Jake started by making the half-conscious Gareth as comfortable as possible. He removed his backpack, rolled him onto a mattress, and took off his shoes. He laid a hand on his forehead and found him quite warm. Since his mentor moved restlessly, he used the blankets to make a little nest. Hoping it would prevent him from rolling on the hard and cold ground. Then he took a water bottle, a little spoon, and gently gave his friend something to drink, drop by drop. Jake's eyes were determined, his mouth a thin line. The fear of losing someone was new to him.

  Dusk was creeping in, shadows claiming the forest as theirs. Jake thought he saw thin tendrils of dark, oily smoke weave and mingle with the natural shadows of the trees. He shook his head, conscious that it was an effect of the coming night and the pale flame shifting behind him, making the darkening scenery look alive. But it felt like he was being watched. He got up and did a slow patrol in a large circle around the camp. There was nothing of significance. He sat against a tree near Gareth and looked absent-mindedly at the shifting flames. What do I do now?

  Jake's lids felt heavy. He struggled to keep them open and didn’t notice when he fell asleep.

  A noise startled him awake. The panic made him phase a few feet away. The world was pink for a second, then he reappeared in a puff of smoke, ready to fight, heart hammering and breath ragging. Jake scanned the area; the fire had gone out, but a soft glow revealed his surroundings as blurry shadows. The moon was shining its ethereal light over the land. The noise ripped the silence again, a low, painful moan. It came from a shivering shape lying on the ground. A big shape. Gareth's suffering made the forest wince.

  Jake rushed to his mentor's side. With trembling hands, he felt how unnaturally hot he was. That’s not a normal fever. What’s happening? The young man grabbed a piece of cloth and poured water over it. Then he tried to pat Gareth’s forehead with it to offer him relief. The bandage over the eye was in the way, so he removed it. The apprentice gasped as he saw what had been hidden underneath. The eye was a black gaping wound. Spreading from it were black dendritic tendrils slithering under the skin. He looked closer and saw it, the dark lines looked like maggots and were slowly pulsating, each time a thin pink glow would flare along the unholy veins before dying out. Jake felt like his heart froze, encased in an icy prison of dread. It's draining his life away.

  Jake got up and paced the clearing, holding his head in his hand. His mind was a bottomless pit of uncertainty. The same meaningless thoughts flashed in random order, not helping, not calming. He kicked a tree in frustration. Pain and helplessness roared as a wordless scream. He fell into a sitting position and rocked back and forth gently, quiet tears burning his eyes.

  After a while, the tears stopped. The body just didn’t have any more to give. Jake remained silent, trying to breathe deeply, but it felt like he had forgotten how.

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  Suddenly, he froze. A deathly silence had fallen over the forest. Gareth was silent. His body was awfully still. Jake crawled in a panic to the unmoving mass. His hands frantically tried to do something, anything. His friend's body was even hotter than before. The corruption hungrily gained ground on the healthy flesh. Jake couldn’t stop his panicked hand movement. The jewel in his pocket flared hot and bright. A dense swirl of pink fog danced around the apprentice's arm. He felt the ice-chill touch of the mist world. And then, lucidity hit him. He knew what he had to do.

  Jake grabbed the jewel in his hand, the familiar tingling sensation anchoring him. His other hand lay flat on Gareth's chest. He breathed in, focused, and called the mist. For the first time, he phased in the pink world while dragging someone along with him.

  The eerie silence made Jake’s ears ache. He shivered as the chill of the mist crept into his bones. His hands felt Gareth’s forehead. It was slightly cooler. Good, it is working. He sat and waited. His unfocused eyes set on the lying body. Gareth told me he had three days to train me, three days before the hunters will find us. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists. This is a risk. But a calculated one. He forced his gaze to refocus and looked at the relaxed body. The breath was deep and calm. Jake shifted to a more comfortable position and began his long watch. This is going to be fine.

  Hours later, Gareth started to stir. Jake approached him and looked at the corrupted wound. The black lines didn’t recede, but they were thinner, no longer pulsating. Swirls of mist had accumulated around the wound. It looked like it was gently pushing back the unholy sickness. It’s not only cooling him down. It’s healing him! The apprentice took the jewel and laid his other hand on Gareth’s chest. I’ll need to do that every night. As they phased back into the real world, Jake’s last thought echoed through his mind. But he can’t know about it.

  Jake put a blanket over Gareth's body. Then he quietly lay down on his mattress and pretended to sleep. Gareth groaned and slowly got up. At the noise, his apprentice made a show of waking up and yawning. “How was your beauty sleep, Gareth?” The warrior chuckled and brought a hand to his eye, feeling the missing bandage. “So you had a peek, uh?” He gave the young man an apologetic smile. “The bandage was just there to hide it. I didn’t want to worry you.” Jake slowly nodded. He got up and offered Gareth a hand. A muscly arm playfully swatted it away. “Eh, I’m only dying slowly. I can still get up by myself.” Jake couldn’t help but chuckle, a hard, rough laugh, shaking of his ribs. Gareth joined him. It was not funny, but it felt good.

  They packed their gear in silence. Gareth broke it, “The city is not too far away. We will buy supplies and stay there for the night.” He winked at Jake. “Don’t worry, I won’t fall again.” His apprentice snorted, smiling despite himself. “What do we do about the eye, though?” His mentor pondered, then gave a tired smile. “I’m not sure, we will figure something out.” Jake mirrored the smile. “I know we will,” he muttered.

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