Lith sat in the Elemental Storage until Invigoration had barely any effect on him, yet he filled only half a tank for his efforts. He became so tired that he ate in the privacy of his room and went to sleep as soon as he was done.

Baba Yaga, Quylla, Faluel, Kalla, and Friya spent their time studying the readings of the Infirmary and discussing potential treatments for Zoreth. One person would have been enough to monitor the Shadow Dragon’s condition and compile the data, but with so little time left, every second mattered.

Zoreth never left her room, not even for her meal. She hadn’t missed how Solus tensed up whenever Bytra talked or came too close to her. Moreover, Zoreth couldn’t stand the worried looks of the children.

“If I have to die, I want them to remember me as the strong and indomitable Aunt Zoreth, the Shadow Dragon who carried them around on her back. Not as the weak, ruined mess I’ve become.” She said after Bytra asked her why she refused to attend dinner.

“Besides, I’m too dangerous to stay near the children.” Zoreth gulped a glass of Red Dragon to numb her pain. “One spark of Chaos and they die. One spark of Decay and they’ll turn into old people, if they are lucky.

“Unless I spasm again and squash them like bugs, of course.” The Shadow Dragon extended her hands and tried to keep them still, but even with the powerful liquor running through her veins, she kept shaking.

“Still, I think that staying holed up in here does you no good, Zor.” Bytra said while spoon-feeding dimensionally compressed dishes to her wife. “The sun would reduce your appetite, and seeing the beauty of the Desert would help you relax.