"Young Chihiro? Are you still with us?"

Chihiro grumbled and felt a bright, white light over her eyes once she finally opened them. Had she finally died? Perhaps she was in the afterlife, or whatever waited for her upon death. Hopefully her fate wouldn't be too unpleasant, but, why did she still hear Master Eon calling for her?

"Young Chihiro!" Master Eon's voice sobbed as a warm light brushed against her chest. "Thank the Ancients you're alright!"

In that moment, the white light finally cleared up and Chihiro got a hang of her surroundings! She wasn't dead, thank goodness! Turns out, she was in the infirmary, under a few light woolen blankets with Master Eon and Hugo by her side. Master Eon's light turned a deep blue, and Hugo's eyes were wide and puffy as if he was crying. Were they that worried about her and… That's right, the others!

"Master Eon!" Chihiro exclaimed as she sat upright and looked around. "Where are Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster? How are they, are they alright?"

"They're in critical condition, young Chihiro. The deterioration spell cast over then was an incredibly strong one." Master Eon floated off of Chihiro's bed and flicked around with a hint of worry. "Whirlwind and Spyro are tending to them in the emergency wing." Master Eon flitted back to Chihiro, his light now less dark but still with a hint of sorrowful blue. "I've never seen them in such bad shape from a mission before. Just what happened to you there?"

Chihiro let out a sharp gasp, and her eyes widened as the pound of her heart rang thick in her ears. All the memories of her earlier fight with Kaos rushed back into her mind like the blood rushed through her ears, and blocked out any further words either of them might have said. She knew she had to tell them, but just thinking about it made her whole body lock up again. All she could do was stare into the open as that flicker of the laser cannon manifested in front of them all, fully ready to fire.

"Master Eon!" Whirlwind exclaimed as she and Spyro bolted through the open door that led to Chihiro's room. "They're getting worse, we need more help!"

"Understood!"

Master Eon flew behind Whirlwind and Spyro with Hugo quick to follow. Soon enough, Chihiro was completely alone in this uncomfortably clean infirmary room, trapped in a prison of her own making.

You heard him! Chihiro thought as she bit her lip and tried to fight back tears. They're in critical condition! They might die soon, and it's all because, it's all because, all because…

Chihiro shuddered and curled up in her bed, though her blanket's softness and warmth was hardly a comfort in a time like this.

"It's all because of me," Chihiro whispered as her whole body grew tingly and numb.

Chihiro gulped as she curled up and buried her face in the blanket's soft surface, all in some meager attempt to stifle her crying that would never come, for her eyes were just as numb as the rest of her body. Her whole head locked up from the combined numbness and dizziness she felt, but even in spite of it, her thoughts were clear as crystal.

After all, if she did something, anything better than what she did then, surely they'd be alright! She was so caught up in proving herself, in her stupid little quest to beat Kaos and show him who was boss, that she completely lost sight of her actual goal! Now, they really had lost the Eternal Undead Source, and she got Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster seriously hurt, too! It was a miracle that they escaped like they did, and it would be a miracle if they even survived! But, they wouldn't have had to, had Chihiro actually done better.

Like it or not, she was the one who brought about this. She was the reason they were on the afterlife's door, she was the reason they lost the Eternal Undead Source, which Kaos would surely use for the evilest of evils… She was the one who failed them. The realization struck her cold and hard, a sharp knife that plunged into her heart and sent chills down her spine. Even though the cold brought her back to her senses, it wasn't a welcome sensation, for now all her failures crashed down on her with such intensity that her head pounded from the pressure!

Before she even knew it, tears started to streak down her cheeks in one, two, three drops, and finally, the pressure and intensity and shock all overwhelmed her so badly that she buried her face into her blankets and sobbed her heart out!

Look at me, sobbing my eyes out at a time like this! Chihiro thought as choked gasps poured out her mouth like the tears that rained down her cheeks. If I did better, Cynder, Hex and Roaster would be alright and we'd have the Eternal Undead Source already, but I had to mess up! I could've taken care of those creepy clones right away, or blocked those lasers, or anything that could've been better than what I really did!

Chihiro bundled up her blankets and pressed her face further into them, just to muffle her sobs. For as much as she wanted a shoulder to cry on, she couldn't let anyone see her like this, not when she already caused them so much grief; she had no right to be comforted right now.

Why did I ever think I'd be good enough to protect them from Kaos? Why did I even try? I wasn't able to protect them when it counted, and for all I know, they, they, they could be…

Chihiro sniffled once more, wiped her tears and shook her head. Though her whole body shuddered and trembled still, she forced herself out of her bed and stumbled towards the door.

