‘I’m ready to fight. Just stay behind me,’ my bond informed me, her voice dropping to a fierce growl in my mind.

  Just hold still, I snapped, trying to keep my heart from bursting out of my ribcage.

  “This end of the entrance was different from the other side,” another soldier replied, hesitantly. “And it sounded a bit hollow when I hit it.”

  There was a brief pause and I was afraid they might investigate further, but, to my relief, his comrade just scoffed.

  “Merciful Vritra. I know you’re green but don’t hold the others back just because you see something weird. We’re on a different continent.”

  I held in a grateful sigh as the marching steps resumed, slowly subsiding as they made their way up the tunnel we had come down through.

  After I felt sure the soldiers had all passed by and no one else was coming, I opened a tiny hole to survey our surroundings. Only after another few minutes did I revoke my spell.

  ‘We got what we came here for. Now let’s go back to tell Virion so you can get some rest and heal your wounds,’ Sylvie pleaded.

  Yeah, let’s go, I agreed. Even with Sylvie’s unique healing techniques using aether, my legs were on the verge of collapsing, and the only rest I had gotten was when I’d briefly passed out on her back on our way here.

  I was already contemplating the best way to break this critical news to Virion and Aldir, and thinking of the precautions I would need to take just in case things went south and I needed to fight against the two dwarven Lances. Preparing to leave, I glanced back at the domed-ceilinged cavern—when suddenly the Alacryan soldiers there all kneeled, facing the transportation gate.

  After confronting two retainers and even defeating one, I’d thought I’d be prepared to face a Scythe. Even with the suspicion that the dwarves were betraying Dicathen, I was confident we would be able to win this war. But when that dark, horned figure stepped out of that gate, I was shaken right down to my mana core. Being here, barely standing on my own two feet, I felt like a gnat staring at an oncoming hurricane. I felt despair.

  Chapter 22

  Healing Procedure

  The mysterious figure cast a suffocating pressure throughout the cavern as it stepped out of the gate. Even Sylvie, who had been so eager to leave, was frozen stiff as she helplessly peered down at the sight below.

  This oppressive aura had come from a girl that looked no older in appearance than Tessia. She possessed elegant features—dark eyes and a thin frame underneath a fur-trimmed robe of midnight black—yet even amongst a crowd of dwarves, she appeared small and petite. It was her horns, most of all, that set her apart, however.

  The horns I’d seen on all of the other Vritra so far had looked menacing—as if they were part beast—but the two spikes protruding from above the creature’s temples and veering back toward the crown of her skull exuded a sense of prestige and regality, like a tiara placed gently on her head. Unlike the murky black horns I’d seen up until now, this Vritra’s obsidian horns all but glowed like precious stones, contrasting starkly against her pearl-colored mane, which flowed back past a set of narrow shoulders.

  The Vritra indifferently surveyed her surroundings, and I was able to catch a quick glimpse of her face before I retreated back behind the entrance of the tunnel, fearful that the Vritra would be able to sense me even with Mirage Walk activated. There was something beautiful about her. Terrible, but beautiful.

  After a few seconds, I mustered up the courage to look down once more.

  “Lady Seris?” A confused, barrel-chested Alacryan soldier greeted her, but remained genuflected in front of the crowd of kneeling dwarves.

  “Where is Cylrit?” the female Vritra asked coolly, facing one of the many Alacryan soldiers surrounding the gate and the kneeling dwarves.

  The female soldier Lady Seris had acknowledged immediately rose to her feet. “Commander Cylrit is currently stationed near the northern coast of Sapin, awaiting you before he begins his attack, Lady Seris.”

  “Very well. Let us depart.” Her soft voice spread like a cold breeze, sending shivers down my back despite the distance between us.

  “Yes, Lady Seris!” The female soldier saluted, instructing her troops to follow the dainty Vritra.

  As she walked past the soldier who had first called out her name in surprise, he spoke. “Forgive my rudeness, Lady Seris, but what of the new Scythe? I was instructed to take him to Commander Uto.”

