Will we ever be the same as we once were?

Things had gone from bad to worse, so much worse than Kiyo had thought possible. Her friends and loved ones had suddenly, one by one, become infected by the glowing mushroom spores, had begun growing crystals from random orifices, or had begun going crazy altogether. Much of Ashen had been unscathed, except, to her horror, 3 of her 5 grandchildren and her son. Kitsune was growing mushrooms from, well...everywhere, and crystals sprouted from Ikigai, and Hattori and Takeshi were going verifiably mad. She had never thought the day would come when she would actually be afraid for her life being around the Shogun, after all, he had come from her very womb, but any time she got close to him he seemed to think she was out to get him. He wasn’t safe, for himself or others, so she’d instructed his companions to stick close to him and report back to her should he try anything foolish.

She’d been up for days trying to care for them with very little sleep to keep her going. The woman desperately needed a moment to rest, and so she’d ventured to the Hot Springs. The winter, mixed with her exhaustion, did her weary bones no favors and so she decided a dip was well in order. Upon arrival, she did her best to pick a pool with little to no crystals in it, though it was difficult to do. Fog rolled across the water more than usual, and the days had turned into eternal night, but the crystals cast an eerie glow on anything. She hesitantly slid into a pool, a sigh escaping her lips as she closed her tired eyes in bliss.