The River's Edge
They reached the river at dawn, the mist rolling off its surface in low, ragged breaths, turning the dark water into a living thing that writhed and whispered as it moved.
The trees leaned over the banks, roots clawing at the mud, branches dipping into the slow, thick current. The water was dark, almost black, tinged with the oil-slick shimmer of Blight corruption swirling just beneath the surface.
Evin crouched at the bank, pulling off his glove to touch the water lightly with the back of his hand before jerking it away.
"It's warm," he muttered, wiping his hand on the grass. "Too warm."
Mira stood behind him, clutching a small glass vial filled with clear water, her eyes on the current. "The Blight settles in low places," she said quietly. "It sinks into water, makes it carry the sickness downstream."
Aeris stood beside her, feeling the ember under his ribs tighten, heat spiking before falling cold again, his breath catching with each pulse.
Liora was silent, standing slightly back, her bell held against her chest, watching the river with wide, unsettled eyes.
They had to cross. There was no way around.
A Place to Cross
They moved upstream for nearly two hours, the trees thinning slightly, the river widening where it swallowed the forest floor in shallow pools and reedy channels.
At one point, they found a stretch of river where the water was only knee-deep, flowing over rounded stones slick with algae. A fallen tree lay across part of it, its branches stripped by water, forming a natural bridge half-submerged.
Evin tested the water again, stepping carefully onto the stones, each movement measured, his sword strapped across his back to keep it dry.
"It's safe enough here," he called back, though his voice was tight.
Mira pulled a strip of cloth from her pouch, tying it around her nose and mouth as she waded in, the water swirling around her legs, warm and pulsing with odd currents.
Aeris followed, clutching the strap of his satchel, the ember within him reacting violently to the corruption. Each step made him feel as if something were reaching into his chest, pulling the ember upward, trying to drown him from the inside.
He stumbled once, catching himself on a half-submerged branch, his breath hissing through his teeth.
"Aeris," Liora called from the bank, her voice small.
"I'm fine," he managed, forcing himself to move.
She stepped into the water last, lifting her skirt to keep it from dragging, her bell chiming softly as she moved, the sound cutting through the low hiss of the water.
The Corruption's Reach
Halfway across, Aeris fell to one knee.
The ember under his ribs burned, cold and hot at once, sending spikes of pain up his spine and into the base of his skull. His vision went white for a moment, then black, the world shrinking to the feeling of water pressing around him, of something moving under the surface like a hand reaching for his throat.
He heard a voice in the water, low and hungry.
Come closer. Let go.
He felt himself leaning forward, hands sinking into the water, the corruption pushing into his skin like tiny barbs. The ember roared within him, a silent scream he could not shape into words.
A hand grabbed his arm, pulling him up.
Evin was there, eyes sharp, jaw clenched as he dragged Aeris upright.
"Move," Evin snapped.
Aeris gasped, forcing air into his lungs, the ember thrumming under his ribs like a drumbeat as he stumbled forward, water cascading off his robes.
Liora reached out, touching Aeris's wrist lightly, her eyes shimmering with fear and something else—a soft light that hovered in the air around her, rippling over the water like a second, gentle current.
The water recoiled from her, the black threads of Blight pulling back for a breath, the pressure on Aeris's chest easing just enough for him to stand without shaking.
"Keep moving," Liora whispered.
On the Far Bank
They reached the far bank just as the sun climbed higher, the warmth of the light doing little to chase away the chill that clung to them from the water.
Mira helped Aeris sit down, pulling out a small cloth to dry his face, her fingers trembling.
"Let me see," she said, pressing her hand against his chest, feeling the heat there, the unnatural cold that came with it.
"It's… under control," Aeris managed, though his voice was rough.
Mira's eyes softened, and she shook her head. "You're burning, Aeris."
"It's better than freezing," he whispered, trying to smile.
Mira pressed her lips together, forcing herself to look away as she dug into her satchel, pulling out herbs that smelled of mint and smoke, crushing them in her palm before pressing them to Aeris's lips.
"Chew," she ordered.
He obeyed, the bitter taste filling his mouth, making his vision clear again, the ember's pulse slowing to a manageable ache.
