sorry guys, I messed up the sequence of the chapters. "Limit Off" chapter was supposed to be released before this one. I have updated it, so please check it out!
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kaguya and Alise took on each of the flanks while Ryuu and Ais worked together as a unit, stabbing and slashing at the opening that was created. While Asfi provided the aerial support using what little explosive she had left, sometimes even landing on the dragon's back, wounding it.
Ais, Ryuu, and Alise repeatedly attacked the monster with their sword wrapped in magical fire and wind, and the anti-magic shield flickered more and more.
"Everyone, clear!" Riveria's voice rang out with authority. Her staff glowed brilliantly now that she had it back. The others scattered immediately, creating distance. "Rea Laevateinn!"
A massive pillar of fire erupted from the ground, engulfing the beast, as it roared in agony, its anti-magic shield flickering desperately but failing to dispel Riveria's full-powered attack.
"The shield's breaking!" Alise observed, her eyes sharp. "One more push!"
"Then let's give it one!" Kaguya grinned, blood-streaked but fierce.
They attacked as one. Six adventurers, six different styles, all converging on a single point. Ryuu's flames, Ais's wind, Alise's explosive force, Kaguya's precise cuts, Asfi's explosives, and Riveria's flames—all hammering against that flickering anti-magic barrier.
And then it shattered, leaving the dragon defenseless to Riveria's fire magic. The flames burned away scales and flesh, obliterating the dragon's entire left side—wing, foreleg, and all.
"Ais, now!" Riveria cried, Ais, not missing the chance, rushed forward.
"Lil Rafaga!" Ais, charged in a single line, wrapped in her raging winds, enhanced by the magic I'd woven through her winds earlier, her sword glimmering as it pierced through the dragon's chest and embedded in the magic stone, breaking it fully.
For a moment, everything froze.
Then the dragon's roar cut off mid-cry. Its massive body began to crumble, turning to ash and crystal fragments. The ancient beast, the Level 7 monster that had terrorized us, that had nearly killed us all—
It was dead.
"We... we did it..." Ryuu breathed, then her voice rose triumphantly. "WE WON!"
"Finally," Asfi muttered, collapsing to one knee. "Never again."
Ais stood at the center of the disintegrating corpse, her sword still extended. She was breathing hard, but her eyes were clear as she looked toward the tornado, that massive tempest that had started all of this. Her mother was in there. She had to be.
"RIVERIA!" A familiar voice called out across the battlefield. I turned my aching head to see Finn running toward us, Lydia and others close behind. And with them—
"Amid!" Lefiya's relief was palpable.
The silver-haired healer from Dian Cecht Familia rushed past Finn, her purple eyes taking in my condition with professional assessment. "Good work," she told Lefiya. Cut in but firmly. "Let me handle this."
Amid's hands glowed with healing magic far more refined than what Lefiya or even Riveria could manage without preparation. The difference was immediate—the pain that had been a constant background noise began to fade truly. Slowly but surely.
"You shouldn't be conscious, let alone talking?" she asked as she continued her healing. "Your insides are completely mangled." Amid's hands paused for just a fraction of a second before resuming their work. "No," she corrected quietly. "Not mangled. Overridden. Your body was forced to function."
Her purple eyes flicked up to mine, sharp and clinical. "Your body didn't heal itself. It was forced to keep functioning. Every system— muscles, organs, nerves—pushed far beyond what they're meant to handle." She exhaled slowly. "You were running on an artificial adrenaline state, weren't you?"
I didn't answer.
"That explains it," she continued. "Your body is exhausted… but that's not what worries me. Your mind is barely keeping up," Amid said. "You're alert, responsive, even calm—but your awareness is lagging behind your actions. I've stabilized your major injuries and closed the worst wounds, but I would advise you to stay lying down and rest your mind as much as possible, until we have a better place to proceed with better treatment."
"Yes, I will do that, thank you," I said, and looked at Finn for answers as to why the famous saint was here.
Finn nodded and started explaining. "We have submitted a quest to Dian Cench and asked Armid Teasanare for assistance, which they have accepted." He stopped looking over towards Riveria and others approaching us. "But I am quite surprised you guys already defeated it."
"Barely," Riveria answered. "How is he?" She questioned, looking at Armid, still examining me.
"He is not in any mortal danger, but I would like to proceed with better treatment as soon as possible. And all of you need to be healed properly as well," she answered, observing Ryuu and others.
"You heard her, everyone, we are going to set up a base here today." Finn directed everyone. And before long, there were several tents erected. Three familia flags and one main flag with all the symbols combined fluttered in the northern winds. I was shifted to one of these tents with several bandages coated with high potions wrapped around my body and around my eyes.
Shortly after, Amid, who, after healing me, went to tend to the girls, entered the tent.
"How are the others?" I asked, as I sensed her, I felt her enter.
"They are fine. None of them was seriously wounded," she answered. I felt her enter, as she took a seat near me and checked my pulse. "How are you feeling? You were unconscious for several hours now. You woke up about ten minutes ago—do you remember?"
