Chapter 63 - Water

"N-No… it's water… Aok, you need water…" Kui's voice cracked, his words shaky as he edged closer to the blurry figure in front of him. The world around him wavered, his mind playing tricks, showing him visions of a waterfall that felt so real he could almost taste the mist on his lips.

Suddenly, Aok lunged, sinking his teeth into Kui's neck with surprising force. Kui gasped, pain flaring hot as he felt the wet warmth of blood.

"Ah!" Kui stumbled back, clutching his neck. Blinking hard, he shook off the hazy vision, and what he saw left him cold—a massive, twisted tree, with roots dangling from its branches like tangled ropes, casting eerie shadows over the ground.

"But… I saw it… a waterfall. I heard it," Kui whispered, more to himself, his chest tightening in confusion and dread.

Aok let out a faint, shaky breath. "No… danger…" he managed to say before collapsing, his small body falling limp, breaths shallow and weak.

Kui's heart dropped. He took a step back, then another, eyes darting from the dark tree to Aok's still form. He didn't know much about this strange place, but the look on Aok's face told him the kid understood something Kui didn't. Kui felt a wave of panic as he knelt on a rock, carefully laying Aok down. "Why… why is it dangerous? How can it make me see things? Is it… magic or something?" he muttered, feeling helpless.

Aok lay there, mouth slightly open, totally still. Kui watched his chest, barely moving, each shallow breath weaker than the last. The gills on his neck looked painfully dry, and his breathing was just a soft, struggling whisper.

"Shit…" Kui's hands shook as he grabbed Aok by the shoulders, shaking him gently. "Aok, wake up!" But the kid didn't move, his face pale, unresponsive. Kui swallowed, panic clawing up his throat. Aok's breaths had turned so faint, so weak.

"Water…" Kui's fingers fumbled, reaching for the gourd at his waist. He tipped it, praying for a drop—but it was empty.

A chill shot through him, but he pushed down the panic. No time to think. Desperation forced him to pull Aok close, tilting his head to the side, and Kui licked Aok's gills, hoping his own saliva would do something, anything. His mouth was dry, but he didn't stop, even as his tongue felt like sand. Aok's body shuddered, a faint gasp escaping his lips, and Kui's heart leapt… but then he stilled again.

Kui's throat tightened, his voice barely a whisper. "Oh, God…" He stared at Aok, helpless, as the boy's breaths got shallower, slower. "No, no… I'll find water. I have to find water."

Kui's mind went blank with fear as he scrambled up, running from one end of the clearing to the other, searching desperately. Nothing. He came back, his breath coming in harsh gasps as he pulled Aok close, a sob breaking free. "What do I do? Please… please tell me what to do."

In a frantic haze, Kui started emptying his pack, tossing his supplies to the ground. Nothing. His eyes fell on a small, worn leather pouch, and he grabbed it with trembling fingers, pulling out an old, broken brush. He didn't know why, but the stem looked… longer, somehow.

His heart pounded as he held it tight. "Please… let this work," he whispered, jumping back onto the rock. He licked the brush tip, praying it'd hold just a hint of moisture, and wrote one shaky word: water.

The letters barely lasted a second before they faded, the stone swallowing them whole.

"No… no, don't do this! Please, just this once!" Kui's voice cracked as he held the brush, eyes wild, clinging to that last sliver of hope. He licked the tip again, trying to force what little saliva he had left onto it.

And then he noticed—the brush's stem shrinking back, retreating to its original broken state.

A single, cold drop of water fell onto Kui's cheek.

His eyes widened as another drop landed, and then another. He looked up just in time to feel the sky break open, a drizzle quickly turning into a steady rain.

"Thank you… thank you…" Kui breathed, relief making his chest ache as he lifted Aok, gently angling him so the rain soaked his gills. He watched, heart hammering, as water trickled over the boy's neck, Aok's gills slowly fluttering to life.

"It worked… it actually worked…" Kui whispered, staring at the brush in his hand, unable to believe his luck. The rain kept falling, each drop a quiet miracle, as Kui held Aok close, letting the water wash away his fear.