Valdus sat blankly with his head in his hands. He was in shock, not knowing what to make of his parent’s sudden deaths. How could it happen? There was no warning; it wasn’t like The Disease, which was normally a gradual deterioration of health.

That was roughly the findings of the Middle district doctor, who was equally stumped with the deaths.

“I don’t know what to say, Valdus. There doesn’t seem to be any symptoms of The Disease. There is a rare strain though that’s occurred a few times recently.”

Valdus looked up and looked seriously at the doctor.

“Why does it matter what they died of? They’re dead, isn’t that the thing we should…”

He trailed off as he saw his mother’s body wrapped up in the black cloth. The doctor appeared considerate of this, and let Valdus have a moment before he spoke again.

“I know it doesn’t seem important now Valdus, but if it is this new strain of The Disease, you could be in danger yourself. So we need to identify what it is.”

Valdus looked up suspiciously. “We?”

The doctor paused a moment, then slowly looked sincerely at Valdus. “I don’t have the knowledge or the power to identify the cause of death myself, Valdus. We may need to bring in Disciples to help us.”

Usually this idea would have unsettled Valdus, but for now all his emotions were being strongly directed towards the pair of bodies that lay before him. The doctor waited a moment for a response, but got no reply. He accepted Valdus’s silence as agreement and left the vacant house to summon the Disciples.

For the first time in his life, Valdus felt completely and justifiably alone. There was now no one beside him, and no one to be there for him. He felt tired, and thought about going upstairs to lie down. However when he started to leave the remaining shells of his parents, he realised this was the last time he was going to be with them. He shook at the thought of this and slowly slid back down the stairs and shuffled towards his parent’s bodies. He seemed to be taking it quite well, he wasn’t crying or howling, just very quiet. This must have meant he was in shock, he thought, not that the thought meant anything to him in the slightest. With a deep breath, he sat down between his parents and simply lay there, closing his eyes.

The Disciples came before his head had barely touched the ground. Valdus was overcome by a sense of despair, as his last time alone as a family was disrupted far too quickly for his liking. He sat up as he heard the knocks on the door, and the recurring shouts from the doctor to open up. Yet Valdus remained motionless, shutting up his ears, hoping that the cruel world outside his home would let him be.

He soon saw that this was no the case, as the trademark black smoke of the Disciples crept under the doorway. This sent Valdus into a state of panic and he rushed to the doorway, swiping with his hands at the ascending smoke. However the black substance soon overcame him, as it wrapped around his arms, making him unable to halt their progress. Valdus watched helpless as it clambered up towards the door handle, and turned it agonisingly slowly. The door burst open to reveal the towering figures of the Disciples, who immediately stormed in without invitation.

One of the Disciples walked over to his parent’s body, but another approached Valdus.

“I’d appreciate it if you cooperated in future, child. Dauron would hate to injure one of his subjects so…needlessly.”

Valdus backed away. He’d never heard a Disciple speak before, and this one’s deep, nasal voice did nothing to calm his nerves. Valdus looked the ‘man of god’ up and down, trying to make sense of what he saw. The Disciples face was shrouded in shadow, covered by a dark hood. He appeared tall, but this was most likely because his limbs were underneath the equally dark rob that was seemingly compulsory wear for these men.

“I daresay this boy is sizing me, Baldar” laughed the Disciple as he made the comment to his companion, who was inspecting Valdus’s parents. “Do I threaten you?”

Valdus made no reply, but kept one eye on his addresser as he edged his way towards the bodies of his family.

Suddenly the Disciple did something that took everyone by surprise, including the doctor, who was standing rather redundantly in the doorway. The Disciple threw off his hood, to reveal what shocked Valdus, as this man was suddenly shown to look…normal. His brown hair was of similar length to Valdus’s, and he even wore a smile that seemed oddly comforting to Valdus.

“I shouldn’t scare you in such a delicate condition, forgive me” pleaded the un-hooded figure. Valdus was rather taken aback, and stopped leaning against the bricked wall besides his parents.

“My name is Kalsper” continued the now named Disciple. “My associate and I were summoned to inspect the body of this couple. Tell me, do you know the whereabouts of their child?”

This confused Valdus and the Doctor alike. “I’m their son” answered Valdus with a bewildered look. The mood continued to confuse, as a puzzled Baldar, the Disciple inspecting the bodies on the floor, turned to the doctor.

“You never informed us that their child was alive, doctor”

“I’m sure I did. I said the boy was with his parents” replied the doctor.

“We presumed…”trailed off Baldar, thoughtfully.

“We presumed the boy was dead” Kalsper finished bluntly. “You see, it is as we feared, the new strain of The Disease. The problem is, it usually kills off whole families. It is…very unusual for a single member to survive.”

“Well aren’t I lucky then” added Valdus dryly.