"Yes, I remember. And I am mostly fine, except every muscle in my body hurts."
"You have pushed over your limits several times, so I would say you are lucky that all you are suffering from is just muscle pain. And while I do understand adventurers go beyond their limits often. But still, as a healer, I would advise you not to do something this reckless again.
"...I'll try..." I felt her grip tighten on my wrist, hearing my lukewarm response.
"Try?" she asked, voice tense, and I could feel her purple eyes narrowing.
"I mean, I won't do it! Yup, never again!"
"Much better …and forgive me, I don't like it when people ignore warnings, because next time I see them they are lying on that same bed just dead this time," she explained.
"No, I understand," I said quietly, "and… thank you for coming all the way out here, for healing everyone. I know it must not have been an easy journey."
"This is what I do," she said. It was hard to tell with her neutral voice if she was saying it in a polite way or not.
"Still I want to—"
"You helped me once." She interrupted gently. "During the great conflict. Do you remember?"
Did I? I searched through my memories, the chaos, the deaths, the battle with Delphyne and Saphira. But I didn't have to think long as she spoke. "I exhausted myself. Continuous healing for hours on end. So many wounded. So many dying…" She paused. "I was about to collapse right there on the battlefield when you caught me. I never properly thanked you for that."
Oh, I remember now. The memory resurfaced slowly—a silver-haired girl swaying on her feet, purple eyes unfocused with exhaustion. I'd seen her falter. "So," she continued, "No, you don't need to thank me. If anything, this makes us even."
"I don't think treating all these injuries makes us even," I said, wryly.
"Well, perhaps not," she admitted, and I could hear the smile in her monotone voice. Then her tone shifted. "Now you should rest some more. Your body and your mind are in severe need of it. I will go and look over the othe—"
"...Arin, can I come in?" I heard Ais voice outside the tent.
"Hm? Ais? Yes, come in." I answered, and Ais entered, along with her, the delicious smell of soup wafting through the air.
"...I brought food," she said.
"Then I will take my leave now, Arin. I will come back again for a check-up. Till then, eat some food and rest." Amid replied and stood up, walking towards the exit. "Oh, and also you can remove the bandages from the eyes."
"Ok, I will do that, thank you, Amid," I tried to remove the bandages myself. My muscles tensed painfully at the attempt. "Ais, can you help me remove them?"
Moments later, I felt her hands gently working at the bandages around my head. Her touch was careful, almost hesitant, as if afraid she might hurt me. Her fingers worked carefully at the bandages, unwinding layer after layer. I felt the pressure release, cool air touching my skin. The bandages fell away, and I opened my eyes slowly to find Ais's face close to mine, her golden eyes searching my face with an intensity that made my breath catch.
"I brought you food," she murmured again quietly as if to remind herself why she was here. I could sense from her expression that she was feeling conflicted and guilty, but I decided not to broach that subject unless she herself said something about it. Instead, I looked at the bowl of warm soup she had brought with her.
"Sorry, Ais, can you feed it to me?" She gave a small nod and settled herself beside me, picking up the spoon with the same careful precision she used for everything. She brought the first spoonful to my lips, and I ate it gratefully.
"Mm... It's really good." The warmth of the soup spread through me, comforting in a way that went beyond just filling my empty stomach. "Did you make this?"
"...No. Riveria did," Ais admitted. "But I helped."
So they recovered quickly. Good. I thought as I responded. "Well, you both did great." I accepted another spoonful, watching her face. She was concentrating hard on the simple task of feeding me, her brow slightly furrowed. But beneath that focus, I could see something else—guilt, worry, a storm of emotions she was holding back.
"I am sorry," she whispered. "You got hurt because of me." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Because of me, everyone had a hard time. Riveria, Ryuu, everyone... they got injured trying to cover for my mistakes." She set the spoon down carefully, her hands clenching in her lap. "You brought me here even when others worried it might be too much. You trusted me. And I... I lost control, "I failed you." I let her pour everything she had in her heart out. And only after she was completed did I speak.
"No, you didn't mess anything up." I said, firmly, "What you had was a natural reaction towards seeing your mom like that." At my words, she looked up with a start, clearly shocked.
"Arin—that… I…" she mumbled and finally asked. "How?"
"Hm… I mean, you had called that storm your mother, the others definitely heard." She turned pale at those words. "Don't worry too much, I am sure they will keep it a secret. And like I had told you before. You can tell me the whole story when you are ready," she agreed quietly. "All in all, I wanted to say is that you didn't mess anything up."
"But… those black winds …that rage. That's…"
"That's a part of you. A part that protects you just like your sword." I interpreted. "And the thing is, I knew there was a risk bringing you here. I knew you might react strongly to whatever we found. But I still chose to bring you because..." I smiled at her. "Because I trust you. Ais Completely."
She remained quiet for some time until finally she spoke with renewed determination. "Thank you, Arin."
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, can you feed me some more food?"
"Of course, you need to eat more and recover," she said, as she once again started feeding me. And for a while, there was only the quiet clink of spoon against bowl, the warmth of soup. And I think this was more than enough reward for me.