  There was a moment of silence as everyone in the vicinity anxiously shifted glances between Lady Seris and the large soldier. She peered down at him with a cold, emotionless gaze before finally speaking. “He’s not ready. Melzri and Viessa are still working on him.”

  “I see,” the soldier replied, his shoulders visibly relaxing. “My apologies for wasting your time.”

  By her speech, it was obvious that she herself was a Scythe, but a part of me didn’t want to believe it—that such a being, comparable even to an asura, was an opponent I would ultimately have to face. Not to mention, it appeared that number of Scythes we had to worry about had increased.

  ‘Another Scythe?’ Sylvie echoed, her voice filled with worry.

  Come on, let’s get out of here. Now that a Scythe had entered the war, I had to get this information back up to the castle quickly.

  I took one last quick glance at the Scythe named Seris—just as she looked back over her shoulder as well.

  For a split second, her gaze passed by the tunnel where we’d been hiding and our eyes met.

  Her gaze eventually swept past me but in that flashing moment, her cold eyes had locked onto me with the focus of a predator.

  There was no doubt about it: She knew I was here.

  My body stiffened as if every ounce of blood in it had congealed. My hands grew clammy and my heartbeat rose to the point where I feared the entire cavern would hear it thundering in my chest. Yet she turned back and continued up the stairs, displaying the same curt manner as before—unfazed and uncaring.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  I stood still, afraid to move. Only after the Scythe had left the cavern did I release my breath. I think she saw me.

  Feeling my apprehension, Sylvie knew I wasn’t joking, which made her all the more restless. ‘Now can we leave? Or do you want to wait until the rest of the Alacryan army knows we’re here?’

  Yeah. Let’s go, I thought wryly.

  Exiting the tunnel, we were greeted by the ever-present desert wind. Sylvie and I had agreed to hold off on flying until we’d reached the forest on the border of Sapin and Darv. However, after a mile of careful trekking, I had succumbed to a fit of shivers. Constantly using Mirage Walk, in case nearby Alacryan soldiers sensed my mana fluctuations, had drained my meager reserves. Using the rest of the mana to strengthen my legs left me with only my cloak to protect me from the sharp, sand-embedded winds.

  It’s been a while since I’ve been this cold. I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering. Leaning my back against a boulder for temporary shelter from the wind, I wrapped my cloak tightly around me.

  ‘Just a little more. We’re almost there. Should I use aether once more?’ my bond asked as she gazed up at me in my pitiful state.

  No. I can barely keep Mana Rotation active in this state. Using aether might set off the soldiers, or worse, the Scythe.

  ‘Okay.’ She pressed against my leg to do what she could to keep me just a little warmer, and we stayed still for a brief moment until the wind died down just a bit.

  After painstakingly walking back toward the forest, zigzagging from one boulder to another in case of any Alacryan soldiers hidden from the faint light of the crescent moon, I almost broke into tears at the shadowed figures of trees in the distance.

  When we entered the forest the wind died down significantly, and in just a few minutes—despite it being the same temperature—my body slowly began to thaw.

  ‘Let’s rest here for a bit,’ Sylvie said, pointing with her snout at a nearby hollow log.

  We should… get back to the castle, I replied, my eyelids growing heavier with each word.

  My bond nudged me toward the log. ‘We need to put some more distance between us and the soldiers ahead anyway. Just a one-hour nap. At this rate, you’ll freeze without mana to protect you while flying.’

  There was a comforting power to her words that seemed to drain the rest of what little energy I had left. Suddenly overcome by a wave of fatigue, I stumbled into the hollow log. My consciousness slowly faded into darkness, and the last thing I witnessed was Sylvie dropping a mouthful of leaves on top of me for warmth.

  Despite my feeble state, deep sleep eluded me. I was still tense about being out in harm’s way with so little strength to protect myself and the recent turn of events, and my mind worked overtime to stay at least half-conscious.

