On the hour before thest drop of rain fell from the skies, Altair ckwood awoke, his eyes trembling as he struggled to open them. The pungent stench of medical herbs emanated from his flesh.


    "What happened?" he strained, sensing an unfamiliar presence in his room.


    "Young Master Nox," said Kegan softly.


    His features were blurred, but Altair could vaguely remember his voice. ''He was the one from House Nier.'' he told himself, staring unblinkingly at the stranger.


    "Your eyes are dted. How are you feeling? I—" Kegan frowned at the sudden sense of foreboding. He gulped, sensing the Regal Aura emanating from the Young Lord before him.


    Even withered, Altair emanated a force that made Kegan want to be made to bow and whipped for his transgression. He trembled, lowering his head to his belly, and began exining all that had urred. "Right now, you cannot fight. And should avoid using any skills until you enter the realm of Transcendent or fully recover."


    In a hoarse whisper, Altair asked, "Where is Nia?"


    "Preparing you a meal," The Medarc said. The Soul of Nox De Nier is currently unburdening the strain on your soul, but the tether we ce is weak and can be easily broken. In the meantime, you''ll need to constantly consume sustenance to gain energy. Right now, you''re in a fragile state."


    Altair did not look surprised that the Medarc learned of his identity. He was sure his shadows and his devil did what they needed to do to keep him alive. Your journey continues on empire


    In a few breaths, Nia returned to her master''s chamber with a bowl of hot creamy rice soup. She nearly yelped, spilling the soup. Altair nearly cried a silent prayer at the loss of his meal. He hadn''t even noticed how starved he was until he caught a whiff of it.


    ''Damn this woman! Traitor! How could she spill the sted—'' His thoughts were interrupted by the spry shadow leaping into his arm, bellowing a thunderous cry that shook the walls. More and more people flooded the room, to Altair''s dismay. Tasha, Alyssa, Elena, and even the horse, Cloud, sauntered in.


    Tasha giggled, seeing her master''s frustration. She returned with another bowl and ced it by his bedside.


    Altair followed her movements, his gazetching onto Gram on her back. He had never seen Tasha possess any de on her person before. For a moment, he wanted to question her reasoning but decided against it. He was too tired to question her schemes.


    His stomach rumbled, leaving the women smiling. Cloud neighed, licking his face, before propping hisrge frame onto the bed. Nia and Alyssa shouted loudly for the stallion to get down, but he ignored them,ying its head next to Altair, silently amused.


    "It''s fine," he said, brushing a palm through its mane. "where are we…" his voice trailed off as Gram''s soul reached out to him, releasing an insatiable hunger. It was starving, demanding sustenance.


    Before he could question Tasha, she spoke up first. "We need to leave. Are you able to ride, Master?"


    Altair looked at her calmly, his thoughts as unfathomable as they were dark. He lifted his palm, and in a mere second, Kirr, Jorm, Aurora, Talia, Vaiga, Hilda, Cedric, and Medusa pierced the Tower of Babel to appear before their master.


    "We will not run," Altair told her. The room burned with hoarfrost as his intent punctuated the air. "We shally waste to any and all who would dare challenge me. I—"


    "Idiot!" Kegan snapped, bonking him on the head hard. "Didn''t I say not to use any skills? You''re very fragile! Can''t you see—" he caught himself when he saw Tasha''s infernal eyes lock onto him. Medusa tilted her head, her reptilian pupils writhing dangerously as she stared intently at the Medarc.


    There was no malice in her eyes, and yet the world was brought to silence.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Altair touched the small contusion on his head, almostughing. Perhaps he deserved that. It was a bit reckless, but how could he allow himself to be hunted like a dog?


    He opened his hand, and Medusa''s attention was drawn. A bright smile pressed against her lips as she took him by the palm. Nodes of emerald light pressed against his flesh, sinking to his heart.


    "I''ll tell big sis Hestia to grant you her blessing. It can''t do much for the soul exhaustion, but it should help mend the fever you''re carrying."


    "You needn''t bother I—"


    "I must!" Medusa insisted. "Soul Exhaustion of this level can kill you."


    The firmness of her voice stunned the Young Emperor. When he found himself again, he grinned. "Then will you take care of me?"


