"Have you gone astray again, dear Zubeen?" Suddenly he could hear a woman's voice echoing in every corner of the gloomy forest. "Come, dear child... Let me show you the way."

The man was silent, listening carefully to every rustle he heard.

"Something's wrong? Why do you doubt?" He heard his mother's voice, and after a while her figure appeared right in front of him. He knew perfectly well that it wasn't real, he knew it was a dream, but his mother's voice and image seemed so distant to him, he couldn't resist the temptation to get closer to her. "Dear child..."

The woman was standing in front of their former family home, and right behind her, at the entrance door, his second mother appeared. Both women smiled warmly at their son, encouraging him to come inside with them. They were just like they were in life. Beautiful, lovable, always smiling warmly at others. They lived modestly, but it didn't bother them, even in a poor family they could experience happiness and true love. Zubeen lacked nothing here, he knew that he had loving parents who would always be there for him. The man always admired them, their courage, their peace of mind. Even though in those old days the villagers did not tolerate his family, especially his mother's relationship, the women didn't give up and walked proudly through the world. But until...

Suddenly the scenery changed completely. Zubeen saw his family's house on fire and the terrifying screams of women trapped there coming from inside. The smoke surrounded him, causing him to cough and make his eyes sting even more. The screams became louder and more terrifying. The man felt chills go through him just thinking about the torment in which his mothers died, and it was all just because of who they were. The village people responsible for the incident stood next to the burning hut with torches. Some laughed, others shouted at the culprits for their actions.

Even though the man knew it was a dream, he felt the same pain as the day he lost his parents.

"That's enough... " He said after a long moment through his teeth. "Why do you keep showing me this?"

He heard no answer, but the scene changed again. The fire and smoke were still visible in the distance, the women's screams echoed, and the faces of the culprits appeared right in front of him. They stood still, just like statues.

"Don't hide." He said, looking carefully around the gloomy scenery. "Why do you keep pestering me with this memory? What are you trying to achieve?" He asked, slowly walking forward, but still receiving no answer. "It's a warning, is it not?"

After a short while, he heard soft laughter that began to echo. It wasn't the nicest laugh, it was more cold and sinister.

"I'm right, yes? What kind of warning is this? Answer me!" He shouted, but instead of an honest answer, he kept hearing female laughter. "You know about the disease... What does it mean? What's happening to my people?"

"Zubeen..." He suddenly heard a voice next to him, but when he turned that way, the woman moved away from him again. She was playing with him.

"You know me... you know my name..." He slowly stepped forward. " Why don't you appear to me? I need answers and only you know them... "

"This knowledge shall be the death for you..." He suddenly heard a voice approaching. "Your snow robes will be covered with blood..." He felt her presence next to him, but the woman still remained hidden. Only after a long while did she appear before him in a hazy form. As his eyesight also failed him in his dream, in the first moments the man was only able to see her glow through his connection with the element of Water. But then he felt a warm breeze surround his face and drops fell from his eyes. Man blinked several times and after a while he saw with his own eyes a figure standing right in front of him.

It was a woman with swarthy complexion. She seemed young in appearance, but her age could vary, especially since she was an ancient Oracle. Her dress was shrouded in darkness, her entire figure was surrounded by the fog she was playing with. She wore a large hood over her head, revealing only her wavy dark hair, and when she raised her head, the gleam of her cold eyes pierced Zubeen's entire body.

"I want to save my people..." He began the conversation hesitantly. "Since you let me see you... let me know the answers too."

The Oracle slowly turned her head to the side, softly humming words that Zubeen couldn't understand.

"You showed me the death of my mothers... Does this mean that my people will also die?" He asked with fear in his voice. "What threatens us? What kind of illness is that?"

"The disease will be the beginning of a tragedy..." She looked at the Ruler again. "Some will leave... and some will stay."

"It has to do with the Mother Tree, right? The Tree is dying?"

"The children's lives will become uncertain..." She continued. "When the Mother breathes her last for century..."

