>Why was it a bad idea? This might end really, really poorly. >What's the job? You're not telling, because you feel like being obstinate. >Fall off the roof Your foot slips and in this cold, your body isn't working well enough to help you catch yourself. You slide down the roof and tumble to the ground. Ouch. You groan and seriously contemplate just going back up onto the roof. >Who gave you the job? Ugh, it was your own idea. But on the drive out here, you found yourself dreading it more and more. >What's the fucking job, Rigel? You're so tired of this. >Do it >Do it Okay. You'll do it. You drag yourself to your feet and rub your ribcage with a wince, walking over past the edge of the yard and to the field of crops. The sun has been down for a long time and night has enveloped the land. The stars provide little to no light, and these plants are your only source of shelter from the bitter, howling wind. You inhale and exhale, stomach churning, but unable to hear yourself over the wind. You extend a hand and walk forward, pushing the plants apart and navigating to what you roughly estimate to be the center of the field. Here you are, now. You stand in a buncha plants that nobody owns and shudder. There's no time like the present. You lower yourself down the the ground and kneel. You sigh, placing your palms on the ground, and lean over, pressing a kiss to the dirt between your hands. With the faintest whisper of a last breath, every plant around you dies. The death spreads out from your kiss, wiping out the entire field in a matter of seconds, every blade of grass turning brown, withering, and dying. You watch, sitting on the ground, as you kill an entire area of helpless flora. Well, now there's nothing to shield you from the wind. That... holy fucking shit? That worked a lot better than you expected it to, as in it did a lot more than it should have. This is terrifying. She wasn't kidding when she said everyone would get stronger, and fast. You really hope Etoile doesn't find out about this. >Are you cold? Was this worth it? Yes, you're freezing. It wasn't worth it. You didn't need to know this. You don't want to be able to do this. One prince and it's you. >You're better than your descendant. You scoff. You seriously doubt that. You've been taking steps to ensure his safety, like everyone else. >Hey, Rigel. You m̡g̢e̕pah͠ l'̛ m͢ge͜p̨a̸h'leg͘et͘h. You mg̛ep e̕h̶ye ng͏h̡a̷n̵ g̸n͡ai͢i̧g̀o̷f̷'n ng eh҉y͘e ͢g͟ņah̴'̸n.̧ How are you feeling? Um. What? You feel fine. You decide to stand up and make your way back to your car through the stiff, dead plants. It's not like anyone will notice that you were gone anyway. Everyone else is either working or avoiding their own issues. Well, probably both, simultaneously. >What now? Deforestation? What? Is this some kind of a joke? You don't think this is funny at all.