[In the day since he received confirmation of the diagnosis, Ion hadn't told anyone. He didn't think he could, really... it would be like accepting that it was going to happen. That he was going to die.]

[At first, he doesn't answer, almost as though he hadn't even heard the question in the first place. But when he does, his voice is soft and methodical -- you'd think he was just talking about the weather.]

...the malnosso contaminated the fonons in my body with miasma. And... even though there's no miasma in the village, I've been getting worse since it happened.