After a while, the scene began to change. The figures of the past disappeared in the fog, and the image of his village appeared before Zubeen's eyes. People were running away in a hurry, and terrifying screams were heard all around. Many victims could be seen lying on the ground, surrounded by blood. A moment later, the Mother Tree appeared and began to fade and fade until all its leaves withered. The branches began to crack and fall to the ground with a dull sound, and around its roots lay a pile of dead bodies of the Water Tribe village.

"Is this only applies to our Tribe...?" He asked in disbelief, and suddenly, as if in response, he saw flashes of the other Clans, also dying.

"An enemy is your brother... and your brother is your enemy..." She replied quietly. "You will die." She whispered in his ear, which made him flinch. "You will die, Zubeen." She started laughing. "You will all die..." She repeated, laughing even louder.

"No." He tried to interrupt her, but her laughter was louder. "No, there has to be some other way!" He shouted, and after a while he felt his vision fade into darkness again. "Give me the answers!" He asked, but he heard nothing more than the Oracle's laughter.

"Zubeen..." He heard another voice. Much warmer, full of care and love. Only then did the Ruler manage to wake up from sleep and immediately after waking up he felt Deron's presence. The man sat next to him, placing his hand on his head to calm him down. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked worriedly. "Is everything all right?"

The blond exhaled quietly and then sat down, feeling his companion take a seat right next to him.

"I don't know if it was a dream or more of a vision... " He said after a long moment, slowly touching his head with his hand. "My dear Deron..." He sighed heavily. "I feel so powerless... "

"Careful, or I will use these words against you."The brown-haired man interjected, and his words involuntarily brought a faint smile to the leader's face. "Tell me, what did you see?"

"Death..."

~.~

The great day that all Magree people had been waiting for had arrived. Night of the Fireflies, one of four different Tribal holidays that want to show faith and gratitude to the Mother Tree. As always, people were preparing for it with great enthusiasm since the morning. For every Clan member, these holidays were extremely precious. Not only did they express closeness to their goddess herself, the Mother, but also on this extraordinary day, people met in the company of their loved ones. A day off from all work. In the evenings, the countrymen gathered around the Tree, spread blankets, prepared refreshments in front of the great symbol of the Clan and sat together, eating and singing, and at midnight, they released fireflies towards the Tree of Life. Not only the family met on this special holiday. The young people from the village thought it was a great moment to spend with their loved ones and show their sincere feelings. For each person this day was special in their own way.

"How is your mother doing?" Althea asked, walking from the square with Hamill.

"Well, you know... " He replied, adjusting his backpack. "Her condition is not the best, but as always happens on the Night of the Fireflies, she will do anything to go to the square." He glanced at his companion, who gave him a sincere smile. "I'm not going to forbid her from doing this, despite her condition... " He sighed quietly. "Whatever it is, this day really makes mom feel better. Maybe there's something extra magical about it after all... "

"Of course it is." The blonde interjected. "Mother is with us every day, but today we will be able to feel her presence even closer." She stopped, looking carefully at her friend. "I'm sure the goddess will bless your mom with health. Soon she will be back to full strength and everything will be as before."

"I hope..." He lowered his head sadly.

"You'll see." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Um... so..." Althea felt the color slowly creep onto her cheeks. "Since we're all going to be there... then maybe..." She hesitated. "We could spend this evening together...?"

Hamill glanced at her.

"The two of us? Together?"

Althea put her hand on her neck, pretending to scratch herself, but that's what she always did when she was nervous. She put her hand to her neck to check her pulse. It was a reflex she couldn't control and she wasn't always aware of it.

"Mm... The two of us... together." She admitted uncertainly.

Hamill was silent for a moment, then smiled pleasantly.

"So we have an appointment." He said, and his words made the Healer happy.

But their further conversation was interrupted by a person running right next to them. Althea recognized that it was her younger brother, but she didn't have time to stop him.

"Where is he in such a hurry?" The brunet wondered.

"Najy has been trying to find Randi since the morning." She replied, looking back at her friend. "You should guess the rest." She added with a shy smile.

