"Did you get her?" Manna asked her brother, a small frown on her face.

"I did. She's a handful I must say," Eraanel responded looking up. His eyes bear a gentle look.

"Have you confirmed what she said?" Manna asked her brother, knowing what Salvete saw.

"I did. Every tree, at least those near us, are filled with these small critters." Eraanel assessed "I also used my eye to look at them," his answer alluding to some hidden truth.

"Your eye? Doesn't it work as it did previously?" Manna's intrigue rising.

"Before, I could use my body to notice the 'motion' of life within critters. This, in turn, allowed me to predict their movements and understand what kind of life they live." Eraanel started to explain "But, after my eye was taken, I had more energy at my disposal to distribute. I also acknowledged that our strength is nowhere sufficient to survive, the monster leaving deep scars within me." he continued, grasping at his chest, as if something is missing from within.

Manna deepened her frown, still convinced that it was partly her fault for what happened. "So, what have you come up with, brother?"

"I can now see their entire being." Eraanel's statement carried more meaning than even he could imagine "I can see their construction, composition, everything. If I focus most of my light into the eye, I can reveal aspects which one doesn't know about themselves. For instance," he pointed at a tree "I'm able to see everything inside that tree. Every single one of those woodants and their simple construction.".

Manna could see the potential in his eye. If used wisely, Erannel's ability may prove crucial in this environment. "How long are you able to keep your eye active?" she asked curious and to assess her brother's capability.

"If I use my eye to simply notice the 'motion' of life. I can do so constantly without much strain on my eye. But if I am to use the full power of the eye, in optimal conditions, only for brief periods of time." Erannel answered "That, however, doesn't mean I won't be able to reuse it. I can stop the flow of light within my eye to a minimum and recover from the strain with a bit of time. If necessary, I can completely shut off the flow of light and let myself be blind, thus the strain is reduced much faster.".

"Impressive brother," Manna praised him. "We might need your ability as we travel into the Gargantuan Forest, since the critters in here seem to have adapted with the trees. Using them as nests and such." she told him as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Eraanel saw a look of relief for a moment on her face.

"What worries me though, sister, is what Salvete said about the trees." Eraanel told her worried. "These trees don't match what Orvus told us about them. Like the living matter, they should've possessed life within. Yet they don't. And I trust Orvus to be capable in his assessments.".

"Orvus wasn't anywhere near the trees during his visit. Maybe if he stood around some more, he would've found out about the dangers of the passage." Manna's resentment was still present in her voice.

"That is not a wise thing to say. If he died to the monster while returning, we wouldn't have known anything about this place." Eraanel tried to rationalise with his sister.

"And maybe that would've been better." Manna told him, realising with large open eyes what she just said.

As Manna and Eraanel talked, the other Lightborn settled in circles. Some were praying, some were practising their elemental manipulation or individual skills. In one of these circles, Felemous concentrated on his light, trying to reproduce a lightning. Orvus approached him, seeing as he struggled.

"Trouble finding a way to do it, brother?" Orvus asked him.

"Oh, Orvus. Yes I do. I understand how the lightning feels and, during the storm, I grasped at it, which made me feel empowered." Felemous told his brother. "But then, I didn't pay attention to my environment, and they...died because of me." His mistake still overwhelmed him.

"It's your mind Felemous." Orvus hinted at the issue, as he himself suffered a bit from such an issue. His habit kicking in.

"My mind you say. If you mean whether I understand it or not, I do. I just can't seem to find a way to transmute my light into it." Felemous tried to piece it together.

"No. What I mean by your mind, is that you can't put your focus into doing it." Orvus revealed the answer to him.

"Is there a way you can help me, Orvus?" Felemous asked, his eyes a bit desperate for an answer.

"I can, but it's a bit troublesome." Orvus responded, his eyes trying to avoid his brother's gaze.

"I don't care how much trouble it is. Having this power on our side, may aid us quite a bit. So, please, give me your help Orvus." Felemous begged of his brother.

"The trouble isn't with you, but with the method and me," Orvus thought to himself, a look of worry, which Felemous couldn't see, washing over him. "Very well, I will help you. Just listen closely to what I say and follow my words," he explained to Felemous.

Felemous promptly agreed. Orvus told him to "Sit down and concentrate. Let the light course through you," as he placed his hands on his back "You feel my hands, yes?"

"I do. They carry something within." Felemous was feeling the many lights coursing through Orvus, that were now trying to connect with him, in an attempt to grasp and control his own light.

"Good, now, focus on your light, feel what it feels. Then tell me what it feels," Orvus continued.

