Austin stood in shock at the doorway, the object in his hands clattering to the floor. Dominic, surprised by his grandnephew's swift return—Austin always took his time—realized he’d overheard their conversation.
"Uncle Dom, I'm... the mother?" Austin's voice was strained, his acceptance of the news clearly difficult. He'd always suspected his involvement, but hearing it confirmed was a profound shock. Even the word "mother" felt alien.
Dominic coughed. "Not you, but the thing inside you."
This explanation only deepened Austin's bewilderment. "Inside me...?" He looked down at himself, then quickly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his thin frame. His usually defined muscles were gone.
Dominic saw his grandnephew's actions and sighed. "You won't see it. Cover yourself up!"
"So there's something inside me? But you said you eliminated the toxin! How...?" The revelation was devastating. He'd believed he'd recovered, that Dominic had countered the "virus." Yet, he'd sickened his granduncle and the servants, and his recovery was clearly incomplete.
Only God knows what's still hiding inside me, he thought. I could infect others at any time. I'm a ticking time bomb, endangering everyone, and I have no idea when it will strike. A wave of nausea washed over him. He covered his mouth and fled to the bathroom.
Alexander and Dominic exchanged helpless glances as Austin’s retching echoed from within. Dominic hadn't wanted to burden his grandnephew with this news, fearing the stress. Ignorance, he'd thought, would be easier. But Austin's eavesdropping had changed everything.
"Then... is there a solution?" Alexander asked solemnly.
Despite the unsettling situation, Alexander, a man of experience, knew panic was unproductive. It's happened; let's find a solution.
Dominic remained silent, sighing deeply. Alexander wondered if the older man was at a loss or simply exhausted.
After a moment, Alexander continued, "I remember reading about venomous symbiotes in novels—people creating them, ways to remove them. But I thought those originated in West Virho. Could they be created elsewhere?"