Only fragments of what was happening reached me, as if I were looking at everything through a fogged glass.
Arrival in the city.
Then — a visit to the Merchant Hall. My voice, sounding strange even to myself, issued orders: to provide the best alchemy room, to do everything so that Qinxuan would receive everything she needed.
And then I stood before Delia, her body resting in a healing array that Qinxuan had constructed from numerous spirit stones.
The light from them flickered like a dying flame, yet offered no hope.
Qinxuan, detached, worked on the antidote with intense focus, and I felt a dark, ominous aura radiating from her.
Things were going badly — it was obvious.
I knew: time was slipping mercilessly, like sand through my fingers.
The chances were dwindling.
Delia's face was almost completely covered with obsidian veins, pulsing as if alive. Her breathing was so weak that it was almost invisible to the eye.
I thought, trying to find a way out.
Could I extract her soul and place it into Viro?
This method could buy time, but… Could I then restore her to life?
And there was Master.
His presence there, in Viro, could complicate everything. He would interfere, he would affect her soul, and I would be powerless.
"Inhale."
"Exhale."
"Inhale."
"Exhale."
My pulse wouldn't slow. Couldn't help it—my eyes slid back to Delia.
How I wished she would open those beautiful blue eyes, that all of this were just a bad dream.
That she would wake up as if nothing had happened.
But no.Reality was merciless.
I convinced myself.
I believed, or at least tried to believe? I didn't know.
But knew one thing for certain: Delia was the strongest, most resilient person in this world. This pitiful poison would not defeat her.
With that thought, I sat beside her.
Just waiting.
Didn't matter how long it took. Didn't matter what came next.
My eyes crawled over her body anyway—black veins, the stump where her arm used to be.
These visible signs of her struggle caused me unbearable pain.Then I noticed something that made me freeze.On her other arm was a bracelet shaped like a spider.
A bracelet.
Wasn't it the same one Lin Tian wore? The image flashed vividly in my mind, like lightning piercing the darkness.
"What the hell is happening?! Why? Everything was supposed to be different. NOT LIKE THIS! How could the future change?!"
My head spun with thoughts that crashed over me like a tsunami. I tried to piece together the puzzle, but nothing fit.
I had interfered with the course of events, but not to this extent. The events in the forest could not have changed because of me.
They couldn't… but they did.
The room became unbearably quiet. Only the soft, barely audible sound of Qinxuan's work broke the frozen stillness. She was like a machine, focused and relentless, fighting for every second of Delia's life.
And then, an hour later, when there was still no result, the bracelet detached from Delia's arm and quickly grew in size, simultaneously transforming into a tall, naked girl.
I barely had time to react when she spoke:
— I can no longer contain the poison.
Her voice was full of sorrow, sounding like thunder on a clear day.My words stuck in my throat, and my eyes turned back to Delia.
Her body suddenly arched as if something inside her was bursting out. Convulsions began to shake her.
— Delia! — Qinxuan shouted, rushing to her, dropping items from her hands.
Ink-dark, bloody foam poured from Delia's mouth. The veins, previously barely visible, now covered her entire face and neck. Blood streamed from her eyes, nose, and ears, forming a horrifying pattern of death.
— No, no, no! — Qinxuan screamed, her voice tearing through the the room, echoing off the walls.
Her hands fell helplessly. Qinxuan froze, her head bowed, her shoulders shook uncontrollably. Out of the blue there was a faint crunching sound—the sound of a limb being stretched.
Raven, smooth, and sharp, it grew from the back of the spider-girl and stopped just a millimeter from Delia's heart.
— This is the end, — whispered the stranger in a tired, joyless voice.
— What are you doing?! — I yelled, instantly snapping out my whip. With a swift motion, I tried to seize her.
She snatched the whip out of the air as if it were a lazy piece of rope, then fixed me with a stare that held nothing human.
— I am doing what I must, — her voice was calm and detached. — She cannot be saved. She is only suffering.
— That's not for you to decide! — I shouted, my fingers quivered with rage.
— And for whom? You? — there was a challenge in her words, her eyes locked on mine.
— No, not for me… Let her decide, — my voice faltered, but I let go of the whip, powerless to hold it.
She froze, turning to Qinxuan.
— There's no need to decide anything. Do anything. A-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. She won't last a minute.
With that, Qinxuan gradually wiped the blood from Delia's face with the sleeve of her snow-white dress, which immediately turned gloomy from the absorbed venomous scarlet.
But it flowed endlessly, and her efforts seemed futile.
She didn't care.
