drowsy and thirsty… then next thing I know. Well, you have it" Lee's eyes met his again, raw and pleading beneath the flickering fluorescents.