"No, I shouldn't just sit here and sulk," Chihiro whispered, her voice hoarse and on the brink of tears as she reached for her door's handle. "I've gotta make sure they're alright!"

So, Chihiro crept out of her infirmary room and dashed down the halls, her footsteps and panting the only sounds that echoed throughout the cold marble hallways of the infirmary. If she was right, the emergency wing should be somewhere down the leftmost hall. She took a left and slowed her walk to a creep, almost as if she was hesitant to arrive where her friends stayed. Nonetheless, she persisted; after all, she wasn't allowed to hesitate when they hung in the balance.

The halls themselves were quite dim despite the overhead lights, so Chihiro pressed a hand to the nearby wall to act as her guide. She could've created a magic sphere to act as a lamp, but she didn't want to make a big fuss of her presence. After all, Spyro and Whirlwind and the rest of the ones on medical duty were hard at work curing them, so she shouldn't interrupt.

Chihiro stopped and shuddered as she heard the faint sound of voices down the hall, gulped and ran forward. Soon enough, the dull halls illuminated with the sight of bright light from a source up ahead! That must be where the emergency room was!

"Spyro, where's the…"

As Whirlwind's muffled voice hit her ears, Chihiro stopped and froze as she peered through the emergency room door she found. The only sound she could hear was her heartbeat as it pounded in her head, or maybe it was the blood rushing to her head from panic? She couldn't quite tell.

Either way, she only stood frozen as she watched Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster, who were all so weak on the beds as they were tended to. In fact, their bodies only barely twitched as Spyro, Whirlwind, and Master Eon frantically bandaged and tended their injuries or poured the contents of strange magic jars over their burns. They were so weak, so lifeless, and it was her failure as a leader, as a friend that caused it all!

Without even thinking, Chihiro's whole body turned around and dashed back down the halls while her heart pumped fast as ever. Just seeing them in that condition brought her back to the battlefield, to her failure, to their near death! She just couldn't, she couldn't possibly bear to see them like this! As she turned around the corner, Chihiro stopped and caught her breath, and she made a tiny frown as her heart slowed. What was she doing? Cynder, Hex, Roaster, surely they all needed help now more than ever, and all Chihiro could do was sit there and mope! Now wasn't the time to be so selfish! She had to go back and help them, even if it scared her.

So, Chihiro took one last breath and rounded the corner back, but was greeted by a familiar light instead.

"Young Chihiro?" Master Eon whispered as he faced Chihiro. "Why are you out of bed? Are you feeling well now?"

Chihiro winced, turned back around the corner and sighed. Surely, he was going to ask about the battle. She couldn't possibly recount such an awful failure to the mentor who had such high hopes for her. All the words slipped away from her as she looked towards Master Eon, and it was like whatever in her allowed her to speak completely shut down.

"I guess," Chihiro whispered as she hung her head. "How are they doing?"

Master Eon's light dimmed with what seemed like contemplation, and he rounded the corner as he floated next to Chihiro. "They've been somewhat receptive to advanced health potions we've been giving them, but it's still far too early to tell. The reports show they were heavily sapped of their energy from that spell. It was as if they were practically drained of their own life!"

Chihiro shuddered as her hands turned clammy.

"I see."

Master Eon's blue glow faded to gray. "That being said, what exactly had happened during your mission? I've hardly seen them come out of a mission in such bad shape before!"

And there it was.

Chihiro froze up and looked away, and her whole body shook with fear. Once again, all these memories raced back into her head, of her friends gravely injured and near lifeless, of the of the laser cannon and the explosion that rocked the world around, of their barely-successful escape from the tunnels… Of Kaos's smug face as he watched them fail. Chihiro wanted to freeze, she wanted to cry! She could just feel herself back at that battle with the laser bomb pointed straight towards her shaking body. In fact, the world around her warped into that ruined castle, all while the air around reeked of death and blood.

Breathy pants escaped Chihiro as she stumbled backwards, and finally, her legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor, completely unable to do anything as Kaos cackled and reveled in their misery. The life seeped away from her as her vision turned blurry and spotted, and for a moment, her whole body locked up like she was going to pass out again…

"Young Chihiro?"

With those two simple words from Master Eon, the castle cleared away and once again, Chihiro found herself in the infirmary halls with a blue-tinted Master Eon on her lap. In that moment, a tidal wave of emotion crashed over Chihiro, and her heart raced as a numbing, hot feeling tightened Chihiro's face.

"I'M SORRY, MASTER EON!" Chihiro wailed as she flung herself towards Master Eon and wrapped him in a tight hug. "It was all my fault!"

"Young Chihiro, what are you going on about?"

Master Eon freed himself from Chihiro's grasp and flew around her, his blue glow turned purple now instead. Even though he asked, Chihiro still couldn't bring herself to look Master Eon in the eye, so she simply shuddered and hung her head.

