Evergreen raised a hand and gently placed it on the man's shoulder.
The man's eyes flew wide. A strange rasp came from his throat, and terror seized his face!
Under everyone's gaze, his once-sturdy body began to shrivel before their eyes!
His black hair rapidly turned gray. His bronze skin lost its luster, sagging and sprouting age spots.
His back hunched, and his hands shook uncontrollably.
Life was draining from his body at a terrifying speed!
In barely a dozen seconds, a sturdy man in his thirties had become a frail old man who might draw his last breath at any moment!
"My... my strength..." With all his might, he raised a hand covered in wrinkles and age spots. His voice rasped like a broken bellows.
The fear of death engulfed him like an icy tide!
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
At last, he broke. With the last of his strength, he dropped to his knees before Evergreen, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"God! Give me another chance! I'll do anything! Please! Let me live!"
The will to survive that Sloth had suppressed for so long had been beaten back out of him by death's iron fist!
Evergreen watched him without expression until his cries nearly gave out.
Then the life-draining power in his hand, still resting on the man's shoulder, slowly reversed.
A gentle yet immense surge of life energy flowed back into the man's withered body.
Like a dead tree springing back to life, his aged body visibly regained its youth and vigor.
When it was over, the man collapsed onto the ground. Feeling his heart pound strongly and strength fill his limbs once more, he burst into sobs.
This time, he wept not from fear but from the joy of