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Chapter 40: Legend of the Twined Snake: Part 1

An obscure man blending in with a crowd of on-lookers to Iris's Mist Authority clenched his jaw in frustration. A vein popped over his temples, and his eyes appeared erratic, but despite the agitation, the man's complexion was exceedingly pale.

Afterall, the man was rational enough to understand the difference between him and them.

Swallowing nervously, the man slinked back, intent to conceal his presence in the crowd.

He was a member of an organization thought to have been wiped out completely from Orario that had emerged after the Zeus and Hera Familia had been weakened.

It was called Evilus, a gathering of those that affiliated themselves as Evil Gods.

When the tight hold the Zeus and Hera Familias had over Orario weakened, Evilus used the opportunity to cause strife and chaos in the city. Their efforts however had been foiled by the Loki and Freya Familias before finally being eradicated by a former member of the Astraea Familia.

Only remnant like the man were left behind, but even they were now at a conundrum.

For all the death and all the destruction Evilus could cause, it all meant nothing with Caster's continued existence.

What was the point in death, if it could be reversed?

Desperate, the remaining members of Evilus had devised multiple ways to assassinate the doctor, but the group surrounding him was just too much.

Demi-Gods, their strength and capabilities were outside the world's common sense. There was no restriction on divinity and authority as there were on their divine parent.

It was almost unfair.

Having followed the expedition into the Dungeon headed by the Demi-Gods, Evilus's prerogative was to hope for an opening to kill Caster.

B-But damn it all.

They couldn't do anything but watch as Rider and Archer alone pushed past all the known floors and entered further down into the Dungeon's depths.

How could Caster be killed when surrounded by his fellow Demi-Gods? It was practically impossible.

Of course, the sudden opportunity to separate Caster from the other Demi-Gods did present itself, but there was no preparation to bypass the Apollo Familia. Worse, Iris's intervention to show a screening of what Caster was facing in the seventh deepest floor eliminated all anonymity.

There would have to be another way.

Or barring that, divine intervention.

The members of Evilus watching Caster's progress through Iris's mist authority prayed to their gods that Caster would simply die in the Dungeon's depths.

In the land of Greece where the scent of the ocean air drifting from the southern Mediterranean wafted up over the coast and into the country; a salty sea breeze drifted up the mountains of a place known as Epidaurus: a holy land for the sick and poor who had run out of all other means.

They say a God of Medicine exists within an obscure temple situated in a sanctuary site. A doctor that never turned away a patient and had even embarked on a voyage with Lord Jason in pursuit of the Golden Fleece.

Caster felt the wind blow over him, his hair lifting up in the breeze.

The sound of Clio and the others from the Apollo Familia were largely filtered out to Caster as he focused on the sight of the temple high in the mountaintops.

How long had it been since he'd laid eyes on his own temple? The marble pillars were not the ruined stones in his final memories, but a towering monument of his accomplishments and fame.

None of it was built on his initiative, but those of others while he continued his research.

Each new patient had been a foray into the unknown, each new treatment a glimpse into the heart of medicine, and yet,

-What had been the reason for his pursuit of medical knowledge?

At some point, the initial purpose had grown blurred.

Advancement for the sake of advancement was not what Caster had initially desired.

No, it was never about that.

Then what was it?

Caster's expression was mired with hints of melancholy and self-reflection upon finding himself back in this place.

Saber had said that the Grail within the Dungeon was uncorrupted, but was in the hands of the Dungeon where it was being influenced. However, the core of the matter still stood: the concept of a Grail that grants wishes.

Caster was no barbarian, rather his ability to discern and accept rational thought was higher than that of others.

What was his wish?

What had Caster subconsciously yearned for so much that brought him back her?

In any case, Caster turned his attention back to those who trod alongside him. Alfia stood at his side while the Apollo Familia members formed a tight circle around him.

Clio was flanked by Apollo Familia executives, Daphne Lauros and the elf Lissos while Apollo himself sat on top of Caster's head.

"This isn't like anything the Dungeon has ever created," Clio said while cautiously surveying the surroundings. "It's like we're no longer underground."

"Where do you think that those people are trying to reach?" Daphne asked.

