The emerald speck of light ignored the barrier of space and appeared directly above the gray domain surrounding Amina.
It arrived without any earth-shaking display. With a faint flicker, it sank into the sand beneath Amina's feet, sand steeped in the Breath of Sloth.
Nothing happened.
The air remained oppressive. Her will remained dulled. Her fallen companions continued to sleep peacefully.
As the light vanished, Amina's heart sank even lower.
Was even a god powerless against this?
The moment that thought arose, she felt the last of her strength to resist draining away.
The spear in her hand grew impossibly heavy. All she wanted was to let go, lie down, and sleep.
"Give up..."
"Why make things so hard for yourself...?"
The Sloth Tribe chief's voice lingered by her ear like a devil's whisper.
Just as Amina's fingers were about to loosen, something happened.
A touch of green that had no place in this lifeless land stubbornly pushed through the sand beside her feet.
It was a sprout.
A sprout that had boldly chosen to grow within the Sloth Domain.
It grew upward into the gray mist at a speed that defied reason.
A stem rose, leaves unfurled, and a flower bloomed.
The entire process took barely a dozen seconds.
A pure white flower opened in the dim air.
Then the flower wilted. In its place, a red fruit the size of a cherry quickly formed, giving off a faint fragrance.
The fruit's glow was not bright, yet it had the power to reach straight into the heart.
It did not dispel the Sloth Domain, but its very existence was the sharpest possible mockery of the Sloth Law.
Amina stared at the fruit.
A single action took shape in her mind.
Reach out. Pick it.
That thought alone left her