Intermission #4: Annalina

Ann turned over in her sleep, hugging herself in pain. She groaned softly as she became aware of the timer once again.

You have been afflicted with Bonding Sickness x410. Time until next phase: 6 hours, 13 minutes, 42 seconds You have satisfied 34.8% of the current phase’s requirements ahead of schedule

“Three hours of sleep this time,” she thought to herself. She turned over and saw Adir sleeping beside her, his back turned to her. The wounds Sylena had inflicted on his back were shallow but still visible. Although they had stopped bleeding over the last few days, Adir had refused treatment from her or to even take a mixture.

She reached out with a shaking hand, and targeted a very small plant behind her. Activating her aspect for a moment, she stole its life to knit the deepest cut she could see through the shreds of his clothing, an activity she had done each night without his knowledge. She smiled at seeing the new tissue form before her eyes in the waning evening light. Feeling the vibrance of life die behind her, she sighed and rolled back over, getting up to her feet.

Her head absolutely pounded as she dug through Adir’s backpack, desperate for relief. Finally pulling out a box, she lifted the lid and saw it was filled with dried leaves. She quickly examined it to make sure it was what she expected.

Leaf: Dried Sildown Leaf Uncommon This is a dried leaf from a Sildown plant. This leaf has enhanced pain relieving capabilities. Pain will be reduced by 18% for 4 hours.. Decoction: Boil this leaf in water for 7 minutes and strain the solids to improve the effect by 27%. Medicine: Eating this leaf will cause poisoning. Treatments may involve consuming activated charcoal, any herb that induces vomiting, or crushed Tripalt seeds.

Ann stared longingly at the decoction option, but she knew she couldn’t wait that long. She placed the leaf into her mouth and began to chew. Despite the warning her medicine skill gave her, she knew one other fact about this leaf. Chewing alone would activate the pain relief affliction without poisoning her. The mild relief from pain came soon and she spit the leaf out shortly afterward, turning to the rising sun that peaked over the edge of the tree line. The pain reducing effects did little to remove her guilt over what she saw illuminated by the evening light.

In the heart of a dense forest, a patch of land seemed to have been blasted by an unseen force. Where once stood towering trees and lush undergrowth, now laid a circular swath of desolation, a stark contrast to the cobalt life surrounding it.

The circumference of the clearing stretched wide, marked by a perfect perimeter where thriving vegetation abruptly ended. The trees along this border, once upright and proud, were now bent in an outward curve, as if recoiling in fear from the desolate space she created. Their trunks were blackened and splintered, branches stripped away, exposing the raw, wounded wood beneath the bark.

Inside this border, the ground was barren, devoid of grass, shrubs or even the smallest of plants. The soil, usually rich and dark, was now a dull gray, hardened and cracked as if their color had been removed. A thin layer of ash covered the ground, providing the only hint of what once lived there.

For her the silence was the most unsettling aspect of the clearing. The usual sounds of the forest - the rustling of leaves, the call of the wildlife, the soft hum of flying skitterbeets was absent now. The air, typically fragrant with the scent of trees and dirt, was filled with a stale, almost sterile smell. Standing on the edge of the clearing, she saw nothing had returned to the area she had created in the time they had rested here.

A vague unease crept upon her, as if she were teetering on the edge of a great cliff. Her instincts, mirrored in the collective consciousness of the woodland creatures, prodded her to move on, to step away from this abhorrent emptiness she herself had forged. Like an eerie melody playing at the fringe of her awareness, a primal instinct coursed through her veins, whispering in a voice as old as life itself that this place was not meant to be tread upon. Something in her own mind warned her to step away, to abandon the desolate testament of her aspect and return to the comforting vibrancy of life.

But she knew there wasn’t an escape for her. In just a matter of hours she would make another scar on the world. “I need to make it smaller,” she told herself, stepping into the forest behind her carefully. She reached out to a small bush, activated her aspect, and saw the forest light up in vibrance. She pulled the light out of the small plant, watching it turn to ash in an instant with a flash of light. Its life fueled her recovery equally quickly. Then she released her aspect and the forest turned dark once again.

You have satisfied 34.9% of the current phase’s requirements ahead of schedule.

A grimace marred her face as the soil beneath the shrub suffered a similar fate, yet the deed had already been carried out. "It's just one small area," she attempted to console herself, shifting several feet away to fix her attention on another unsuspecting plant. She moved systematically through the terrain, deliberately dispersing the harm she wrought, each act a reluctant necessity. The hours did not slip away unnoticed for her though as the darkness deepened. Her focus remained riveted on the relentless countdown ticking in her mind. Life, it seemed, had become a series of twelve-hour fragments, with no tangible future extending beyond the confines of the current phase. Each flash of light pushed one number up as another went down.

