Kael sat there, nodding his head several times—almost lolling out of an upright position as he dozed off—waiting for Eira to wake from her sleep after receiving treatment from the doctor, who had been unable to diagnose her illness.

That was to be expected. And Kael knew it would happen because the hanahaki illness was something completely unfamiliar even to him, as the elders of any clan had never once spoken of that strange ailment.

“How could this be…” Kael muttered softly, shaking his head—trying to stay fully awake.

In the midst of his overwhelming drowsiness, he was utterly baffled by the Hanahaki illness afflicting Eira. He wanted to find...