Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

How it Works: Oxyclinic

Several years Ago

This was Fiem's last hope. At this point it seemed she had tried everything conventional, and even most things unconventional, but it still wasn't getting better, and lately she had begun to feel herself slipping away, slowly sliding down into a darkness she didn't believe she could return from.

She sat, silently, the only passenger on the small shuttle whizzing through the darkness of space. It had taken her weeks to get here, ferried on multiple passenger flights through the Dienspura galaxy and on into the quadinspura galaxy. She knew this was her last hope, and simply the trip itself had been almost enough to send her over the edge.

Not so many months ago her life had been turned upside down. It wasn't something she liked or wanted to talk about, but a single incident had been enough to shatter her, and put her feelings of security permanently into question. Since the "Incident" She hadn't felt safe for a single moment, and this trip, though her last chance at recovery, had probably set her back months.

Even now she felt as if her world would implode and the space around her would simply swallow her up forever.

It was a terrible feeling.

The ship slowed, and nervously, she peeked through the window and out into space. What she found was not a black sheet of stars, but the glittering light of a blazing star bouncing sharply off the reflective white hull of the waiting Oxyclinic. Curiosity, somewhat peaked, she examined the strange little station, a floating ball of white in the middle of space, reflecting star rays off into the darkness.

It looked so peaceful.

But still her heart was in her throat, attempting to strangle her before she could even make a proper judgment. Fiem dropped her head and curled back into a ball her entire body tense and waiting for the moment it would happen.

The moment she would die.

Predictably it didn't come, and her sponsor came to retrieve her a moment later as the shuttle landed, and she was led into the oxy clinic waiting room. It wasn't what she had expected. Sure the walls and floors were bright white, almost blending but all of the other surfaces were soft and plush or even fuzzy. Patches of well contained sand even featured prominently, one square where a dozing Rundi rested.

No one else here seemed nearly as concerned as she did, even as she was taken from the room and led into a quiet little office. The Tesraki that sat in the waiting seat was not dissimilar to her. He was small, with large ears, brown fur, and a thick strong tail, which he had tucked neatly around himself.

She she entered, he perked his ears in greeting but did not stand.

She glanced at the room's edges and then scrutanied him with some measure of distrust.

"Fiem is it?"

She nodded.

"A pleasure to have you." his voice was even and soothing, and at no point did he make any sudden movements, "I am Dr. Sapien. I will be your doctor for the course of your stay. I understand you were sponsored to come to us. Tell me, how much do you understand about what we do?"

She shifted nervously in her seat, "You.... you use um humans.... To cure mental illness."

The doctor shook his head slightly, "That is a bit of a misconception, so I will explain briefly. Humans have a hormone, of a similar chemical composition and makeup that is common in quite a few of our sentient species. For them it assists in forming attachments and bonds, and as a side effect it can reduce anxiety and promote better health. Most of us don't produce so much of this chemical, as our bodies have other ways of preforming the same task, but a human produces significantly more of the chemical, which is why we use them here. Though integrated touch therapy, we have trained our humans to assist a variety of species in a variety of ways. I have already consulted your previous doctor. However, I would like to hear from you, what would you like to get out of this experience? And from there we can create a roadmap to your recovery in more detail.