Danny looked down at the aura that had stopped growing from his body, "I thought it would be more than this... Why is it so weak looking?"

*Not enough mana input? I don't know! Wait, let me check the mana room... Yep! Harmony-Danny's is bigger.*

Danny threw up his hands and just barely resisted verbally lashing out at his second consciousness' choice of words. Before he could let out more than a frustrated growl, Cranny interrupted.

*Hey, air-scan and earth-scan are not working. I don't think we can use other affinities in this... aspect mode. Don't try, you will just waste more mana like I just did. Wow, we are getting low.*

Danny decided it would be best to ignore the voices in his head. Looking down at Jade he reached out with one hand and the white aura around his body stretched towards her with his intent. As his aura surrounded her body it lit up like a transparent hologram. Instead of a single image like he would get with scanning, it was a constant feed. Danny was pleased to note there wasn't any discernible drain on his resources for doing this.

The entropy curse was still spreading, and things had escalated. It had just reached her source connection and apparently was using that to spread even faster. Fortunately, the presence of Danny's aura halted any further movement by the curse.

Danny focused on attacking the curse with his aura and the two opposing forces went to war. Where the two sides met, grey mist evaporated and his aura was quickly gaining ground. The problem was, that his aura was shrinking in the process.

Trying not to lose his focus, Danny muttered, "Need. More. Mana."

*Oh! Right... I will try infusing what we have left into the crystals around your cells. Here goes!*

Danny could see his aura visibly swell, but it wasn't much. Danny could only focus as sweat ran into his eyes. Eventually the last of entropy curse was finally purged from Jade's body. Danny let out a sigh and collapsed backwards on the ground. He help up a hand and noticed the harmony-aspect was still activated but his aura was very faint.

Wizard Basalt and Arya rushed to Jade's side.

Wizard Basalt turned to Danny, "Is it done boy, is she free of the curse?"

Danny just nodded mutely, too mentally exhausted to speak. Waging a war in three dimensions was not something Danny could say he had tried before.

Arya whispered reverently, "You even completely regrew her arm."

Danny sat up with this revelation. Looking between the two adults, he could clearly see Jade now sported two arms.

Danny grabbed and pulled on his hair, "No, that wasn't supposed to happen!"

Arya looked back confused, "You... didn't want her arm to grow back?"

Shaking his head, Danny explained, "No, I didn't. Well, at least not yet. We have how many more cursed in the healer's tent? The mana I just used took me a night and most of today to accumulate. How am I supposed to treat the rest of them?"

The wizard and his wife looked at each other for a brief moment before the wizard shook his head. Arya turned to Danny, "You are not going to be able to treat them Danny. Given how quickly the first one turned, I doubt we have much time left. Especially since doing so would reveal your secret."

Arya rose and left the tent without another word. Wizard Basalt reached down and took his niece's body into his arms once again, "Thank you Danny... Since she joined the order I have always tried to keep an eye on her, but she is always been a clever one. My little jewel."

Danny was staring at the ground shaking his head, "Is there no way for me to get more mana? I can't just sit back and watch all those women... turn into... those things!"

The wizard put his niece back down moved over to squat down in front of Danny, "Boy, wizards have been trying for years to exchange mana. Even mana stones filled by one wizard, will not be useable by another."

Danny stared at the wizard and thought about his words, when an idea struck him, "Wizards! I'm not a wizard!"

Danny jumped up and ran out of the tent. In the dark of the night, only Brooke stood outside the tent as he bolted out. When she tried calling out to him, he was already gone. Danny weaved between the tents, heading for the carriages and wagons in the corner of the fort. Running up to a familiar one, he didn't bother to nock and threw open the door. It was empty. Turning around he looked for something to give away where his quarry was, but all the tents looked similar.

A soldier, stationed to guard the wagons and supplies walked over to Danny with a lantern in her hand, "What are you doing here Wizard Creek? Is that some sort of light spell?"

Danny, seemed to register the woman's presence, "Where is the ambassador?"

The soldier was startled by Danny's urgency and shook her head, "I haven't seen where they put the ambassador's tent. I would ask around or speak with the Lieutenant if that doesn't work."

Danny didn't wait to thank the woman and took off towards the north side of the camp. The command tent was as nondescript as the rest of the army's tents except for the Diadem flag flying on a pole just outside the entrance.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Danny rushed into the tent, "Lieutenant, where is the elven ambassador? I must see here immediately!"

Lieutenant Cove looked up at him from where she had been speaking with Arya. Danny had barged in right as she had been in the middle of receiving a sealed letter from the leader of the Basalt Shadow.

Arya ignored Danny's interruption and addressed the lieutenant, "Make sure this is given to the general directly. No one else is to see its contents."

Getting up, Arya turned to leave and ushered Danny out with her, "Please, don't speak until we get back to my tent."

After moving quickly back to the Basalt's tent, Arya and Danny found the entrance guarded by Wren and Brianna, the other two wives of the Basalt Trio. Both women looked shocked when they saw Danny. Whispering she addressed the two, "Secure the tent, I will fill you in later."

Entering the tent, they found Brooke and Ivy waiting with Wizard Basalt. Both of the girls made startled noises when they saw Danny enter. Arya silenced them with a look. Jade still lay unconscious on the same pallet from before.