Meanwhile, Evin paced near the trees, scanning the forest as he muttered under his breath, hand on his sword hilt.
Liora knelt beside Aeris, her small fingers brushing against his sleeve.
"You heard it, didn't you?" she whispered.
Aeris met her eyes, the ember reflecting in her storm-grey irises.
"Yes," he whispered. "It's getting stronger."
The Creature in the Water
They rested for an hour, eating stale bread and dried fruit as the forest remained oddly silent, the air heavy with the scent of damp moss and faint rot.
Evin moved to the river's edge, peering down into the water, his expression darkening.
"It's still moving," he muttered.
Mira joined him, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. "The Blight doesn't leave easily. It settles in water, feeding on the things that try to grow."
They heard a splash downstream, something large moving beneath the surface.
A long, slow ripple cut across the river, pushing aside reeds and sticks as it moved toward the fallen tree they had used to cross.
Then it rose.
A creature, half-fish, half-rot, its scales blackened and slick, eyes pale and blind, gills pulsing as it sucked in the warm, tainted water. Its jaw hung crooked, dripping weeds and strands of dark algae, teeth like broken shards of bone.
It did not attack, only floated near the surface, its empty gaze turned toward them.
Liora stepped forward, her bell ringing softly as she lifted it, letting the chime echo across the water.
"Go," she whispered.
The creature's gills fluttered, its mouth opening and closing soundlessly as the bell's song swept over the water.
The Blight's shimmer recoiled, pulling back like oil from a flame, and for a single moment, the creature's eyes cleared, showing a glint of something that might have once been alive.
It sank back into the water, vanishing beneath the surface without a sound.
A Promise Between Shadows
They moved away from the river, climbing a low ridge to a clearing where the grass grew in thick tufts, untainted by the river's corruption.
Evin finally turned to Aeris, his face hard.
"You need to tell us how bad it is."
Aeris met his gaze, the ember beneath his robes pulsing once, visible in the dim light like a second heartbeat.
"It's manageable," Aeris said, but his voice was thin.
"It's not," Evin snapped. "It nearly pulled you under back there."
Mira stepped between them, her hands raised. "We can't fight each other. Not now."
Evin glared at her before looking back at Aeris. "If it takes you, what happens to us? To the mission?"
Aeris closed his eyes, breathing slowly as he felt the ember calm, its glow steady under his ribs.
"I won't let it take me," he whispered.
"That's not a promise you can keep," Evin replied, his voice low.
Aeris opened his eyes, meeting Evin's stare, something old and quiet settling in his expression.
"Then I'll make it one."
The Ember's Glow
That night, they camped beneath the trees, a small fire crackling as Mira cooked a thin broth with herbs to keep them warm.
Liora sat beside Aeris, her bell in her lap, polishing it with a scrap of cloth as she watched him.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly.
Aeris glanced down at his chest, at the faint glow of the ember beneath his shirt, pulsing in time with his breath.
"Yes," he whispered.
Liora nodded, as if she understood. "But it's warm, too."
Aeris smiled, though it was tired. "Yes."
Liora hummed softly, a tune she had sung before, a promise of rain and green leaves, of rivers untainted and skies clear of ash.
Aeris closed his eyes, letting the ember match the rhythm of her song, letting it calm within him for the first time in days.
Quiet Resolve
Later, when the others slept, Evin sat beside the fire, sharpening his blade, each scrape of the whetstone a whisper against the night.
Aeris sat across from him, writing in his journal, the page glowing faintly with the ember's light.
"What are you writing?" Evin asked quietly, his voice softer than usual.
Aeris glanced up, then down at the page.
"Letters," he said.
Evin nodded once. "To who?"
Aeris's pen paused, ink pooling at the tip before he lifted it, letting the droplet fall onto the page.
"To anyone who finds them," he said.
They were silent for a while, the fire crackling, the forest alive with the sound of wind in the branches.
"We're close now," Evin said, sheathing his blade. "To the heart of it."
Aeris nodded, closing his journal, the ember within him warm, steady.
"Yes," he whispered. "We're close."