The Alchemist's Children: Panacea

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  The song of church bells struggled in the unrelenting roar of the city, but their call still brought those who considered themselves faithful from the drudgery of the modern world. Out of tradition, church-goers made their way along the cobblestone street. From the annoyed protests of children, it was obvious that the threads of atheism and existentialism had been woven deep into the minds of the populous. Most worshipers were not here for God, most were here for a perspective that allowed them to, in arrogance, condemn others with their self-righteous judgment.

  Callen sneered at the building as they entered through the old doors, annoyed that he had to waste an hour of time sitting and watching a priest talk about Jesus. Inside between the Italian woodwork and religious statues, Sadie, Felix, and Corth were waiting for them in the lobby.

  "Sorry Lad," Corth said. "Didn't have a choice here...after what happened to that poor waitress..."

  Callen rolled his eyes and followed them in.

  Sadie, Felix, Corth, and Ania all did the sign of the cross with holy water, but Callen walked right by and plopped himself in the pew next to them. The organs soon started singing, and Callen felt his lungs tighten. He choked back a cough and Ania gave him a curious look. He checked his hand and he saw the blood left in his palm.

  The mass began, and the priest began speaking in Latin. Strangely, Callen felt his mood lighten as a deep serenity washed over him. He took a breath and the smell of candles and lightly fragrance incense tickled his nose. He looked around the room, and for the first time, he noticed the variety of humans that gathered here. He saw those with elven blood, other dwarves, and several things he couldn't recognize among the crowd of people. However, most were working on balancing their checkbooks or playing on their electronic devices.

  He let out a sigh. He remembered being here a few times with his family, but they were spotty at best. Somehow, in those days, Callen remembered people caring more about Church. He remembered his father quietly listening to the mass as he held his old cross in his fingers. He remembered his look of deep focus, and memories began to surface of restlessness in his father and people in their Christmas attire.

  Overwhelming sadness came down on him, crushing him. The last time he had entered this place was the evening his father disappeared. Years of feeling abandoned and loss grasped him in a vice-like grip, as the Latin rolled on.

  After the offering of peace, the Anaphora began. The priest waited for the alter children to bring the wine and bread towards the altar. Among the words of the

  A bell rung as the priest transitioned towards communion.

  He noticed Tende get up and carry a flask of wine and the other altar children carry the supplies for blessing the wafers to the altar. As to custom, the priest began to bless the offerings and recited the Eucharist prayer.

  With the archaic practices and scientifically baseless rituals happening before him, Callen couldn’t believe the stupidity. What was occurring angered him. However, his feelings were misplaced. It was his feelings of loss that fed into a deep anger. This place took his dad from him. Now all of this was taking his mother too.

  He had to get out of here. He looked to his right and saw Ania. To his left sat Sadie. He couldn't escape without making a scene. He felt trapped and his skin started to itch and burn. Sweat began to form on his brow. He noticed Ania's concerned glare.

  Then he noticed Cole, across the isle and a few pews closer to the altar. She was seated there with her hands folded on an old bible as she mouthed the blessings in sync with the priest. He felt as if she were seated there, mocking his loss and enjoying every moment of his family's pain. Her insults and condemning accusations fueled his boiling anger. As the rage grew, deep pain tore through his nervous system as the priest blessed the bread, exponentially intensifying with each passing second.

  He had to do something; the pain and the rage were overwhelming. He bit his tongue and struggled not to scream. He coughed and caught more blood. He heard a whisper in his head. He couldn't understand it.

  "Your color's just changed," Ania whispered franticly. "I think you need a doctor..."

  "Ah..." He choked. His eyes began to throb as he struggled to get his burning lungs under control. He was overheating. He knew these symptoms. They always came a few days before he ended up in the hospital. Panic began to set in and he heard Cole's heartless voice laughing.

  Tende knelt beside the priest and the people followed by kneeling. Confusion raced through Callen's head. He grew dizzy. The world began to twist. Images of his fears danced in the shadows casted by the flickering candles. The sweat came pouring down his forehead. He desperately looked around the church trying to find the closest exit as the vertigo set in.

  People started to move in lines towards the front of the church. Sadie all of a sudden stood up and grabbed his arm. "Come on, silly." She whispered.

  Without thinking, he stood up. She tugged him into the communion line. Each step was like walking through concrete. Before he even realized it, Callen was in front of the priest. He muttered something about 'the body of Christ' and held a white wafer in front of Callen's face. Callen didn't know what to do. The priest's eyes grew angry. 'Demon-spawn.' He seemed to whisper, but his lips didn't move. He looked around and the world spun even more. The shadows seemed to form faces that looked as if they were laughing.

  Callen gasped for air and the priest dropped the wafer on his half stuck out tongue. He tasted the soggy cardboard. Sadie whispered for him to say 'amen.'

  Whether he said it or not, he didn't know, but Sadie grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards their pew. The world around him was like looking into a maelstrom of darkening watercolors smearing over demonic faces. Among them, he saw Cole staring at him with the eyes of an inquisitor and she seemed to whisper 'burn devil as he walked past.'

  With those words, he lost himself to the flames, and he scarcely felt his knees land on the pad for kneeling in the pew. In his agony, he noticed his hand had clasped his father's cross. The world twisted faster as he knelt there, his stomach churned, and he vomited all over Sadie.

  Sadie ignored the vomit and caught him before he fell back and smacked his head on the pew in front of them. Blood began streaming out of Callen's nose as he lay in her arms. "Help!" Sadie yelled. "Callen!"

  Ania grabbed her brother and helped Sadie lower him to the floor.

  "Panacea," Callen whispered as he tightened his grip on his father's cross. The metal bit into his hand. "Dad..." He coughed.

  "What?" Sadie asked.

  Before he said, more the world went dark to the rush of people around him.