The walk to the medical office was one both halves were familiar with, considering all the visits to figure out the cause of Ishmael’s drowsiness. They still took it slow, however. Figuring out how to move while split in two was hard, not to mention the difficulty of walking around in ill-fitting clothes. Ishmael wasn’t the largest man, but if the way they were swimming in their clothes was any indication, they were clearly even smaller than that. At least Mellick was remarkably supportive the whole way through, giving them the space they needed to work things out.
He even took them on a detour to the bathroom, giving them a chance to see how they had changed. The boy was surprised by his youthful appearance, more akin to Ishmael’s younger brother than Ishmael himself, and by the fact that his irises had changed from brown to gold. The girl was surprised by her apparent femininity, and how her hair had darkened from deep brown to pitch black.
For many parts, however, they retained the same traits as always. Ochre skin, slim limbs, the same small nose their mother loved to dote on…They were not so different. Close enough to be siblings for certain, of both Ishmael and each other..
Eventually they reached the medical ward, which was just in the process of moving from the night shift into proper opening time. The lady at the desk, an older woman they recognized by face but not name, gave them a look that turned into an arched eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”
“Well, it’s a bit complicated,” Mellick said, gesturing to the two beside him. “To put it simply: These two are, maybe were, Ishmael Rabin.”
“Ishmael…?” The woman’s eyes widened. “This isn’t a prank, right?”
“I don’t think so. If it is, they’ve put a lot of effort into it,” Mellick replied. “I think it might be...”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” the receptionist snapped. “You’ll jinx us all. I’ll get the specialist on the line.” She cast a suspicious glance at the pair. “You’re free to wait while we call her in.”
They nodded, moving to take their seat by the door. Mellick followed suit, prompting them to give him a look.
“You don’t have to stay.”
“You don’t have to stay.”
“Oh, but I want to,” Mellick said, with a grin that might look strained to the outside observer. “I want to know what’s going on now. Consider it my reward for escorting you, all right?”
The pair thought about it for a second, then nodded. Mellick smiled in return before leaning back as best he could in the stiff wooden chair.
After a tense half-hour, a woman strode through the door. Dressed head-to-toe in black, with briefcase in hand and facial features sharp enough to cut somebody, the pair found themselves instinctively shrinking from her. She cast a tense gaze across the ward before settling on the receptionist, causing even the older woman to flinch. “I’ve arrived,” she declared. “Where are the afflicted?”
“R-right next to you, Doctor,” the receptionist explained. “The pair.”
She cast her gaze upon the pair and Mellick, eyes narrowed. “Ah. That would make sense. Come, you two.” She gestured curtly for the two to rise before striding into one of the check-up rooms, never looking back to see if they were actually following. The two of them shared a glance before stepping up and following. Mellick looked as though he was considering following, but thought better of it, leaning back into his chair once more.
The pair stepped into the examination room, the woman closing the door behind them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said in a tone that definitely did not make it feel like a pleasure. “I am Dr. Vellicent, a specialist in the Accursed.”
“The Accursed? Are we…?”
“The Accursed? Are we…?”
“I don’t know what else would cause somebody to split in two,” Dr. Vellicent replied matter-of-factly. “Sit. I’m going to ask you a few questions, and then we’ll perform an examination.”
The pair exchanged a look before taking a seat on the examination table. Dr. Vellicent wasted no time pulling out a tome and a pencil, clearing her throat. “Let’s begin. What is your name?”
“Ishmael Rabin.”
“Ishmael Rabin.”
“Both of you?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Dr. Vellicent paused. “Is it possible for you to speak one at a time?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t know.”
“Try, then.”
There was a moment of silence as the pair tried to conceptualize what they were supposed to be doing. After a moment, just the boy opened his mouth. “Does…this…work?”
“A little slow, but adequate. You can practice that as we talk. Question for both of you, but one at a time. Boy first. Do you have Ishmael Rabin’s memories?”
“Yes…”
“And the girl?”
“...Yes.”
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“Fascinating.” Vellicent scribbled something in her tome. “Next question. You two are clearly linked, if the synchronized voice is any indication. What other sensations do you share?”
“I…felt…her…hair,” the boy responded. The girl nodded in agreement.
“So touch, then. Sight? Hearing?”
“No.”
“No.”
“Smell? Taste?”
“...I…don’t…know,” the girl said.
“You haven’t had breakfast yet, I gather. I’ll table the question of linked sustenance. Next question. Do you see each other as individuals?”
The pair looked at each other, staring deep into each other’s eyes. Their brows furrowed.
“...Maybe?”
“...Maybe?”
“...” Vellicent looked back and forth between the two silently. “That’s noncommittal. I’ll ask again later. Next question, for just the girl. Is it strange being in such a different body?”
“Yes…” came the reply. “Absolutely.”
“So the effects don’t have any self-contained adjustments…” Vellicent scribbled more into her tome. “Most likely a curse, then. New question. What happened last night? Anything that would have resulted in you being cursed?”
“...No,” the boy answered. “But…I had…a nightmare…”
“Do you remember the contents of said nightmare?”
“No.”
“Do you, girl?”
“I don’t…remember…a nightmare…”
“Hm.” Vellicent paused. “Let’s perform a small experiment. Girl, close your eyes.”
It took a moment, but the girl managed to close her eyes without affecting the boy. Vellicent held up her hands, performing a strange motion with them as though she was hefting something over her shoulder before counting out ten on her fingers. “Girl, open your eyes. What did I do first?”
The girl opened her eyes as ordered. “I…don’t know.”
“Boy?”
