NOVEL NEXT Chapter 87: Fire
"Thank you for answering! Doctor Grayson will be with you shortly."
As the nurse takes her leave, Daniel relaxes further into the examination room's chair and sighs. So far, it's been a few minutes since leaving Viviane in the waiting room at the clinic. As with all patients, he had to answer some standard inquiries about his medical history and health. Of course, he couldn't say he had connected with a life form of unknown magical origin, but that's to be expected.
'It'll be fine, right?' he questions in his head, humming.
If Mary's check-up is any indication, he should be. Aside from discrepancies of her slightly adjusted body mass, he figures he'd be even safer. After all, he only fused fully with Viviane once, compared to his overeager British counterpart.
Although, becoming Vida felt...weird. Was it becoming a girl-boy, or the fact he shared motherly love with himself?
Both?
Shaking his head, he tries to brush off further doubts of his state by taking out his phone to distract himself. However, upon unlocking, it pings with fresh doubts from his slime mother on the other side:
Checking - Are you inside?
Daniel raises his brow. Apparently, he also missed her call, but the phone oddly never rang. Either way, he wonders why his slime mother would think otherwise. She saw him go in, didn't she? He's about to confirm to her until...
"Hello, Daniel. How are you?"
A low voice jerks him in his seat, jumbling his thoughts and phone in the process. Stammering a bit, he snaps his head up to an aged man with slicked-back hair, complimented with increasing grays and a standard practitioner's coat. There's no question he's the physician who would be examining him, but Daniel wonders how he could've missed hearing him open the door.
"Yes, I'm good! You must be Doctor Grayson," Daniel hurriedly greets, not to let his startle remain. He sits up from his chair and extends a hand, to which the doctor closes his eyes to a smile as he shakes it.
"Call me Victor," the doctor insists before removing himself and placing his hands into his coat's pocket. With no time to waste, his eyes start scanning the artist, looking for anything notable as his patient stands before him. No doubt, he has other patients to check on as part of his day, and Daniel is just one of many.
"So tell me, you don't feel strange after being with your girlfriend?"
...?
Equally strange, if not rude, question to start off with, but Daniel answers regardless with a half-smile. "No? You're talking about the girl who's waiting outside, right? She's just a friend, although, I'm not sure how that's relevant."
Victor raises a brow, then lowers his head for a moment. "Well, friend or not, she happens to have quite the fire about her, and the same lingers on you."
...!?
Slowly, a sinking feeling builds in the pit of Daniel's stomach, turning his smile stiff. Not to sweat, he shrugs off the sensation with a slight laugh. "Um, is that code for disease? I'm not sure what you're insinuating, but she's been healthy as far as I know. More importantly, isn't this my examination?"
As the patient, he shouldn't need to remind of this.
Victor hums, closing his eyes for a moment. "Yes...Sorry, I seem to be getting ahead of myself here, so let's establish a baseline between you and me."
With that said, he pulls one hand out of his pocket, then twirls his index finger towards the ground. Such an unfamiliar gesture is displaced by silence.
...
Awkward silence, in fact. With no "understanding" to be had, Daniel opens his mouth to question the man's sanity, but freezes.
Fwoo!
In the corner of his widening eye, Daniel catches a tiny, violet flame forming behind Victor and moving towards the door. The out-of-nowhere combustion makes him question his own sanity instead, so he blinks to make sure he's not imagining things.
FWOOSH!
But really, has anything been of his imagination lately?
Indeed, Daniel regrets not acting sooner as the flame engulfs the door in a snap, expanding much too rapidly before he can react. He only manages to take a step back as he inhales sharply, but opposite of him, Victor remains in the same place, studying his patient while the flames cast its violet hue across his face.
In seconds, metal disintegrates around them, walls turn black, and any furniture vaporizes as the flame spreads, burning everything like paper. A force like that should've incinerated them already, yet they remain intact as it travels below their feet without leaving a fuss on their shoes and clothing.
'It's...not hot?!'
Daniel's eyes swirls, unsure whether to be relieved or afraid as everything changes too rapidly for his mind to process. Yet, even under the pressure of unexplainable changes, he still turns his head to follow the strange burning.
Fwip!
He only manages to catch the end of the flames though as it consolidates into a single point, then snuffs out with the last of the room eaten. Although there should've been more spread given they're in a room of many, Daniel only finds silence and pitch-black darkness.
Well, not quite.
