Fatima was sitting at her desk, doing ward rounds while performing her administrative duties as the director of the soul department. However, it was obvious that she was absent-minded because she kept refreshing a specific screen, and her mood fluctuated every time there was no update.
Fatima realized that she was slowly falling into a vortex of anxiety, so she turned off all the holographic screens and leaned back on the chair to rest. However, in less than a second, there was a knock on the door.
"Doctor Clarence?" Fatima asked, looking at the handsome doctor with chocolate complexion. She knew this man because, like Dr. Foster, she was the deputy director of the Department of Soul.
"Are you here to ask me about my papers? They should all be published within three days," Fatima said. There is an unwritten rule that everyone else has to wait until someone who has had a brand new surgery chooses their topic and publishes the paper before they can get their chance to be published.
"That's not why I'm here, but it's good to know the news," Dr. Clarence replied with a smile. "The director sent me to find you. There is a department meeting about your surgery."
"Come on, come on," Fatima sneered. She followed Clarence to the conference room. Many doctors and therapists in her department attended the meeting.
Fatima and Clarence had seats in the front row, so they sat down. Doctor Foster, who was sitting opposite them only two seats away, sneered as soon as Fatima entered the door.
A few minutes later, Dean Sharma walked into the conference room and attracted everyone's attention. Everyone looked at him and wanted to know what the meeting was for.
"What, you got your lost brain back?" Doctor Foster roared immediately.
"Doctor Foster, calm down."
"That woman almost killed a patient with her reckless and unapproved surgery. And you let it happen and did nothing," Dr. Foster continued.
"Doctor Foster, you heard what I said," Dean Sharma reiterated.
"Why are you angry at me instead of her?" Dr. Foster argued.
"Well, I originally wanted to handle this matter gently, but you left me with no choice," said President Sharma. "Effective immediately, Dr. Foster is relieved of all duties in the hospital. Her therapist license has also been revoked pending an investigation into her bias, inappropriate etiquette toward colleagues, and medical misconduct."
"What?" Everyone, including Fatima, looked at the dean in shock.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Doctor Foster shouted.
"I think you heard me clearly," Dean Sharma declared. "Now, get out of here before I call security."
"You bastard!" Dr. Foster shouted. "Do you know who I am? My brother-in-law is a senator from Arcane Council, and he will run for the position of elder next term. Do you dare to fire me?"
"Unfortunately for you, this is not my decision."
"What do you mean?"
"Keya·Ulilanu was a high-profile client, so I reported truthfully everything that happened after the operation. Someone was very dissatisfied with the situation that he almost died, and within seconds, someone from the Medical Security Department came to check.
"They found out all your past violations and issued an order to fire you immediately," Dean Sharma said, showing the order to her. Of course, he did not mention that because he had shielded her for so long, his own job was also in jeopardy.
"No, no - that's impossible," Dr. Foster muttered to herself. Then her eyes became full of hatred and she glared at Fatima. "It's all your fault. It's because of idiots like you who believe in false and imaginary gods that good people like me get into trouble."
Foster spat at Fatima, but a shield appeared to block the vicious attack. However, Foster did not give up and rushed towards her. Before she could run far, the hospital's security system was activated, releasing the black Anti-Magic chains, capturing her alive and sealing her magic and soul.
"You stupid woman," Dr. Foster shouted. "Your god doesn't exist at all. Any miracle he can create, I can do better. You are so stupid to be willing to surrender to some fictional existence."
Sharma Dean's face twitched, he activated the security protocol and took her away as quickly as possible. "Dr. Fatesh, I am really sorry." When the Dean realized that it was his connivance that led to the situation developing to this point, he felt sincerely sad.
"It's okay," Fatima replied calmly. "I'm used to it." After the disclosure of magic and the rise of the Empire, the trajectory of the religion inevitably changed. Christianity and Islam are the largest religions in the world, with billions of followers, which means they are the most affected.
As Empire developed, religion came under different forms of influence. First came the extremists, who rejected all magic, even Empire.
These people act as extremists seeking to overthrow the system, or live in government-designated magic-free zones. These zones look much like they did in the early 21st century and reject all outside visitors.
In addition to the extremists, there are also the provers. These people believe that since magic can do anything, they can create a god based on their religious beliefs.
The use of faith and the creation of gods is strictly controlled by the Empire, so these people are an underground organization that is also in conflict with the law. The thing about Luck is that Exploration Era gives them more room to maneuver when trying to create gods from <Bible>, <Quran>, or any other religious text.
Naturalists are a group of religious people who are in a state of denial. They maintain their religion in its previous state without any changes. They do not talk about magic, nor do they acknowledge its existence.
Many of them are Arcanist, but they avoid talking about it; they live in self-contradiction. Naturalists once launched a movement claiming that Ian - Arcane Emperor - was a prophet sent by God to earth to lead the people, but this movement was quickly quashed due to various socio-political reasons.
Finally, there is Spiritualists. These people believe in their gods, doctrines, and magic. They believe that magic is a gift from God or Allah, and religion is a personal spiritual practice.
Religion is their faith, their convictions, the guiding light of their lives, and their moral code. They interweave religion with magic, turning prayer into a form of meditation centered on images of their gods and scriptures to strengthen their souls and focus their magic.
Spiritualism is the most accepted form of religion among the Empire, and is currently the most "popular" due to the Empire's propaganda. Fatima is a Spiritualists, and although it is the most accepted form of religion, she still encounters a lot of prejudice and discrimination.
Arcanist--from the beginning of design--are rational beings. Ian designed them like this to ensure their productivity and the development of magic.
Therefore, it is difficult to get people to believe in an entity when they can understand what it can do and replicate it. Many people distance themselves from Fatima because they feel her beliefs are irrational; therefore, she has become accustomed to this kind of treatment.
"No, this is not good," Dean Sharma declared. "The government has promised to compensate you for what happened to you, and as the Dean, I will also make compensation."
When she heard about the government award, Fatima's eyes lit up. Because of the upcoming expedition, she was now in poverty, and she originally expected to earn some arcane military exploits by publishing a paper on Ulilanu's surgery. However, this news meant that her pockets could be bulging again.
"Thank you."
The meeting ended quickly, because the two main topics had been discussed, and Fatima returned to her office. She immediately contacted her best friend in the North America district, Mary Lehman. Soon, a black woman with a big afro appeared on the screen, and Fatima quickly told her what happened.
"Girl, how many times have I told you, use your power to fire that racist," Mary said.
"You know I just became the tower master three months ago."
"You know very well in your heart, that is not the reason for you not to take action at all," Mary turned over Byakugan. With her achievements in summoning Magic Domain, she is also the first Tier 8 Archmage. They met when Fatima was studying the soul of summoned creatures, and they became Archmage almost at the same time. Therefore, Mary knew how much power they had. If Fatima was willing, she could at least force Foster to be transferred to another hospital.
Fatima sighed, "She is just a poor woman."
"I've told you countless times," Mary said with a serious face. "In this world, kindness can easily cost you your life."
"I know, I know," Fatima nodded.
"It's up to you, that's your life," Mary sighed. "How is your expedition going?"
"I'm still waiting for news from the Divination Department," Fatima explained. "They said they would give me a reply before the end of this week."
"Well, since you saved Keya Ulilanu's life, the government should pay more attention to you, and things will be much easier for the Divination Department."
"What you said makes sense," Fatima thought, feeling a little better. The news from the Divination Department is not always good news.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," Mary comforted her.
"I hope so," Fatima sighed.