"Curse?" asked Gideon.
"Yes. Some of us suffer from fevers at night, and our skin burns when exposed to sunlight," said one of the foxfolk—a woman.
"How many are affected?" asked Gideon.
"34."
'That's quite a lot,'thought Gideon.
He turned and asked Bian to go to the camo team's house to get Lena. This matter was beyond Gideon's expertise—he couldn't make any clear decision on his own.
Bian cleared his throat and nodded. He walked off, leaving Gideon with the two fox women. While waiting, Gideon asked about their identities.
In short, he learned they were kitsune—a unique fox race that lived as neighbors to the wolfkin.
Though they were different races, they got along well and cooperated with each other. Neither side took advantage of the other.
Gideon cleared his throat. That was much better than waging war and losing lives.
Lena arrived as ordered, walking alongside Lyra. Bian explained about their neighboring village suffering from a disease outbreak.
As a medic, Lena couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
"Lyra, we're going with them," said Lena. Lyra cleared her throat and nodded—she would act as Lena's assistant.
She turned to look at Gideon and Bian. She also needed Gideon's presence to help her later, whether with other tasks or to speak with the village chief. Gideon didn't mind.
Lena and Lyra set off immediately, with Lena carrying a medkit in her hand. Gideon went back briefly to grab his M4 rifle—just in case things went south.
"You're coming with me, Bian."
"Let your team handle the recon for now," said Gideon firmly. Bian nodded.
They walked eastward, heading to the location the two kitsune had shown them. It was about a 30-minute walk from their shelter, located below a hill and guarded by the foxfolk men.
The arrival of Lena, Lyra, and Gideon shocked many in the village. They knew the two kitsune had gone to the wolf village for help, but instead, they came back with humans.
The villagers' first reaction was fear, confusion, and suspicion. Humans had harmed their race in the past. To them, humans were greedy and dangerous.
"Stop!" shouted the foxman guarding the village gate.
Bian stepped in front of them. "They're here to help. They won't do any harm."
"How can I trust a human?" asked the man.
"Ohh, so you'd rather see your people die, huh?!" snapped Lena.
She hated being stopped when lives were on the line. Lena spoke using the translator device.
The man's gaze sharpened, and he boldly raised his wooden spear toward Lena and Lyra. Gideon responded by raising his M4. Tension instantly filled the air.
"Humans are not allowed in our village!" he barked.
The two kitsune tried to calm him, calling out for their village chief. Hearing the commotion outside, a woman from inside the village came to deliver the chief's message.
"The wolf folk are with them. Let them in and deal with this curse," she said.
"But they're humans."
"Bian wouldn't come with them if they were evil. Do you understand?"
"Tch!"
After a long silent, the gatekeeper finally allowed them in. Lena and Lyra followed the two kitsune, while Gideon and Bian came behind them.
Gideon noticed the burning hatred in the villagers' eyes—as if their presence was unwanted.
'What did humans do in this world to make them hate us so much?' he wondered.
The first thing he noticed at each home was a stone talisman. That's right—they had stone charms hanging in front of their houses, hoping they would ward off the curse afflicting their families.
Gideon couldn't confirm if curses or magic were real yet. Lena's medical check would prove everything.
The two kitsune women stopped in front of a large round building with two floors. It was the home of the Kitsune tribe's chief.
"Excuse us."
Lena, Lyra, and Gideon entered politely, removing their boots and walking barefoot inside. Lena opened her medkit and handed out three masks—for herself, Lyra, and Gideon.
She was being protective. There was a chance this "curse" was actually an infectious disease, possibly spread through droplets or similar means.
Masks were mandatory.
The three of them went upstairs and entered the chief's bedroom. Gideon and the others were surprised.
They had expected the kitsune chief to be an old man or woman. But they were completely wrong.
A young woman opened her eyes and slowly sat up from her bed. Lena saw a mosquito net hanging around the bed, with only minimal light coming in from a small torch.
