Everything happened so fast.

The first thing I knew, four people had disappeared. Mot and Alyssa were gone without a trace. My grandfather, Spark, had left at the same time without a word to Ianite. Another man, a friend of Mot's, Sir Jeriah, had also vanished. The town went crazy trying to find where they may have gone.

But they were never found.

The remaining control that Ianite had over her powers was gone. She had lost Spark, the love of her life. A purple goo began spreading through the town. It gave the animals of the land a horrible disease that forced us to slaughter them. It ate away at buildings and produced horrible purple swarms that attacked us as we were walking through Dagrun. My father was furious that she was destroying the beautiful town, even if it was an accident.

I had never felt so lonely in my life. Alva spent most of her time with either my father or Ianite, trying to maintain the peace in the land. Maybe I should've too. But I was no miracle worker. I was simply an optimist. I could provide support, but Alva could provide help. She was a goddess, and I was me.

One morning, I woke to my family having another huge argument. People were crying and screaming, and the Taint was spreading. Unable to bear it, I wanted Alyssa back more than ever. She was younger than anyone else I knew, but she also understood better. She felt like my other half. Alva was also wonderful to talk to, but she was busy. She always was.

I found myself walking to Urulu. I wanted to be as close to the memory of Alyssa as I could. I walked around the desert city until I found the small house with a purple roof, the house of Mot. I entered the small living room and looked around, even though I had already been here countless times. Potions hung on the walls, and purple flowers were scattered around on wooden tables. I opened a chest full of Alyssa's flower bands, left to wilt.

I walked up the stairs to Mot's study, where he had spent countless hours. I looked through his shelves and cabinets, until I found a large book that appeared to be a journal. I placed it on the wooden desk and flipped through it. It appeared to be a biography, describing everything from finding Alyssa to observations of my family. I was about to close it when I came across a section titled "Regarding Dianite...". Intrigued, I started reading. My face grew warm as I suddenly understood. Mot had spent so much time with Dianite because... he loved him. He wanted a relationship with his god like Spark's with Ianite. But it didn't end like that. Dianite had rejected him, and Mot dealt with his sadness by hiding in his house for months. I wondered if Alyssa had ever found out.

I returned to the house that evening, even sadder. My father glared at me as I walked in. He had always hated my constant optimism, and for some reason always took his anger out on me. My mother was crying silently, staring out the window at the vast sea. Alva sat, hunched over, on a chair. Her eyes were full of sorrow, but they were not tearing up.

"Ianite needs to leave," Helgrind said through clenched teeth. "She's being horrible and I can't stand her anymore. How could she just destroy her town like this?"

"It's not her fault," I replied, although I probably shouldn't have gotten into the debate. "She's not controlling it, and maybe instead of banishing her, you should..."

"Shut up, Andor," he snapped.

So I did.