As the sun hid below the horizon, the colours of dusk began to fade away. In its place, dark shades of purple and blue appeared. The stars were starting to come to life, they sparkled and shimmered as darkness fell upon the land.

The last rays from the sun illuminated a quivering path on the water, where a small figure rested beside the water spring. A chilling breeze blew, making the leaves rustle and the little creature tremble and curl up even tighter around themselves, doing their best to conceal the precious heat inside their fragile and trembling body.

A sneeze escaped his lips and he rested his head back on the tree, laboured breathing becoming more even and tired blue eyes closing in a peaceful slumber, save for occasional coughs and sneezes that came on, never once, though, disrupting his sleep.

No more than a couple of minutes later a voice called out for him.

"Oi, Chief! We need help over the pinwheel shop!"

He saw a familiar seedling dressed in dark clothes and a golden monocle. It was Shakuro. He waved to get his attention and Tethu sluggishly waved back.

With some difficulty, he stood from his spot under the tree, immediately missing the warmth the quickly fading rays of the sun provided. Through unfocused eyes, he could make out Shakuro watching him expectantly. Without thinking much, Tethu obeyed his friend's request. Having grown used to helping the oasis' residents whenever it was needed. Sometimes, even when they didn't need it at all. It came with the job.

"Wake up sleeping beauty, we need your green gale."

Tethu snickered at his friend, a smile forming on his face. "Not yet! Still needing my true love's kiss." He kissed the air in his direction, faking an attempt to plant a kiss on the other seedling's cheeks.

"Ugh, nooo!" Shakuro laughed and playfully pushed Tethu away. "Yeah, yeah. Good luck on that," he said under his breath. "I can't see that happening anytime soon."

Tethu had a smile bright like the sun on his face. However, it quickly vanished, pained coughs having stolen its place. Shakuro's eyes widened in surprise. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the coughing to disappear and allowed him to regain his breath.

"Chief… you ok, man?" His voice was soft and uncertain. Still shaking from the sudden coughing bout, Tethu raised his head and nodded affirmatively, making sure to offer the most sincere smile he could. However, that did little to relieve the other's concerned gaze.

"You sure?…" Another nod. Shakuro pretended not to notice how he still trembled like a leaf. Tethu didn't waste a second to send Shakuro a, hopefully, reassuring smile.

"S-So… what were you needing me for?…" He said, hoping to change the subject. Shakuro eyed him with suspicion but decided to let it pass.

"Roto's leapard got stuck on top of Pami's shop… Again."

"Oh."

He let Shakuro lead the way. A cold wind howled as it gusted around the trees. Even before, when everything was still a desert, the nights were always cold and windy, so that wasn't anything new to them, but that didn't mean it felt any better.

"Geez, it's cold tonight…" Shakuro spoke faintly, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to shield his own body. Behind him, Tethu whimpered as he nodded, his skin chilled from the unforgiving cold. He also had his arms around himself, but it had helped little.

If his throat hadn't felt so sore he would have corrected Shakuro. It was very cold that night.

...

Three seedlings stood in front of the pinwheel shop, each one of them was looking upwards at a small creature on top of the decorative pinwheels, it whimpered and called out for his owner. With every step it tried to take, the pinwheel spun a little, startling the poor animal into silence.

"Eh, two shops, three houses and a tree. It's a new record…" Jasper deadpanned.

"Oh, come on Jasper, you're not helping," Roto responded. Behind him, Pami gazed at both of them with concern. The latter raised his gaze at the leapard pup, his slightly concerned gaze quickly becoming one of fear as one of the leapards' paws slipped from the pinwheel.

Pami's heart stopped for a moment that felt like an eternity, his eyes widened in terror, he only had enough time to let out an alarmed gasp when it started to fall. Roto and Jasper rushed forward with outstretched arms, but they couldn't reach it. It's blue eyes filled with terror as it fell closer and closer to the ground, the seedling's best efforts weren't quick enough.

The small leapard let out a fearful squeak and closed its eyes, with heart pounding on its little chest, it braced for the impact.

An impact that never came. Instead, a strong gale with a beautiful green hue reached it just a second before it hit the ground. The wind broke it's fall, letting the little leapard down safely.

Roto let out a breath that he was holding and rushed to his pet, it was confused and scared, so as soon as it's big blue eyes met his owner's, it hopped straight to Roto's arms. Roto smiled as he held the little pup, softly stroking its fur. "Oh Gods, I almost thought… please Dayie, don't do that…" The pup, Dayie, whimpered in response, curling up tighter around itself and clinging onto Roto like their very lives depended on it.

Jasper also let out a shuddering breath, relief washing through him. Pami rubbed his eyes to get rid of a remaining tear, his heart was still pounding painfully inside his chest, but the sight of the two safe and sound calmed him down a little.

"Oh, dear is it alright?!" Shakuro exclaimed, startling the two. Behind him, Tethu stood with outstretched hands and letting out a relieved sigh, a weak breeze still flowing around him. Roto sent him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Chief." His voice was soft and a single tear traced a line down his cheek. Tethu smiled back in response.

