“So how are you feeling today?” Vikalos asked from behind the desk. “Better? Worse?”
Arkay shrugged, not completely sure himself. “I… don’t know.”
“Is that a negative “don’t know” or a positive one?”
“A negative. I kinda feel like something bad is about to happen.”
Vikalos tilted his head to one side, scanning the tiny former death god. “Do you wish to talk about it?”
“I don’t know… It’s just…” Arkay sighed to himself. “Disaster kinda follows me around. Like, I’m to blame for it all. Was definitely kinda true, considering I am here on my own now.”
“Disasters happen no matter what. It is how we deal with them that improves or worsens a situation.”
“And the last disasters I was in, I handled them really badly. But that doesn’t compare to this annoying ominous feeling in my mind right now!” Vikalos’s statement had made Arkay weirdly angry. “The fear and terror just don’t ever stop, there’s always a new catastrophe waiting in the shadows!”
Vikalos remained silent, giving Arkay a moment to cool down a bit.
“There is another catastrophe soon, isn’t there?” Arkay eventually asked. “There is something coming. I know it, I feel it. I just don’t know what it is!”
The elder Decay Lord leaned forward, lowering his voice. “You are right, there is something coming. We just cannot identify what it is. This whole sector is on high alert. And because you are an empath, you are picking up on everyone’s uncertainty.”
Arkay paused for a moment. “I am an empath? But I don’t have any telepathic abilities at all!”
“There is a difference between empathic and telepathic abilities. You cannot read minds, but you can sense people’s emotions, even if you cannot otherwise see, hear or smell them. Unfortunately, we underestimated your empathic levels, and thus feelings are leaking through. We will have to briefly up some medication of yours to better counteract your empathic prowess.
“But…” Arkay stuttered, not certain what he wanted to say. “Wait… IS there something bad coming?”
Vikalos nodded gently. “Not bad, just unusual. This sector is travelling through a Life-Goddess-dense area. And, well, you know how they can be.”
Arkay took a deep breath, then sighed. “I would have much preferred Voidborns. Or anything really, aside from Life Goddesses. Is there, like a plan or something?”
“We are keeping quiet, low levels of transmissions and lighting, and all potentially threatening implements hidden away. Once we leave this area, things will be back to normal.”
“Oh…” Arkay fell silent again. “So… there isn’t really… any danger?”
“There is always some form of danger, but the Lords up top are keeping things calm and on the low down for now. Should only take about 170-200 hours, then things will return to their normal schedules. And you Decaylings will be allowed more freedom. As it stands, it is better for everyone to within their own inner sectors, in case something does happen.”
“And… what if…”
Vikalos grunted. “If you start saying what if to everything, then you lose yourself in a circling drain of illogical anger and confusion. For now, it is better to just go with the flow.”
“Yeah, but what if…”
Vikalos removed something from a drawer underneath his desk, then got up and kneeled down next to Arkay, so they could see each other face to face. “This is an emergency plan. There is normally one in every little apartment, so you may have misplaced yours. Have a read of this and you will be fine. Worst case scenario, you stay in your room until any problems have gone away.”
“That seems… woefully optimistic…” Arkay muttered as he flicked through the pages. “I will give this a nice, long read though. Calms me down a bit, I guess…”
Vikalos patted Arkay gently on the shoulder, then stood up once more. “You have arranged dates to see the social nurse, yes?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. They will help you out, if you have any other problems.”
“Thank you.”
“No worries. Keep safe, little one.”