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Spring walks into a small village relatively near the Cascade, lighting up his caste mark for easy identification.
A variety of people walk around in the village. Some spot him, and are confused: why is a Solar here? Has something terrible happened?
Spring looks around for anybody sick or crippled or dying.
This being a village, there are unsurprisingly some people suffering from ailments of various kinds.
Spring "Excuse me," Spring calls to a one-legged man sitting near a hovel. "Please come here." He reaches out a hand, standing in the village center.
The man looks at him oddly. "Who're you?"
Spring "My name is Long-Awaited Spring."
"That doesn't answer my question," he says. He leans grumpily on his wooden stick and his one leg.
Spring "I was once Thirteen Blooming Flowers, Tactician-General of the Army of the Sunlands. I have become someone new. Come, and let me show you what I mean."
The man looks suspicious. He leans his head over his shoulder and gives a look to another, young and healthy looking feller, who responds with a shrug. Exasperated, the legless person hops his way over to Spring slowly.
Spring kneels, glowing a little more, and places his hands on the stump of the man's leg. He curls his fingers, looks up at the man with a level gaze, and opens his hands like the petals of a rose...and the stump blossoms with new growth.
The man blinks at his leg, rather surprised at this turn of events.
Spring "You are welcome," Spring says drily, and stands up again, looking around for another patient.
Two twin girls of perhaps 12 are standing nearby; they look almost identical, except one has a cough.
Spring walks up to them. "Say aah."
Both girls politely open their mouths.
Spring snaps his fingers, eradicating the disease, and turns away, shuddering slightly for some reason.
Other moderately sick people are now visible in several different places around the village square.
Spring waves to them to come closer, and begins mustering Essence.
And so it goes for some time. There are perhaps 15 sick people in the village, and by the time Spring has reached 11 or 12, most of the well people in the village have also turned out to watch the process.
Spring heals most normal injuries quickly and easily. Diseases and mutilations take a little more time, and he is panting slightly by the time he finishes the last one. He sits back, and gazes at the crowd around him through crystal eyes, translucent enough from the Essence use that the spiders inside are visible -- one living, one dead.
Spring "This is the light of the Sun."
Spring "I was a warrior, once. Now I am a healer. I bring life, where once I brought death."
Spring "Are there any among you who would be willing to give up what they are now to learn this lesson?"
At first there is no response, but then, after a long awkward pause, a man near the back of the crowd raises his hand.
Spring "What is your name?
"Rikad."
Spring "We leave in half an hour, Rikad. Does anyone have any water?"
Spring mentally reviews the route to the next village.
"There's some water over there," he says, pointing to the town well. "Do you need a skin?"
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