"Welp, good to know everything turned out well." Shakuro smiled brightly. "How about some tea to calm down? My treat!"

"Oh, no no! The poor thing got stuck on my bloom booth, I should have checked it as soon as I heard the noise. Let me pay for it, it's the least I can do." Pami said, gaze filled with embarrassment and guilt.

"Oh, please don't!" Roto turned to him. "If there's anyone at fault here it's me, you don't have to have the trouble."

"Besides, we have to prepare for the festival tomorrow, we can't stay up too late," Jasper said. "I hate to be the party pooper, but…"

"It's fine, man." Shakuro laughed. "How about going to Evia's for some drinks tomorrow, then? It's gonna be crowded, but I heard she is going to make some special orders for the festival." He winked, earning excited smiles from his companions.

"Hey, Chief! You're coming too, right?" Jasper asked. Tethu smiled and nodded his head affirmatively.

"Yeah, sure!"

"Neat! See you guys tomorrow, then!"

After exchanging their farewells, the small group dispersed. Tethu smiled in anticipation, the following night was promising to be great. He was almost glowing in joy, but a couple of wet coughs interrupted his thoughts, he groaned and pressed his hand on his throat, feeling it sore and dry.

Oh Gods, please don't tell me I'm gonna be sick tomorrow...

...

As the sun hid away, the crescent moon came to light up the land, bringing stars that resembled diamonds scattered across the sky with it. With the night, also came music and laughter. The festival had begun.

Soft blue eyes watched the festival from a distance. They seemed to be having so much fun, but he wasn't feeling like joining them. Everything was so great, everyone, including him, had put so much effort into this, and while everyone enjoyed it and had fun, he wasn't in the slightest appealed by the so carefully planned event.

In fact, the music was horribly loud to his ears, but everyone else danced happily and while many enjoyed snacks and drinks, just the thought of getting anywhere near food made his stomach twist.

So, other than Khepri, who was currently curled up on his lap, he was left alone by the entrance gates, greeting anyone that came in through them.

For a festival, it surely wasn't his night, he really got sick after all.

He just hoped everyone else was doing better than him.

...

"Alright, you jerk, truth or dare?"

"Dare! Let's see what you got." Sakina and Mariah glared at each other with fervour.

"Ooh, this is gonna get good!"

"But are you sure these two aren't gonna murder each other?"

"Relax man, they're fine. You're worrying too much."

"If you say so..."

The showdown between the two became so ruthless the other races were starting to question the 'weak and friendly healers' stereotype for the seedlings. May the gods have mercy on whoever gets caught in a lie or failed their dares.

"I dare you to enter the Spirit shrine!"

"What?! Mariah are y-"

"Fine! I will do it!"

"Sakina?!"

"With my eyes closed too, just watch me!"

With that, the male seedling stomped past them and towards the Great Tree. While everyone stared at him in shock, Mariah huffed and glared with an unimpressed look. On that moment, they all remembered something Tethu had said just a day ago.

"Can you guys not go near the Spirit shrine entrance? It's just for a few days, but if you could keep your distance for now, I'd appreciate it."

Tethu had literally just told them to stay away from the shrine. Exactly what the young man was about to do.

"Oh dear…" Pami whimpered.

"Are these two crazy?!" Miura exclaimed. She rushed after the seedlings, in hopes of convincing them to quit with that childish bickering.

"Do you think the Chief will get mad at them?" Jamileh whispered to her brother. Shakuro pondered about it for a few moments before speaking, his voice becoming soft, but it still held concern. "Honest? I don't think he would, the Chief is a pretty chill guy, but that doesn't mean they're allowed to do that. And after Esna passed away too…"

They were unsure of what to do, some had followed the two seedlings to the shrine, others had decided to stay to avoid getting involved into that mess. But when they least expected it, Reuben came in running and shouted for everyone to hear. "Guys! He did it!"

With those simple words, hell absolutely broke loose.

...

"I can't believe you're actually doing this…" Miura spoke. Sakina, however, didn't pay that much mind, instead, he gave Mariah a victorious grin.

"I guess I win~." He said with a sing-song voice, earning an irritated growl from the girl.

He decided to ignore her for now. He took a better look inside the shrine, it was way more spacious than it looked, the water around it shimmered and formed many different patterns on the walls, but what really caught his attention were the small and colorful jewels that were adorning the place, together with the water they seemed to glow and fill the empty place with a beautiful show of coloured lights. He was sure those weren't there before, the Chief must've put these to pay respects to Esna. Regardless, it was a beautiful sight.

"Oh, Gods… GUYS! It's so awesome in here! You've GOT to see it!"

"It's not gonna be so awesome if Tethu green gales our butts out of this oasis!"

He rolled his eyes. "Relax, Isaac! Did he like, ever get angry at anyone?" With one last look inside the shrine, Sakina walked away, facing the angered librarian.

"You just disobeyed the Chief, broke into Esna's old home, started messing around her stuff and tried to get us to enter too. How disrespectful can you get?"

