The Cold Death is an illness caused by spores that are emitted by the crystalized plants of Borealis. Long-term exposure to this extremophile spore is what causes the illness to set in. Since the spore first makes contact with the people of the island through touching the skin and inhalation the first signs of the illness are physical changes. There is no known cure for the illness, though once identified steps can be taken to prolong a person's life. In some rare cases, they are even able to make the spores go dormant, though any physical changes remain. In the end, though, all who develop this disease will eventually be turned into living crystal statues that will turn into trees and flowers over time as the crystal spores continue to grow off of the host.

• Death (the infected host is turned into a living statue from which the trees or flowers continue to grow. What determines what kind of plant they will turn into is unknown. Though theories speculate that woman have a higher chance of becoming flowers while men lean towards trees.)