Three days after Vara's capture, people started getting sick.
Xin stood in a village outside the capital. Thirty people lay on the ground. Gold light flickered in their chests. Weak. Fading.
"What is happening?" Ren asked.
A healer knelt beside a sick woman. "The new source is rejecting them."
"The source does not reject anyone."
"It is rejecting these people."
Xin knelt. Put his hand on the woman's chest. Gold light passed from him to her. Her light grew stronger. Then faded again.
"Something is draining them."
---
Master Chen walked into the village. His face was pale.
"I know what this is."
"What?"
"The old source residue. It is in the water. The ground. The air. Some people are absorbing it without knowing. The new source is fighting the residue. The fight is killing them."