“There are certain procedures we must adhere to in this circumstance. Excuse us for a moment, gentlemen.”

The two Disciples glided outside, with Kalsper drawing his hood back over his face. The doctor scampered out of the way as the two left outside, and shuffled next to Valdus’s exhausted figure.

“Well it seems you’re rather special, escaping The Disease like that, eh Valdus?”

Valdus then gave the doctor a look cold enough to stop him talking. They sat in silence for a small period, before Valdus decided to vent some anger.

“How can you be so upbeat when you deal with death?” he suddenly demanded to know. “It’s not right!”

The doctor sighed and avoided eye contact. “I have the hardest job in the city, you know Valdus. I’m hardly a doctor, I’ve worked two years and am yet to save a life. All I can do is prolong the inevitable, before I have to deal with distraught relatives desperately crying out for those that have departed.”

He looked at Valdus, who had quickly changed his manner.

“It changes you, to see it every day. I try to be strong, upbeat, just so it doesn’t get to me.”

“Well it gets to me when you act like it” interrupted Valdus, “It’s like…I don’t know how to describe how I feel. But you’re just making it worse.”

“I’m sorry” said the doctor “But maybe you need someone to blame right now, that’s what I get a lot in these situations.”

Valdus suddenly stood up and faced the slouched down doctor.

“Look, this isn’t about your depressing job. This is about my parents…”

Valdus trailed off as the Disciples re-entered, with the doctor standing back up again quickly. Both the Disciples now took off their hoods, with Baldur being revealed as an older, dark haired and certainly a more angry individual.

“You’re in quite a predicament, boy” started Kalsper.

“My name’s Valdus” the teenager interrupted, tired of being addressed so formally.

“I apologise. You see, your parent’s deaths were so sudden that they were not prepared. It is often the case in this new breed of The Disease that those involved leave no will. However you are the first to survive this disease and technically this house belongs to the state. You have…nowhere to go, to be frank”

Valdus sighed and sat down next to his parents.

“Well what am I supposed to do then? Surely the state can make an exception.”

“Laws are there for a reason and will not be broken” stated Baldar coldly.

“There is one more alternative, if you will accept it” offered Kalsper. “I will allow you to live in my lodgings under my supervision.”

This offer, like many of Kalsper’s actions, confused those around him.

“The Bishop will not tolerate this!” exclaimed Baldar “You are under strict instructions!”

“The Bishop may realise that I am acting in the Church’s interests as much as the boy” replied Kalsper calmly. “It would benefit the Church far more if this child was under my control, rather than wandering the streets, and possibly coming into contact with the Radicals, do you not think?”

“The Radicals!” cried Valdus “I heard the King. They’re the cause of The Disease. We have to drive them out! Do whatever it takes!”

A look of acceptance washed over Baldar’s face.

“You wish to join us in our quest to drive out the Radicals, Valdus?”

“Yes!” Valdus eagerly answered. “And please” he added more quietly, “I need…a home…”

Baldar looked at his companion, and then walked out of the building, muttering “Risky, very risky…”

The remaining men watched him leave, and then Kalsper turned to Valdus.

“Well it is decided then. I’m afraid we must leave at once Valdus, I have matters I must take care of. I will leave your parents in the capable hands of the doctor.”

He turned to the silent doctor. “You will deliver them to us immediately”

The doctor gave an acknowledging nod.

“Come then Valdus, I will wait outside next to my machina, while you have a moment, if you desire. Leave your belongings; we will transport them for you at a later date.”

Valdus gave a nod similar to the doctor, and then added “Thank you.”

Kalsper gave a half smile and then spun towards the still open door, leaving just the doctor, Valdus and his parents.

Valdus sat down next to his parents for the final time and opened the blankets which they were wrapped in. Their bodies were colder now, as Valdus softly stroked both of their faces. He kissed them both and then wrapped the blankets back over their faces again. He stood up and faced the tired looking doctor.

“I’m sorry” said Valdus. “I was just taking it out on you, it was wrong of me.”

“I understand Valdus, I’m sorry too” replied the doctor comfortingly.

“Well” Valdus proclaimed rather more determinedly “I have genuine people to blame now. I’m going to find those Radicals, and when I do…”

Valdus looked at the doctor, wondering whether to finish his sentence, but the words did not need to be said. The doctor understood and conveyed it, so Valdus turned and walked towards the door. He picked up his newly found piece of machina that had been lying under his robe as he made his way towards the door. He stopped as his foot touched the threshold and turned once more to the doctor.

“Please, take good care of my parents.”

The doctor gave the same nod that he had become so accustomed to giving over the past two years, and then added the same comment that he always ended with.

“Good luck, Valdus”

Valdus forced a smile, which the doctor was all too used to seeing from brave relatives. The child took one last look at his parent’s bodies, and then walked out as he shut the door on his old home; his old life.