The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 143: Nadai Infestation

Calista's eyes filled with concern and she covered his eyes, hugging him close to try and comfort him.

"His fingernails were discolored and his teeth were falling out." He continued shakily, fingers trembling as he clung to her cloak. "I wonder if just drowning causes you to become like that..."

Tentatively stepping out from under the safety of her arm, Yoon walked over to where Yona was standing.

Calista kept a close eye on them both, fingering her knives, wary that something was going to jump out at them at any moment.

Her brother had the same idea.

"The people living here are really strange." Hak noted lowly, fingers tightening around his glaive.

Even though someone was dead, no one batted an eye. None of them seemed surprised at all.

Is it possible that the case here is worse than Awa's?

A terrified scream shattered the uneasy calm and immediately, Kija raced towards the source of the sound.

"What's wrong?!" He shouted, trying to help the man who had collapsed in the middle of the riverwalk.

"STOP!!! DON'T COME HERE!!!!!"

Kija frantically tried to calm him down but it didn't do any good. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect and he grew more and more frenzied as their group clustered around him.

Calista drew him back, shaking her head at the earnest white dragon who was trying to help while Hak took care of the others. He couldn't do anything.

This man was too far gone.

Hak crouched down, studying the distressed man closely. "Stop scaring them, White Snake."

"It's my fault?!" He shrieked.

"DON'T COME HERE!!!!!" The man screamed, distraught, scratching his face until he drew blood.

Calista forced herself not to recoil, taking three deep breaths at the sight of him inflicting pain on himself. Her hands went to her neck and gingerly, she traced over the marks left behind from her own scratches.

"It's not your fault, Kija." Yoon told him, clutching onto his medical bag. "This person isn't sane."

It didn't take him long to reach that conclusion after her. And as much as he wanted to help, he didn't know what to do. They had no knowledge of what this drug was or hand any concrete explanation as to what it did to a person. There was a good chance he could end up hurting the man even more if he tried.

Yoon's blue eyes were stressed and he looked away to stop himself from rushing over to that person's side.

To not be able to help him, he hated this feeling more than anything else in the world.

Calista caught him as he tunneled into her, reading his mind clearly from the worry and helplessness etched on his features.

Hushing him gently, she patted his head as his body racked with choked sobs.

"You're kind, Yoon." She reminded him softly, knowing that he was beating himself up internally for not being able to help Jae-ha and now this man in front of them. "We'll find a way to do something about this."

Calista knew the effects of drugs, visually, and the aftermath thanks to that firsthand experience Jae-ha had provided them, but this was different than what had happened to him. Hallucinations were also a part of the side effects but it seemed like this man had been taking the drug for far longer than Jae-ha did.