The cave's chill had sharpened overnight, a stark contrast to the warmth Aether had found nestled against the slumbering dragon. Yet, a disquieting unease gnawed at him, a prickling sensation beneath his skin that sleep wouldn't chase away. A shiver wracked his body, jolting him awake with a startled gasp.
"Brrr," he muttered, teeth chattering uncontrollably. The air felt different, heavier, as if the very warmth was being leached from the cavern. Why was it suddenly so cold?Disoriented, he sat up, searching for the source of the heat that had sustained him through the night. Was the dragon gone? Panic flared as his eyes adjusted to the dimness. There, before him, lay the colossal form, its ember-pink scales a magnificent but horrifying sight in the flickering red glow of the dying fire.But something was dreadfully wrong. The heat, once a comforting presence, was a mere ember – fading, dwindling. The residual warmth that had shielded him was rapidly vanishing, replaced by the relentless bite of the cave's true temperature."Lumi, what the hell is going on?!" Aether shrieked, his voice a mix of terror and confusion. "Didn't you say I needed to be near the dragon to stay warm?"Silence. No comforting hum, no detached explanation. Just... analyzing. The single word echoed in his mind, devoid of its usual monotone, a chilling portent of something unknown.A tense silence stretched, punctuated only by the crackle of dying embers and Aether's ragged breaths. Then, Lumi's voice, devoid of its usual clinical detachment, pierced the stillness. "[Analysis complete]," it intoned.Aether's heart lurched in his chest, a frantic drum solo against his ribs. The weight of the pronouncement settled on him like a suffocating cloak."[Dragonsworn vitals are unstable. Conclusion: Dragonsworn is dying.]"The words echoed in his mind, a horrifying truth ripping through the fragile hope he'd clung to. Just a few hours ago, the dragon had been a magnificent, if intimidating, presence. Now, it lay dying?"Dying? What do you mean dying?" Aether stammered, his voice a mere croak. He couldn't comprehend it. One moment the creature was a source of warmth, the next…Lumi, however, remained impassive. "[Affirmative. The seal on Dragonsworn has weakened the target drastically.]"Aether cursed under his breath. "Just my luck," he muttered, bitterness lacing his voice. The seal, the reason the Dragon was unconscious, was now the reason the very creature he sought refuge with was fading."will weakening the seal help to restore its vitals?" He grasped at any straw, any sliver of hope. Perhaps weakening the seal, the source of the dragon's weakness, was the key to its recovery. But the answer, when it came, was a cold slap of reality."[Further analysis will be required]," Lumi droned.Aether wanted to scream. This disembodied voice, his only companion in this alien world, offered no comfort, only a bureaucratic delay in the face of his desperation."Yes!" he roared in frustration, the cavern walls echoing with his outburst. But after a few agonizing minutes, a flicker of possibility emerged. "[A 60% chance that Dragonsworn will partially recover]," Lumi finally concluded.A sliver of hope, fragile yet precious, pierced through Aether's despair. Sixty percent wasn't a guarantee, but it was better than nothing. He wouldn't resign himself to a slow, agonizing death by cold. Not while there was a chance.Scrambling to his feet, he grabbed his makeshift water pouch and rushed towards the water ledge overlooking the death chilling wind. He wouldn't rely on blind hope – he would fight for the creature's life, and by extension, his own. Sixty percent was all he needed, all he had.Panic fueled Aether's sprint. The cavern walls blurred as he tore past crumbling ruins and the lone pillars, a desperate race against the encroaching chill. His lungs burned with exertion, but the urgency of his mission spurred him on. Reaching the water's edge, he skidded to a knee, splashing the pouch into the pool with a satisfying dunk. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he fumbled to fill the crude water skin, impatience gnawing at him. This makeshift container wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.The biting wind whipped at him, a chilling reminder of the cave's true temperature. With a silent plea, Aether launched himself back, legs pumping furiously against the uneven ground. Every fiber of his being screamed with exertion, but the dragon's plight fueled his determination. 'I'm going to make it,' he chanted in his mind, a mantra against the howling wind.Reaching the dragon, Aether collapsed at its side, the water pouch grasped tightly in his hand. He inched closer, hesitant to touch the colossal creature. But the touch confirmed his worst fear – the dragon's scales were cold, devoid of the comforting warmth that had shielded him the previous night. A wave of dread washed over him. Was it too late?Lumi's voice, devoid of its usual monotone, cut through his despair. "[Mana circulation is required. Dragonsworn's vitals are unstable.]"The pronouncement crashed around Aether like a collapsing ice shelf. It wasn't enough to simply offer water. The dragon needed some form of internal energy, a mana circulation he didn't understand, to recover. A sigh escaped his parched lips. He wasn't in the clear yet, not by a long shot. But at least he had a starting point, a glimmer of a chance.