Increment decay? Instant Death Halo? Anthony and the others looked at each other in disbelief. Could these be connected?
Ursman checked himself and then said, "I haven't changed at all; is it because I don't have any increment?"
Anthony glanced at the Little Sapling, the Little Tree Man, and the parasitic Deceit Tree, and said, "That shouldn't be the case. The Instant Death Halo can accelerate life's journey to death, but the Little Sapling and the others are unaffected, especially the Deceit Tree. It might be because everyone is connected to us by life, so they're unaffected."
Ursman immediately looked at Mei Lania and said, "Mei Lania is unaffected too, probably because of the connection to the Little Sapling."
The remaining Dark Stars didn't know why the increment was accelerating its decay, but they immediately identified the source of the decay and shouted loudly, "Stop, please stop immediately."
