Jaihar and the Water Mage looked at Zeke with a strange mix of bewilderment and horror. They quietly stood there and watched him take another bite. There was an unnatural silence in the air, only broken by the sound of quiet chewing. Nobody moved, as their minds had difficulty comprehending what they saw.
This strange equilibrium might have lasted even longer if not for a muffled cry in the distance. Suddenly, Jaihar snapped back to his senses.
"Kill him!" He began casting before the words had even fully left his lips.
The Water Mage was only an instant behind him, the scene's horror spurring him on.
Zeke wasn't even given time to swallow before a burning meteor streaked toward him. He instantly tossed the remainder of his fleshy snack toward the incoming projectile. The two collided in a fiery explosion, bathing the entire scene red.
Despite his bestial state, Zeke's mind was working overtime. He had recognized the volatile nature of the meteor at a glance. However, intelligence could only get him so far in a battle where he was completely outmatched. The boost he received from the draconic essence was a powerful force, but it didn't heal his broken body nor completely close the gap in strength.
As if to prove that point, the next spell came an instant later. The cascading water fountain effortlessly dispersed the lingering embers and filled his entire vision. It was a spell incomparable to the ones from earlier. The Grand Mages were clearly done holding back.
Zeke was still in time to dive out of the way. However, his shattered body screamed in agony from the strain. He could feel that more than one of his broken ribs had punctured an organ.
Even in this vastly improved state, he was no match for the two Grand Mages. What was worse was that any rapid movement was damaging him further. Even if he could avoid all their spells, he didn't have more than a couple of dodges left in him. It was hopeless.
"ARGH!" A distant scream drew their attention. Zeke glanced over and saw something he had not expected.
Gravitas looked like the very incarnation of wrath. Her body floated a foot off the ground with an arsenal of stone projectiles hovering behind her. A rapid stream of bullets was shooting out from behind her without end.
Her target? A blood-soaked figure scampering for cover.
Her once so-confident opponent was heaving for breath, seemingly mere moments away from passing out. He also bled from several open wounds, proving that his ability had limits as well. The man appeared so bedraggled that even Zeke looked healthy in comparison. Zeke was sure the poor guy would have long since run away without the collar forcing him to stay.
Despite his state, Zeke smiled warmly. Gravitas was constantly sneaking glances at him. She would likely rescue him the moment she finished off her opponent, and from the look of it, that wouldn't be long.
"KILL HIM NOW!" Jaihair seemed to have come to the same conclusion.
Hope was a curious thing. It was something that could neither be measured nor calculated. But in spite of its ephemeral nature, its effects were easy to observe.
Moments before, Zeke's eyes had been gloomy, filled with quiet resignation. His body didn't want to move anymore; the pain and despair were too much even for him.
But what about now?
His eyes were blazing. A new fire had been ignited in the depths of his soul. He was more focused than ever. Only a singular, crystal-clear thought existed in his mind:
Just a bit more.
Zeke dodged the first of the incoming spells with a dive and the second with a roll. After that, everything became a blur. He didn't know how long it lasted or how many spells he evaded. He didn't even pay attention to the excruciating pain from every part of his body. All that remained was a single thought.
Just a bit more.
He took one step at a time, one moment after the other. Until, eventually, there was nothing left to dodge. At this point, Zeke couldn't even see properly anymore. His blurry vision only permitted him to react to movement.
Zeke waited, but no more attacks came. After another moment, he allowed his mind to relax by the tiniest bit, but that turned out to be a mistake. Immediately, the strength drained from every part of his body, like he had sprung a leak. No matter what he did, he could not get his limbs back under control. He fell forward, too weak to even brace himself.
Fortunately, somebody was there to catch him.
Zeke's face was enveloped in a gentle warmth as he felt a pair of slender arms gently wrap around his back. Simultaneously, the presence of a peculiar fragrance made itself known. It was a comforting, crisp, electrifying scent. It smelled like the clean morning air after a thunderstorm.
Zeke recognized the fragrance. It was a smell that made him feel at home because an identical source dwelled in his own chest.
"Gravitas?" Zeke forced the word out. It was strange that his voice seemed so raspy, even though he hadn't used it much.
"Yes," a soft voice replied.
"You made it…"
There was no reply, but Zeke felt her tighten her hold.
"Did you win?"
"I did."
"What about Vulcanos? Is he okay?"
"He is fine."
Zeke breathed out a sigh. With this, his last worry had been resolved. However, even this small action made him shiver from pain, highlighting the terrible state his body was in. Zeke focused inward to assess the damage. It was much worse than he had thought.
Several ribs were shattered, and his chest was severely burned. His legs, stomach, and shoulders were bruised, torn, and cut, displaying all colors of the rainbow. On top of that, his left arm was gone, and his right arm was so badly mangled that he almost wished it was gone, too.
