Chapter 195: The Bonding Happens Tonight
Evan Orwell fluttered his wings.
"Just a superficial wound, no big deal. Mainly, I’ve exhausted all my strength and can’t heal myself. Ravenfrost Hawks like to gather in groups, two came earlier, and there could be several nests behind. We better make a quick retreat."
His voice was slightly hoarse, with a slight drawl at the end.
Feathers at the edge of his wings were broken in several places.
They gently swayed with the breeze.
Seraphina Caldwell scanned the injuries on everyone.
Blood was still oozing from Evan Orwell’s shoulder.
Wyatt Yardley’s calf had a cut from an eagle’s claw.
Gideon Larkin’s waist was bruised, Kaelan Hawthorne’s ear was half torn.
She noticed everyone’s movements were somewhat sluggish.
Their injuries were clearly because they chose to stay and fight alongside her.
Her chest tightened suddenly, and she stopped hesitating, stepping forward.
Cautiously releasing the Spiritual Spring Water that appeared during her kiss with Wyatt Yardley.
A few drops of transparent liquid slowly gathered in her palm.
She held her breath, carefully controlling the amount of Spiritual Spring, fearing that she might waste this scarce power with a misstep.
A slight sense of moisture began to spread in the air.
"Everyone come closer, let me heal you."
Her gaze swept over the group, now carrying a sense of responsibility she hadn’t possessed before.
Since the secret was already out, she couldn’t let those protecting her drag themselves along with festering wounds.
After all, they were injured for her.
Evan Orwell stepped forward.
He stood before her, slightly bowing his head to make it easier for her to reach his shoulder.
She rose to her toes and dripped the water onto his wound.
The bleeding stopped instantly, and she could visibly see the torn skin healing rapidly.
What was once a dark red wound quickly turned to pale pink and eventually healed completely.
The broken feathers around also began to regrow.
Evan Orwell blinked, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes before his expression returned to calm.
"Thanks."
He flexed his shoulder, confirming it was fully healed before stepping aside without saying much more.
He simply stood silently, guarding the rest during their healing process.
Next was Wyatt Yardley.
Seeing her approach, he raised his hand, wanting to pull up his hunter’s skirt to cover his leg but was stopped by Seraphina Caldwell’s hand.
Mountain winds blew from the side, lifting some torn leaves that fell between them.
She directly lifted the fabric and applied the Spiritual Spring to the wound.
Her finger slipped and touched elsewhere, immediately retracting her hand and looking down, saying, "It’s done, it’ll be okay soon."
As the Spiritual Spring seeped into his muscles, the damaged tissue started to regenerate.
Wyatt Yardley looked at her flushed ears, corner of his mouth slightly raised.
He didn’t bother looking at his leg nor wiping the leftover bloodstains.
He simply watched quietly as she continued treating the next person.
The wind ruffled his hair, yet he didn’t raise a hand to tidy it up.
The atmosphere had subtly changed, but no one mentioned it.
Gideon Larkin and Kaelan Hawthorne also stepped forward one by one.
Seraphina Caldwell used the remaining Spiritual Spring entirely.
The wound on her knee had stopped bleeding but still throbbed faintly.
The air still carried a subtle scent of blood, mingled with the crisp aroma of Spiritual Spring Water.
They stood a few steps apart.
Yet the familiar sense of connection was clearer than ever.
She instinctively pursed her lips, recalling the changes brought by their previous encounters.
Tonight they would form a bond.
No one knew if there would be any new disturbances in the space at that moment.
She sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and viewed internally.
The small space in her mind remained quiet.
The spring’s eye was slowly seeping water, the land wet but not expanding.
Everything seemed to be waiting for a particular opportunity.
She had actually figured out a pattern.
From the first kiss to several subsequent touches, she gradually concluded a pattern.
Each intimate action triggered space reactions, but the effects diminished over time.
The initial change was the largest, subsequent ones merely supplemented.
This indicated the space’s strongest response was to the first time, followed by a stabilization period.
The first time she kissed Wyatt Yardley, the spring eye in the space widened, and an extra plot of land that could grow things appeared.
Kissing again only resulted in some water emerging, with no other changes.
This discovery had her quietly taking note internally.
It seemed that the first intimate action was the most effective.
Moreover, the more potent the male, the greater the changes brought.
She opened her eyes, her gaze landing on Wyatt Yardley.
He was leaning against a broken tree, resting, his outer robe stained with dried blood.
He was suppressing his internal restlessness while preparing for the evening’s ritual.
Seraphina Caldwell knew he was nearing the breakthrough’s critical point, needing only a strong enough impact.
Wyatt Yardley was just a breath away from reaching Green Rank.
And the Bonding was far more powerful than a mere kiss, so perhaps this time, the space might even bring a surprise.
She couldn’t help but glance at him again, calculating potential gains.
"Seraphina! Look at this!"
Gideon Larkin suddenly spoke, drawing her back from her reverie.
He was crouched on the ground examining the eagle’s corpse.
His boots creaked on shattered bones.
Bending down, he pulled apart the muscle layer below the wings.
He extracted two crystalline Beast Crystals, his face full of delight.
He had retrieved two Beast Crystals from the eagle’s corpse and happily handed them over.
One was deep green, with fine cracks on its surface.
The other was slightly smaller, emerald green, with a soft sheen, marking it as high-quality.
Both were immaculate with high completeness.
"Green Rank! And one Green Rank too! All yours!"
He offered the two crystals forward on his palm.
Seraphina Caldwell accepted the crystals, the cold touch instantly sparking an idea in her mind.
She held the Green Rank Beast Crystal in her hand, examining its dense internal energy.
This crystal was pure, nearly free of impurities, perfect for breaking through bottlenecks.
She turned and handed the Green Rank one to Wyatt Yardley.
"You’re stuck at this point, swallow it and push through."
Her palm opened, steadily presenting the crystal before him.
She handed the Green Rank one to Evan Orwell.
"Your spirit is most precious, while it won’t level you up, it can replenish your energy."
She remembered last time after casting spells, Evan Orwell’s face turned pale, his consumption exceeding normal levels.
Such supporting occupations required greater endurance.
Even if it couldn’t break through, it could ease exhaustion.
Evan Orwell took it, nodding: "Thanks."
Without further words, he stored the Green Rank Beast Crystal inside, close to his body.
Wyatt Yardley gripped the Beast Crystal tightly, his eyes softened as he reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Okay, as you say."
No one had complaints about how she distributed the items.
Gideon Larkin patted his pants and stood, casually kicking the remains away.
Kaelan Hawthorne silently packed up, his movements swift.
No one raised objections, nor did anyone show dissatisfaction.
This scene had become routine.
Seraphina Caldwell, as the Female Master, could have kept all the Beast Crystals for herself, and no one could fault her.
But each time they finished hunting, she would bring out the crystals to distribute equally, allowing everyone to enhance their strength.
She wasn’t incapable of keeping them all nor unaware of the significance of resources.
Yet she consistently valued sharing.
Such a method not only boosted team strength but also built a foundation of trust between them.
Other females might not achieve this level.
Given her generosity, how could anyone resent her division?