Chapter 22: REBIRTH IN THE DEPTHS
Yomi collapsed onto the massive, lifeless body of the water serpent, his katana dissolving into wisps of smoke that curled and faded into the damp air. His chest heaved with strained breaths, blood spilling from his cracked lips as his body quaked from exhaustion and the toll of chaotic Ki.
Lirien, standing at the edge of the pool, watched in horror. Without hesitation, she plunged into the water, the cold biting her skin, and swam toward him.
Her fingers found the hilt of a dagger strapped to her thigh, and she began scaling the beast’s slippery, iridescent scales. Each handhold was treacherous, the slick surface making her ascent perilous. The jagged ridges tore at her hands, leaving trails of red against her pale skin, but her focus never wavered. With a final push, she reached Yomi’s limp form.
"Hey!" she cried, voice trembling as she crouched beside him. His chest was sunken, each breath a painful rasp. Blood stained his chin, and his normally sharp, storm-like eyes were dulled, half-closed in a battle against unconsciousness. Lirien’s breath caught in her throat. He’s dying...
"No, no, no..." she muttered, shaking him lightly, but his body didn’t respond. Panic surged through her veins, and without another thought, she looped an arm under his shoulders and jumped back into the water.
The icy depths wrapped around them, but Lirien’s strength and resolve guided them to the shore where Aeloria and the beast girl waited. The beast girl’s ears twitched at the sound of Lirien’s splashing approach, and she turned to see Yomi’s limp body being dragged onto the rocky ground. Tears welled in her large, golden eyes.
"Please, save him!" the beast girl cried, clutching Lirien’s arm as if the older woman alone held the power to mend the impossible. "He can’t die! You have to save him!"
Lirien looked at the girl, her own heart sinking at the plea. She opened her mouth but no words came. How could she save him? She was a swordswoman, not a healer. Her skills were in battle, not mending wounds as grievous as these.
Her gaze fell on Aeloria, who was still unconscious, her face pale but her breathing steady. A pang of despair clawed at Lirien’s chest as she realized she might lose not just the Dra’kesh, but also Aeloria.
They had both fought so valiantly, and for what? This wretched Aeon that cursed their world with suffering and despair? The gods, the powers—none of them had ever helped. It was always mortals who bore the cost.
Her fingers trembled as she brushed Yomi’s blood-streaked face. She cursed under her breath, the helplessness cutting her like a blade. But then, a memory flickered in her mind—Yomi kissing Aeloria before the battle. She had dismissed it at the time as something crude, but the outcome had been undeniable: Aeloria’s wounds had begun to close.