Trapped In Elysium: A Virtual Reality Nightmare-Chapter 37: Blood Transfer

A blood-curdling scream tore through the healer’s chamber as Liam’s body arched violently on the table. His veins bulged beneath his skin, pulsating with a sickly black hue. His fingers clawed at the air, his breathing ragged and strained as if something was tearing him apart from the inside. Sweat poured down his face, soaking his clothes as his body convulsed.

"Hold him down!" the healer shouted.

Jason and Eleanor lunged forward, gripping his arms, while Sophia pressed down on his legs. But even in his weakened state, Liam’s body jerked with unnatural strength, nearly throwing them off.

Sophia’s voice was thick with panic. "What’s happening to him? Why is he getting worse?"

The healer’s face was grim as she traced a glowing rune over Liam’s chest, her eyes narrowing. "The poison has spread deeper than I thought," she said, her tone urgent. "It’s reached his bloodstream completely—his body is trying to fight it, but it’s failing."

Sophia clenched her fists. "Then heal him already!"

The healer shot her a sharp look. "It’s not that simple! The poison is fused to his blood now. My magic can only suppress it temporarily. If we don’t remove it, he won’t last another hour."

Jason paled. "Then what do we do?"

The healer took a deep breath. "We need to purge his blood," she said firmly. "We have to replace the poisoned blood with clean blood from another."

The room fell silent.

Sophia’s heart pounded. "You mean...a blood transfer?"

The healer nodded. "Something like that. But it’s not a simple process. I will use magic to cleanse the poison while the fresh blood enters his body. However, this will not be easy for the donor. The pain will be excruciating."

Before anyone else could react, Sophia stepped forward. "I’ll do it."

The healer shook her head instantly. "No."

Sophia’s eyes flared with determination. "Why not? I’m willing—"

"You’re too weak," the healer cut her off. "Your body won’t endure it. You’d pass out before the process is even halfway done. And if that happens, Liam dies."

Sophia opened her mouth to argue, but deep down, she knew the healer was right. Her hands trembled at her sides as she looked at Liam’s pale face, his breathing barely audible. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"I’ll do it."

The words came from Marcus. He stepped forward without hesitation, rolling up his sleeve. His expression was serious, devoid of his usual cocky grin.

The healer studied him for a moment before giving a small nod. "Your body is strong enough to withstand the strain," she admitted. "But make no mistake—this will be agony."

Marcus smirked, though there was no humor in it. "Pain and I have history. Just do it."

The healer wasted no time. She retrieved two slender, needle-like instruments attached to thin, flexible tubes. One would drain the poisoned blood from Liam; the other would transfer fresh blood from Marcus.

"Lie down next to him," she ordered.

Marcus obeyed, settling onto the cot beside Liam. Sophia clenched her hands into fists, watching as the healer sterilized the needles and positioned them against their arms.

"This is going to hurt," she warned one last time.

Marcus gritted his teeth. "Just do it."

With precise movement, the healer inserted the first needle into Marcus’s arm. A second later, she plunged the other into Liam’s. The tubes filled with blood immediately—one drawing out the dark, tainted liquid, the other transferring Marcus’s fresh, untainted blood into Liam’s veins.

The moment the process began, Marcus’s body jerked violently.

A strangled gasp escaped his lips, his muscles locking up. Then—

A guttural scream tore from his throat.

Pain erupted in every nerve of his body. It was as if fire was pouring through his veins, burning him from the inside out. His chest heaved as he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. His body trembled, sweat beading on his forehead as he fought the instinct to rip the needle from his arm.

Jason took a step forward, but the healer snapped, "No one interferes! If we stop now, they’ll both die!"

Marcus let out another choked groan, his jaw clenched so tightly that veins bulged in his neck. His breathing turned ragged, his vision blurring from the pain. But he didn’t stop.

He wouldn’t stop.

Not when Liam’s life depended on it.

As the healer’s magic took hold, the process began in full. She explained the concept briefly to the group before beginning the ritual.

