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Description
When Green fell to the plague, they fell hard.
It only took a day in the wards for them to develop a minor fever, though they had been coughing and hacking throughout their entire day. They had a box of tissues beside their bed, as well as a couple bottles of various medicines to ease their pain. They hadn’t experienced any major pain as of yet, but they were grateful to have the bottles there if they needed them.
For the first couple days, it wasn’t their own symptoms that affected them the most, but that of others. Being sectioned off with the newer and stronger residents of the wards, magic was running rampant around the sickly gros. The magic glands, both the average and mutations, were glowing red, orange and blue all around the cramped space giving it some very eerie lighting. Some healthier gros tried to use more advanced magic, but whenever they did it always spiralled down into some sort of unexpected effect.
Those who tended to drift towards the blue magic glands weren’t actually too bad. If you needed a drink, they might be able to point you to a nearby water supply, and the bubbles weren’t exactly threatening. If they directed you to a drink though, you wouldn’t want to sit near them as even if you put the water in a solid, heavy cup and put it on a stable surface, it would undoubtedly spill due to their water manipulation.
When a gro accidentally created a wind gust, Green was usually extremely thankful as it tended to wash away some of the unbearable humidity caused by the combination of fire magic, water magic and the sheer number of bodies in the small space. The rest of their magic, however, tended to take a more creepy form.
They seemed to pop up out of nowhere, using their speedy movement to sneak up on Green and scare them into a coughing fit riddled with little bursts of flame. The orange glanded gros knew about anything and everything said in the wards, using their enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on even the most innocent of conversations. Their distorted, twisted voices struck fear into Green’s heart whenever they heard them.
None of this was as bad as the fire magic being used around the wards, however. Even the most inoffensive of their power, the ability to increase their body temperature, caused a dreadful increase in the already unbearable heat. They weren’t often melting things, but when they did it did naught except cause a mess for the healthy wyngrew to clean up, decreasing the time they spent on the sick. But however unpleasant those two were, the other two were downright scary.
Conjuring and manipulating fire was one of the biggest problems in the wards, or in Green’s area at least. At any point or time, there would be at least one charred blemish visible in the room from the terrible magic. Some gros even had burn marks, including Green, but they were lucky enough to have avoided anything that would scar. Other gros weren’t so lucky.
The constant magical terror looming over their bed prevented Green from sleeping much, and they instead went into a sort of haze, dropping in and out of consciousness at random intervals. They barely noticed the progression of the illness, barely noticed when they stopped coughing fire and started coughing blood as black as the midnight sky.
The next time Green really came to, they had been moved and were in a building built of large, rustic stone bricks. It seemed to be new, as the carpenters of the town were still around, putting in shiny new wooden supports.
“Poor thing. All alone out in the streets.” Green heard someone whisper. They quietly turned towards the voice. There were two adult bipeds that they could see, one that they recognised as Dr F and the other an unknown tan one with wings, sagging yellow robes and a heavy looking staff. When the two moved, Green could see a dark wyngling lying between them, motionless.
Dead
“Why wasn’t she in the wards? Heavens, why wasn’t she even inside!”
“We don’t know Graw’falla. We don’t even know who she is, she could’ve been homeless.”
“Does the nook not take in all wynglings without a place to call their own?”
“Yes, but not all are accepting of Alma’s kindness. Particularly now, with the Nook so full of wynglings orphaned by both the attack and the plague there are those who would rather live out on their own.”
“This is why you needed a chant. Those poor children had nowhere to go! She should have had a home, a place to find comfort and peace before her untimely-”
“She did,” Green interrupted. The two adults turned towards them.
“Oh thank Chii, you’re awake!” Dr F said. “Wait there, I just need to get a few things.” He rushed off, leaving Green with the stranger.
“What do you know about the wyngling child?” He asked softly.
“Her name is… Her name was Nightshade. She lived at the nook.”
“Why was she outside? Alma has a strict curfew, and there were no adults accompanying her.”
“Nightshade kept sneaking out. During the deelagun attack, to try and help fight it. It killed her family, and she didn’t feel like anyone cared about her at the nook so she kept going out even after the deelagun died.”
“Was that true?”
“Was what true?”
“That no one cared about her?”
Green considered their answer for a moment. Meanwhile, Dr F burst into the room, arms full of various medical instruments. He dropped a couple, causing some wyngrew to stir in their sleep.
“No. Nightshade might not have been good friends with anyone, but I enjoyed talking to her, and no one wanted her gone. No... No one… No one wanted this to happen!” Green hadn’t planned to get emotional, but there she was, gesturing towards Nightshade’s body, tears in their eyes.
“Don’t worry, her soul is now in Chii’falla’s hands,” Graw’falla reassured them.
Dr F finally made it to their bed with all his instruments and started the checkup. Graw’falla patted Green’s back as they sobbed for Nightshade, and as they were pricked lightly with a needle to confirm that their blood still ran spite black.
“What’s your name, my child?” Graw’falla asked as more checks were performed.
