Etherium Sickness

Sven clutched his head and doubled over. Every time he blinked, the world seemed to swim before him. His movements felt sluggish, as though each limb were encased in freezing, clinging mud, slowly creeping towards his torso. From somewhere around Sven - or was it inside his head? - a hundred different voices spoke over one another, each one beginning where the last ended, round and round and round. It was unbearable.

Etherium is a material exported from the Deep to the surface world. In its refined form, it can be used to boost a magic user's abilities temporarily, but has many negative side effects. In many surface cities, it is an illegal material that is circulated via black markets and smugglers.

History

Etherium sickness was discovered soon after the methods for refining the raw material became widespread. Researchers had discovered that the crystals gave off a strong magical aura, and after much testing of its properties, one adventurous scholar took the pursuit of knowledge perhaps too far and ate a sliver of etherium. This scholar discovered that their magical abilities became much stronger, albeit temporarily, and word spread like wildfire across the world about this new miracle crystal.

Etherium made its way into competitive spellcasting circles, where several unfortunate magic users soon discovered that consuming too much or too often only led to dire consequences. Reports began to surface of magic users turning up in hospitals and medical bays complaining of voices in their heads, feeling cold regardless of outside temperatures, and nausea. The only thing that these patients had in common was having consumed etherium on a regular basis, and dots were quickly connected.

Symptoms

The most well-known physical symptoms of etherium sickness are numbness, cold, and nausea, while its mental effects include hearing whispers in one's head or a feeling of unwarranted dread.

As the etherium works its way through one's body, it temporarily increases one's magical output. To the best of researchers' understanding, this is because it allows easier access to one's magical reserves, which, while indeed strengthening one's current output, only leaves one more drained in the end. Simply put, it is as though one is using all of today's energy as well as the energy for the next several days, but all in the same moment. This seems to be what causes the physical symptoms of etherium sickness.

What is perplexing, however, is that the symptoms of etherium sickness are completely different from the symptoms of magic exhaustion. Magic exhaustion is marked by a need to refuel one's body with food and drink, and can also cause drowsiness and loss of consciousness. Etherium sickness, on the other hand, presents as a creeping feeling of cold and numbness beginning at the extremities and slowly creeping towards one's heart and head. If this numbness reaches vital organs, it is possible to die from organ failure as a result. Researchers believe that etherium actually breaks down upon entering the body, creating a neurotoxin with a delayed response that only activates once it is no longer boosting one's magic.

The more mysterious symptoms of etherium are its effects on one's state of mind. There are commonly reports of those suffering from etherium sickness hearing whispers or voices inside their heads. Commonly, there are multiple voices at once, seemingly speaking over one another in unintelligible languages. Rarely is the patient is able to identify and understand singular voices, but in these cases the subjects of the conversation range from the totally absurd to whispers of one's great power and strength to encouraging the patient to cause harm to themselves or those around them. Fortunately, such occurrences are rare and those suffering from this sickness do not pose a great risk to themselves or others.

Some sufferers also complain that they feel a sense of creeping dread, despite being in perfectly safe or familiar settings. One patient described it as feeling as though the world were about to end but they were the only one aware and yet could do nothing to stop an unknown horror. Another simply reported that it was as though their worst nightmare was lurking under the bed, waiting for the right moment to strike. It is unclear why this is a symptom of etherium sickness but does hold water in the neurotoxin theory, where some components do make their way to the brain and wreak havoc there.

The symptoms of etherium sickness are not permanent and eventually fade, although this may take days or weeks depending on how much etherium a patient has consumed.

Treatment

There is no known cure for etherium sickness, and the common course of action is to simply allow it to pass through the body and eventually fade on its own. Patients that are sent to hospitals or medical bays due to etherium sickness are usually those who find the symptoms too severe or difficult to bear, as possession of etherium can be a fined offense in many countries. Those who end up in medical facilities, however, are not reported to law enforcement.

The best way to treat etherium sickness is to deal with its symptoms. The feeling of numbness can be eased by placing warming pads around a patient's limbs, or by administering medicines which increase blood flow in the body. Some countries have also developed a topical salve which can help the patient's skin feel warmer. Nausea can be reduced via conventional treatment and rarely becomes a problem. The most dangerous threat to a patient's physical well-being is the amount of etherium present in one's body and whether it will spread to one's organs. In the case of numbness in the organs, the patient can be stimulated via mechanical or magical methods until the effects pass. This has been demonstrated to save lives in the case of severe etherium sickness.

The mental effects are impossible to alleviate with the current state of medicine on Galactus. It can only be dealt with by placing the patient in a safe and comforting environment and providing enrichment in an attempt to distract one from the whispers in one's head.