The Withering

Driftwood Heart

Days passed in a heavy, oppressive silence. 

The memory of that day weighed on you like an anchor, dragging down your thoughts whenever you tried to focus on anything else. The anger that had initially fueled your departure had faded, leaving behind a hollow ache.

You hadn't heard from Ydris since the argument, and the absence felt like a wound that wouldn't close.

You threw yourself into your work, anything to distract yourself from the gnawing emptiness. Fighting the illness, strategizing with the Druids, and spending time with the Soul Riders became your life. 

But even in the midst of the day's busiest moments, your thoughts would drift back to Ydris. The image of his face, twisted in pain and anger, haunted you. The wound on your arm, now bandaged but still throbbing, was a constant reminder of how everything had spiraled out of control.

The others noticed the change in you. 

Lisa and Alex exchanged worried glances when they thought you weren't looking, and Fripp's eyes followed you with an almost knowing sadness. They didn't push, but their concern was palpable. You caught Linda staring at you once, her expression full of unspoken questions, but she said nothing. You didn't offer any explanations, either. It was easier to keep it all bottled up, to pretend that you were fine when in reality, you felt like you were barely holding it together.

Every time you looked at the wound on your arm, you were reminded of the horrifying truth that Ydris was behind the illness. 

It was him all along. 

The sickness spreading across Jorvik, the withering that was destroying the land, it all traced back to him.

In spite of the pain, it felt like the final piece of the puzzle.

You tried to reconcile the Ydris you loved with the one who was behind this destruction, but no matter how hard you tried, the two versions of him refused to merge. 

The Ydris you knew was charming, enigmatic, and full of life. But the Ydris who was responsible for this illness, the one who had sent that painful burst of magic at you in a fit of rage, was a stranger, a monster hiding behind a familiar face.

And as the days passed, it became clear that the illness was only worsening. 

The land was suffering, the withering spreading faster than you and the others could keep up with. Each new area you discovered was more devastated than the last, the life drained out of it, leaving only a barren, cursed landscape in its wake. 

It was as if, in your absence, Ydris had only ramped up his efforts, causing more harm, more pain, more destruction.

The thought that Ydris was still out there, still spreading the illness even after you had left him, tore at your heart. 

You had hoped, foolishly, perhaps, that your departure would mean something to him, that it would make him stop, or at least hesitate. But the continued devastation made it painfully clear. It hadn't.

He hadn't stopped, hadn't slowed down, not even for a moment. 

And that realization cut deeper than any physical wound ever could. It was as if everything you had shared with him, every moment, every kiss, every whispered word of love, had meant nothing. 

How could he keep doing this if he truly cared?

Not all shadows come from darkness. 

Aideen's words haunted you, twisting in your mind.

You missed him, despite everything. 

You missed the way he made you feel, the way he looked at you like you were the most important person in the world. But now, those memories felt like a cruel joke, a reminder of how completely you had been deceived.