"Rain."
Rain looked over and saw Hana approaching.
"What's up?"
"I think I can find a cure for this coughing sickness," Hana said, though her voice trembled with uncertainty.
Rain's face brightened with hope. "Really?"
"If this isn't a curse and it's caused by natural means, then I can find a cure," Hana continued.
Rain grasped Hana's hands, his excitement barely contained. "I had no idea you could do that!"
"We Hanamoris have a special affinity with plants and nature. We can grow a herb that cures certain diseases," Hana explained.
"Amazing, Hana! So what do we need to do?" Rain could finally see a glimmer of hope in their darkest hour.
However, Hana's expression remained somber. "I have to get the virus inside my body."
Rain's smile vanished. "But then you . . ."
Hana nodded. "Yes, I would get sick too. But there's a chance that my body could adapt and grow the plant that's the cure to the disease."
Rain's eyes narrowed with concern. "How likely is that?"
Hana hesitated, her gaze dropping to the ground. ". . . About fifty percent." she lied.
The truth was, even she didn't know how successful this venture would be. This would be her first time attempting it, so she wasn't really sure.
Rain fell silent, the weight of Hana's words sinking in. Fifty percent? That was too low, wasn't it?
"Only fifty percent?" he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper. "That's not much of a chance."
Hana sighed, her shoulders drooping. "I would have a better chance if I were an adult. But since I'm still young, I don't know how my body will respond to the virus, if at all."
Rain gritted his teeth.
"Alright," he said finally, his voice steadying. "If this is our best shot, then we'll do it. But we'll take every precaution we can. We'll get through this together."
Hana nodded, a small smile breaking through her serious expression. "Thank you, my Lord. I know it's a lot to ask. But I believe we can do this."
Rain took a deep breath, steeling himself for what's to come. "We don't have a choice. Let's get started."
That night, Hana stayed with the quarantined, determined to get herself infected. It didn't take an hour before she was already coughing and burning with fever.
Now came the hardest part for Rain: the waiting. He prayed and hoped that Hana would develop the cure and that her body could withstand the disease.
However, that didn't happen. Two days passed, more lives were claimed, and Hana's condition worsened.
Rain fervently prayed that Hana would push through.
"Rain, lad . . ." Druger tapped Rain's shoulder as he waited outside the quarantine area.
"I'm sorry, Druger. Because of me, Hana is . . ."
Druger shook his head. "No one blames you, Rain. Not me, not Lyncon, not anyone here. She chose this path to help, and all we can do is hope she comes out of this alive."
Rain clenched his fists. "If only . . . if only I could do more."
"You're already doing more than anyone could possibly do, Rain."
Rain smiled bitterly. "Why is this happening, Druger? Just when I thought everything was finally going my way, this happened. I thought we could finally build the village and live in peace, but then this happened . . ."
Druger took a deep breath. "Everything happens for a reason, lad. And always remember, there's always light after the darkness. I'm sure Hana will come out alive and produce that cure. And I'm sure we can defeat the Hobgoblins and defend our town."
Rain forced a smile. "Thanks, Druger."
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Druger forced a smile . . . but beneath it, he was holding himself not to cough.