After a while, Larea managed to stop blushing. Zel's words brought her mind to a different topic, and she looked out at the lake again. She remembered noticing the water receding last time they were here, and now, again, it seemed it had gone even further. She nodded in response, not even looking at him as she did so. She shifted to her hands and knees, crawling her way over to the edge of the outcropping so she could take a closer look. She leaned forward, trying to keep a steady grip on the ledge; the idea of her clumsiness making this a bad idea didn't cross her mind, but for now she seemed to have it under control, at least. She peered into the water, its blue surface still and unmoving, save for the reflection of herself staring up at her..<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #0040FF">"Origin, if you can hear my plea... then please, grant us your favor and save us from this fate."</span></span><br/><br/>The words resounded in Larea's head like the beating of a drum. The voice was clearer than it had ever been before, and it bounced inside of her skull, loud and intense, though no other would hear it. She reeled back away from the outcropping, grasping her head in pain. It was a similar sensation to the attacks she had been suffering, though not quite as intense; still more than enough to knock the wind out of her and incapacitate her, more or less, though. This continued for only a minute or two, a stark change in length to her previous attacks, at which point her hands went limp and she fell onto her side, gasping for breath as her mind raced. What was that voice? Where did it come from? ..Who was Origin? All these questions passed through her mind, along with countless others.