    Medusa flushed, though nodded all the same. "Of course! I don''t like fighting much anyway! Plus…" her palm reached forward, pressing through space as though it were tangible. Slowly, she pulled out a herb, which no one seemed to recognize but the Medarc present. "This is—


    "Elysium Root!" Kegan shouted. "One survived the Great Ruin?"


    "You know this?" Medusa asked suspiciously. " Hesita gifted it to me, alongside a hundred other herbs and fruits from her garden."


    Kegan gulped. The Root of Elysium, as some often called it, was an herb that echoed from the distant past of the Twelve Realms before it fell to ruin due to the Madness of the Eighth Monarch of Hell.


    It was a rare root that had been said to not only cure most poisons and forms of exhaustion but also make one so sensitive to the Arcana around them that it granted a hundred years of cultivation with each use. It was the drink of Celestials of Elysium, the sunken Realm that fell from the Heavens into the mortal ne after the First Sin.


    "If you consume that, your soul and cultivation will grow sevenfold!" he said. You''ll be a fifth Circle. And with constant use, you''ll be a sixth circle in a month."


    "It''s not quite a cure," Medusa began. "But with your soul stronger, the soul exhaustion will seem smaller."


    "But that isn''t to say the Soul Exhaustion will lessen," Kegan warned. "So don''t overdo it."


    "It would seem a lot of things happened while I was unconscious and away." He nced at Aurora apologetically. Despite theck of expression, he could still sense her discontent over the matter. It would seem he had taken her from an important assignment.


    "Nia," Altair said, looking at her. "You''ll lead the charge." Tasha frowned but held her tongue. "Prove yourself to me. Mistakes were made. That can be forgiven, but not without a trial. Show me you belong amongst my Pale Knights.


    Hunt those who would have my head."


    "Yes, my Master," Nia said, falling to one knee. She lingered there for a while, eyes pressed shut, her heart hard as stone. "I shall not fail you."


    "Tasha…"


    "I will obey her lead, your grace," she said coolly.


    "Then begin the hunt. Take no prisoners," Altair decreed. He nced at Cloud, running a palm through its shadowy mane. "Go with Nia."


    The horse licked his cheek, rising with the shadows around him, bowing its head.


    "May The Tear of the ck Moon Pierce The Vale!" they saluted, leaving the room with a murderous glow in their eyes.


    With a cunning smile, Altair closed his eyes to sense Therion''s position when he felt another soft blow pull him from his thoughts.


    "I swear I''ll knock you unconscious myself!" Kegan snapped, once more receiving a stare from Medusa. "I…I''m sorry, but if he keeps using his soul, he''ll fall into aa."


    "Its fine, Medusa," Altair responded. "He''s just worried and passionate, it would seem. Tell me, Medarc. What is it you seek in life?"


    Medusa stared. She had never met a Medarc but had heard the rumors: Imperial schrs who focused on medicine of all kinds. It was said they were without emotion to better allow calctions without the slightest deviation that came with emotions. They were the best healers of the realm, performing miracles wherever they were deployed.


    Still, she''d never heard of a rogue Medarc. They were conditioned from before they were born through gic reconstruction.


    "I haven''t any ns other than to pay back what was owed to the dutches for taking me in. I haven''t any aspirations other than that. I live a quiet life, your grace, studying medicine in peace. What more could I want?"


    Altair stared, ncing at Medusa. She had a peculiar gleam in her eyes. Envy.


    "Then would you mind teaching Medusa what you know? She''s lived a hard life, and I''m sure she''d rather learn to heal than kill.


    Medusa serpentine eyes met Altairs. "Your Grace?"


    "I did say I''d never force you to fight. You like tending to the garden, and it seems you''d like to learn about medicine. Was I mistaken?"


    Medusa hastily shook her head. "No!" she eximed happily. I-I-I''d love it, too! T-T-Thank you! "


    "Will That be an issue, sir Kegan?"


    "None, your Grace, though it might be difficult for her to grasp as she and I don''t share the same physiology. I''m more than willing to impart my knowledge."


    "I wouldn''t worry about it. Medusa is a genius the likes you''ve never seen."