Spirit Animal[Jiyoo]

Cherry blossoms drifting in the dark

That night, the guards and girls regrouped in the secret basement. Normally, they would be at FeverDream working, but with the sudden outbreak in Busan? The nation was put in lockdown.

"This type of pathogen comes from touching and consuming a poisonous berry with a certain type of bug larvae in it. From the other realm, of course. The poisonous berry mimics a safe one that is known for its antioxidant benefits. The painful hives and eyes from this toxin usually lasts a month." Hyeri explains.

"Oh, I remember learning about these. My father would always add these to his wine or specifically request wine made from these berries. I think they're called Andromeda mulberries?" Gahyeon thinks back on her childhood memories in the palace. The good, bad, and the messy. As distant and despicable as her parents could be at times, they really didn't deserve to die. Quickly collecting her resolve, Gahyeon swallows the lump in her throat and purses her lips.

"That is correct, Gahyeon! Here's the confusing part: the ones infected with larvae creepily resemble the healthy ones even more."

"Newbie foragers sometimes run into this situation a lot. The fake berries are called Nexus berries. The general rule is simply not to pick the berries unless you have a permit. The safest way to tell them apart is to cut one apart with sheers then wait an hour in a sunny place. The poisonous one will turn blue, sprout white interconnected threads, and lose the sparkle that the real Andromeda mulberries have. The white interconnected threads are the namesake of the Nexus, meaning connection, berries. " Bora shares her knowledge as well, more than happy to show off.

"That sounds quite niche, so how did the scout model that poison so perfectly? The illness shouldn't spread that quickly either..." Yoohyeon shakes her head, still trying to process the sheer magnitude of events that happened.

"Maybe they're a botanical empath...a botanopath for short. Specialize in mimicking natural toxins." Yoobin chimes in. For her and Bora, this was nothing new. They knew exactly which poison Hyeri was talking about. Thanks to their training with Sandara, the girls were already practically immune to the toxin. "Either that or they may be a general poison user like Miss Sandara, capable of making themselves and any items they're holding toxic."

"Yep. There are 3 ways we can deal with the illness. 1) we can find and kill the scout who started it. All affected parties will be fully healed within 12 hours by killing the user the illness originated from. 2) Create an antidote using the venom from a snake in the other realm. The sabertooth viper of the northern highlands has venom that is like a double-edged sword. Taking it, you'll be anywhere from paralyzed to extremely tired and lethargic for 5 days straight. However, afterward, on the 6th day you wake up, all illnesses gone! Finally, 3) if you find a skilled healer who can not only heal physical wounds but also complex chemical wounds, then they're a go-to."

"Can't Yoobin and I just donate some blood for you guys to extract antibodies from?" Bora asks in confusion. 2 people are clearly practically immune to the toxin. Why not use that to their advantage?

"Well, there would be a lot of paperwork and you two would surely become lab rats for the nation's top scientists. Extracting antibodies and making vaccines is a multi step process that would take quite some time, which we don't have. Also, I imagine humans working with our blood would be ill advised." Yoohyeon takes a step closer to Bora and calmly explains.

"So Seohyun and Hani eonnie could help heal people?" Gahyeon asks hopefully.

"I doubt they would let a random civilian go into a hospital and touch the contaminated patients. Even if they did, we currently don't have someone who can erase memories. They would remember me, even if I wore something to hide my identity." Hani pats Gahyeon on the shoulder, understanding the young girl's desire to help.