Apart from the emptiness, Daniel returns his head forward, widening his eyes to see that Victor is visible, perfectly lit up despite everything becoming dark. Further, there's no sign of ash, debris, or anything of the clinic around that should've been left behind under a normal fire.
But that's the key: This fire isn't normal, and apparently neither is his so-called doctor.
"With this, we can talk things more seriously now?" Victor offers, his eyes close to a smile.
"The hell we are!" Daniel wants to scream, shaking. However, with his throat dry, he swallows any inner complaint and offers a dumbfounded nod.
Seeing how he's seemingly alive and without any evident harm, Daniel takes time to consider this burnt reality. One can easily assume he's been taken across some form of magic similar to other colored fires that Viviane and Marlin revealed. Only now, this is the first time the young man can claim he's personally experienced such otherworldly energy.
He can't say he likes it. Given Lecia is also likely involved in a fire that summoned his slime mothers, it calls for him to be warier of this examiner before him. Thankfully, he's able to suppress most of his inner panic with all the abnormal he's been experiencing daily.
Thus, keeping that in mind, Daniel clears himself and forces another smile. "Um, just checking, but...you are a doctor, right?"
Snorting, Victor nods to his side.
"Yes, you could say a doctor in a way," He answers, then straightens. "I previously was a professor back in Egypt many years ago studying the history and Egyptian gods."
Daniel pushes out enthusiasm with a hum, but his neck sweats. "Right, that...sounds fascinating! Guessing you learned quite a lot in that time, but honestly, I think I'm looking more for a physician than someone holding a P.H.D. in History who can do...whatever you did here."
Victor chuckles, waving. "Relax, Daniel. I apologize for changing up your appointment, but if I'm honest, you're taking this better than I expected. I don't mean any harm to you or your friend either, but this was the best chance to meet you, and help you understand the stakes at play. I approached Lecia similarly, too."
The artist widens his eyes at the mention of his commissioner. After some silence, he takes a deep breath but drips more behind his back. "Okay, so you've been expecting and following me. Who are you, really?"
The corner of Victor's lips curl a little as he recalls the same question raised by the Stonehenge leader. It was unfortunate their talk was cut so soon, but regardless, such doubts are to be expected by anyone.
"I'm just a follower of a god who played too much with fire," he dismisses, snorting sadly to himself. Before Daniel can question, he raises a finger. "It might be better to start with the one who could handle this fire the best: I assume you've heard of Merlin in Arthurian legends?" he asks.
Although it might be futile to downplay what he knows, Daniel still shrugs, unwilling to show his limited knowledge against a man he's only met. While that might not be the best play considering how his doctor can bring about magical fires, he has to at least try to guard himself and his strange maternal family.
"I mean, sure. Everyone has at least had to read of him in school. What about it?"
"Right, but there's always more to stories written by poets," Victor suggests, then narrows his eyes. "While I won't assume to how it spread, you can say we both have been exposed to the same fire that was also present in Merlin when he performed miracles for Britain."
'Exposed?' Daniel repeats, holding his breath.
Has the colored fires he's seen been more than just an effect?
Victor continues with Daniel's thoughts. "Like you'd expect, a fire can spread and grow hotter under the right conditions. It can also be harnessed for both good and bad indiscriminately. The reason I'm able to find you at all is because a very different fire was lit within you and others beside you. However, I mention your friend outside because she has the brightest fire that I've seen so far."
Daniel thins his lips as he considers the doctor's words. Although it's clear "fire" is more than just figurative, it's quite difficult to imagine something that's attached to him when he doesn't feel any different. Then again, none of the magical fires shown produced any heat, so with all that he's experienced with his slime mothers, it would make sense they're carrying an energy that's out of this world.
Without much to go by, he forces himself to accept this concept in consideration of the evidence of these flames, but it begs the question...
"Where did this fire come from?"
"To me and others, that remains a mystery," Victor admits, stroking his goatee. "The most prominent belief is that it's a power gifted by the goddess Isis, which spread to her followers over time after she descended to Earth through Cleopatra."
That matches what Marlin has gathered, but Daniel doesn't want to probe when there's no certainty. He hasn't even dived enough into mythical gods in general, much less Egyptian ones, to understand the influence and apparent relation to his slime mothers and the world.
"If it's such a mystery, how can you control it?"
