*Maerilee*

The world around me blurs into chaos as the guardian rises from the water, its iridescent form casting a ghostly glow over the riverbank. It advances toward our group, though it seems done with me now that River has been shot. I hear the sharp, metallic twang of arrows and the clash of magic as Akin and Brook fight it off, but my focus is solely on River.

He’s sprawled on the ground, his face pale and his chest heaving as blood pours from his wounds. I pull the arrows out as gently as possible, but all that seems to do is make him bleed more. Pressing desperately against...