Several monsters tried to catch Valen as he zipped through the forest with Amber on his back. They were reduced to charred remains before they could get close.
Lightning arced from his free hand without conscious thought. Stone spikes erupted beneath grasping claws. Fire blossomed across reaching vines.
"Master," Iris whispered, voice worried, "you are very agitated. These situations demand a calm and rational mind."
Valen remained silent, taking deep breaths as he moved. He had been casting spells faster than his Mana Core could properly regulate.
Minutes later, they reached the Eastern Gate.
He cancelled his propulsion spell and ran the final stretch on foot, casting self-healing techniques to ease the burning pain in his legs. The muscles screamed from the strain of continuous high-speed movement, but the spells kept them functional.
At the entry gate, he flashed both their Academy IDs to the startled guard and ran inside without waiting for acknowledgment.
"Master, the Infirmary is that way," Iris guided him.
He burst directly into the emergency ward and lowered Amber onto an unoccupied bed.
Male and female apprentice healers came running. Valen explained the situation in clipped sentences—Dawn Forest, Blight exposure, sudden fever, delirium, increasing mutations.
A female apprentice ran to summon a senior healer.
The rest helped remove Amber's travel-stained clothing and dressed her in a clean white gown.
Moments later, a senior healer entered wearing a pristine white mage robe over a comfortable woolen vest and trousers. The man looked to be in his forties, with long white hair tied back in a practical ponytail.
Iris analyzed his mana signature.
Rank 4.
The healer moved quickly to Amber's bedside and took her wrist. His eyes half-closed as he began casting—some diagnostic spell that sent threads of pale green light into her skin.
Amber twisted on the bed, turning her head from side to side, legs curling and uncurling. Pain, even unconscious.
The healer's eyes opened.
"Both of you are returning from Dawn Forest?" he asked sharply. "Did you participate in the Worm Outpost incident?"
"Yes. We were on the defensive line, holding back Blights and demons."
"She was likely injured and corrupted during the fighting." The healer frowned. "Were you not provided with Dispel Corruption Potions afterward?"
Valen was taken aback.
They had not received any such potions.
Was it a distributor's mistake? Or intentionally withheld?
He filed the question away for later investigation.
"Fortunately," the healer said, "there is still time. Her strong lifeforce has been holding it back."
Suddenly, Amber screamed.
It was not a human sound.
Her hair grew wildly, lengthening and darkening. Her teeth sharpened into fangs. Her eyes blazed with unnatural golden light, brighter and fiercer than any warrior's aura glow. Her nails extended into claws, and her muscles swelled beneath her skin.
The healer pulled a whistle from his coat and blew a sharp, piercing note.
Within seconds, powerful Rank 3 warriors arrived and restrained her, holding her down against the bed as she thrashed.
The healer moved with calm efficiency, preparing a metallic syringe and filling it with a dark purple potion. His close aide—a senior apprentice who had been trailing him—prepared a second syringe with a different substance.
Both plunged their needles into Amber's arms simultaneously.
The moment the potion entered her bloodstream, Amber's screams cut off.
Her body went limp, muscles slackening as the sedative took hold.
The healer watched her breathing even out, then turned to Valen.
"The corruption has reached her core," he said. "We have given her a sedative and an initial shot of Dispel Corruption Potion."
He paused, studying Valen's expression.
"Dispel your mana-sharing spell," the healer continued. "Let her own mana and lifeforce work toward removing the corruption. Otherwise, it will keep coming back. Her body must purge it itself."
"Will she be safe?" Valen asked.
"It depends." The healer looked down at Amber's mutated features—the claws, the sharpened teeth, the still-glowing eyes. "She is a Lumis. She has also awakened another bloodline, likely from her mother's side, as a side effect of the corruption. Her lifeforce is strong. Strong enough to fight this on her own."
He issued commands to the apprentice healers stationed in the emergency ward—timing for additional doses, monitoring intervals, warning signs to watch for.
"Give her another shot in half a day. No food. I will return before midnight to check on her. Send word to the administration office."
With that, he left, the warriors and his personal apprentice following.
"Do you want any food?" one of the ward apprentices asked Valen.
"Not hungry," Valen replied calmly. "Maybe send a cup of tea."
"Very well. Look after her. She should wake by tomorrow."
