For the people now living in the Eastern Holy Spirit Plain, the arrival of spring meant more than the end of winter and warmer weather—it was the most crucial turning point in a "battle."
Having endured the suppression of a harsh winter, the reconstruction of the Holy Spirit Plain would return to its proper course with the arrival of the Month of Revival. The day the solid ice melted was the day humanity began marching back toward its former homeland.
Southern outpost of the Red Maple Reconstruction Camp.
A druid physician in a white uniform trimmed with green sat behind a desk, reviewing a form before him. After his gaze swept over the records, the tall, thin young man looked up at the silent, hooded man standing across from the desk.
"From the eastern border region? You volunteered?"
The hooded man gave a brief grunt, seemingly unwilling to speak.
The druid physician handling registration was already used to this. He had received hundreds of Recovered. Crystal Infection had inflicted unimaginable trauma upon them, and that trauma was not merely physical—but he believed every Recovered had a chance to return to a normal life. At the very least, they would be accepted here.
"Take off your hood," the physician said. "Don't be nervous. I've seen plenty."
The tall man remained silent, but he was at least cooperative. He raised a hand to remove his hood, then unwound the scarf concealing his face.
A face covered in black scabs and lingering crystal fragments appeared before the physician. Scars left by crystal erosion stretched across his cheeks and even disappeared beneath his collar.
"...It's a miracle you survived," the young physician said, shaking his head with a hint of emotion after studying the scars and crystal shards for a moment. "But don't worry.