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Jolted from her focus, Ann gave a small cry as a hand landed on her shoulder. "Ann?" Adir's voice rumbled, the tone soft with worry that rippled through the quiet and now dark forest. The only thing illuminating the area was the torch he held in his hand.

"Adir, you startled me!" She laughed weakly, attempting to assuage the deep concern reflecting in his gaze.

His eyes, though, were still serious, intense as they scanned her face. "Why aren't you resting?"

She shrugged lightly, unable to meet his gaze straight on. "The pain, it's hard to ignore."

His eyes searched her face. “Do you want me to get you some Sildown?”

“Thank you, but I already took it.” Her body moved away from him, almost involuntarily, toward the next plant, a process that had become akin to breathing. But even the soothing absorption of energy and flash of light did little to quell her unease. She moved to the next, worried she might not have the heart to start again if she stopped.

“You’re using your aspect. What are you doing with it?” He asked, his brow furrowing as he watched her.

"Trying to work down my stacks of bonding sickness," she admitted. She hated how her voice quavered and hated the look of understanding that crossed Adir's face.

He nodded slowly in understanding. “Most folks tackle that by killing creatures or training skills. We might be able to find an assembler, let you fight creatures with your aspect. I know how you feel…about this…” his voice trailed off.

"It won't be enough," she whispered, sinking to the ground, "And I... I can't bear to kill anymore."

A profound silence fell between them, bearing the weight of her confession. Adir left her side, his boots crunching against the underbrush as the torchlight dimmed around her. Then, a resonating crack echoed, followed by a thud that vibrated the ground beneath her. Looking up, she watched, wide-eyed, as Adir shoved a large tree to its side, its fall a symphony of destruction in the otherwise silent forest.

Returning to her, Adir's voice was soft yet firm, “It was going to die anyway. Let's not let it go to waste.”

Caught off guard, she stammered, “But Adir…”

A small smile curled at the corners of his mouth, "If you don't, I'll have to chop it up for firewood." His hand, roughened by countless battles, extended towards her. Grasping it, she let him guide her to the fallen tree.

With a slow nod, Ann steeled herself, laying her hand on the tree's bark. “I’m ending its suffering,” she whispered to herself. Her power surged, reducing the tree to ashes in mere moments. Gathering its light, she felt a rejuvenating surge that the smaller bushes couldn't offer. The sight of Adir's approving nod felt like a small victory.

Adir crouched down, his gaze tracing the line of ashes that had once been a tree. He moved the torch closer to a nearby tree. "You could stand to be more careful, though," he gently suggested, pointing where her power had bled into its bark.

"But, I'm almost fully attuned..." She murmured, confused at his remark.

"Yes, your strength is undeniable. But power without control can be dangerous," Adir said, gently patting her on the shoulder but just hard enough to cause her to lean slightly, "Just keep that in mind." Slinging his backpack over his broad shoulder, his gaze drifting toward the east. “I’ll push the trees down as we go. That should buy us some time and protect Trina’s world a little longer.”

Ann looked at him with tears forming in her eyes. “Thank you, but I’m not sure it’ll be enough.”

“You're right. It won’t," his voice softened, layered with a heartfelt apology. "And I’m sorry, but you might have to keep doing these...explosions...for a while. We just need to get you to Randar. Haco's dealt with your level of bonding sickness before. She’ll know what to do.”

Hope fluttered in her chest, albeit weakly, dimmed by the daunting journey that lay ahead. She nodded silently, a question lingering on her tongue. “Can I use some of the mixtures to manage my sickness instead?” she asked, gesturing toward Adir’s backpack.

A profound sadness etched itself onto Adir's features, his eyes mirroring her own despair. “I wish I could let you, Ann. But we don't know what we'll encounter on our way to Randar. If we run out of forest, and your timer expires, will your aspect still save you?”

The truth hit her hard, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. “No. Probably not.”

“I'm sorry, Ann." Adir reached out to her, his hands open in a helpless gesture. "I wish I could do more.”

“It’s okay.” She reassured him, moving to hug him. His arms, strong and comforting, enveloped her. “We'll find a way through this, Adir.” As he squeezed her, a different window appeared in her vision.

Personal Quest Failed: Keep your sisters alive for 6 months.