It hurt.
Everything hurt.
For the first time in her life, Celeste began to resent her powers. At first, she had perceived it as a miracle - a source of infinite good for the world. But now, almost buried in a seething flood of frenzied Defiled, she understood the gravity of Oakia's words.
Almost endless vitality sounded like a dream.
…But it was equally as much of a curse.
As the mantle of light surrounding Celeste flickered, slowly turning faint, more locusts lunged at her figure. She released bursts of pure-white mana, desperately trying to ward them off, but their numbers were just too vast.
When did a colony this big appear in Nature's Grove?
In this moment, more than ever, Celeste recognised the need for frequent Defiled culling. However, the Sanctuary simply did not have the resources required for such an enormous undertaking.
As a result, Celeste and her party now had to pay the price.
'Blasted…'