Valen sat down on a stool near her bed and closed his eyes to rest.
A quarter hour later, someone brought his tea.
He checked Amber every few minutes. After around an hour, her body stopped burning, though the mutations remained—claws, fangs, the faint glow in her eyes.
When hunger finally made itself known, he pulled out a piece of roasted meat he had kept frozen with Ice Breath. He thawed it with a minor flame spell and ate in silence.
Around him, the emergency ward moved with constant activity. Other patients came and went. Healers and apprentices ran between beds, managing injuries, mixing potions, casting diagnostics.
Valen tuned it all out.
During dusk, Raylan and his companions arrived in the ward.
They had crossed the forest at their fastest speed and come here directly. Small injuries marked their arms and legs—cuts, bruises, minor burns—but after drinking a few healing potions, the wounds sealed quickly.
Valen explained Amber's condition in brief, clinical terms.
Raylan left to turn in their missions at the Mission Board. Elara departed to freshen up in her dorm, promising to return soon. Marcus stayed, settling into a seat on the other side of Amber's bed.
"Cousin Valen," Marcus said after a while, "you should also go and freshen up. I can take over the watch."
"I am fine. This period is crucial for her."
"Have you eaten anything?"
"I thawed some frozen meat."
"That is good."
They sat in silence for a time.
Then Marcus spoke again, voice quieter.
"Cousin Valen, you are strong."
Valen glanced at him.
Marcus was looking at him with that unsettling, too-perceptive gaze—the kind that saw more than most people wanted to reveal.
"Others may not realize it," Marcus continued, "but I can see it in your eyes. Those are the eyes of someone who is extremely confident in their strength."
Valen said nothing.
Marcus looked away, staring at the far wall.
"You know what happened to me," he said. "They killed my mother. They killed my sister. They even harmed my father, their own blood."
His voice did not waver.
"Fortunately, I was saved by someone. I did not roam the ancient ruins. I could have returned earlier." He paused. "But I waited until the line of heirs was adjusted."
Valen watched him carefully.
He stayed away deliberately. Let them think he was dead. Let the succession settle before returning.
"They are monsters," Marcus said softly. "And they will target you as well, if you show your strength."
Valen considered his response.
He is warning me. Offering alliance, perhaps. Or testing to see if I understand the danger.
"I appreciate the warning," Valen said finally. "But I have no interest in succession politics."
"That will not matter to them."
"Perhaps." Valen's tone remained calm. "But I am not easy to corner."
Marcus studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly.
"No," he said. "I do not think you are."
Before either could say more, Amber stirred.
Valen immediately took her hand. Her skin was heating up again, temperature spiking.
He pulled the emergency cord beside the bed.
The apprentice healer came running.
Amber began to huff, short, sharp breaths. Her mana flared wildly, golden light bleeding through her skin.
The apprentice healer made quick observations, then prepared another syringe with the Dispel Corruption Potion and injected it into Amber's arm.
Valen held her hand, thumb brushing gently across her knuckles.
"You are safe," he murmured, voice low. "Rest."
Her breathing gradually slowed.
After around half an hour, she fell back into deep sleep.
Sometime later, the senior healer from before returned and checked her again, his diagnostic spell weaving through her aura like pale green threads.
"She is recovering," he said, writing observations into her file. "No need to worry."
He left without further comment.
Valen settled back into his seat.
Marcus was watching him with an unreadable expression.
"You care for her," Marcus said. Not a question.
Valen did not answer.
After a while, Elara returned, freshly bathed and carrying a basket of food. She offered some to Valen, who accepted a piece of bread and dried fruit.
Raylan arrived shortly after, mission delivered.
"The Mission Board clerk asked about Amber," Raylan said. "I told them she is being treated here."
"Good," Valen replied.
"Apparently, there are additional rewards for us as we participated in the incident."
Marcus and Elara looked at him with excitement.
The four of them settled into a quiet vigil around Amber's bed.
Night deepened outside the windows.
The emergency ward's candles burned low, replaced by apprentices moving silently through the rows of beds.
Amber's breathing remained steady.
Valen watched the rise and fall of her chest, the faint glow fading gradually from her eyes, and allowed himself a slow exhale.
She will be all right.
He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, letting the sounds of the Infirmary wash over him.
For now, there was nothing more to do but wait.