THE SAINTESS AND THE AFFLICTION| ONC 2023

A Beacon of Light

The fresh route happened to be the new path she planned on taking the next day.

The road was steep and was a dangerous descent from the lower plains to the valley.

However, the road seemed to be well trod, by travellers.

The clear absence of weeds and the presence of faded hooves, tire marks and feet were evident.

Wemimo met no one on the road, which was a great puzzle to her.

In the beginning of the great tribulation, mankind had encountered many things, but none worthy enough to cause a complete annihilation.

Wemimo could remember her early days of training when she would ride on Blood Scarlett with her senior trainees: they would visit regions and stay for days as the deliverer assigned to that region supervised them on tasks a deliverer could assume in a town, a region or even an urban.

She remembered that the towners were always wholeheartedly involved in day-to-day activities.

Many were always on feet and the ones who could afford an automobile or animal of labour rode one out of town.

The cosmic habitation of man was so vast that Wemimo could proudly say she had visited one-fourth of the populace.

However, she wished to visit an urban. She rode silently on Blood Scarlett, studying the landmarks and noting maps on her I-pad.

This was another function deliverers contributed to the communities.

They were adventurers and well-travelled.

By the time she reached the edge of the forest she felt adapted to the general quiet, but grew suddenly frantic on scenarios that could happen in the forest.

She did a mental tour of flora and fauna.

She browsed through the Merit town data, checking for harmful or demonic trees and the nearest location of human form.

Merit web did not have enough data on Sfordsfield Gothic!

She rummaged through her pack and brought out the nano-bot device.

Long ago, before the new world order came to be, which brought about the towns, regions and urbans, every human became genetically altered by a new drug SYNTHAX-9, a synthetic drug specific for conferring immunity against diseases that brought about pandemic situations.

This was introduced by Urban Biotech, a leading pharmaceutical company at the time.

However, it was found that the new drug had its side effects.

It was true that people gained multiple resistances against viral, bacterial and fungus pathogens, but their blood turned dark blue from metal poisoning and this led to global mortality and rapid child bearing rate for those who survived: birthing the new age of humans.

The new age of humans seemed ordinary, but had robotic characteristics.

Wemimo was about to use the nanobots in her blood into the nano-bot device.

She brought out a sterile metallic syringe and drew out some blood.

Her blood was blue.

She inserted the blue blood into the device and programmed its centrifugation and alteration.

After what seemed like forever the nano-bot device ceased its vibration and shot sprays of bubbles into the air towards the direction of the forest.

Wemimo rubbed Blood Scarlett's coat, leaping off him.

For the naked eye it would be hard to see, but as the nano-bot were transfused from her blood she could see them clearly.

She tied Blood Scarlett to one of the scarcely lodged poles on the terrain.

"Keep safe." She commanded her horse, as well as her best friend.

She pulled out the regulator, a hand fitted pad and gripped it in her hand.

Wemimo ventured through the forest, while the nano-bots settled into the forest, collating data on age of trees, fauna and flora, settling on all forms that held life.

She headed towards where she saw the smoke and sighted the camper's life energy, which was mapped out by a nano-bot.

The form of red, which was odd, Wemimo's right hand instinctively reached for her arrowhead as she edged closer - hidden amidst shrubs and surrounded by vast palms of trees in a sandy mass of soft white soil and a quiet ocean.

The form was a girl having everything that a human should have - a pair of eyes, a nose with two holes and lips, which she pressed firmly together.

The girl was brooding and poking the fire before her with a branch stick, which was littered chaotically from a collapsed tree.

The tree was rough and enormous with broad leaves still green and succulent.

Wemimo bit her lip, licking it.

She had to concentrate.

The girl rubbed her belly, which protruded out of her spandex suit, softened with a cloak.

She dressed like no one Wemimo had ever come across before.

The girl's vitals showed that her temperature was at 36.5 degrees and a pulse and pressure rate of 105:89:77, which indicated her age and health.

The girl was not an affliction, but had a life form growing within her.

The girl was pregnant and alone.

Wemimo's grip on her arrowhead relaxed.

She placed a foot upon the sands, letting her weight crunch on a soft stick, not too quietly to be heard and not too noisy to startle her.

The girl shoved her hand in the flames and pulled out a torch, taking all the fire from the mountain of sticks, leaving embers at her wake.

She threw her cloak over the beacon, ready to sprint off, when her fiery eyes fell upon Wemimo.

They watched each other for a moment, when the girl spoke first.

"You are a deliverer." The girl stated.

Wemimo nodded, "You must be a sister of light." She asked.

"Yes, I am." The girl answered.

Wemimo felt giddy on her feet. She had never met a sister of light before.

There was only one place a sister of light could be found, the volcanic regions.

Sfordsfield Gothic was a long distance from the volcanic regions.

"Are you here to deliver holy fire?" Wemimo asked in puzzlement.

The girl settled back down on her knees, rubbing her belly and returning the flames to the embers.

"No, our forte..." the girl paused in guilty reflection, glancing at the beacon. "Honestly, I must protect my child." The girl stretched her palms towards Wemimo. "My name is Kieran. I have been waiting for you."