Daphne was a bob-haired woman with a cool and collected personality reminiscent of a tomboy. She was presently pointing to the massive crowds of people following an unknown stone path up the mountain of Epidaurus.

"Give me a moment, and I can make my way over to gleam some information," Lissos said.

Lissos was a blond-haired elf wearing a half-mask over his face that covered everything below his mouth. Like Daphne, he was also an executive of the Apollo Familia whose capabilities could be trusted.

"What do you think, Lord Apollo?" Lissos looked to the sheep above Caster's head for direction.

However, Apollo did not respond. There was this vacancy in his gaze as if the entire setting was unnerving him more than the sheep would let on.

Left without an answer, Lissos stood awkwardly before the indecision was broken by Caster.

Caster was never one to care if he bothered others in pursuit of his interests, and it was the same in this case.

Lost in thought, Caster let his body guide him down the familiar path ingrained in his body. This had been his home. A place where he'd spent countless hours researching and striving towards completion.

Where he walked was not the path of the group of pilgrims making their way up Epidaurus, but a path that Caster had walked in life time and time again.

Clio, Lissos, and Daphne could only follow after Caster despite not explaining a single thing to them.

Alfia didn't care, intent to shadow Caster.

Right now, they were clueless about how to even pass through this Dungeon's floor and to them, Caster's guess was as good as any.

And yet, perhaps it would be an action the Apollo Familia would later come to heavily regret.

It didn't take long due to the group's overall fitness and Caster's guidance, but they were quickly outpacing the pilgrims walking up the mountain on the stone path.

In following the footsteps of the past, certain encounters and actions were inevitable.

Clio, Daphne, and Lissos had no choice but to stop when Caster dug his heels into the ground and stared out into a clearing in the forest surrounding the base of the mountain.

Following Caster's line of sight, what appeared in everyone's view was the tragic sight of a woman dragging herself forward on the ground with her forearms. Blood and bruises had formed on her elbows, but the woman persisted.

Why didn't she walk?

Well, one only needed to look at the state of her left leg to understand.

She'd broken a bone on her left shin, fragments peeking out from beneath the skin that was turning blue and black. The likely cause was a fall.

Many outcroppings and rock plateaus led to nasty falls, and the hefty gunny sack strapped to the woman's back would not have helped in a fall if she didn't land on it.

The leg had been broken for so long that the punctured skin was revealing signs of festering.

Light glinted over Caster's eyes upon staring at the woman, but no one else seemed to notice.

Not even Apollo who sat atop Caster's head.

"Hey, are you alright?" Daphne called out to the woman when it became clear that Caster was lost in thought.

The woman perked up at the sound of Daphne's voice, but instead of showing relief, there was only panic.

Frowning, Daphne approached the woman who huddled close to herself and raised her guard. However, the woman could only roll due to the gunny sack on her back.

Given her current state, it appeared far too heavy for the woman to carry.

"It's alright," Daphne said. "We're not here to hurt you. Here, let me help."

Daphne reached out to the woman's gunny sack as an act of goodwill, but the response was anything but tame.

"DON'T TOUCH IT!" The woman shouted hysterically, slapping Daphne's hand away.

"Tch," Daphne clicked her tongue and retreated while frowning. "I was just trying to help."

"…" The woman eyed everyone warily regardless of what Daphne said.

From the expression she was making, it was like she was staring at them like they were competition to reach the top of the mountain and the divine altar.

While Daphne was perturbed at the woman's actions, Caster had finally begun to move.

Approaching the woman, Caster was unphased at the woman's silent glare and crouched down to assess her.

Rather than reach for the gunny sack on the woman's back, he reached out to her broken leg.

"Keep still," Caster said flatly when the woman opened her mouth. "Lest you never make it up this mountain."

Before the woman could utter another response, Caster acted.

Caster treated the festering leg wound before wrapping it in a bandage, and using pieces of wood, he formed a splint over her shin. Secured by twine that the woman already had on hand, Caster would advise against putting more pressure on the leg, but he could see the stubborn fire in the woman's eyes.

"…Thank you." The woman eventually said before struggling to sit herself upright.

The woman was exhausted and dehydrated.

