Willow vaguely recalled a lot of pain, many worried voices, and then darkness.

  She knew her dreams were intense, with yellow green eyes dominating them, but the specifics escaped her as she woke.

  Perhaps it was because her very being was quite sore.

  Her limbs ached, especially her left arm, which had been the one she’d used to touch Huey. Her mind was in a fog, trying to string any thoughts together was a struggle, and her spiritual senses were muted and fuzzy.

  It reminded her of when she had suffered qi exhaustion, yet more spread out and less focused on her core.

  The reminder of her past injury made her tentatively reach out to her spirits through their shared bond.

  No pain shot from her core when she tried, making her sigh in relief. At least this time she’d still have her friends with her as she recovered from whatever this was. One bond was even outside their space which reminded Willow that she hadn’t pulled back Eos before she had started trying to harmonize with Huey.

  She hoped they weren’t too worried about her, she didn’t like making her friends sad.

  She opened her eyes and the evening rays of sunlight stabbed into them painfully, making her close them again and let out a groan. Though she noted that she was in an open faced tent, rather than on the back of Rotter right now.

  “Easy now, girlie. Try to rest, you just took a nasty tumble.” Scholar Mu spoke with surprising softness from her side. She placed a gloved hand on her wrist, sending a pulse of qi through the girl’s body.

  Willow tried to speak, but all that came out was a croak, her throat absolutely parched.

  Likely noticing the girl’s thirst from her scan, Mu gently sat Willow up and gave her a small amount of water to drink from her waterskin. Making sure to only give her small sips at a time.

  “What you did was quite foolish, but I’m more the fool for suggestin’ it. Let my curiosity get the better of me again.” She heard her mentor let out a deep sigh.

  “‘Sfine.” Willow managed to get out in between sips.

  “It’s not. If I’m to be your teacher, I should be puttin’ your safety above everything. Your pops and aunt made damn sure I remembered that.”

  The girl idly wondered what exactly they had said to Mu to make her so contrite, feeling they might have been a bit too harsh to her. It was her mistake after all.

  “Speakin’ of, I’ll let everyone know you’re awake now.”

  Willow grunted an affirmative as the wanderer left her side. Though a warm presence took her place.

  “Hiya Eos. Sorry for worrying you.” She croaked to her first friend.

  They sent back concern and relief that she seemed to be fine. Though it was of course tinged with exasperation that she had managed to do this to herself.

  “Yeah, dunno what happened.”

  Harmony harrumphed from her space in Willow’s crown. “You were reckless for no adequate reason, child. When the technique failed to work in the way you desired, you should have stepped back and reassessed. Instead you tried to brute force it.”

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  “You said it shouldn’t be dangerous!” The girl defended herself.

  “I also said to be cautious, but you clearly ignored that part.”

  That’s… completely true. Why had she ignored her friend's warning?

  “I was curious, and wanted to know what would happen.”

  A little too curious, actually.

  “I think it’s cause I was harmonizing with Huey. He really wanted to know if I could do it.”

  Harmony was silent for a few moments as she processed Willow’s explanation. “That is… entirely plausible. My apologies for not considering that as a potential cause for your recklessness.”

  “It’s fine, you’re just worried about me.” Or at least that’s what she assumed her friend’s current emotional state was.

  Not having access to her spiritual sense really sucked.

  She rested for a bit, occasionally trying to open her eyes, but her sensitivity to light was still way too high.

  Maybe it was because of the extra eye she had gotten right before things went wrong?

  She touched the back of her hand. Didn’t seem to be there anymore which was a relief.

  Why does opening an extra eye always leave her bedridden?

  This is the second time already, and she hoped this wasn’t starting a pattern.

  Because having extra eyes could be quite neat if it didn’t keep doing this to her.

  Her odd musings were interrupted by the sound of rumbling steps announcing Bough’s arrival.

  A few moments later she heard multiple people entering the small tent.

  “Sprout, you awake?” Her father softly called, thudding onto the ground at her side.

  “Hiya, Da.” She croaked, her throat still quite sore. She idly wondered if she had screamed when the harmonization failed. Would certainly explain why it hurt so much.

  “Not sleeping, light’s just too bright.”

  “You had us worried. How’re you feeling?”

  “‘Malright. How long was I sleeping?” She likely could’ve asked Harmony, but it hadn’t occurred to her until now.

  “A few hours. We camped early because all of us were so worried about you.” She felt his rough hands stroke her cheek.

  That was longer than she hoped, but since she saw it was close to sunset she should’ve figured.

  “What did that madwoman make you do that put you in such a state?” Aunt Jieun demanded, clearly quite eager for answers on the matter.

  “She didn’t tell you?” The girl asked, confused.

  “She told us her version of events, but we want to hear from you.”

  Willow really wished she could understand what her aunt was feeling right now. She didn’t even have her eyes to help right now.

  “I messed up. Tried to force something I shouldn’t’ve. Don’t be mad at her. Was my fault.”

  Jieun made a noise of frustration.

  “Told you she wasn’t lying.” Rowan rumbled.

  “Her so-called teacher still should’ve done more to stop her then.” She snapped back.

  “Not here, Jieun, Willow’s resting and we shouldn’t be stressing her.”

  “...Fine.” She sat on the other side from her father.

  Willow felt her candle spirit’s heat as they floated around the small tent.

  The four of them sat in silence, Jieun occasionally fussing with her, and her father occasionally stroked her hair or face. Both seemed to want to confirm in their own way that she was fine and safe.

  She heard a rustling noise from outside, and her brother called in.

  “Is she all right? Heard she woke up.”

  As he walked in, a delightful scent seemed to follow him. Willow wished she could open her eyes without it hurting.

  “According to Mu she’ll be fine, watcha got there?”

  “Some soup, Aunt Sarah asked me to bring it over for her.”

  “You up to eating, sprout?” Her father asked gently.

  She nodded with a small smile.

  Some soup sounded wonderful right about now.