Noa was sitting in the hut. The room was filled only with the blue lines gradually spreading across his body.
Noa examined his hand in astonishment. The rays trembled as if they were alive.
"…This," he whispered. "This is far better than I ever imagined…"
From within, X replied with curiosity, its voice echoing as though coming from beneath water:
"Yes… interesting. Very interesting.
Noa, try using it now. We finally have mana."
Noa clenched his fist.
"Alright…" he said, pulling himself together.
He imagined the mana flowing through his body. At first came a gentle warmth, then the mana began coursing through his veins.
Suddenly, an unbearable pain exploded inside him.
Noa gritted his teeth.
"W-what… is happening… AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
He started breathing heavily, each breath coming out choked and ragged. Cold drool dripped from his mouth. The more the mana circulated, the sharper the pain became; it felt as though his bones were creaking and splitting.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Noa's scream rang out deafeningly.
The pain crashed in waves through his head, chest, and internal organs.
Inside, Noa thought:
*What is this?! What's happening?! Damn it… I thought I'd grown used to pain back in that frozen castle… but this… this is something else… This is unbearable… Damn it, X, do you know anything?!*
From within, X answered in its usual cold, detached tone:
"If you don't know, how should I, idiot?"
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. The door burst open with a bang. Rion rushed in, panting, eyes overflowing with worry, and dropped to his knees beside Noa. He grabbed Noa's trembling shoulders and held his convulsing body steady.
"Noa! Are you okay?! What's happening to you?!"
Noa barely managed to whisper:
"It hurts… damn it… it hurts so much… I can't take it…
My bones… feel like they're shattering every second… my veins… like they're tearing apart… my skin… like it's being ripped off… my flesh… like it's being ground to mince…"
The moment those words left his mouth, his body jerked violently. White foam spurted from his lips, and Noa lost consciousness.
Silence fell over the hut. Only Noa's still-trembling fingers remained.
Rion, shaking, pulled Noa into his arms. He pressed Noa's forehead against his own chest and whispered into his ear in a trembling voice:
"I'm here, Noa… I'm right here…"
His voice quivered, yet his arms held Noa tightly.
Then Rion shouted:
"Gobuto! Quick! Get over here!"
Soon after, Gobuto came running in, breathing heavily, eyes wide with fear.
"Y-you called, master?" he stammered.
Rion looked up, voice laced with panic and trembling:
"Is there a healer here?! Anyone who can at least ease the pain?!"
Gobuto answered, terrified:
"There's no healer in our village, master… But… we can find herbs that relieve pain…"
"That won't be enough!" Rion roared in horror.
He clutched Noa's head to his chest and murmured in a low, shaking voice:
"If only I knew healing magic… All I have is this pathetic little healing spell. It only works on light wounds over a few days… Damn it… What do I do? What… what, what, what, what?!"
Rion clenched his teeth and balled his fist. Desperate determination burned in his eyes.
Then he froze.
"Wait… this might work."
He turned quickly to Gobuto:
"Hold Noa. Don't let go!"
Gobuto nodded frantically and took Noa into his arms.
Rion bit his finger. A drop of blood fell. He began drawing something on the floor. But the blood stopped flowing before he could finish.
Rion shook his hand in fury:
"Come on, damn it! Flow!"
Suddenly, his left hand began to swell from below. The nails grew long and turned crimson. The hand transformed into a dragon's claw.
He slashed the palm of his right hand with those claws, and as blood flowed again, he continued the pattern.
Behind him, Gobuto watched in shock and terror, not understanding what was happening.
Finally, Rion completed an intricate circle. He took Noa from Gobuto and carefully laid him inside it.
Then he shouted at Gobuto:
"Bring all the warriors! Every single one of them! Now!"
"Yes, sir!" Gobuto dashed out.
Rion commanded himself inwardly:
*Just hold on a little longer, Noa… Just a little more…*
Soon, goblin warriors gathered in front of the hut, whispering anxiously to one another.
Gobuto returned and bowed:
"They're here, master…"
Rion nodded.
"Line up at the door. Nobody move!"
Gobuto bellowed:
"You heard the master!"
The warriors formed ranks at the entrance.