  After about an hour of resting, Sylvie and I climbed out from the comfort of our blanket of leaves and departed. I no longer needed to use mana to strengthen my legs while riding Sylvie, so I was able to protect myself from the prevailing winds.

  Aside from the howling gales, the journey back to the castle was silent. Conversation was almost nonexistent between us, as we had both become lost in our own thoughts.

  Now that we knew the dwarves were aiding the Alacryan forces, this war had gotten exponentially more complicated. It wasn’t as simple as us versus them now. There was still the possibility that only a single faction of the dwarves were aiding our enemy, but if Rahdeas—Elijah’s foster guardian, and now leader of the dwarves—had something to do with this, then that meant we were potentially down two Lances.

  Assuming the worst, the only positive in all this was that Rahdeas was still acting as if he were on our side. This meant that he either had more to gain from being a double agent, or that he wasn’t confident enough to openly defy the rest of the Council.

  ‘We’re here,’ Sylvie announced.

  Looking up, I could see the castle, floating amidst the layers of clouds. Dotted around the large structure on all sides were soldiers mounted on flying mana beasts. The sun shone directly above, casting shadows on the sea of clouds below the castle and flying guards. It was an awe-inspiring sight—for anyone who had never visited, it would surely have made their jaws drop—but for me, all I could think about was getting inside and hibernating on the first comfortable surface I came across.

  Most people entered through teleportation gates, so when we approached, the guards immediately gathered between us and the castle. Weapons glowed brightly, held at the ready, as the bonds the soldiers were riding also prepared for battle. However, once we got close enough for the soldiers to make out who we were, they formed two lines, creating an aerial path for Sylvie and me to follow into the entrance.

  “General Leywin!” The guards saluted in unison from atop their flying beasts. We made our way up the pathway, and the double doors—which towered over even Sylvie—slowly creaked open just ahead.

  It was obvious that Captain Auddyr had already arrived, since there was a team of medics and emitters waiting for me in the landing chamber, having been instructed to remain there until I returned. Some of them were casually playing cards, but as soon as the large double doors opened, they all dropped what they were doing and immediately prepared to treat me.

  The area quickly burst into a flurry of activity with indecipherable noises bombarding my ears from every corner of the large room. By the time Sylvie landed, the medics had already brought over a contraption similar to a gurney.

  “I’m okay,” I croaked, my voice barely audible. “Let me talk to Virion first.”

  “Strap him in and don’t let him walk,” Sylvie rumbled, startling everyone in the room—including me. My bond had always refrained from talking to anyone but me, and even then she preferred to communicate telepathically.

  Taken aback by her sudden commands, I complied with Sylvie’s wishes and allowed myself to be carried on the gurney, while both medics and emitters began examining me. My bond transformed into her fox-like form, and trotted along beside me as they moved me from the landing chamber to a proper medical facility.

  It didn’t take long for the medics to determine where my injuries were; in fact, I heard one of the medics suggest that it would probably be easier to list the parts of my body that weren’t damaged.

  That was always reassuring.

  Coming from a place and time that was more technologically advanced, I had always looked down on the medical field in this world—but it turned out I had underestimated it. What this world couldn’t achieve through technology, they made up for with magic. Teams of deviant mages, all specialists in the medical field, were waiting for me as I was pushed into a large square room with vaulted ceilings.

  As time trickled by, I could feel my injuries and deprivations catching up to me. The adrenaline that had been keeping me able was dwindling, and it felt like my limbs had turned into lead weights. I struggled to stay awake as the medics and emitters carefully probed my body.

  After another round of preliminary examinations, an elderly mage entered the room. The thick, square-jawed mage introduced himself as Mendul, and said he was a deviant capable of using mana to adjust and fine-tune his vision so that he could perceive the individual layers of any living thing’s body. Whether it was the skeletal, muscular, or even nervous system, he was able to see them all.

  Mendul scanned my body, using an ink pen to draw directly on my skin in dozens of places as he took notes, while I focused all my efforts on staying conscious.