Assessing the woman's condition for himself, Caster made a decision on his own without consulting any of his current companions.

"Let's break for camp here," he said.

To say that it wasn't awkward to suddenly make camp with a person you just met would be a lie.

Clio was frowning with his arms crossed, while Lissos kept a hand constantly on his weapon.

Caster was anti-social and Alfia was just as bad. They sat on the side as the afternoon gave way into the evening.

The woman wasn't going anywhere even if she was treated. It would take time to be able to use her leg even if she hobbled with the make-shift splint.

"What's your name?" Daphne asked the woman.

Daphne was the one to actively break the silence, which was odd since it was usually Lord Apollo who spoke up in such situations.

"…Agnes." The woman said, introducing herself.

If she cared about the gold sheep sitting on Caster's head, she didn't show it.

Rather, the inkling of gratitude Agnes had for Caster's treatment at least let her lower her guard enough to talk.

"Why are so many people interested in climbing this mountain?" Alfia asked, trying to search for information pertaining to clearing this Dungeon's floor.

She blinked at Alfia, unsure if she was being serious, but the curious expressions of the others spoke louder than any words of verification.

Agnes huddled close to the make-shift flame Clio had made, trying to keep herself warm.

"They say a God of Medicine lives atop this mountain, shrouded in divine secrets." Agnes said as the light of the fire danced across her dirtied features. If properly cleaned up, she would have been gorgeous, and yet, her feet were calloused and blistered, and bits of soil clung under her nails. "Many people far and wide make a pilgrimage to acquire his counsel."

Alfia, Clio, and the others lacked a substantial response. In fact, it wasn't their fault when they considered Caster's skills beside them.

No other doctor's reputation would ever be able to outshine Caster's in their eyes.

Noting their dull reaction and the subtle way Clio and the others from the Apollo Familia glanced at Caster, Agnes pursed her lips in realization.

Honestly, it should have clicked in her mind sooner when Caster had bandaged her wounded leg and put a splint around her shin.

"You were a doctor?" Agnes muttered, hands balling into fists.

This wasn't the first doctor Agnes had encountered, and her prior experiences were less than pleasant.

The God of Medicine in Epidaurus was her last hope before despair. Still, the good doctor had done her a favour.

Agnes's expression grew cautious before she spoke to Caster in warning.

"Come to learn then, have you? Many physicians come seeking enlightenment. You aren't the first and will likely be turned away if you get caught by the crowd of pilgrims if nothing else. No, they'd lynch you. You should leave while you still have a chance."

Agnes's words did not sit well with Apollo who'd been brooding in silence ever since he'd arrived in this place. Something about this place and melancholic air around Caster was causing his intuition to go haywire.

"That's the last thing they'd try." Clio said venomously.

As Captain of the Apollo Familia, Clio dedicated everything to his God, and Caster was his God's son. There was nothing to be jealous of, rather it was Caster's merit that Apollo could remain in the lower world even as a gold sheep.

Threats to Caster's harm were never taken lightly.

The glare in Lissos's eyes conveyed that he agreed with his captain.

"They're spooked." Agnes went on to explain in the tense atmosphere. "There's word that the Gods fear the spread of the Divine Doctor's medical skill, and any notion of spreading his teachings could endanger the holy sanctuary of Epidaurus."

Caster opened then closed his mouth, memories jarring together in his mind as he listened quietly.

Yes, that had been it.

From the very beginning…

What he had given up his life for that not even the ire of the Gods could cow him into retreating.

"They can't risk that, not their sick and poor." Agnes continued before growing silent.

Listening intently, Alfia began to fall into contemplation. Her strength was not where it used to be, but her mind was still as active as it had been in her glory days.

There was something here, something Agnes wasn't saying but something Alfia knew all too well given her prior condition and that of her sister's.

Agnes herself was one of the people who couldn't risk harm befalling the Divine Doctor of Epidaurus.

An untreatable sickness?

It wasn't until Alfia had encountered the impossible in the hands of a certain doctor that Alfia's pessimism of the world began to abate.

Alfia eyes shifted to Caster, her heart doing funny things before she scoffed and refocused on the conversation.