"When we went to get the Eternal Undead Source, Kaos had already gotten there!" Chihiro whimpered while the tears dropped down her cheeks at last. "We tried to stop him, but he and his minions were too powerful! They beat up Hex, Cynder and Roaster really badly, and he, he tried, he tried to, he used the Eternal Undead Source and his weird lasers to sap the life out of them!"

Chihiro shuddered and crumpled down to her knees.

"I, we, we barely escaped with our lives, and it's all my fault! I got so worked up about getting the Eternal Undead Source and beating him that I didn't stop to think about anything else! If I just did something, or thought of something better, or, or, I, I…"

Chihiro's strained, sobbing confession brought to a halt as Master Eon floated next to her and lifted her chin.

"I see." Master Eon floated away from Chihiro and bobbed up and down. His voice was oddly cold, and just the notion of tightened Chihiro's chest so hard that it felt almost impossible to breath.

"And now they're all gonna die and it's all gonna be my fault! I shouldn't have become a portal master, I shouldn't have gone with them, I, I, I…"

Chihiro's sobs turned strained and screechy as her head flashed in and out of dizziness, and for a moment, it felt like she was going to throw up! She slapped her hands against her mouth as the tears trailed over her hands, all while her throat tightened up and burned like the sun. Her head spun as she lurched over and prepared to black out again, but then, something sharp and cold pressed against her like an ice pack against a swelling wound. The chill ran through her body, but unlike the others she felt, it was more comforting and gentle, a soft breeze that dried her tears and calmed her spinning head. Chihiro released her hands, and as a bright blue glow dusted her chin, she turned her attention back to her lap, where Master Eon gently nudged himself close to her.

Did that cold come from him? She wasn't sure, but Chihiro was in no position to question it, so she just snuggled him close and buried her face into his cold light. Though the chill felt more harsh the closer it was to her body, at least it gave her something else to think about. With one last brush against his light, her sobs finally subsided, and though she still felt kind of dizzy, at least her entire body didn't feel like it was going to break down.

Master Eon turned around and left, probably to check the others' condition once more, but Chihiro didn't want the conversation to end just yet. She may not have been the most energetic, but she still owed it to them to help them recover. So, Chihiro looked towards Master Eon and clasped her hands.

"Master Eon, please let me help them," Chihiro begged with her hoarse, strained voice as she shook her clasped hands, "I can't just sit here and do nothing while they're suffering because of what I did!"

Master Eon stopped in his tracks, and as he turned around, he glowed a little brighter and bobbed. His light turned a bit pinker as he pressed against Chihiro's head, while a soothing feeling rushed through her body and eased the exhaustion she felt—was this some kind of spell? Probably, but she couldn't really think of what it was exactly.

"Very well then." Master Eon flew down the halls. "Follow me. I will instruct you on what to do."

Chihiro nodded and bit her lip as she ran behind Master Eon. As her feet pounded against tile that slowly turned back into the dead ground of her former arena, the sound of Kaos's cackles rang in her ears. Chihiro immediately shook them off and forced herself to repress the shaking in her body.

I can't care about myself right now, Chihiro thought as she burst into the emergency room. I have to save them!

The door pushed wide open and the light filtered in, so bright it was almost blinding. Chihiro froze and shielded her eyes, but lowered her arms and bit her lip.

Back inside, Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster still laid on their beds, though their breathing was more rapid and frequent. Their bodies were bandaged up and those weird magical jars still hovered over them and streamed some kind of glowing substance into their veins, but judging from the cold sweats they entered, they were still in a pretty bad shape. Beside them, Spyro applied some kind of salve to Cynder's bandaged wing as he bit his lip, while Whirlwind pressed her horn close to Ghost Roaster's cracked head as said horn pulsed with a rainbow glow. The two of them were so absorbed in their work that they hadn't even noticed Chihiro and Master Eon come in.

Chihiro winced as Cynder clutched a bedsheet with an intensity that tore a hole through it, and leaned back as Master Eon zipped by and shoved a bunch of potion bottles in her arms.

"Young Chihiro, take these potions and apply them to the wounds—they should be able to replenish their lost life force!"

"Right!"

Chihiro dashed off to the jar beside Hex, popped open the cork of one potion and poured it over a nasty burn on Hex's arm. Though by all means, she should have focused on the potion as it poured down, Chihiro's attention fixed instead on Hex as Hex heaved labored breaths and curled up in a shuddering ball. It was almost scary to see Hex, so cold and stoic normally, in such a weakened, helpless state that it almost made Chihiro numb. But, Chihiro merely just shook it off and bit her lip as Hex shuddered and held the blankets tight.