  “Where’s Commander Virion?” I asked after Mendul had finished marking up my body like some sort of map.

  “My apologies, General Arthur. Commander Virion is currently away from the castle,” said a thin, middle-aged man dressed in a pale green robe.

  Judging by how he had been coordinating the actions of the medics, emitters, and other deviants in the room, I assumed he was the head of the medical team here. While I’d normally be a bit more courteous to the man in charge of healing me, a tone of impatience slipped out when I spoke. “He’s away? Where? When’s he going to be back?”

  “He did not say,” the man replied apologetically. “I saw him leave with Captain Auddyr and Captain Glory, along with General Aya.”

  I sank further down into the elevated bed they had moved me to, careful not to keep my eyes closed for too long lest I slip into slumber. If Virion had left with Auddyr and Vanesy, and had taken a Lance with him, they were most likely going back to the forest near the southern border of Sapin, where I had defeated the retainer.

  The sense of dread I had felt while looking down upon the Vritra Scythe crept through me, raising gooseflesh across my exposed skin. They might run into the Alacryan platoon that was marching up north. Worse, that Scythe might try to find the retainer I killed.

  ‘I’m not too worried about the Scythe, since she seemed to be headed in a different direction, but you’re right about the platoon,’ my bond replied.

  Maybe you should go and warn them.

  ‘And leave you here alone? After finding out that the dwarves are allied with the Vritra? Has your brain left you?’

  I took a quick glance around the room. There were elves as well as dwarves working alongside the human medics, all busily preparing tools and medicines.

  Damn it, I thought, knowing she was right. Fine. I guess we can only pray for their safety.

  ‘Virion has a Lance with him, after all. Don’t try to handle everything alone. They’ll be fine without you,’ she comforted me. ‘I’ll be right here, making sure these medics aren’t doing anything suspicious. Just rest and focus on healing.’

  “What about Aldir?” I asked the head medic hopefully.

  “Once again, I’m sorry.” He dipped his head. “Only Commander Virion knows the whereabouts of Lord Aldir. I, myself, have only seen him once—very briefly.”

  I heaved a sigh of frustration as the last ounce of strength left me. “It’s fine. So what’s the plan here? Were you able to come up with a diagnosis for my injuries?”

  The head medic turned to Mendul, who stepped forward and looked down at his notes before speaking. “General Arthur, your injuries are unique in how complex they are. To be frank, it’s only because of your assimilated body and the level of your mana core that you’re even able to remain conscious. Even so, I can’t help but say I’m surprised to see you so lively—all things considered, of course.”

  I managed to shift my gaze to look down at Sylvie, who was sitting on the floor beside my bed. I have you to thank for that.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ she replied curtly. ‘Although I fear I’ll have to do this again in the future.’

  I shot my bond a weak grin before looking back to Mendul. “So what will the treatment be?”

  The deviant shifted uncomfortably as he stroked his short beard. “The injuries to your legs and lower body have healed, but not perfectly. For you to be able to walk without the use of mana, we’re going to have to, very precisely, break your bones and tear your tissues in very small increments, then guide them to heal properly.”

  Prying open my tired eyes, I locked gazes with the head medic, who had been silently waiting for further instructions. Whether because I was so desperate to be in full health again or because I had undergone countless surgeries after battles during my time as a king in my previous world, my mind was at peace.

  I gave Sylvie one last meaningful glance before closing my eyes. In these circumstances—anyone in this room could potentially harm me—I was thankful to have her with me.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Yes, General Arthur!” The thin medic nodded vigorously. “Rest assured; upon hearing news of your condition from Captain Auddyr, Commander Virion spared no effort in gathering the most elite mages of all three races to restore you to full strength.”

  “I’m in your hands.” At my whispered words, the mages and medics in the room immediately bowed.

  “Seldia, you’re up,” Mendul barked.

  A young female elf approached me, giving me a gentle smile. She extended her hand, pressing on my forehead with one finger. “Excuse me for the intrusion.”