Eternal Saṃsāra: The Wanderer of Worlds

[101] Who Is She?

Chapter 101: Who Is She?

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[Third Person Point of View]

Aqua's body hit the ground with a heavy thud, his figure a stark contrast against the shattered remains of the tree. Each labored breath he took was a battle against the excruciating pain engulfing him. His eyes closed, surrendering to the overwhelming sensations as he lost consciousness.

As he lay there, the sound of shooting light echoed through the night. Ruby, with tears streaming down her face, flew toward him with a streak of light. Her expression was a mix of fear and concern. She fell to her knees beside him, her hands hovering over him, unsure how to help.

He was unconscious, his body blackened and his veins visibly red. Ruby was no doctor, but he looked to be in serious shape with the beat of his heart two times slower than normal.

"N-no, no! This can't be happening... n-not right after I just found out!" She cried to the sky, shaking his shoulders to wake him up. He didn't respond, his mouth agape with smoke coming out, and his eyes white.

With a gulp, she put her palms over his chest and cast a spell.

"[Solar Rejuvenation]!"

His body shone bright gold, but when the light vanished he remained equally injured. The harm from overusing Icons was not that easy to cure.

Tears cascaded down her chin, and she kept yelling. "Solar Rejuvenation! Solar Rejuvenation! Solar Rejuvenation! Solar Rejuvenation! Solar Rejuvenation-"

Before she could do anything more, before she could waste her Mana in this useless attempt, a sharp voice cut through the air. "Stop that, Lady Ruby." The authoritative voice came from Blue, who, along with the other Tiger Cubs, swiftly moved to Aqua's side.

A light flashed and Ai appeared nearby. She had transformed herself into a witch and used teleportation to appear on the hill. She froze upon seeing Aqua, staring at his body which she thought was a corpse for a second, before running toward him.

"Do not approach!" Blue interjected, halting her advance with a raised palm. She gently took Aqua from Ruby's arms, who didn't struggle in the hope that they'd be able to help him. Blue shot Ai a glare, which seemed to say: you have caused him enough already. "We will take care of him. At least... we'll try."

Ai, who had been about to step forward, stopped in her tracks, taken aback by the unexpected intervention. "...W-we need to call a doctor, that looks serious!" she said instead of arguing with them.

"No mortal doctor will be able to help, this is serious, as you said. Your daughter had a better chance of healing him, but her spells were useless." Blue said and gently lifted Aqua and ran off toward the house, and the Tiger Cubs shot Ai one long look before following behind her.

Although they were told to protect these two women, they couldn't help but feel furious that this human woman dared hit their Lord, even though he clearly cared for her. Even though he was in this state trying to protect her.

Blue carried him into the house, moving with speed and coordination, and gently put him on the bed. His condition didn't look good.

Ruby, torn between what to do, hesitated for a moment before she shot Ai a glare too. "It's all your fault... all your fault! He died last time because of you, and now he is about to die again, because of you!" She growled at her before hopping off the hill and rushing toward the house.

"...."

The night air, once filled with the sounds of battle, now settled into a tense quiet. Ai fell to her knees with her head blank as she failed to think of... anything.