Spyro, Whirlwind and Master Eon all darted around in a frantic haze as they traded around potions and medicines, reported statuses and provided treatment, but their work only became background noise in Chihiro's mind. The world around her faded away as she lifted up the now empty potion bottle, and rested it on the desk nearby as Hex's breathing turned less labored and more rhythmic, all while Hex herself rested against her bed.

Cynder, Hex, Roaster, Chihiro thought as she squeezed the bottle's glass tight, as long as I'm here, I promise I'll make sure you get better, so please hang in there!

§

As she closed the door behind her, Chihiro cast one last glance back at Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster, all tired and bandaged up as they rested on their beds. Moonlight shone through the few windows in the hallways to signify the beginning of nighttime—how long was she treating them, anyways? Chihiro lost track in her panic and frenzy, but she didn't care. Somehow, after all those hours spent treating and analyzing and everything else, they managed to save Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster from the brink of second death, and now they rested safe in the infirmary. Of course, they did get a lot taken out of them and would need some time to rest, but at least they would live.

Chihiro frowned as she curled her fingers against the glass, but finally, the feeling of something hovering over her back pulled her away. Spyro and Whirlwind surely already went back to the sanctuaries to rest after such a harrowing day, and Master Eon surely would have gone back to his own quarters now, right? So who could...

"Young Chihiro, there you are!" Master Eon's voice cried behind her.

Chihiro froze up, and hastily whipped around to find Master Eon as he floated behind her, his light stark and white—what did white light mean? She wasn't entirely sure what emotion that color represented, but something in her gut told her it wasn't a good one. Or, maybe that was just her nerves speaking, she wasn't sure.

"I'm surprising you're still up at this hour." Master Eon's bright light turned to more of a pale yellow. "I assumed you went to bed already."

Chihiro frowned, looked aside and shook her head. "Nah, I couldn't really, couldn't really leave them just yet," Chihiro replied as her gaze fell back to the door's window once more. "Not after everything I did to them."

Chihiro's hands trembled as she hung her head, all while her face grew numb with sorrow, with regret, with guilt, maybe even a few more emotions she couldn't quite pin down. A few sniffles escaped her while her chest ached, though she tried to keep her volume as low as possible—Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster needed to rest, after all.

"After all, I didn't think things through and got so wrapped up in getting that Eternal Undead Source that I didn't think anything through, and now—" Chihiro choked back sobs as she masked her mouth with her hand "—and now, now..."

"Young Chihiro, lift up your head. Now is not the time to fret and dwell on past mistakes."

Master Eon flew towards Chihiro, his light gentle as always, but Chihiro couldn't find it comforting. After all, she screwed up so badly! She lost not just an Eternal Source, but one of the Eternal Sources that Kaos could cause the most damage with, and she nearly got Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster killed, to boot! All because of her stupid failures and oversights! If she were Master Eon, she'd be furious with herself right now! Why wasn't he yelling at her and chewing her out, why wasn't he scolding her, why wasn't he even talking about punishment? Did he just not care what had just happened? Did he not realize the gravity of what she had failed to do?

Without even thinking, Chihiro gritted her teeth as she turned back to Master Eon with brows clenched tight and a furious fire bright in her chest, and gritted those teeth further as she balled her hands into fists.

"What are you talking about? Why aren't you mad at me?" Chihiro exclaimed as she slammed her palms against the wall. "I screwed up big time, we lost the Eternal Undead Source and they got hurt really badly!" Chihiro's face turned puffy and numb like she was going to cry again, but she forced back her tears. "Who wouldn't be mad at a time like this?"

"That's true, I could get mad." Master Eon turned his eyeless gaze back on Chihiro. "But what good would fretting and getting upset at you or anyone else do?"

Chihiro froze for a minute as Master Eon flew back to her.

"Yelling at you and panicking won't undo the past, nor will it help anything in the present. All we can do now is figure out how to fix these problems that befall us."

Well, that wasn't the kind of response Chihiro expected, and she still couldn't tell if Master Eon was mad at her or not—but nonetheless, it was oddly comforting. So, Chihiro nodded, wiped her tears then pulled herself back on her own two feet.

"I understand."

Chihiro gulped, and sniffed one last time before she wiped her face with her sleeve.

"Very well then, come along now," Master Eon said as he floated down the halls. "If we are to regain the Eternal Undead Source from Kaos, we will have a lot of work ahead of us."

So, Chihiro just nodded and hung her head as she followed Master Eon down the halls, no longer able to find the words to say or the feelings to convey. She supposed that if she was going to make up for such a big mistake, she'd have to do everything in her power to find the Eternal Undead Source and made sure they recovered.

If her own power was even enough at this point.