'She's… young?'thought Gideon.
The woman sat up and turned toward them. The first thing she did was smile. She welcomed the guests from the wolf village.
"Sorry for the trouble," said the woman. Her voice was hoarse and shaky.
Lena squinted, examining the clear signs of the illness affecting the kitsune chief. There was a red rash in a butterfly shape stretching across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Lena immediately had a theory.
"I'm Mitsuko, leader of the Kitsune," she said weakly.
As she tried to keep speaking, her voice failed her and she collapsed back on the bed, gasping for breath.
Lena rushed to her side without waiting for permission. The two kitsune women tried to stop her but were halted by an elder woman who was also present.
Lyra followed Lena and began writing in her notebook—documenting the disease, its causes, symptoms, and potential treatments.
Gideon stepped closer and pulled back the mosquito net, looking at Mitsuko's pale face and the rash on her cheeks and nose. It was so symmetrical, it almost looked like a painting.
One of the elders stepped closer and explained the so-called curse afflicting Mitsuko and others.
"It's the Curse of the Midnight Butterfly."
"She's been marked... The spirit of the night has chosen her body. This is not a matter for humans," said the elder. Gideon helped facilitate the translation into English.
Lena didn't respond. She continued her examination—checking Mitsuko's temperature, blood pressure, and inspecting the facial rash in detail.
"Lyra, open that window. Let the sunlight touch her," said Lena. Lyra nodded.
She opened the window and let the sunlight hit Mitsuko's body.
"AAAKKKH!"
Mitsuko cried out in pain. Her skin reddened instantly, like the sunlight had burned her. The elder was shocked.
"What are you doing?!" she screamed in panic.
Lena ordered Lyra to close the window again. The reddish rash on Mitsuko's hand remained visible, but she no longer seemed in pain—just deeply exhausted.
"Do all the villagers have similar symptoms?" Lena asked, glaring at the elder.
"Y-Yes. They cry out in pain when exposed to sunlight. It's the night spirit's curse."
"Forget your thoughts about spirits. This isn't a curse. It's an autoimmune disease."
"A disease?" the elder echoed, confused.
Lena stood up and turned toward Gideon, who was watching closely. Lyra stood beside her.
"It's lupus," Lena said.
"Isn't lupus non-contagious?" asked Gideon. Lena cleared her throat and nodded.
"Right. I also need to examine the other villagers and see if they're genetically connected. My guess is it's hereditary."
"Diseases like lupus are autoimmune. They're hard to cure completely," Lyra added.
"True. But we can manage it. At least, prevent it from getting this bad."
She turned again to look at Mitsuko. "This is a mild case. I can still treat it with basic meds."
Lena opened her medkit and took out ibuprofen—for inflammation and joint pain, and to prevent flare-ups. But Mitsuko had to take it regularly, no more than twice a day after meals.
"But we can't keep treating her with painkillers forever," said Lena. "We need to target the root of the disease."
"There's no tech that can cure lupus," Gideon replied.
"Yes, but we can ease the symptoms without causing long-term side effects," Lena insisted.
Gideon and Lyra glanced at each other and nodded at the same time. If that was Lena's plan, they would support her with everything they had.
"So, what's your plan?" asked Gideon.
Lena turned, took Gideon's phone, and addressed the village elder. "I need all the herbs you have. Bring them to me."
"All of them?"
"Yes, all of them!" Lena snapped.
"V-Very well."
The elder left with the two kitsune women. They exited Mitsuko's room and left Lena in charge of her care.
Lena turned to Lyra. She needed her help on this.
"I only know a few herbal plants by their traits. Maybe some of them look familiar. Do you have a database about it?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, but I once made a program for a military hospital. I might find something in it."
"Good."
"Gideon," called Lena.
"What?"
"Go back and bring the emergency tent. We need a separate space to treat the sick intensively."
"Got it."