“Green. That’s what everyone calls me anyway.” Green sniffled. “My real name is Vert, which means Green in my parent’s language. They were travelling through here when they got caught up in the deelagun attack.”
“This is why the town must make sure that they heed the words of Chii’falla. If they had before my arrival, this whole tragedy could have been avoided. But now countless skulls of the dead lie scattered around the town, and mutations such as your own eye run rampant.”
“There are gros that tell me that my eye and the extra magic gland will help me with magic, but I don’t want to learn magic! I hate it. It’s done nothing but cause pain and misery my whole life!”
“You are right to fear magic Vert, but not all magic is bad. Only dark magic is restricted to evil, and that has been all but eradicated by our gracious king. Dr F, what’s your verdict?”
“Most symptoms have gone, but she still bears black blood and slightly runny glands. They’ll probably need another couple sessions.”
“Thank you, Dr F., I expect you have other patents to get to.” He nodded, picked up his things and scuttled off to another gro who had just awoken. “Now Vert, I’m going to use some of Chii’falla’s own holy light magic to heal you. Can you stay calm for me?” Green was trembling from head to toe, but they nodded despite their fear.
The trembling increased by a thousandfold after Graw’falla’s glands started to glow, prompting awful memories of their first days in the wards. Green’s eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to witness the destruction the magic would undoubtedly cause, but opened them once they realised that the ache that had been a constant part of their life for the last week was gone. They looked with wonder at the light Graw’falla emitted from his eyes, now soft and healing instead of harsh and hurting.
“You’d be hard pressed to find a way to harm another gro with light magic,” Graw’falla explained. “That is why it is the purest of all magic, the child of earth, water and Chii’falla herself”
“If light magic is so good, then why is other magic like fire and dark so bad? Why can’t all magic be good?”
“Because no risk encourages recklessness. The danger ensures that those who learn take care when using it. Light magic was created by Chii’falla to heal the damage of the other elements because some do not understand the risk and are careless anyway.”
“Then I only want to learn light magic.” Green decided. “I want to help people with my magic!”
“Slow down there child. You’re not old enough to learn magic yet, and besides, there are certain skills in both Earth and Water magic that you must learn before attempting the holy element of light. The best you can do for now is pray to Chii’falla that when you are ready, she will grant you the strength you need to master her noble art.”
“Then I’ll pray, and when I grow up I’ll learn water and earth magic then become the greatest light mage that there ever was!”
“Not in this town you won’t” Graw’falla grumbled quietly.

8/901

Description
When Green fell to the plague, they fell hard.
It only took a day in the wards for them to develop a minor fever, though they had been coughing and hacking throughout their entire day. They had a box of tissues beside their bed, as well as a couple bottles of various medicines to ease their pain. They hadn’t experienced any major pain as of yet, but they were grateful to have the bottles there if they needed them.
For the first couple days, it wasn’t their own symptoms that affected them the most, but that of others. Being sectioned off with the newer and stronger residents of the wards, magic was running rampant around the sickly gros. The magic glands, both the average and mutations, were glowing red, orange and blue all around the cramped space giving it some very eerie lighting. Some healthier gros tried to use more advanced magic, but whenever they did it always spiralled down into some sort of unexpected effect.
Those who tended to drift towards the blue magic glands weren’t actually too bad. If you needed a drink, they might be able to point you to a nearby water supply, and the bubbles weren’t exactly threatening. If they directed you to a drink though, you wouldn’t want to sit near them as even if you put the water in a solid, heavy cup and put it on a stable surface, it would undoubtedly spill due to their water manipulation.
When a gro accidentally created a wind gust, Green was usually extremely thankful as it tended to wash away some of the unbearable humidity caused by the combination of fire magic, water magic and the sheer number of bodies in the small space. The rest of their magic, however, tended to take a more creepy form.
They seemed to pop up out of nowhere, using their speedy movement to sneak up on Green and scare them into a coughing fit riddled with little bursts of flame. The orange glanded gros knew about anything and everything said in the wards, using their enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on even the most innocent of conversations. Their distorted, twisted voices struck fear into Green’s heart whenever they heard them.
None of this was as bad as the fire magic being used around the wards, however. Even the most inoffensive of their power, the ability to increase their body temperature, caused a dreadful increase in the already unbearable heat. They weren’t often melting things, but when they did it did naught except cause a mess for the healthy wyngrew to clean up, decreasing the time they spent on the sick. But however unpleasant those two were, the other two were downright scary.
Conjuring and manipulating fire was one of the biggest problems in the wards, or in Green’s area at least. At any point or time, there would be at least one charred blemish visible in the room from the terrible magic. Some gros even had burn marks, including Green, but they were lucky enough to have avoided anything that would scar. Other gros weren’t so lucky.
The constant magical terror looming over their bed prevented Green from sleeping much, and they instead went into a sort of haze, dropping in and out of consciousness at random intervals. They barely noticed the progression of the illness, barely noticed when they stopped coughing fire and started coughing blood as black as the midnight sky.