"Sounds like paranoia to me," Daphne snorted, her arms crossing. "No one should get to decide what medicine can or can't be learned. Not even the Gods, and if a God is petty enough to pursue such a matter, then maybe they're not a God to be believed in."

The skies above rumbled ominously, a fleeting feeling of death creeping through from the earth.

Caster's expression tightened. He out of everyone else knew best of where he and the others were right now.

The earth was Hades's domain in Greece mythology, the sky to Zeus, and the seas to Poseidon.

The tendrils of lightning forming up in the clouds and the darkness seeping into the forest were ill omens.

"That's enough discussion." Caster directly intervened, cutting Daphne off before she could say anymore.

The Gods Caster knew were not the same as they were in Orario. It was best to watch one's words.

As for Agnes, Caster narrowed his eyes.

"Rest now, and continue onward tomorrow…or were you planning to keep going even through the night?" He said, catching Agnes off guard as Caster saw right through her.

Agnes flinched, her hands holding tightly to the ropes of the gunny sack strapped over her back.

"There's no time for long rest," Agnes said, shadows cast over her face. "I must make haste before the others arrive. Too many covet the Divine Doctor's capabilities- those who are richer, and more deserving than I."

Caster sneered.

"Whether they get there first or not, there's no guarantee of meeting this God of Medicine, is there?" Caster said off-handedly. "To begin with, it was not about treating those who arrive first…it never was."

"-And what makes you so sure?" Agnes said sharply, desperation and frustration bleeding into her tone.

"Whether you trust me or not, is up to you, but consider this," Caster narrowed his eyes on Agnes, the woman sinking her head into her shoulders from the pressure. "To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise you will not be able to keep your mind strong and clear. If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes out short in the end."

"It's not about-!"

"If stubbornness was the remedy to fatigue, then you would already be at the top of the mountain. Wandering in the dark with an injured leg and a burden on your back would sooner see you hunted by animals than reach your destination."

"…"

"Rest. You will make it to the sanctuary of Epidaurus."

Agnes glared at Caster, glancing at Clio and the others and wondering if they'd try to stop her too.

"You should trust him," Lissos said with his arms crossed. "You wouldn't have had any hope of reaching the summit if we didn't encounter you."

Agnes couldn't argue. It was true, but there was something more than just her life on the line.

"You need something from this God of Medicine, don't you?" Alfia spoke up. "Treatment that other doctors have said is impossible?"

Agnes froze, Alfia's words cutting into her like the sharpest knife.

"In that case, you should ask the doctor here," Clio puffed his chest with a swell of pride. "If he diagnosis that it's impossible, then there's no need for you to climb any farther. It's impossible."

Agnes's complexion whitened until anger bled into her eyes.

"No, no. The doctor of Epidaurus is greater in medicinal knowledge than even the Gods! I no longer trust the words of quacks and con-artists!"

Clio's expression twisted in anger at Agnes's words.

A slight on the Son of Apollo was a personal slight on him.

Just as Clio was about to raise his bow slung over his shoulder, Lissos nudged him with an elbow when Daphne glared at them to show some restraint.

"And you think such a man would grant your request so lightly?" Daphne asked, using a voice of reason.

Agnes could not answer. She just sat there and cried, unable to decide whether to take Caster's advice to stay and rest, or trudge on her pilgrimage through the night.

Caster closed his eyes and stopped speaking.

Idly, he stared up at the writhing lightning above while letting his mind drift to the rumble of distant thunder.

Yes, if it was at this time and place, this was an event in Caster's life moments before he'd stepped over the line.

The question now was why?

What had spurred him to face the might of the heavens?

The sound of Agnes resigning herself to rest let Caster reminisce all the more.

Caster stared at the large gunny sack strapped to Agnes's back.

-Just like then, it was the same now.

The only difference…

"Father," Caster called aloud in a soft voice tinged with uncertainty and doubt.

"Yes, son?"

"…Never mind."

Caster let out a long breath, a silver snake curling up and around him until its head sat on his palm.

There was nothing to avoid.

Above Caster's head, Apollo shivered, his brooding eyes growing with increasing clarity as he struggled to fit all the pieces together with fragments of a vision that ended in bolts of lightning.

What would come, would come.