"We’ll need to wash Liam’s blood with another’s," the healer had said earlier. She didn’t expect them to fully understand the process, but the urgency was clear. The poison was too potent and needed a drastic solution. "The poison has already spread too deeply within him. We’ll have to exchange his blood with someone else’s. Then I’ll cleanse it using magic."

With the decision made, the healer moved quickly. She retrieved two small, needle-like pipes connected by flexible tubes. These tubes would allow blood to be transferred between Marcus and Liam. The healer’s hands moved quickly, her face serious. She cleaned both Marcus’s and Liam’s arms and inserted the pipes into the veins of both, one in Marcus’s arm and the other in Liam’s.

The procedure began.

At first, the blood drained slowly from Liam’s body. The dark, poisoned blood that had already spread throughout his system was now being sucked out through the tube into Marcus. As Marcus’s body absorbed the infected blood, his skin paled, and he visibly winced, the poison starting to take its toll. Marcus gritted his teeth, holding in a scream of pain as the venom worked its way through his veins.

His hands trembled, and his body shook under the strain. The poison that had once been in Liam now coursed through him, doing its damage. His breathing turned labored, shallow, as his body started to react to the toxic blood within him.

Liam, on the other hand, remained motionless for most of the process, as the blood from Marcus slowly made its way back into him. The healer’s magic and chants filled the air as she worked to purge the toxins from Marcus and return his blood to its rightful place.

Once the blood had fully exchanged, Liam’s veins were beginning to pulse again with the life-giving force of Marcus’s blood. The healer’s magic sealed the tubes, and the blood began to return to their rightful bodies. Marcus’s blood was now coursing through Liam’s body, while Liam’s cleaned, pure blood returned to Marcus.

As the blood flowed back into their bodies, the healer’s spell did its work—removing the poison from both of them. Marcus felt the blood returning to his body, but it wasn’t without consequence. His body grew weak under the weight of the poisoned blood, but as the magic went to work, the feeling began to ease. His skin lost the sickly pallor, and the shaking in his limbs began to subside.

The process was slow, agonizingly slow. Marcus’s body was filled with discomfort as the poison gradually left his bloodstream, but with each passing second, the process was improving.

The healer’s chanting was steady, and her glowing hands guided the process, ensuring that every drop of the corrupted blood was purified before returning to Marcus. It was a delicate operation—one wrong move, and the poison could return to Liam or cause permanent damage to Marcus. But the healer’s magic was steady, weaving the ancient spells to cleanse the blood.

As the last of the poisoned blood left Marcus’s body, the healer looked at the group, her eyes tired but resolute. "The worst is over."

Marcus collapsed back against the table, exhausted and feeling the toll of the process. But Liam, though still weak, had started to show signs of improvement. His breathing was steady, and color was returning to his face. The poison, though not completely gone from his system, was now manageable.

The healer took a step back, her eyes scanning both men, making sure the blood had been properly exchanged and purified. "The poison has been removed, but they’ll need rest to fully recover."

The healer, after confirming that the worst of the process was over, turned to her apprentice. She gave swift instructions, and the young man hurried off to gather herbs from the small garden outside. The healer, a seasoned professional, didn’t waste any time. She moved over to Marcus and Liam, both still lying weak and drained from the blood exchange.

"Marcus," she said gently, her voice calm but authoritative. "You’ll need to drink this herbal tea. It will help with the recovery, soothe your bodies, and ensure that the blood settles properly. It’s important that you both rest after such a traumatic process."

Her apprentice returned shortly, holding a steaming pot of tea. The healer took it from him, nodding her approval as she carefully poured the tea into two cups. She handed one to Marcus first, helping him sit up just slightly so he could drink. His hands trembled slightly, but the tea was a soothing balm to his aching body.

"Drink slowly," she instructed. "The herbs will help your body adjust and flush out any lingering toxins. It will help you regain your strength, though it might still take a few hours for the worst of the fatigue to pass."

Marcus, though weak, managed to drink down the tea, the warmth of it providing a comforting relief to his sore body. His eyelids fluttered slightly, a mix of exhaustion and gratitude showing on his face.