The faint darkening under his eyes told me enough - he must have guarded me while I was ’unconscious’.
The thought warmed something in my chest even as the Infinite Loop continued its endless cycle, cool and steady in the background of my awareness.
Zephyr pushed off from the wall, studying me with those sharp eyes of his. "You look... different."
I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. "I feel different."
Rising to my feet, I marveled at how my body responded, every movement perfectly balanced. "How long was I out?"
"...I see." I nodded.
The number should have surprised me, but in this new state of clarity, it simply... registered.
I’d known the harmonization might take time, just not days.
My gaze drifted to the window. The black metal shutters that had sealed us against the blizzard were gone now, revealing a calm winter sky. Pale sunlight filtered through thin clouds, glinting off the snowdrifts below. The storm had passed, leaving only the usual northern winds sighing against the castle walls.
"Did anything happen while I was out?" I asked, turning back to Zephyr.
He shook his head, then after a beat added, "We’re leaving tomorrow morning."
Then a slow nod from me.
"What time is it now?"
"Then let’s go. I’m starving."
"...You should take a bath first."
I sniffed and looked down at my body.
A pungent odor assaulted my nose as I noticed my shirt and skin stained with black impurities.
"Congratulations," Zephyr said with a rare smile. "You’re officially a Tier 1 Resonator now."
"Umm." I nodded, suddenly self-conscious. "Alright, then you go on ahead. I’ll join you after cleaning up."
As Zephyr left, I sighed. "Well then, time to wash off two days’ worth of cultivation breakthroughs."
I retracted my hands from Baron Nusayel’s body, mender’s aura fading from my fingertips.
"How is my husband?" Lady Luthaire’s voice came softly from the other side of the bed.
I looked up to see her gently holding her husband’s hand, dark circles under her eyes betraying her exhaustion.
"He’s alright," I reassured her. "He just needs to continue treatment and rest. And my lady..." I hesitated before adding gently, "You should rest too. I can see you haven’t slept these past days."
"...Yes. Thank you, Sir Lumin." She nodded wearily.
From my coat, I produced two vials of pale blue liquid and placed them on the bedside table. "Both you and the Baron should take one drop each night. No more, no less. I have warned Sir Veylan as well."
"Right, I’ll be departing with the others tomorrow to the city, but I’ll return after acquiring the necessary materials. So please keep yourselves safe."
Lady Luthaire nodded again, silent tears tracing paths down her pale cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered.
"I’ll take my leave then. Good night."
As I stepped out into the corridor, the weight of responsibility settled on my shoulders - but for the first time, it felt like a weight I was truly prepared to bear.
As for the vials, they were six drops of Lunar Vein Dew.
They won’t heal him completely... but they’ll buy time. And by the time I return, Lady Luthaire might finally have color in her cheeks again.
The morning air bit with lingering winter sharpness as the group assembled at the keep’s towering gates. Professor Harken inclined his head slightly toward Elria, his usual stern expression softened by gratitude.
"Thank you for escorting us, Miss Elria. And goodbye. Don’t forget to tell Baron and his family our regards."
Elria returned the nod, her gaze sweeping over the others: Aeron, Zephyr, and finally Lumin. These were the keep’s saviors, the ones who’d turned the tide against the Lament Shroud.
Her voice carried quiet reverence.
"Safe travels, dear guests. The Eclipse Keep won’t forget what you’ve done for us."
Lumin’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes flickered with unspoken acknowledgment.
Behind him, the others shouldered their packs, ready to move on.
The gates groaned shut behind them as they set off, their footprints fresh in the snow, a temporary farewell, but not an ending.
Two hours later, the group finally descended from the Ashenfang mountains’ treacherous slopes. The biting wind had lessened, though the air remained crisp with winter’s lingering touch.
Professor Harken wiped his brow and mumbled, "Maybe we should’ve accepted their offer after all."
The others glanced at him but said nothing.
Lady Elria had indeed offered to personally escort them to the Iron Throat Pass, but they’d refused - the keep was already stretched thin after the siege. Pulling away their vice-captain, one of their few remaining high-tier Resonators, would have been irresponsible.
Yet their journey had been surprisingly smooth. Even Aeron, still unawakened, kept pace without complaint.
When they encountered dead ends or particularly difficult terrain, Zephyr’s portals provided easy solutions.
Lumin suspected this was why the keep’s residents hadn’t seemed overly concerned about their departure.
He must not be used to traveling much, Lumin observed silently, watching Harken adjust himself with obvious discomfort. Especially in terrain .
While he’d noticed the professor’s somewhat cowardly and lazy tendencies, Lumin didn’t dislike the man. At least he completed his duties competently enough.
His musings were interrupted when Zephyr suddenly raised a hand, bringing the group to an abrupt halt.
"We have company," the silver-haired youth murmured, his voice low and alert.
A tense silence fell as the party scanned their surroundings. The mountain path ahead curved sharply around a jagged outcrop, obscuring whatever lay beyond.
But Lumin’s newly enhanced senses had already detected it - the faint but unmistakable presence of multiple auras lying in wait.
Harken’s voice trembled slightly as he asked, "M-Monsters?"
Zephyr gave a single, sharp nod in confirmation.
Thankfully, they were prepared. Elria had warned them about the wandering monsters that roamed these mountains after the blizzards. The creatures, driven by hunger, often became more aggressive in winter.
The crunch of snow underfoot grew louder.
Zephyr’s fingers flexed, his beloved saber already tight in his grip. Aeron unsheathed his sword with a quiet shing, his stance steady despite his lack of awakening. Harken, though pale, summoned a faint shimmer of defensive aura around himself.
Lumin remained at the back, his role clear. He then retracted his extended perception, already analyzing the enemy.
...Two of them can take care of it.