Rion placed his hand on the circle and began channeling mana. The circle started glowing crimson. With one hand on the circle, he aimed the palm of the other toward the goblins outside.
A sharp pain shot through Rion's body; he staggered, nearly releasing the circle.
The red light from his palm struck the goblins.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
"Master!!! Master!!!" the warriors screamed.
Rion explained to himself:
*Blood circle… A circle drawn with blood. It allows pain to be shared… up to fifty percent… The pain will lessen… I'm transferring half of it to the goblins… Even then, it's still excruciating…*
He clenched his teeth hard and stared at Noa, eyes filled with pain, rage, and torment.
After a while, the pain began to subside.
"Good… the pain is fading…" Rion thought.
But suddenly, the pain surged again, stronger than before.
Rion yanked his hand from the circle. The glow instantly died.
He breathed deeply, gasping.
"What happened…? Why did it suddenly get worse…?"
He turned around. Every single goblin had foam at their mouths and had collapsed unconscious.
Rion immediately lifted Noa's head, checked his breathing, and finally exhaled in relief.
"His breathing is steady… he's coming back…"
He fell silent for a moment, then whispered:
"I can't use the blood circle too often… Otherwise I would have done more…"
The hut was filled with exhaustion, the scent of mana, and a silence mixed with blood.
Rion's forehead was drenched in sweat, his breaths heavy. He stared at the ceiling, took a deep breath, then slowly looked down at Noa.
"Bastard…" he whispered, voice trembling. "When are you going to stop scaring me like this…"
He carefully lifted Noa and laid him on the bed. Then he stepped back, leaned against the door, and lowered his head, looking at the unconscious goblins. His gaze returned to Noa.
"Were you suffering this much…?" he said, walking forward and kneeling.
Finally, his hands gently touched Noa's head.
His thoughts crashed against one another in chaos:
*I called the goblins as a precaution. You've endured so much pain in the past, but I've never seen you like this. Maybe… I was afraid of pain. Or maybe I thought I couldn't bear yours. Who am I even fooling… shouldn't I at least be honest with myself?*
He let out a long breath, straightened the blanket over Noa, and gently tucked it in.
Then he stood. His steps were heavy.
Walking toward the door, he grabbed Gobuto by the shoulder and lifted him. Stepping outside, he looked at the dozens—nearly thirty—third-rank goblin warriors lying unconscious on the ground.
Rion, still panting, said:
"You all did well. When you wake up, I'll reward you. Rest for now."
But inside, something else passed through his mind:
*Nearly thirty third-rank goblins… one young goblin… and one dragon-blooded like me… all reduced to this state by just fifty percent of Noa's pain… Then…*
Rion turned back toward the hut and stared inside.
*Just how much pain are you hiding? How much of it is still locked away? How much is still screaming inside you…?
He had no answer.
Rion carefully laid Gobuto down outside the hut. Then he took a deep breath and walked toward the young goblins. His steps carried not fatigue, but worry.
The moment the young goblins saw Rion, they lined up and bowed. Their small but fiercely loyal eyes softened Rion's mood a little.
Rion gently patted the head of the one in front.
"You're all growing well," he said softly. "You've gotten much taller."
The goblin blushed to the tips of his ears and raised his head.
"Thank you, master! We'll grow big! We'll become strong warriors!"
Rion gave a faint smile.
"That's what I'm counting on."
He bent down a little and added:
"Now go bring all the meat. Tonight, everyone eats their fill. This will be a reward for your warrior brothers."
The goblins looked at each other and cheered.
"Yes, sir!" they shouted, running off.
Rion watched them go with a small smile, then headed back toward the hut to prepare food. He worked until dusk, not even noticing the sun had set.
As the sun finally disappeared below the horizon, Rion looked up at the sky.
"They should be waking up soon, I think," he said quietly to himself.
He started walking back toward the hut. His footsteps echoed softly in the still forest air.
When he reached the hut, he saw they were indeed beginning to stir. One by one, the goblins were slowly regaining consciousness. Even Gobuto sat up, eyes half-open.
Rion stepped closer. Then he froze.
His eyes widened slowly.
A cold shiver ran through him:
"Their eyes…"
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