Of Two Worlds

CW: Allusions to depression and suicide


Of Two Worlds is a unique disease that seems to be concentrated on non-human beings living in densely populated urban jungles with prolonged exposure to humans. Symptoms include delirium, nausea, calmness and towards the end, a general apathy towards everything in the world. In some rare cases, patients may also fall into a dream-like state where they would be seen as living normally by others, but in truth they are caught in a dream that they cannot escape. Patients who survive this stage often describe the feeling of "being in my own body but not my own thoughts and actions." Some doctors and experts have called it the "pulling of the soul", in as much as patients acknowledge.
Unlike most other diseases affecting similar species, Of Two Worlds tends to have very similar symptoms across most patients. It is so widespread that a General Circular issued by the Medical Office of Jabatan Sihir and supported by the REDACTED Medical Hall actually suggest that practitioners check for Of Two Worlds first for all patients before making a diagnosis.

First appearance

Of Two Worlds is currently linked to the same pandemic that is sweeping the human world. In fact, some experts have theorised (although more studies remain) that it is directly linked to the pandemic's effects. As the human world, and then subsequent businesses went into lockdown mode, non-human beings who fed on human emotions and beliefs almost immediately began reporting symptoms. While physical and magical symptoms are the same no matter the species, how the patient got infected is another matter entirely.
Some of the earliest reported cases Of Two Worlds described an overabundance of emotions in living quarters, complexes and housing areas. This was a veritable feast for most creatures, who took the opportunity to gorge on humanity's despair and euphoria, depending on their species. However, as time went by, the sheer amount began to lead to indigestion. Many of the initial patients initially dismissed their symptoms as indigestion and overeating. It was only as these patients began to go crazy in their last moments, drowning in despair and revealing themselves unwittingly to civilians that medical practitioners began to take note.

An epidemic of another scale

Most of the initial patients lost to Of Two Worlds were ghosts local to their area. Due to this, it was only six months later during the half-yearly review that anyone realised the deaths were connected and were completely out of the ordinary. As medical investigators began researching this disease, the numbers seemed to go up and down across the world, usually coinciding with the movement of humans. In the Glowing Lands, sharp-eyed researchers have discovered a direct correlation between human suicide rates and non-human death rates - it is very likely that a number of patients are choosing to follow humans they care for to the other side, so as to keep them company and to escape their own despair.

Hotspots

Of Two Worlds seems to be currently concentrated only on non-human beings living in densely populated urban jungles. This includes but is not limited to Muddy Estuary and the Drum Valley, Antiaris in the north east and Betelnut on Pearl Island. It is particularly prevalent in locations where despair is already a common currency. Most non-humans are encouraged to stay away from humans for the time being, as treatment for this disease is extremely spotty. It is a very individualised disease - what works for one may not work for another, and taking care of too many is likely to overwhelm the system straining at the edges.
Those with minor symptoms are encouraged to check in with their local Municipal Liaisons, most of whom are humans and on a shift rotation system to fight this disease. A patient who sees the same Municipal Liaison twice over two weeks is likely never to see the Liaison for at least four months after, to prevent emotional contamination.

Type

Magical