"Well... good luck to him then." He nodded and continued walking back home with Althea.

In the blink of an eye, the whole day passed, and young Najy didn't find his friend. He was very anxious to meet him, especially today. The boy had already planned everything and learned the words he wanted to say to him, but in the end he felt that everything was in vain. His family consoled him that his friend must've been busy and since he hadn't been able to meet him during the day, he would definitely be able to do it on this special evening.

When night came, all the countrymen gathered around the Mother Tree. Being surrounded by friends and family added even more joy and warmth to the whole place. There was cheerful laughter all around, lively music was playing, and people were having fun together, chatting and dancing. Evening of reconciliation. Every member of the Tribe had a happy smile on their face. Althea loved this holiday. She was happy that she could spend it with both her brothers. But she was even happier that Hamill was by her side. She felt that there was some tension between them after the last situation, but now she felt that it had subsided and decided to enjoy the moment. While chatting with him, one person in particular caught her attention, namely Zubeen himself. The Ruler welcomed his people, as always, with a nice smile and warm words, but after the greeting, when his compatriots started celebrating, he himself seemed depressed. This worried her, but she decided not to interfere with it at the moment. She also knew that Deron was with him, so she felt that his presence was enough for Zubeen.

"You're worried, aren'tcha?" Hamill's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"I'm always worried, I can't help it." She looked into his eyes hesitantly.

The brunet sighed, then put down his drink and moved closer to his friend.

"Forget about the rest and focus on yourself." He said, gently lifting her chin to look at him. "Just like me." He shrugged, then took her hand and led her to dance. "We were supposed to spend this evening together, right?" He gently placed his hands on her waist. "So this evening, when you're next to me... I don't want to see the sadness on that face." He wagged his finger at her. "Agreed?"

Althea smiled, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Agreed..." She replied and started dancing with him.

Swaran watched them from a distance, shaking his head.

"And that bastard didn't even apologize to her..." He snorted, sipping his drink.

At the same time, young Najy spent all his time searching for Randi. It was almost midnight and he still couldn't find it. The boy promised himself that he would talk to him honestly today, but the fact that he couldn't find him made the situation much more difficult.

Sighing heavily, he was about to return to his brother when he suddenly saw him. Randi. He stood by the Tree, gently reaching for its shimmering leaves. The blond ran towards him with a wide smile on his face.

"Randi! I was looking for you." He ran to him.

"Ah, sorry for the trouble." His friend replied and smiled pleasantly at him. "But well, you found me now, no?" He laughed quietly together with Najy"Beautiful, isn't it?"

He said, pointing to the crowds of the village, surrounded in lights, a beautiful magical atmosphere.

"I love Night of the Fireflies..." Randi said dreamily. "Our city seems to be even livelier than usual. Can you hear it?" He closed his eyes, listening to the family music playing. "Each note is played with passion, extremely delicate strokes and a sense of rhythm... Even though we all know these songs, each note played by a different person seems to tell different stories. I guess not everyone hears this, but I... I can hear it." He said with great fascination. "Aife, for example, plays a cello made by Hamill. See?" He pointed to the woman. "She seems to be smiling, but her fingers tell a completely different story... She gently places her hand on the instrument and plays a melody... talking about her longing for her deceased husband. Ah, and Yaxha... expresses longing for her pet who passed away due to old age... She says how much emptiness feels after losing him and how much happiness the pet she got from her father gives her. That thanks to him she started to love again..."

Najy smiled warmly, listening carefully to his friend's words. He loved listening to him and admired him for how much he could understand people's feelings. Not only thanks to the music they played, he was also able to read their very soul. He looked at it and felt the warmth in his heart grow. Randi slowly waved his hand to the beat of the music. His hands were slender and delicate. Beautiful long eyelashes seemed to glisten delicately in the glow of the Tree next to which they stood. His hair flowed, seeming to dance to the rhythm of the melodies played. His swarthy complexion and the gently creeping blush seemed even more precious to Najy than usual. With a thin voice and slim stature, he carried himself delicately but dignified, talking about music with great pride and fascination.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Randi asked.

