This is a serial, the first part is HERE

Chapter 8: Sickness and Treatment, Flower and Flame

Dr. Bones shook off the memory’s presence. It was all well and good getting a memory of life, but he had to treat the patient before him. The lights within Dr. Bones’ hollow sockets flashed and the horn grafted to his skull let out a dull glow.

For any number of professions the quality and type of magical sight is exceedingly important. As for Dr. Bones sight, it could pierce through flesh and bone, be it physical or spiritual. So, he saw the disease rooted in the very being of the spirit. Something like a rose root, yet vaguely in the shape of a tear. There was something a little familiar about it to Dr. Bones.

He began to think quietly to himself as he gazed at the sickness.

–As it grows, it tries to make flowers, when a flower successfully blooms on its root, the victim dies. This is a pollen curse, it must have come from a powerful plant or plant-based being. The patient must have encountered the source somewhere nearby, the sickness drains the vitality of the diseased, so going a great distance would not have been likely. I’ll ask about it afterwards–

The rosetear itself didn’t have a terribly large amount of vitality. Nor did it have much staying power. It was an incidental existence.

-Hold still- Dr. Bones said aloud.

The spirit stiffened as Dr. Bones pushed a skeletal hand into the body of it, as if it was nothing more than mist. The moment Dr. Bones touched the rosetear there was a reaction, a tentacle like root shot out from it to burrow into his bones! Yet, as soon as it attempted to do so, there was low angry vibration from Dr. Bones’ horn, and the sickness backed away.

–This horn is an amazing thing, not only does it attune me to the dimension I am in, it has many other uses such as protecting my bones and spirit from invasion. I’ve the long and short of this disease now- he mused to himself.

“How is it doctor?” The spirit asked, sensing that Dr. Bones had made some progress.

-I understand the nature of your sickness now, but the treatment is fire, so I’ll have to think a bit about how to cure you without killing you-

“Fire!?!” The spirit exclaimed panicking.

As a being of cold, it could suppress essences of flame lesser than its own cold, but of course many existences of fire could be harmful to it.

“Hey, I’m not so sure about this, how about we…”

While the spirit was having doubts, Dr. Bones had reached into his spacial darkness and tossed something at the spirit’s eyes. It looked quite like sand, and as soon as it struck the spirit, it collapsed, snoring loudly.

-The problem is a simple one, if fire is an issue, then frostflame will suffice!-

He paused, stroking the bone of his chin.

-Only problem is, do I have any?-

His mind swept through the contents of his coat’s spacial darkness. He didn’t have any frostflame stored, what he did have however. Well, it was technically a medical fluid. Still, given the fierce nature of its coldness, it would do.

As for what it was? A mixture of a sentiments of frigid heartless men and women, as there are few things as cold as those who play with the hearts of others and leave them betrayed and alone. It wasn’t just those sentiments, but the Heartless Coolant was something used by many because of the ease of acquiring its ingredients.

Naturally, the more cold hearted the sentiments used, the more powerful the Heartless Coolant was.

Being a dimensional doctor of great prowess, Dr. Bones had a number of different strengths of the stuff on his person. He also knew how to make the stuff. First he put on a pair of gloves that… rather than being grey or black, it was more accurate to say the gloves were devoid of the idea of colours or lack of colours.

They were not pleasant to look at.

Following taking proper precautions, Dr. Bones took a bottle out from the spacial darkness. Mist formed and obscured the form of the bottle, indeed, frost even formed on Dr. Bones’ ribcage. His wings shook in agitation from that a bit. He did not open the bottle, no instead he touched it against the leaves of the slumbertrees.

He also flapped upwards in a hurry, while his flesh was gone, he could still use his spirit to assist with his wing bones’ flight.

As soon as he touched the bottle to the leaves, they burst into frostflame! Fire consumes air and fuel to sustain itself, leaving behind ashes and smoke. Frostflame however consumes air and fuel, but leaves behind crystal dust and cold fog!

Dr. Bones put his arms behind his back and appreciated the sight of a good cold bonfire.

-The best thing about this treatment is that I don’t have to do anything. The foundation of the sickness is too weak. This is really a bit overkill. The spirit might even advance in power from the frostflame-

Indeed when the frostflame reached the spirit, it was like metal being smelted, and the mane of the spirit changed, becoming a mane of frostflame instead of icicles. The rosetear lasted moments before it became nothing more than crystal dust nourishing the body of the spirit.

The frostflame eventually faded away, leaving only withered rime coated remains of branches and trunks behind. The spirit slowly roused, it was confused at first, but a look of pure joy then crossed over its features.

It turned to Dr. Bones and knelt before him.

“Benevolent benefactor! Whatever you wish of this poor spirit, tell me, and I shall give my all for the matter!”

The doctor just nodded, he felt it was no coincidence that the sickness had seemed familiar to him, and if it did, then where the spirit caught the sickness had a good chance of being where the lab he was looking for was.

-All that I ask is that you tell me how you think you came to be so afflicted- he asked.