The doctor smiles, placing a hand to his chest. "Much of that is thanks to Merlin's teachings. So, going back to your initial doubt about me, you could say that outside of my profession, this knowledge was passed down to my family and others over generations from the disciples of Merlin, who followed the goddess Isis, among others. As a result, the fire I showed is just a small part of the studies that slowly accumulated and refined over centuries."
Daniel raises his brows. Although left unsaid, a "wizard" might be the only title Daniel can ascribe to Victor. Just imagining if Mary were here, she'd have so many sparkling stars in her eyes. After all, her disappointment was immeasurable after being misled by Viviane's assumptions into thinking her uncle was related to the legendary mage.
If she were to learn she carries this "fire" within her, then...
"Finally! I-I mean, please accept me as your disciple, oh great wizard! As a fellow British literate, I hundred-percent resonate to the teachings of Merlin!"
Daniel cringes, tasting the bullshit Mary would be willing to spew to dive into something new and exciting. As evident to the shared knowledge and memories of his girlfriend, he's scared that he can imagine her words so easily.
It's a good thing she's not here.
"This is to say, you must be careful," Victor intrudes, snapping Daniel's attention back to him. "I am not in any state to interfere, but others who can see like I do will come to know your 'friend' is exceptionally bright. Various branches, especially for followers of Isis, will either seek to use her or destroy her depending on what they believe in."
The artist flinches. This is already a bit too much, considering he talked about the possibility of "witch hunts" with Viviane earlier. Although he has been trying to pass her and Anne as humanly as possible, is that impossible in a world with apparent cults and magic?
Against the odds, Daniel grits his teeth, trying to stay calm. While Victor may be able to tell that one of his slime mothers isn't normal, it doesn't look like he's aware of their true nature.
"But...why?" He presses. "Even if she does carry this so-called fire like you do, she certainly doesn't know how to use it. She's just a normal girl!"
Is it still worth playing dumb, even now? Daniel doesn't know, but he tries, if only to see what's laid bare to someone who has so easily seen through his family. However, his stomach churns as Victor smiles lightly, amused.
"You really care for her, don't you?" he says, then hums, nodding to himself. "It's good to remain vigilant, but considering one star is missing in the sky and another is burning brightly among us, it'll be difficult to continue hiding. Especially now, those who know are accepting that Merlin's seal has been broken; the star he sought to contain is now among us."
With such an observation that hits far too close to home, Daniel gulps. "That's uh..."
'Daniel!'
The called artist halts before turning around quickly. It's faint, but he could've sworn he heard Viviane. Glancing around for a second, he twirls his lips to the side before returning his gaze to the former professor. To his horror, however, Daniel's pupils contract.
Victor's gone.
"Daniel, wake up, please!"
Resounding more clearly, the called artist gasps. It takes just a blink, but his eyes reopen as if waking from sleep. Regardless of whether that's true or not, another change in surroundings completely shuts his brain down.
In front of his stoned face, a mostly reformed Viviane stands in place of the false doctor. Her worried silver eyes bores into him, adding to his unease. Around her, the examination room appears to be back to its normal state, with no sign of burning or fire to be had.
Swallowing slowly, Daniel opens his mouth, but no words come out as he tries to comprehend what happened. Had he simply dozed off and imagined a man named Victor?
No, obviously not.
Seeing how there's movement returning to her son's face, Viviane lets out a small breath of relief.
"T-thank goodness," she whispers, her voice almost a choke. Her hands drag to his shoulders, squeezing him tight.
"M-mother?" Daniel finally voices, thawing enough to notice she's naked, trailing with goo falling from above. More specifically, his mother's gooey mass is spilling out from a vent in the ceiling.
"What the hell?"
"What do you mean, 'What the hell'? That's my line, you idiot!" Viviane growls, then squishes against him, wrapping her arms tight around his back. Daniel can feel her hands shaking.
"Y-you wouldn't answer the phone, so I had no choice but to sneak in. I don't know why, but suddenly the waiting room emptied and nobody acknowledged you were here or knew of the doctor! Just to make everything stranger, I find you actually here, but standing like a vegetable!"
The rest of her mass finishes slipping out of the vent, finishing her formation into her usual silver-haired form. Although Daniel fails to follow his slime mother's experience, he has enough mind to hug her back while trying to catch up.
He could have been induced to day-dream at some point. Certainly, if his slime mother's words are true, he wouldn't be standing in the room after being called in either. How could they forget, though?