"Yeah... very beautiful." Najy admitted, which after a while caught the attention of his companion, who just smiled pleasantly at him. "Randi... I wanted to talk to you."

"Hm?" He turned towards him. "So I'm listening." He encouraged him.

"I..." He hesitated, then slowly continued. " I really missed our conversations, you know? This seemed to go on forever, but now I finally see the end. Randi, I don't think you always appreciate yourself, but I want you to know that you..." He paused, feeling himself blush. "That your music..." He added after a while. "It saved my life many times. I know what rumors there were about my family... but during these difficult times, the music you played always lifted my spirit and made me want to continue living... stick to what is good."

"Ah, Najy... " The boy blushed. "This is too much, you're embarrassing me."

"But that's the truth."

"Enough, it's too much." He waved his hand and hid his reddened face in his hands.

Najy laughed quietly, then approached his companion and gently took his hands, revealing his face. Their eyes met and stayed on each other as if hypnotized.

"There are many things I've wanted to tell you, Randi..." He said in a half whisper, still holding Randi's hands. "I didn't have the courage, but I know I can't keep this secret any longer, and besides... You deserve the truth."

"The... truth?" Randi repeated.

Standing so close to him and feeling the touch of his small hands, Najy felt extremely comfortable in his presence. It always had a soothing effect on him. Looking into his companion's glassy eyes and seeing the reflections of his surroundings, he felt as if he could look into the future for a moment. He knew he was taking a risk in expressing his feelings, but he also knew that if he didn't take the risk, he wouldn't know Randi's thoughts. And that was the only way he could find out how it would end.

Randi's gaze was magnetic, he couldn't take his eyes off him. His smile, his smell, everything brought joy to the boy's heart. Did he feel the same? His eyes said one thing, but what did his heart say?

"Randi, I... "

"Ah, Randi, there you are!" A third voice rang out. It belonged to a young, black-haired girl who, with a joyful smile, ran up to them and grabbed Randi in her arms. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" She called, hugging him. "Happy Firefly Night!" She exclaimed, kissing the boy on the cheek.

"Happy Firefly Night, Vanya."Randi smiled at her tenderly, and when Najy heard his voice and the woman's name, he felt as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. The boy was speechless and took a step back. "Najy..."

He turned towards him again, wrapping his arms around his companion's waist and hugging him. The boy was still blushing and looked hesitantly into his friend's eyes.

"Vanya..." Randi glanced at her. "Let me introduce." He said, obviously still feeling embarrassed. "This is my muse... my long-sought other half." He said, looking at her tenderly.

"I love it when you call me your muse, but in this case, I think the word 'girlfriend' is enough." She laughed, blushing. "I'm his girlfriend, and you must be that friend I've heard so much about." She extended her hand towards him. "Nice to meet you, Najy." She smiled pleasantly.

The blond glanced at her and her hand. Hesitantly, he shook her hand and nodded.

"N-nice to meet you t-too..." He felt his voice failing him, and his reaction was not lost on Randi. "I-I'll go now." He said, lowering his head, feeling even more embarrassed. His heart seemed to tremble and his eyes slowly began to water. Najy, however, didn't intend to show this weakness in front of his beloved. "T-take care." He quickly left, then moved forward, wiping his eyes with his hands.

"Najy!" He heard Randi's voice behind him, but he didn't want to stop. He couldn't, his heart hurt too much. "Please, wait." He grabbed his hand but Najy pulled away, still standing with his back to him. His face was starting to flood with tears, the boy didn't want him to see him like this. "I wanted to say..."

"You don't have to say anything, Randi." The boy interrupted, feeling his voice become hoarse and cold. "I wish you all the best... it's the Night of the Fireflies after all, right?" He turned his head towards him, but still didn't look at him.

"Najy." He interjected again, but after a while his voice failed him again and the words seemed to get stuck in his throat. "You are... precious to me... you're very, very important..." He said.

"Please... stop."

"You were always..."

"Randi."