The next time Green really came to, they had been moved and were in a building built of large, rustic stone bricks. It seemed to be new, as the carpenters of the town were still around, putting in shiny new wooden supports.
“Poor thing. All alone out in the streets.” Green heard someone whisper. They quietly turned towards the voice. There were two adult bipeds that they could see, one that they recognised as Dr F and the other an unknown tan one with wings, sagging yellow robes and a heavy looking staff. When the two moved, Green could see a dark wyngling lying between them, motionless.
Dead
“Why wasn’t she in the wards? Heavens, why wasn’t she even inside!”
“We don’t know Graw’falla. We don’t even know who she is, she could’ve been homeless.”
“Does the nook not take in all wynglings without a place to call their own?”
“Yes, but not all are accepting of Alma’s kindness. Particularly now, with the Nook so full of wynglings orphaned by both the attack and the plague there are those who would rather live out on their own.”
“This is why you needed a chant. Those poor children had nowhere to go! She should have had a home, a place to find comfort and peace before her untimely-”
“She did,” Green interrupted. The two adults turned towards them.
“Oh thank Chii, you’re awake!” Dr F said. “Wait there, I just need to get a few things.” He rushed off, leaving Green with the stranger.
“What do you know about the wyngling child?” He asked softly.
“Her name is… Her name was Nightshade. She lived at the nook.”
“Why was she outside? Alma has a strict curfew, and there were no adults accompanying her.”
“Nightshade kept sneaking out. During the deelagun attack, to try and help fight it. It killed her family, and she didn’t feel like anyone cared about her at the nook so she kept going out even after the deelagun died.”
“Was that true?”
“Was what true?”
“That no one cared about her?”
Green considered their answer for a moment. Meanwhile, Dr F burst into the room, arms full of various medical instruments. He dropped a couple, causing some wyngrew to stir in their sleep.
“No. Nightshade might not have been good friends with anyone, but I enjoyed talking to her, and no one wanted her gone. No... No one… No one wanted this to happen!” Green hadn’t planned to get emotional, but there she was, gesturing towards Nightshade’s body, tears in their eyes.
“Don’t worry, her soul is now in Chii’falla’s hands,” Graw’falla reassured them.
Dr F finally made it to their bed with all his instruments and started the checkup. Graw’falla patted Green’s back as they sobbed for Nightshade, and as they were pricked lightly with a needle to confirm that their blood still ran spite black.
“What’s your name, my child?” Graw’falla asked as more checks were performed.
“Green. That’s what everyone calls me anyway.” Green sniffled. “My real name is Vert, which means Green in my parent’s language. They were travelling through here when they got caught up in the deelagun attack.”
“This is why the town must make sure that they heed the words of Chii’falla. If they had before my arrival, this whole tragedy could have been avoided. But now countless skulls of the dead lie scattered around the town, and mutations such as your own eye run rampant.”
“There are gros that tell me that my eye and the extra magic gland will help me with magic, but I don’t want to learn magic! I hate it. It’s done nothing but cause pain and misery my whole life!”
“You are right to fear magic Vert, but not all magic is bad. Only dark magic is restricted to evil, and that has been all but eradicated by our gracious king. Dr F, what’s your verdict?”
“Most symptoms have gone, but she still bears black blood and slightly runny glands. They’ll probably need another couple sessions.”
“Thank you, Dr F., I expect you have other patents to get to.” He nodded, picked up his things and scuttled off to another gro who had just awoken. “Now Vert, I’m going to use some of Chii’falla’s own holy light magic to heal you. Can you stay calm for me?” Green was trembling from head to toe, but they nodded despite their fear.
The trembling increased by a thousandfold after Graw’falla’s glands started to glow, prompting awful memories of their first days in the wards. Green’s eyes squeezed shut, not wanting to witness the destruction the magic would undoubtedly cause, but opened them once they realised that the ache that had been a constant part of their life for the last week was gone. They looked with wonder at the light Graw’falla emitted from his eyes, now soft and healing instead of harsh and hurting.
“You’d be hard pressed to find a way to harm another gro with light magic,” Graw’falla explained. “That is why it is the purest of all magic, the child of earth, water and Chii’falla herself”
“If light magic is so good, then why is other magic like fire and dark so bad? Why can’t all magic be good?”
“Because no risk encourages recklessness. The danger ensures that those who learn take care when using it. Light magic was created by Chii’falla to heal the damage of the other elements because some do not understand the risk and are careless anyway.”
“Then I only want to learn light magic.” Green decided. “I want to help people with my magic!”
“Slow down there child. You’re not old enough to learn magic yet, and besides, there are certain skills in both Earth and Water magic that you must learn before attempting the holy element of light. The best you can do for now is pray to Chii’falla that when you are ready, she will grant you the strength you need to master her noble art.”
“Then I’ll pray, and when I grow up I’ll learn water and earth magic then become the greatest light mage that there ever was!”
“Not in this town you won’t” Graw’falla grumbled quietly.

8/901