Waiting until she could get Danny to sit down, Arya addressed him, "Danny, the ambassador and Leaf took advantage of the battle to slip away and finish the rest of the journey on foot. I am sorry, they will not be able to help you. I wish we could save these soldiers, but we do not have any other options currently available. Now, we are going to go and continue on to the elvish lands. It's too dangerous to stay here, especially since they got a good look your appearance this night. I really wish you had stayed in the tent and waited for me to return. Everyone, lets pack up and leave immediately."

Danny barely registered anything Arya had said past the elves having left. He hated the fact that he had the capability to heal those women but could do nothing about it. This new aspect ability was obviously meant for someone with a large reserve of mana or huge regeneration abilities. Plus he had to go and waste it on regenerating Jade's arm.

*You actually didn't use much of the aura to regenerate her arm. Maybe ten percent of the mana you put into it. That's not enough to save someone else.*

Danny looked up to realize that Brooke and Ivy were gone and the Basalt Shadow was packing.

Arya looked over to see him looking around, "Danny, do you think you can return to how you normally look?"

Danny stared at her dumbly for a second before looking down at his arms. He was still in harmony aspect form with its faint aura.

*Danny, I don't know if this will work, but just use the rest of the aura.*

Danny looked up at Arya, "Hold still."

Reaching out he touched Arya's arm as the woman looked at him warily. It didn't take long for Danny to find numerous improperly healed breaks across the woman's body. One does not take up a career this hazardous without it leaving a story to tell. While harmony magic allows the medically untrained to treat serious injuries, it only works as efficiently as the person who wields the magic understands it to. Danny was shocked when his aura ran out before he could fix all the issues he found.

Arya nodded her head, "Good, back to your old self. Go to your tent and gather up your things. Hurry now, my husband will carry Jade, till she wake up."

Danny turned to leave, but Arya stopped him, "Danny, I am sorry we can't do anything for the soldiers. You know I would do whatever we had to if there was a chance?"

Danny looked back at her and frowned, then nodded before turning back to leave.

Returning to his tent he had only visited briefly that morning, Danny found the girls waiting on him with their things already packed away.

Ivy pulled him down to sit between her and Brooke on the ground, "Danny, thank you for healing Jades arm. Is it true you also stopped her from turning into one of the undead?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah, it was really difficult. If Jade was any indication, it will take me most of another day to have enough mana to cure another person. The rate it was spreading in Jade, I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the woman would survive the night..."

Brooke pulled Danny over into a hug, "Well, that's it then, no use fretting over it. You have my thanks for saving Jade. Let's get your things and pack up the tent... Hey, you never told me you could glow! I've seen flying bugs do that at night but it was just their butts... Wait, can you do that glowing thing again, I need to check something."

Danny fell over as he swatted Brooke's hands away from trying to pull down the back of his pants, "Stop cheering me up, I am trying to be dark and brooding! Ivy help me here!"

Danny looked over to the other girl for assistance but instead found Ivy already leaning over him, with a predatory smile.

Danny's eye's widened, "No! Not that!"

Tears were streaming down Danny's eyes as he crawled toward the entrance to their tent. Arya stuck her head in and looked down at the two girls who were relentlessly tickling Danny. Shaking her head, she said, "Girls, that will have to wait till later. I hope you can be a little more discrete when we slip out of the camp tonight."

Ivy and Brooke immediately stopped and sat up, "Yes ma’am!"

Danny just rolled over onto his back and laid there breathing heavily.

Smiling, Arya, "Hurry and pack up the tent, we are leaving."

With the light from the moon as their only source of light the two groups left the security of the fort and slipped out into the forest. They did not dare travel by the road, as it was surely watched by their enemies. They hadn't traveled very far when Wizard Basalt spoke up to let everyone know Jade was finally waking up. Everyone stopped to gather around where she was being carried in the wizard's arms.

Jade opened her eyes slowly as if the moonlight was actually the blaze of a midday sun. Her bright green eyes almost seemed to glow in the soft light. Recognizing everyone she smiled weakly.

Wizard Basalt walked over and sat her down on a fallen log nearby. Jade kept an arm on the wizard until Ivy and Brooke sat down on either side of her.

"Why am I so weak?" Jade said as she wobbled between the two girls.

Danny laughed, "You don't just grow a new arm from nowhere. I am sure you will be weak for a while until you can get more food and exercise in." Thinking a bit more Danny added, "Your bones might also be a little weaker."

Jade looked at Danny with a frown and then tears started rolling down her eyes.

Danny looked around unsure what he said wrong.

Jade reached out her arms to him, and he quickly knelt in front of her and gave her a hug.

Jade pulled back enough so he was looking into her eyes. Jade's voice cracked as she spoke, "I was so worried, Danny. There was that explosion and I knew you were out there somewhere. Then when I was in the healer's tent they either changed the subject or lied about where you were. Danny..."

Jade hugged him as hard as her weak arms could as she cried.

Danny craned his neck, as much as Jade would let him, to look at everyone for support in what to do. Everyone just quietly smiled as they watched them, waiting for Jade to finish. Some of the girls were wiping their eyes.

Danny could hear someone blow their nose loudly, but it was as if they were far in the distance.

*Awwwwww, Danny, please say we can keep her! Oh, and we need more tissues and popcorn when you next go to the store, we ran out.*

Danny leaned his head down into Jade's shoulder and subtly rolled his eyes.