At the very least, her last text message made sense now. Having been taken by surprise by Victor, he curses himself for not letting her know sooner.
Then again, would it have made a difference? Maybe it was good Viviane came to "wake" him.
His slime mother slowly stops shaking, inhaling as she regains some sanity now that her son is safe. "Daniel...Who was that man in your head? Was he the doctor?"
Daniel's eyes open more. Pulling away from her, he stares at arm's length. "So you saw?"
"I had to!" Viviane huffs. "Neither shaking nor calling out to you did anything, so I had to resort to connecting to you mentally for a bit. It was brief, but I saw you were talking to a man, but..."
She pauses, then lowers her gaze. "Actually, it's odd now that I think of it: Why can't I recall any of your conversation?"
'She was...blocked?'
Daniel twists his lips, but tries to shelve his questions. Presently, they need to leave first before considering Victor Grayson's warning and how he manipulated what should've been a normal check-up.
Knock
"Hello? Is someone in there?"
Viviane and Daniel freeze as one of the nurses calls from the hallway. Quickly, the slime mother stretches her arm behind and locks the door before it could be opened. A thud resounds, adding to confusion on the other side.
"I-I'm in here!" Viviane blurts, her voice turning light but slightly raspy.
The shift stuns Daniel. He's about to open his mouth, but her finger snaps to his lips, silencing him.
"Oh? Chelsea, is that you? I thought I saw you leaving to go to lunch. Why did you lock the door?" the nurse on the other side asks.
While sneaking through the vents from the clinic's bathroom, Viviane had overheard and saw briefly of this Chelsea, a blonde, pony-tailed nurse who indeed left for break. Naked and with no other way to explain their current predicament, especially given how Daniel doesn't have an appointment anymore, the slime mother feels no other way but to use the absent nurse to avoid being charged with trespassing.
Thus, she forces a nervous laugh, her eyes glancing behind while keeping her finger on her son's lips. If she could sweat, she would be leaking buckets. At least now, Daniel finally caught on and was doing it in her stead.
"Sorry~ I must've done it without thought, but I forgot something in here. Just give me a minute!"
Removing her finger from her son's lips, Viviane looks around while Daniel holds with anxious breath. Luckily, the slime mother's eyes flicker as she catches an extra scrub peaking from a closet in the corner.
She hums, tilting to the side with flat lips as she considers an idea. In the end, there's not much choice or time, so she switches her attention back to her son and returns to her normal, but whispered tone. "Sorry, child, but I'm going to have to cover for you."
Daniel would like to have more details of her plan, but before he can ask, she draws closer to him again. This time, she seals his lips with her own, muffling any shock of his to a grunt. He's unable to pull away fast enough as her face softens, melting over his.
Apparently, by "cover", his slimy mother meant literally.
SHLURK, SHLROP!
"Uuuh, Chelsea? Are you okay in there? You know there's no need to pretend or make excuses if it's that time of the month."
...
Without response but a hint of heavy breath and moan, the colleague on the other side grows worried. She's about to call their boss, the actual doctor of the clinic, until the handle rustles.
With a smile, "Chelsea" opens the door, dressed in a blue scrub and seemingly normal. For some odd reason, she's also carrying a set of male clothes. Before the hallway nurse can question, her friend clears her throat.
"Sorry, you're right! I'm a little under the weather, it seems. Can you cover for me?"
The fellow nurse relaxes, then snorts, putting a hand on her hips. "Girl, do you really need to ask? Get out of here already."
'Gladly.'
Bowing to the nurse, the transformed Viviane walks fast, exiting the hallway before anyone might notice anything amiss about her. A few new patients add to the waiting room since the time the slime sneaked in, but neither them nor the front desk find anything wrong, unaware that their false employee holds a man within, all sealed inside her comfy gooey body.
Having taken control of Daniel's body and muscles in such a short period, the slime mother can feel his heart beating fast. Honestly, it may as well be her heart racing as she's just as nervous, if not more. Before leaving the clinic, though, she stops along the restroom door, where she took off her clothes to sneak through the vents.
The door doesn't budge.
'Oh...'
That's right: she locked it from within, and now she's out.
Shutting her eyes tightly, she breathes out and abandons her clothes, keeping on the scrubs she stole for now. While walking to her son's car, she reaches for the keys in Daniel's pant pocket and twirls them with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, child, but you're going to have to wear Mommy for a bit."
"Mmph..."
