Ether-Psychosis

Ignacio’s eyes fluttered open, the glaring white light above him blurring into focus. He swallowed, his throat dry.

He slowly turned his head to the side, his pillow rustling. Koharu sat beside his bed, hunched forward. She stared at a necklace or something in her hand, her leg shaking.

She glanced up, her eyes widening. “Ace,” she said, almost jumping off the chair.

“Hey,” he wheezed.

She placed a hand to his forehead, her throat straining as she swallowed. “What is going on with you? Are you okay?”

He coughed, eyes moving down. Three short white cylinders were attached to his forearm. The same kind that he’d used a hundred times working for Doctor Ivo. Neuro-pens. One with a yellow liquid inside the glass level-meter, the other two with a light blue.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “Where am I?”

“We’re still at Genesys H.Q,” Koharu said, brushing his hair with her fingertips.

He smiled. “Does this mean I get my own room?”

She glowered at him. “This is serious, Ace. When did you start feeling off when we were inside the Ethergeist?”

Ignacio frowned. “In the Ethergeist?”

She sighed. “Yes, Ace. When you were fighting Blackwell?”

Blackwell?

He blinked. “What are you talking about?”

Her hand retracted from his hair, her eyes widening. “Wait here.”

She ran out the room, and a few moments later rushed back in with Doctor Ivo behind her.

“Doc!” Ignacio said, sitting up.

“Ace,” the Doc barked, holding a hand out. “Don’t move, lay down.”

He lay back, groaning. “What is going on, guys? How did I get here?”

The Doc exchanged a glance as she folded her arms.

“Ignacio,” the Doc said, “listen carefully. What is the last thing you remember?”

Ignacio frowned. “I remember climbing onto a Cypher. I remember eating a lunchkit with Koharu and Beltran before that. And before that,” he said, meeting Koharu’s gaze. “I remember standing on a roof.”

She glanced away, then at the Doc. “What is going on, Ivo?”

Ivo rubbed his forehead, sighing. “He has all the symptoms of early Ether-psychosis.”

Koharu slammed her hands on the bed rail. “That is rubbish. We did everything by the book.”

The Doc held up a hand. “I don’t know what to tell you, Koharu.”

“Tell me you can fix it. Or at least what we did wrong,” she hissed.

Ignacio rubbed his eye. “Tell me what happened and maybe I can figure it out.”

Koharu sighed. “We went in after you fought Chey. You remember Chey?”

“Yes, the lava guy with anger issues,” Ignacio said.

Koharu nodded, and gave a recap of all he’d supposedly done in Miraveth.

“Wait,” Ignacio said. “I got the Empress of Miraveth to watch me fight as a Werewolf?”

Koharu sighed. “Men…” she grumbled. “Will you please take this seriously.”

“I am,” Ignacio said, smiling stupidly. “How did I get an Empress to listen to me?”

She scowled at him. “You chased her carriage down like a lost dog.”

His cheeks flushed.

“Hold it,” the Doc said, his robotic eye adjusting to Koharu. “How many Aspects did you say he absorbed with his Ronin?”

“Three,” she said.

The Doc rubbed his narrow chin. “That could be why.”

“What, too many?” Ignacio asked.

"No more Ethergeist for you for a full two days,” Ivo continued.

“I don’t have two days to waste, Doc,” Ignacio said, fists clenching. “I have to get Celeste back.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Koharu said. “Two days is only two hours in the Ethergeist. Besides, you can’t save anyone if you’re forgetting everything and bleeding brains from your nose.”

Ivo massaged his forehead. “Koharu is right, Ace. You need to rest, let your mind and body recover from the exertion. You could die if you’re not careful.”

Ignacio sighed. “Okay, Doc. So, how many Aspects can I absorb?”

The Doc rolled his tongue against the inside of his cheek. “No more than two. Even then, I would suggest stopping at one. Two is only for emergencies. Over two is if you need it to survive, and only in such circumstances.”

Ignacio nodded. “Thanks, Doc.”

Ivo gave a nod, looking up at Koharu. “Take care of him.”

She nodded, saluting casually with two fingers.

“How is Celeste doing?” Ignacio asked.

The Doc’s nose wrinkled. “Not good, Ace. Which is why you need to please take care of yourself. If you get sick, let alone die, she’s never coming back.”

Ignacio’s stomach sank. “I’m going to listen, Doc.”

He nodded, bending and picking something up from the floor. He placed a hand on the metal rail alongside the bed.

“And be grateful for your friends, Ace. If it wasn’t for Thiago, you very well could have developed Ether-psychosis,” the Doc said.

Ignacio glanced at Koharu. “I am grateful.”

The Doc placed a hand on Ignacio’s shoulder, and walked out the room. Ignacio spotted a small grey box tucked under his arm, smiling as the Doc glanced at him and closed the door.

Koharu stared at him with folded arms, tapping her fingers on her elbows.

Ignacio smiled. “So I seduced an Empress and almost beat a Sea Paladin, huh?”

She stifled a smile, shaking her head. “A Kraken Aspect Paladin, yes. And no, you didn’t seduce anyone.”

Ignacio leaned back, tucking his hands behind his head. “How in the world did I forget that?”

“You didn’t,” she said, “your memories were fried.”

He sighed, closing his eyes. “How long was I asleep for?”

“Nearly twelve hours,” she said, too quickly. As if she’d been counting.

Oh, stop overthinking. he told himself.

“What time is it?”

“Just after nine P.M.”

“And I have to wait two more days?”

“You need it,” she said.

“Yeah,” he said, “but haven’t I also lost a day’s worth of progress if I forgot it?”

She shrugged. “We’ll have to see.”

He gazed up at her, those sharp green eyes narrowed as she stared at the neuro-pens in his forearm.

“Koharu,” he asked. “Can I ask you something?”

She nodded, tilting her head.

“How long were you sitting there?” he asked.

The corner of her mouth curved into a smile, and the door to their left burst open.