"Najy, it won't change." He took his hand, wanting to look at him, but he wouldn't let him. "Listen, I..."

"It's alright." The boy interrupted him. "We're friends...aren't we?"

Rani was silent for a second.

"Yes, of course." He admitted in a warm voice. "We are friends." He confirmed, and Najy felt even worse after hearing the last words.

The blond nodded, freed himself from his companion's embrace and, feeling that he had wiped away all the tears, glanced at him again. But this time he didn't feel the same as before, this time he felt pain looking at his beloved who didn't reciprocate his feelings. But even so, he wanted Randi to be happy. He didn't want to see the worry on his face, so the boy smiled warmly.

"Happy Firefly Night." He said with a smile that seemed to hurt himself even more. He didn't wait for his friend's answer, he just turned and went his way, feeling his heart shatter into pieces.

Midnight came and the inhabitants began to release fireflies towards the Mother Tree with cheerful calls. Their little lights were directed towards the symbol of the goddess, and her bright glow and aura itself seemed to glow even brighter and warmer. The sound of the water seemed to play a melody dedicated to the Tree. The drops of the waterfall and surrounding streams floated gently above the surface, as if they themselves were also worshiping the goddess. The Tree in the center glowed even brighter with each passing moment, as if it was happy to be with the Tribe, celebrating with them. This magical moment shared by compatriots and loved ones remained forever in the hearts of the Clan.

Althea smiled as she looked at Hamill standing right next to her. Together, holding a small wooden basket in their hands, they released fireflies into the Tree.

"Yeah, that feels pretty good, huh?" Brunet laughed, looking at his shorter friend.

"Pretty good, yeah." She laughed with him, gently touching his hand by accident. "Oh, I'm sorry." She stepped back, blushing.

Hamill glanced at her hand, then back at her. The man sighed quietly, then took her hand and intertwined their fingers together, which surprised the Healer.

"Happy Firefly Night." He said in a warm voice, which made her smile.

She was extremely staring at him, and the feeling that came over her was indescribable. Even though Hamill was sometimes quite harsh towards her, she felt that he cared about her in his own way. Such moments lasted very little, so the woman wanted to enjoy them while she still could. However, before she could say anything more, his attention was diverted by Najy passing by them at a fast pace. But even in that second, Althea noticed her brother's sadness and instinctively let go of Hamill's hand, surprising him. She knew that if she left him now, she would lose this moment and she might never have the opportunity to get close to him again. However, seeing her brother's suffering, she couldn't do otherwise.

Najy and Swaran were always there for her when she was in pain, when she was crying. She had always been there for them too and she wasn't going to change that.

However, she also knew her friend and knew that when she'll leave now, she wouldn't get another similar opportunity. Hamill had a difficult character, but despite this, she cared about him more than she thought. She didn't fully understand why her heart pulled her towards him. Many times the brunet was indifferent towards her, even when she shed tears in front of him, he was always cold and didn't show any emotions. She understood that he couldn't cope in such moments on his own and perhaps he didn't know what to do or how to choose his words. That's why she didn't judge him, she tried to understand him, which wasn't always easy for her. There were moments when a man had to choose between staying by her side and reaching for another, more important goal for him and the success of his business. Unfortunately, to Althea's misfortune, she was never his first choice. So why did she constantly want to gain his attention?

The moment she saw Najy, she knew what she had to do. She dreamed of being able to reach out to Hamill and show him how much she wanted him to appreciate her, noted her. She wanted him to look at her differently, but no matter how she tried, everything ended differently than she wanted.

Althea glanced at Hamill, then slowly backed away from him.

"Forgive me... " She whispered and looked after the retreating boy. She wanted to add something more, but she couldn't, so she simply walked away from him in silence.

She felt a twinge in her heart, but it was less pain than she thought. However, the moment she noticed that Swaran was also running after Najy, she put all thoughts aside and followed him and then together they quickly run after their youngest brother.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------And here is chapter five!
How are you guys? 
What do you think about the chapter? What could happen next, hm? |･ω･)
See you next week!