"Did it not work?" Liam stepped forward to examine the woman in the box who was still lying peacefully. If not for the marks of blood and battle scars on her partially ripped attire, one would assume that she was simply taking a nap.
Alex's breathing was now steady, and the red in the diagram had significantly reduced, indicating that her condition had stabilized. But Liam could see what was still missing. He knew why the dryad had a frown on her face.
"Lord Liam, her soul is… injured. Her mind also seems to have gone through extreme trauma. The wounds of the body I can heal but the wounds of her mind and soul are something that I cannot change. It is one's fate to bear such injuries." The dryad explained.
"For now, if you release the woman from the box, she should still be able to live. The quality of her life probably would not amount to much."
"Master…" Luna worriedly started licking Liam's hand. The fox knew that the woman was very close to her master and that her condition would be difficult for Liam to digest.
However, Liam's face remained indifferent. He raised a hand and brought it down onto the box without saying anything.
The glass shattered with a sound that seemed to echo the fragility of the situation. Yet, Liam's movements were precise, ensuring that none of the sharp fragments came anywhere near Alex.
He carefully lifted her out of the remains of the box, cradling her with a tenderness that betrayed his stoic exterior.
Liam looked down at Alex, his eyes reflecting a mix of sorrow and anger.
He waited silently for a few seconds when suddenly Alex's body moved and her chest heaved upward in a sharp gasp, as if she was taking her first breath after being submerged underwater.
Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a dazed and confused look.
Alex's eyes wandered around, taking in her surroundings with a bewildered gaze. Her focus finally settled on Liam, but there was a lack of recognition in her eyes, a vacant stare that confirmed the dryad's words about her soul and mind.
"Where... am I?" Her voice was weak, barely above a whisper, her words slurred as if she was struggling to form them.
Liam held her close, not letting her down even if she was struggling slightly to wiggle out of his grasp. "You are safe now. There is no need to fight anymore. Just rest."
Alex instantly froze. Her eyes which were vacant up until now suddenly flashed with life, puddles forming around them. Liam's voice was like a trigger that brought up everything for her.
"I knew it." She smiled, with the sweetest smile she had ever revealed. It was like a child smiling on seeing its mother, one born out of pure love. Liam's heart clenched at the sight.
"Everyone told me that you died but I knew it. I knew it." As she repeated the same words, Alex closed her eyes, seemingly in a lot of pain. She immediately pried them open again to make sure that what she saw wasn't a mirage and let out a small sigh of relief.
But rather than relief, it was as if she herself was fading away. As if she did not have to carry the weight on her shoulders anymore and could now let herself go of the life that she was barely clinging onto.
Her struggles ceased, and she leaned into his embrace, her body still weak but no longer resisting.
"Lord Liam! Her life force!" The dryad hurriedly activated a skill to once again inject a burst of healing energy into Alex. However, Liam stopped her.
"No need." He lifted his hand and he pushed a small pill into her dry red lips.
Eldrin who was watching everything silently up until now, suddenly became wide-eyed as he stole a glance at the pill with curiosity. He did not know for sure but the pill was very different from everything he had come across so far.
More importantly, it had burnt marks on the surface which meant that it had survived the heavenly trials? This was not the time and place to ask the human being about it. So he stayed silent.
Meanwhile, Luna, Lunaria, and Elria watched as the pill disappeared into Alex's mouth. After that, everything happened in an instant. The moment the pill was shoved inside, Alex flashed her eyes open as if she was jolted awake by a bolt of electricity.
Her eyes, which had been clouded with confusion and pain, now sparkled with a startling clarity. It was as if the pill had ignited a fire within her, burning away the fog that had shrouded her mind. Her soul which had been severely injured was also slowly healing up.
Alex stared into Liam's eyes in shock as she could feel herself becoming stronger and stronger. The pill that he had fed her reached even the parts that the conventional healing could not touch and made her feel alive again.
Alex sat up abruptly, her breathing deep and steady. She looked around, her gaze no longer vacant but filled with recognition and awareness. She looked at Liam, and this time, anxiety and panic gripping her face.
"Liam, you are here? You are fine?" Gazing at his face, tears started spilling out of her eyes as she stopped talking and tightly hugged Liam with everything she had.
"I knew it. I knew you were alive. Everyone called me crazy to have such a hopeless belief, but I never stopped believing. I knew you'd come back. I knew you wouldn't leave me alone in this darkness," Alex sobbed into Liam's chest.
Liam wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, giving her the reassurance that she wanted. "I'm here, Alex. I'm not going anywhere. You're not alone anymore."
"Mmmm." Alex gently hummed. She had ended up drifting asleep right in Liam's arms as if she was unwilling to disturb the sweet dream that she was dreaming.