However, all of that paled in comparison to his internal injuries. The fractured and splintered pieces of his bones had embedded themselves in almost all of his major organs. His heart, lungs, and liver had taken the most damage. He was still alive solely because his Blood Magic allowed him to bypass most of his life-preserving systems.
Zeke let out a rattling cough. He wanted to alleviate the terrible feeling of liquid slowly filling his lungs. However, the action instead caused him to vomit violently. Accompanying the fountain of red were clumps of flesh. In his current state, he couldn't tell if they were his own organs or a piece of what he had consumed earlier.
Gravitas clearly didn't know what to do either. She relaxed and tightened her grip, unsure which would hurt him less.
Zeke chuckled weakly. "What happened to the Mages?" he rasped.
"You killed one of them, and I killed another. However, the leader escaped before I joined you."
So Jaihar was still alive.
That was a shame. However, the young man hadn't seen Zeke cast any of his Space or Mind spells, so his identity wasn't compromised. All he could report was that Zeke had turned into a man-eating monster. More likely than not, that story would sound like an excuse to anybody who heard it.
All things considered, it wasn't too bad an outcome. That was… if Zeke managed to survive. His injuries were by far the worst he had ever suffered. This level of damage would require an Arch Mage with a Life affinity to cure. Somebody like that wasn't easy to come by, and even in Tradespire, he didn't know such a person.
The only reason he was even alive was his Magic. But that also meant that he would die the moment he lost consciousness.
"Gravitas."
"Yes, master?"
"…need to escape… before sundown—" Zeke said with the last of his strength.
After that, he didn't pay attention to anything that happened anymore. His attention was focused solely on fixing his broken body. He tried to reconstruct as much as possible, but his mind was getting more sluggish with every passing moment. He fought the drowsiness for as long as he could.
However, eventually, even the strongest mind would succumb to sleep's temptation. It wasn't too long before Zeke's eyes closed, and the strength drained from his neck.
Miraculously, he didn't die. Not only did he not perish, but his work continued as before. Some might even say he worked faster, better, and more precisely than before falling asleep.
***
A solitary girl sat in a secluded world containing nothing but an endless void. She had white hair, blue eyes, and a full figure. In front of her was a light-screen showing the face of a sleeping boy being carried along a mountain path. She was silently gazing at him while remaining completely motionless.
Of course, her unmoving state didn't mean she wasn't doing anything. As a matter of fact, Akasha was working on over a dozen tasks at this very moment. One of those tasks just happened to be looking at Zeke.
She had been observing him for a long time. She had silently watched him fight for his life, watched him struggle to repair his body, and watched him fight and lose the battle against his own exhaustion.
During this entire time, Akasha had not offered any help. Only when Zeke passed out did she finally intervene. Nobody knew what she was thinking. However, the broad smile on her face showed how pleased she was with the recent turn of events.
***
Zeke's eyelids twitched. Once, twice, and a third time. Then they shot open. Had he fallen asleep? For how long? How was he still alive?
A dark canvas unfolded before his eyes, adorned with the brilliance of countless tiny, twinkling dots that painted the night sky. Zeke got lost in the majesty of the sight for a moment — but only a moment. Something was strange. It had been morning when they started their mission. How could he be looking at the night sky?
When Zeke inspected his condition, another surprise awaited him. His body was still in a bad state, but it was incomparably better than before. His wounds were bandaged, and his organs mostly repaired. Even the minuscule bone splinters had been retrieved and returned to their proper place.
It finally clicked when Zeke noticed how his bones were being magically held together, even at this very moment. "Akasha, is this your doing?"
[Answer]
Affirmative.
"If you were watching, you could have helped me out sooner," Zeke grumbled. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to stay awake?"
[Answer]
I couldn't do that.
Zeke didn't ask about her reason. He was in no position to criticize her in the first place. Without Akasha, he would have died. The same could be said for Vulcanos and Gravitas and even the Dragon. Each of his companions had gone above and beyond for him today.
"What is the current situation?"
[Answer]
We are located in the base camp outside the Danger Zone. The Chimeroi carried you for the entire day and are currently guarding this place.
Zeke felt bad upon hearing that the Chimeroi were standing guard. After today's events, he was sure they were also dead tired. However, it was for the best. He dared not be negligent with the Shadow Elementals and Jaihar possibly lurking about.
[Notice]
I would advise Host to get some rest. By morning, Host's body will have recovered enough to move. Until then, there is nothing Host can do.
Zeke was unwilling to take it easy while the others worked. However, he was aware of how silly that notion was. He would be of no help to them, his suffering no more than a symbolic token. On top of that, he was exhausted, and denying his body the rest it needed would only slow down his recovery process even further.
"Good night, Akasha," Zeke said as his eyes were already beginning to close. He thought he heard her reply, but he could not be sure.
"…Good night."