As my eyes crossed the table, I examined this shy looking girl closely as I focused on her mother's words now being mumbled in the room. The prayers she repeated was a grouping of six. Two to Mars, their god of war, for the soldiers trapped in Troy and the rest to Helios and Minerva to cure her precious little girl. The girl had barely looked up or even made a sound which could explain my not noticing her at the table. I slowly stretched out my mind to gently touch hers earning me a stunned glance from her. It was just for a moment then her eyes returned to study her plate in that unearthly silence. I whispered to her mind receiving nothing back from the child.
“She has a mind problem.” the Ken informed me mentally.
“Does she have the ability to hear mind speech?” I whispered back. “Or sense the gifted around her when they reach out to her?” I added quickly.
“Unknown to me Oldest of All.” the Ken replied with a mental chirp. “A sickness resides in her brain that makes her not truly a Fallen One slowly.” it added. I felt the mental shudder from the little creature.
“Your daughter is very quiet.” I remarked in feigned casualness. He nodded back slowly and sadly. She did not move at my words. “If she is ill, I must mention that my daughter-in-law is a very talented healer,” I hazarded softly. The wife's eyes turned to Meli as I sense the wife's desperate mental pleas she muttered to all the deities she knew.
“She is second in skill only to her two teachers.” Sert said proudly.
“I am not sure that it is an illness or simple stubbornness on her part but ...” the farmer left it hanging there incomplete. His wife's eyes turned from Meli to me. I knew that Meli felt the same pleading this woman showed clearly in her eyes.
“I can examine her and see what might be wrong with her.” Meli suggested. The child's mother's hands were at her mouth as the litany turned into a murmured thanks to all the divine forces for sending us to them.
“I will assist her though my skills are less than hers.” I continued quickly. The Ken's words rang in my head that this was beyond an easily cured malady. “A second set of hands is always good to have ready.” I added.
“Please help her.” the wife whispered. I felt the chains of my duty to the Fallen Ones tighten around my neck like a choking collar. I made the oath to the Ley'ä'Luna long ago no older than this girl after seeing myself sunder the last member of that race before she could step into the light pillar joining the rest of her noble race. My hand trembled as the memories washed through my mind as I felt the shackles I accepted to bear for this last race.
I barely noticed my mouth forming the words “I must and will” as I nodded to the wife. My mind refocused on the girl's mind at a cellular level like surgeons of the far future would learn to do. I hide the shudder caused by what my examination reveal to me. The central core of her mind was structured like a much older race slowly eating away at her human mind. Tendrils wove their way outward ending in small buds of foreign matter laced through the child's consumed mind. I linked mentally to Meli warning her to remain silent before showing her my findings.
The corners of Meli's eyes contracted at the sight. Sert glanced at our faces that appeared serene to these strangers. He remained silent as Meli was being as she studied the infection we faced. I could feel her mind pushing back the revulsion as her analytical half created and dismissed multiple solutions to remove this mass from the girl's mind. It would be known as cancer and feared as the great killer of many in the far future. I could indirectly use future techniques to cure the girl but could not be assured that her mind would heal itself. Removal was impossible since it had spread too far and would render the girl's mind useless to her.
I sensed that Meli had come to the same conclusions but was not ready to give up. I saw the thought forming in her about using her earthen abilities to regrow the brain matter as the removal occurred but it would trap them here for days and leave Meli exhausted and too weaken to complete this voyage. I knew that they had found this disease in Atlantis and could cure it safely using this technique but we were far from Atlantis and I doubted the mother would allow us to remove the child from them even if we could heal her fully.
I reached once more to touch the girl's mind to explain it to her. Her head snapped up glaring wide eyed at me as her mouth moved soundlessly. The family stared in shock at her as I read the words from her lips. “I have died to rise anew.” it told me. The language was older than the progenitors of the Old Ones and Ancient Ones causing my protective nature to rise against it. I ignored the confused glance Meli levelled at me as I could now see that this mass had sentience which normal cancer lacked. It was not ingesting her mind but slowly converting into its natural form which may not stop simply at the child's mind or soul.