"I-I feel it being pulled at. As if something is trying to grasp it and take it out of me. Is that you brother?" Felemous asked as he started to realise what Orvus was trying to do.

"It is me," Orvus affirmed "If you don't resist the pull, I can then understand your light, guide it where it's needed," he explained.

"This feels...wrong in a way, as if something is stolen from me, like my arm was by the monster." Felemous told Orvus worried "Yet, I should trust your judgement. Afterall, it is because of you that I could even grasp at the lightning in the first place." Felemous showed his trust through his words. He then let go of his light, letting it be manipulated by Orvus.

Orvus could've guided Felemous's light even without taking over, his invaluable experience in healing his brothers and sisters, teaching him this much. The issue was that a light can 'feel' from other lights when connected to them. It's the same principle as in when someone like Orvus, Kilon or Manna take other's lights as their own. Because they connect, they can feel the others' experiences and such. So, in other words, Orvus didn't want to let Felemous feel what he felt, in order to not incriminate himself. This wasn't a surefire strategy, as Felemous could be more sensitive to other lights, but in case Felemous noticed, Orvus was prepared to steal his light and make it his own. As Orvus now felt that he is invaluable to the safety of the group, and being shunned away because of his actions, would render him useless.

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Once Orvus gained control over Felemous's light, he could feel it all. The sorrow, guilt and worry that overwhelmed Felemous, his experiences since they left the Link and such. A truly intimate connection, only able due to Felemous's trust in Orvus. "Let's see the issue now," Orvus thought to himself.

"Did you say something Orvus?" Felemous asked, although nothing was being said.

"No. I did not," Orvus responded "Can he, perhaps, feel my thoughts?" he wondered in his head.

"I see. I was sure I heard you earlier, and after you answered again, but it must be me worrying too much." Felemous told Orvus, not being able to discern between what he hears outside his head and inside, yet.

"I must conduct this as fast as I can, his awareness seems to increase, and, to my luck, I'm also a deep thinker." Orvus thought sarcastically.

As Orvus travelled through Felemous's experiences, thoughts and feelings, he found the part of it that Felemous used to help him. Deciphering one's light would be hard, even for Kilon, Orvus on the other hand though, had plenty of experience navigating other Lightborns' lights. This helped him find the issue really fast, which was "His missing arm." Orvus thought to himself "It was his dominant arm, and now he has to struggle in channelling his light through his less used member. I'm surprised he was able to redirect all that lightning with this handicap in mind..." he continued his line of thought, feeling bad that his brother was beating himself up, though he was responsible for Felemous losing his arm.

"You know Orvus, I think what I heard earlier, were your thoughts." Felemous finally arrived at the truth, faster than Orvus anticipated. "Because, I can swear on the Creator, that I heard you say the word death." However, Felmeous was confusing his brother's voice, for that of his dead siblings.

Orvus knew what Felemous actually heard, and he was prepared, at any given moment, to take away Felemous's light, effectively killing him. But then, he took a moment to realise that they're still surrounded by other Lightborn, him thinking to act on impulse like that, uncharacteristic.

"Should I pull myself off from it?" Orvus thought of giving up, or at least trying to come up with some other solution. "Then again, what kind of brother am I to let my sibling struggle," his conviction strengthened, as an old Orvus started to show up once more. Orvus then imbued himself with half the lights he possessed, so that he could enhance his mind to an elevated level, his eyes lighting up and sparks erupting violently. Then, with speed and precision, he connected Felemous's experience and understanding of the lightning into one, successfully making light into lightning. This success, however, came at a small cost, as the new, wild energy behaved erratic and made Orvus, who is inexperienced in controlling it, get blown back by it.

"Orvus...Orvus!" Felemous cried to his brother who was lying flat on the ground.

"Wh-what happened?" Orvus asked as he came back to his senses and stood on his bottom.

Felemous first hugged him, then showed his right arm, that was making small arcs of electricity in his palm. "You managed to help me brother. I can now make lightning," Felemous told his brother excited, a large smile on his face.

"I see. Then, let me rest just a bit-" Orvus tried to respond, but the lights were haunting him once again, as his conscience came back to him. "Never mind that, I'm glad I could help you Felemous," he managed to say, lifting himself up. As he looked around, he saw his sibling gathered around to see what had happened. Amongst them, Manna stood out, given her height. "And why is she here?".

"You should ask me that, Orvus." Manna approached "Or do you want others to speak for you until we meet with Kilon once again?" she asked as she tried to get a reaction out of him.