“You…pretended…you were carrying something.”
“Indeed.” Vellicent lowered her book. “Listen well. This is important. Do you know what we just confirmed?”
“...No.”
“No…”
“We confirmed that you two don’t share new memories.”
“...Meaning?” the girl asked.
“It’s simple, but important. You two were created with the same memory set, but don’t form the same new memories. You will not be able to share your experiences with each other.” She looked between the pair. “Understand? Even though you’re similar now, there will be no choice but for you two to diverge.”
The two exchanged a glance as Vellicent continued. “If this is the case, it is likely best to think of you two as brand new individuals. Even if Ishmael returns, somehow, the chances of retaining his memories are slim. As such, you should begin by acquiring new names.”
The boy pursed his lips. “But…”
“No buts. You have until the end of this examination to think of new names for yourselves, or I’m picking for you. Understood?”
“...Yes.”
“Good, good. Now, since you’re already getting the hang of speaking individually, we’re going to perform some physical tests. Would you please stand up?”
--
A couple of hours later, Dr. Vellicent strode out of the exam room, the pair stumbling behind her. The two were obviously exhausted, but the doctor wasted no time in engaging the receptionist. “I’ve completed the examination,” she declared.
The receptionist gave the doctor a sour look. “And?”
“They are physically perfectly healthy, but most definitely Accursed.”
At the mention of the Accursed, the receptionist hissed. “Don’t call them that! You’ll hex this entire building!”
“Don’t tell me you still subscribe to that old superstition. Curses aren’t contagious. At least, not in that sense. Regardless, my conclusion is that they’re harmless. Thus far, the curse has done naught but split them in half. My official recommendation is re-enrolling them as two separate new students. Can I rely on you for that?”
“...Fine,” the receptionist muttered, avoiding Vellicent’s gaze. “What name should we use? They can’t both be Ishmael.”
“They could, in fact,” Vellicent said, eliciting an eye roll from the receptionist. “But it won’t be necessary. They’ve picked out new names. Haven’t you?”
The pair nodded, with the girl stepping forward first. “I…am Seda Rabin,” she declared.
The boy followed, rather more sullen than his twin. “Ikhan Rabin,” he mumbled.
“Excellent choices, if I do say so myself,” Vellicent said. “Please re-enroll them within St. Myriak’s, would you?”
“You think I can do that on my own?” The receptionist snapped. “I’ll pass it along, but the semester’s already well underway. I can’t guarantee anything.”
“The Medical Wing’s permission along with my recommendation will be enough,” Vellicent countered. “I require them for my research, after all.”
The receptionist grumbled something under her breath, but began scratching a note on the tome before her. In the meantime, Vellicent turned to Mellick, who was dozing away in his chair. “You. The one who found them.”
Mellick awoke with a start as she prodded him. “Wha-?” His groggy eyes landed on Dr. Vellicent, at which point he straightened up almost instantly. “Y-yes, ma’am?”
“What is your name? And how close were you to Ishmael Rabin?”
“...Mellick Pollense,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “I’m not that close, but I think I was the closest. Ishmael isn’t - wasn’t? - the type to have close friends.”
“I see. And ‘wasn’t’ is correct, if you were wondering.” She looked back at Seda and Ikhan. “Would you agree with his statement?”
“Yes,” Ikhan answered, a bit somberly. Clearly the comment about not having friends had bitten him.
“Good, good. I would like to impose on you then, Mellick Pollense. These two need new clothing and other necessities for their new existence. Would you be kind enough to chaperone them? I shall fund the expedition, if that is a worry.”
Mellick was silent for a moment. “So Ishmael’s gone, then?”
“Mostly,” Vellicent replied. “The curse has carved him in two, soul and all. These two have his memories, but they will diverge in time.”
“I see.” He sighed. “That’s that, I guess. I’ll do what I can, but I’ve got no experience picking out clothes for other people. Especially not for women.”
“If that’s your only worry, then have no fear. I’d like you to go with another. Do you know a Miss Amelie Fontaine?”
“Can’t say it rings a bell.”
“She should live in the South Tower, if it helps. If you go to her and tell her I sent you, she will assist. I believe she should be able to cover your bases.”
“Amelie Fontaine, huh?” Mellick took a deep breath, then hauled himself out of his seat. “Sounds fair enough. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you. It’s good to know these two have someone to rely on.” Dr. Vellicent stepped to the side, gesturing for Seda and Ikhan to pass. “Go on, you two. I need to compile the notes. I’ll see you again in a couple of days, most likely.”
The pair shuffled past Vellicent, clearly exhausted. Mellick looked them up and down, gaze softening. “You two look exhausted,” he said with a smile. “How about I take you back to your room to rest while I meet this Amelie?”
“That sounds…nice,” Seda mumbled. Ikhan nodded, muttering the same thing under his breath.
“Then off we go!”
The trio left the office, leaving just Dr. Vellicent and the receptionist. For her part, Vellicent allowed herself a rare smile. A new Accursed within research distance…and a rather unique one, at that. She had plenty of new data to uncover, not just of them, but of their interactions with others. Their meeting with Amelie should help to explain much, and reveal more.
Though there was still one thing bothering her.
She flipped through her book to a middle page, a list. ‘Relic’, ‘emotion’, ‘magical attack’, and ‘spirit’, all staring straight back at her. None of the options had been crossed off at this point, despite her best efforts during the exam. It was difficult when the victims remembered so little.
It was the center of this little knot, she was sure. All Curses had to come from somewhere.
So what, then, had Ishmael Rabin done to earn being sundered so?