He turned to Mariah, who was pouting beside him. "And you too! What were you thinking?!"

"Hey! I wasn't messing with her stuff! I didn't touch anything."

"Still, Sakina. Would it hurt for you two to stop this catfight? One of you could get hurt." Lili said.

He had to fight another eye roll but decided to let that one slide. He really wasn't looking for another fight.

With hurried steps, Sakina crossed the tree root that served as a bridge. He expected all of this to be forgotten by the end of the week, nobody would dare to tell Tethu about what happened, all of that would pass and everything will get back to how it was before. What he didn't expect was his foot to slip. Before he even realized what had happened, he had fallen in the frigid water spring.

It was so cold. He instinctively tried to reach the surface, but he had found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move. His limbs flailed, but it felt like he was going everywhere but up. Panic started to fill his heart, he started to reach for something that he could hold and pull himself upwards, but like all of his previous attempts at swimming, it was in vain. Each air bubble that swiftly floated upwards was a frightening reminder that his time was running out and the water that entered his lungs let him know of his fate once it did. The lack of air became agonizing and his vision slowly, but surely darkened.

Sakina shut his eyes and ceased his weak attempts to emerge from the water. It was impossible to see it, but he was crying. What a pathetic way to die, he thought. He had always been so sure once his time came, it'd be in an honourable way, or at the very least, peaceful, but no. The cold water on his skin and the life threatening situation he was in opened his eyes to his mistakes. Tethu was their leader and guardian, risking his life daily to protect and provide for them, but he had disobeyed him. Esna provided their water and gave up her life so they could be free from the Chaos, but he had disrespected her. His friends tried to warn him, but he not only shrugged them off, but fought with them. And now, he paid for his actions.

Without forces to fight, he had a lot of time to think as the water slowly drained his life away.

Up in dry land, there was nothing but panic.

"We have to get in!"

"There has to be another way!"

"He hasn't emerged yet! The time we're wasting arguing could cost his life!"

"Can't you see?! If you get in alone, you will drown too! We need something to pull you out-"

In the middle of the chaos, appearing like an angel sent from the heavens, Tethu dashed through them, determination shining in his eyes as he took a deep breath and dived in the spring.

The water was painfully cold, but he paid that no mind as he swam deeper and towards the pale and unmoving seedling at the bottom. Without wasting a second, he grabbed Sakina by his arm and pulled him towards the surface. He was limp in Tethu's hold and he seemed not to notice that he was being pulled up at all, was he too late?

No. He couldn't think like that. He had to fight, Sakina was alive, he had to be. He couldn't imagine what they'd do if he died.

It will be my fault…

Again...

...

They had never felt so incapable in their lives, their friend was drowning right in front of them and they could do nothing but wait and pray the Chief was able to reach him in time. They were all fearful, but Mariah was hurt the most, fallen to her knees, tears falling from her eyes as Levi and Kaela tried to comfort her, guilt fueling her fear for Sakina's life. Despite her behaviour earlier, she mentally screamed at herself for causing her friend's death.

When they were running out of hope, the two seedlings suddenly broke to the surface, between coughs, Tethu started to swim towards the dry land, carrying a nearly unconscious Sakina beside him. Both of them were welcomed by cheers and relieved smiles. Tethu softly whispered words of comfort to Sakina, who held onto him for dear life coughing and gasping for air.

"It's okay. It's okay now, you're safe."

Sakina whimpered, tears rolling down his cheeks as his body jerked with every cough. He could only vaguely hear Tethu's words, his voice was hoarse and strained, but it was still soothing to him.

Shakuro and Miura were the first to come to their aid, bringing the almost unconscious seedling to dry land. Soon, they were surrounded by most of the creatures that had attended the festival, from residents to noots, they were all trying to approach them, some bringing towels and dry clothes. Mariah was watching everything from afar, relief and shame written in her features.

Tethu watched everything unfold with a relieved smile as he pulled himself out of the water. As the adrenaline faded out of his bloodstream, exhaustion was quick to take its place and all of the energy he had in his body seemed to disappear. He felt beyond drained, every muscle in his body was paining him so much he didn't dare to move, but his chest, it felt like it was on fire. He had been feeling that pain for a couple of days before that, but it was like the dive in the spring made it ten times worse.

"Hey, Chief. Are you alright?" A voice soft like an angel's reached his ears, its owner was gazing at him, brows furrowed in confusion and worry.

It was Sol. "You don't look so good." The lagora added.

His first reaction would have been denying, saying that he was alright, he would have put up the comforting smile the residents knew him for, and said he was just tired from the long day plus a surprise swimming section in the spring. But the way his vision darkened and his chest felt numb from pain, it screamed; 'You can't pretend to be alright anymore!'

"...I..." It was so hard to speak. His head felt light. "N-No..."

He vaguely felt Sol's paw on his shoulders and his voice calling his name with a fearful tone, but it sounded strangely muffled, like it was somewhere very far away. Darkness involved his body and swallowed up all sensations. He had no more strength to fight against it's power.

The last thing he felt was his body hitting the ground before the darkness engulfed his world.