But what she got was the same miserable look he had ever since they got past the Frozen Passage. "Why are you here, Manna?" his voice a bit roughened by the strike he suffered, his words sharp, while his face sought to end this quickly.

She didn't like how he was. His face, demeanour, attitude, she hated it all. Manna wanted her brother, even if, so far, she couldn't forgive him. However, besides the ruckus Orvus and Felemous made, Manna made her mind after talking with Eraanel. She approached him, stood on her knees, and looked him in the eyes, placing her spear next to her legs.

"I wanted to say, sorry brother." Her words left everyone speechless, except for Orvus that is. His face twisted in an ugly form of confusion, anger, frustration.

"Sorry. You're saying you're sorry? For me or to me Manna?!" his confusion lashing out in anger.

"I don't know brother. I still hate you for the death of our siblings. That Eraanel, Felmeous and many others lost parts of them. And yet..." Manna paused as she looked down, then back at him, sparks instead of tears flowing from within her eyes "I hate myself more for not forgiving you," she told him as she started to sob. "How can I lead everyone, help our siblings when they need me, if I'm not able to forgive you after you suffered so much inside?" Her words striking deep inside Orvus.

Orvus didn't know what to say. Should he accept it? Did he deserve it? He wanted to stretch out his arms, hug his sister, but the lights that tormented him, wouldn't allow for it to happen. Manna, however, didn't wait for him to stretch out his arms, she stretched hers and pulled him to her chest. Orvus felt her sparks raining on his hair, the skin below, tingling at the touch of these sparks, her breath as she sobbed, her warmth as the light responded to her emotions, and the tight hug that almost left him breathless.

For a few moments, Orvus didn't feel the torment these lights enforced on him. Although he didn't cry, he hugged her back. He didn't want to let go of her, for if he did, the lights would return to torment him again. "I'm sorry too, sister. I'm sorry that I didn't know better, that I led everyone where I shouldn't have." His apology made Manna hug him tighter.

Then, the lights returned once more. His mind was affected by the torment once more. He clenched at Manna's arms in pain, which she noticed. She pulled him away to look at his face, and there it was once more, that miserable look that overtook him, once more present.

"Brother, what are you not telling me?" Manna inquired, his face telling her that there was something more to him.

"I don't-I can't tell you," he responded, not letting his emotions give up a response that would further distance him from his siblings.

"Of course you can. Am I not your sister?" Manna told him, her innocence unaware of what her brother could do.

"I said I can't!" Orvus lashed at her, his mind fogged by the torment, letting out a ray of light from the palm of his hand, pushing and harming Manna.

The power of the ray wasn't a lot to handle, the sudden surge though, made Manna take it harder than it was meant. Her chest was hurting, as the ray peeled away at her skin, small sparks erupting to heal it back up. As she started to recover from the blast, Manna saw the face of her brother. He was no longer himself. The look of fear, anger and confusion, presenting signs of madness.

Manna's body started to glow strongly, as she imbued herself with half the lights she possessed. "Have you gone mad, Orvus?" her tone was calm and cold. The other Lightborn didn't want to get closer, as these two were the strongest, and standing between them could be compared to jumping off one of the trees and hoping to not die.

"I told you I can't! You pushed me to this point, sister." Orvus responded, his eyes lighting up, sparks erupting erratically at the corners as he imbued himself with all sixty one lights he had "Take their light you said! Lead them he said! Help me, he said! Everyone says something and wants me to do something! You sister? You simply follow along, get to watch from afar, then barge in and take the praise for 'doing' something. I can't just 'do' something. I have to, I must do something!" his anger reaching a peak unseen before by Manna.

"Watch from afar?! If not for me, all of our brothers and sisters would've died, Orvus! Are you blind to what you've done? If you want mercy, then you should've accepted it, not push it away!" She was trying to avoid a fight, for if they fought, Manna only had the first few minutes to win, after which, Orvus would get the upper hand through his efficient light manipulation. She wasn't willing to take those odds, which was the wiser choice, as she didn't understand Orvus's full capabilities.

Felemous and Eraanel watched from the sidelines. While Felemous was the only one possessing a strong enough ability to put a stop to this, he had nowhere the mastery to apply it properly, while Eraanel didn't have any strong offensive abilities, beyond him enhancing his body through the light, like his other red or orange or glow siblings. They both felt angry for not being able to step up.

"If this is how it's going to go Manna, then I wi-" Orvus's eyes started to shut as his body fell forward, behind him, Salvete stood with a dagger in her hand, the hilt up where Orvus's head was at.

"Siblings fighting each other? That is not fun," Salvete said, then went into the formed crowd and got herself lost within.