Chapter 730: He is asleep
Beneath a bundle of green leaves encased in a soft layer of glistening ice, a tiny figure stirred, and a pained groan echoed through the dark space filled with towering trees.
A small wing broke free from the leaves, followed by a sharp curse that pierced the stillness. Bia struggled to pull her tiny body from the soft, cold leaves that felt as heavy as mountains. Her red-rimmed eyes glowed in the darkness, scanning her surroundings with a mix of confusion and bewilderment.
-"I am still alive... but what happened?"
First and foremost, she assessed her body to confirm all her limbs were still intact and let out a loud sigh of relief.
However, the cold aura surrounding her and the ache in her body reminded her that what she had experienced was no dream.
She glanced up at the canopy of countless twinkling stars and the large, bright moon before attempting to sense Kyle's location through their connection.
Bia froze when she sensed him not far away. He wasn't in any type of pain; rather, he was in a deep, peaceful sleep.
-"
With a speechless look in her eyes, the phoenix moved toward his direction, feeling the air grow even colder with each step.
Ultimately, she found him lying face down on the grassy, leaf-strewn ground, his body half- buried beneath the leaves.
Quickly, Bia checked his breathing. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed his clothes were soaked in blood, yet there wasn't a single scratch on his pale skin-only a layer of ice covering his body.
-"He is fine. But what happened? What about the shadow generals?"
Bia scratched his back with her nails, slightly frustrated because she had no idea what had transpired. She only remembered Kyle's words when he said he was going to finish what was left unfinished. After that, everything blurred, and the next second she blinked, she found herself engulfed by a portal amidst a sea of icy flames.
-"Did he stop time? But... his comprehension of the natural law of time isn't strong enough to manipulate it when the surroundings are already under the control of someone more powerful."
-"He got stronger again... No, it was because of that cold thing..."
She grimaced with a solemn expression. Why did Kyle have to become so strong so fast? If it went on like this, she would be left behind! A grumble escaped her lips before her ears perked up at the sound of another pained voice in the distance.
Bia quickly became alert.
She knew Kyle wouldn't wake up from the way he remained motionless, even though she had started pulling his hair. It seemed his body needed rest after whatever he did to escape Damien and Onicuss with her.
-"Okay, I should protect him from the enemies until he wakes up!"
Her eyes sparkled with determination, prepared to eliminate anyone nearby. She knew she was weaker than him, but during these fleeting moments when Kyle fell asleep, the phoenix felt a rush of pride knowing she could protect him too!
However, she clicked her tongue in disappointment when she spread her senses and detected the presence of the old dragon Kyle called master. The pained voice belonged to the old man.
-"He is alive too."
She arrived above the old man's groaning body, covered in blood, as he struggled to move- or should she say crawl?
Her eyebrows raised when he ceased his attempts to move and gazed at the starry sky with a melancholic expression. A soft whisper escaped his lips.
"Is this the realm of dead? Why is it still so painful, as if all my bones are broken? And why is this place so cold?"
Hubert blinked a few times, and his eyes finally began to clear. He gasped when he recalled the sea of familiar icy flames. Like Bia, he couldn't remember what happened after Kyle declared he would finish what he had left undone. He only remembered being abruptly engulfed by the icy flames and then a dark portal that swallowed him.
"Damn that bastard of a disciple! He almost got me killed! Where the hell is he―!"
He tried to move to confront Kyle but winced as a sharp pain shot up his spine from his broken bones and the numerous wounds covering his skin.
"Oh my...! How am I even awake in this condition!? I need to heal myself, or else I will go mad from pain!"
With a harsh breath, the old man tried to concentrate on mending his wounds and bones, but his expression twisted when he realized there wasn't even a hint of spiritual energy in his
body.
After one final curse, Hubert started absorbing the spiritual and divine energy from the surroundings before directing the two powerful energies to heal himself. He shut his eyes, but Bia, who had settled on a branch of a nearby tree to keep an eye on him-because, unlike Kyle, she had yet to trust this person-suddenly saw him open his blue eyes and stare directly at her.
"It's going to take me a long time to completely heal my injuries. How long are you going to stare, little one?"
Bia blinked, taken aback. There was no anger, no greed, not even a hint of malice in the gaze directed at her. The only thing she could see in those eyes fixed on her was a trace of a smile one would reserve for family. She was at a loss for words.
It was the first time she had met Hubert, but she finally understood why Kyle had accepted
this man as his master.
The old man wasn't a bad person.
-"I wasn't staring. I was just checking who was in the surroundings..."
She blurted out whatever came to her mind, and Hubert responded with a chuckle. But suddenly, his calm blue eyes flickered with annoyance and a touch of sternness.
"What is Kyle doing? I can sense he's nearby. After injuring me, he isn't even helping me heal! How ungrateful! It's time for me to teach him a lesson... but... but he has become so much
stronger..."
He let out a deep sigh, reassuring himself that the day would come when he could beat his disciple-one day, somehow.
Bia's eyes flickered with amusement as she flew closer to the old man. Finally feeling a bit comfortable, she landed next to him.
-"Kyle is asleep. I can help. I don't have a mind space so no healing treasures, but I can use my spiritual energy to assist."
Hubert didn't stop the phoenix as she assisted him with her spiritual energy. At least the bonded beast of his ungrateful disciple wasn't as heartless as he was.
It took him three full days to heal all his broken bones and recover from his severe external injuries. Although there was still a dull ache in his body and he needed more time to recover completely, he felt much better than when he couldn't even move.
During this time, under Bia's gaze, he had killed all the monsters in the vicinity and had even adjusted Kyle's motionless body into a more comfortable position, despite his grievances
against the man.
However, the surrounding temperature continued to rise. By the end of the fourth day, the entire forest was encased in a thick layer of ice, yet Kyle, the one responsible for it, hadn't
even moved a finger.