I remained silent while contemplating how this path leading me to this challenge had been placed upon us. Something had interfered to bring me here to witness and face this possessive infection that attacked the Fallen Ones. My oaths to the Ley'ä'Luna made me the champion for this last race and forced me to act with all of my powers and abilities. The whispers from those dark recesses of my own mind now screamed for me to act.
“It might be best to allow my daughter-in-law to examine her closer.” I hazarded. The mother was on her feet leading the girl by her shoulder's into a back room as the husband ushered us forward.
“I will wait here speaking with the boys.” Sert commented. I nodded back to him in silence as I followed. The farmer and wife left us in the back room with their daughter sitting on the edge of a simple bed. As the sound of the door closing at our backs rung in the room, I froze Meli in time as I attempted dealing with the infection verbally.
“You have great powers.” the girl mouthed silently in that older tongue.
“And I will remove you if you continue harming this child.” I replied mentally. The child's eyes widened in fear and dismay at my projected thoughts. “You do not control her completely yet so there is still a chance to save her.” I mentally whispered. “And save yourself.” I added with a vicious smile. I felt the defiance of the creature while watching its tendrils wrap tighter around parts of the girl's brain to cause the most damage if forcibly ejected by normal means.
“I have died to return anew.” it stated again in silence. “I will not be removed by a lesser being.” it added. The girl bared her teeth at me in a vicious and sickly sneer. A predatory smile bloomed on my face as my eyes shifted into pairs of spinning twin stars in utter liquid blackness. In the reflection of the girl's eyes, I saw my skin slide translucent showing slow moving stars on their heavenly path crossing my face.
“You are my lesser, whelp!” I missed into the creature's mind. “Now will you withdraw or shall I become very serious with you?” I asked under my breath.
“I fear no being older or younger since I have already died to return anew.” it mouthed back defiantly. It's sudden silent screams twisted the girl's face into a livid grimace of anger and fear. Microscopic black holes ripped away at the tendrils from within them removing their threat to the child's damaged mind. I awake Meli partially putting her to work using my energy to regrow the parts of the girl's mind now emptied by my actions. I heard the mental screams soften to an injured moaning as I forced him back until only it's central core remained.
“You still do not fear Universe's child?” I mentally heckled him. As no answer come more pin-points of destruction formed withing the mass. I controlled them with finite precision to slowly shred the creature from existence while Meli refilled the space with the girl's normal brain. It screamed at me in vain as it disappeared into true death at the hands of humanity's champion. All Meli would remember would be her rebuilding the child's mind as I removed the cancer using one of my cosmic abilities without knowing something died before her.
“Easy Meli.” I chided. “Do not improve upon her mind.” I cautioned as she worked. “Just stimulate the regrowth of her natural tissues.” I add in a whisper. The girl suddenly shrieked before glancing around the room seemingly lost. The farmer and his wife stood in the doorway staring in awe at their girls acting once more like a child.
“It will take some patients on your part as she relearns to be a child.” we cautioned them in unison. The girl smiled at her parents as she calmed looking from Meli to myself. Her mouth moved but no sound escaped her lips. I scanned at her mind once more to see if something had gone wrong but nothing mental hindered her ability to speak. The parents stared worriedly at us as I shrugged my ignorance back to them.
“She may have to relearn words since I believe those memories have been damaged during the brain fever she has suffered.” Meli suddenly stated. The mother hugged her daughter tightly as she thanked Meli and her deities for sending her to them.
“It would be best for all of us to rest.” I stated from my end of the room. “It was draining to heal her this quickly.” I added softer. I feigned holding myself up against the wall. Meli stared confused since she had been using my limitless strength without draining her own reserves. The farmer showed me to my room and Meli and Sert to their room for this night. I sat heavily on the offered bed to let myself slip into a deep meditative state for the night.
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