Her movements were soft and gentle, yet desperate. She continued wiping, whispering:
— You promised to protect me… But here I am, intact. And you… It's my mistake. My pride made me too arrogant. I acted too hastily… Underestimated the danger…
Her words grew quieter, and her voice shuddered.
— In my eyes, it was just a childish tournament… And it led to eternal regret.
She lowered her head again, her hands now lying limply beside Delia's body. Only the drops falling onto the stone floor sounded, dull and measured.
The spider-girl languidly withdrew her appendage, saying no more, and stepped back. I waited, unsure what to do next.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Third.
By the tenth minute, I finally noticed something was wrong.
My eyes flicked to the spider-girl. She felt it instantly and met my stare. Doubt flickered across her face—she'd noticed it too. That deadly minute was long gone.
And Delia's convulsions had not stopped.
Only Qinxuan, sitting in that small void-like pool, muttered something incoherently.
Approaching, I carefully sat beside her, finally looking at her face. The veil covering it had been removed and lay nearby.
Her eyes were unfocused, streaked with tears. But I still asked her in a barely audible voice, the one that carried hope:
— Qinxuan. Qinxuan. Why… Why is she still alive?
At my words, her eyes widened and then sharply narrowed, instantly focusing on the unforeseen.
Examining Delia's body, she fell silent.
She was silent.
The unknown girl was silent.
I was silent.
And that breathless pause was killing me. I didn't want to interfere or distract, but waiting any longer was beyond my strength, and I asked:
— How is she?
Qinxuan exhaled.
And damn, in that breath, I felt relief.
— It's astonishing. The poison destroys every cell of her body, but they regenerate. Her body rejects and immediately creates new blood. But the poison strikes her again. And so the cycle repeats.
— Does that mean she will survive? — the spider-girl immediately intervened.
— If her body wins this battle, then yes. But her body bears a huge burden; creating such an amount of blood consumes massive energy and wears the body down. Her body has already begun absorbing energy from the spirit stones in the array. Therefore… — she suddenly turned to me — I beg you, no, I implore you, provide me with more spirit stones and herbs. I need to prepare a nourishing solution for her. I will repay every coin in the future.
Never in all my years of acquaintance had I seen her plead with anyone; it shook and hurt me. Without hesitation, I replied:
— Of course, saving a life comes first. The rest doesn't matter.
— Thank you. — gratitude was written across her face.
— Leave that for later, we must hurry.
I knew every second mattered.
I immediately organized the delivery of a massive amount of spirit stones and also sent people for the herbs Qinxuan required. By that time, a large bath filled with hot water had been brought into the alchemy room.
The spirit stones were placed at the bottom of the bath like a foundation. Sharissa, now dressed and coldly calm, casually introducing herself, helped place the still convulsing Delia into the water.
To simplify the process, she carefully but securely bound Delia's arms and legs with her web.Qinxuan, with lightning precision, added the prepared herbs to the water, filling the room with a dense, pungent aroma.
As Delia's body submerged, the liquid instantly absorbed the stain flowing from her body. The water lost its properties within minutes, forcing us to change it repeatedly.
The spirit stones at the bottom of the bath served as an energy source, but even they lasted no more than half an hour, dimming and turning into a useless gray mass.
This process repeated over and over for four hours. We tirelessly maintained the ritual until, finally, we noticed the first change.
The mixture coloring the water became lighter, taking on a reddish hue, and the liquid no longer darkened as intensely as before.
— She has begun to win, — said Qinxuan, a weak but joyful smile lighting her tired face.
She sat on the edge of the bath, barely holding herself up.
Two more hours passed.
The bleeding had completely stopped, convulsions ceased, and Delia now lay calmly in the water. The liquid remained clear, shining from the spirit stones, which no longer lost their properties so quickly.
Even without being a healer, I understood that the crisis had passed.
I sluggishly scanned the room, which now resembled a battlefield. A huge opaque bloodstain spread across the floor, a pile of dulled spirit stones lay in a corner, and remnants of spirit herbs were scattered everywhere.
The sight was disgusting, but I couldn't think of tidiness — too much had happened.
I glanced at myself. That smell... It rose off me in slow, sick waves.
That awful smell made my head spin. Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit me, and I wavered for a moment. It was fatigue.
Today had drained all my strength.
Then I looked at Qinxuan. Her white dress was now completely soaked, blackened in places, and her once-golden hair clung together and darkened.
Sharissa stood off to the side, looking the best of us—just a few dark spots on her skin. But her tense eyes gave away how exhausted she was.
Thinking, I finally found a solution. Leaving the room, I encountered a crowd of servants who had been helping us all this time.
They stood ready for new orders.
— You have done incredible work. Thank you, — I said firmly but gratefully.
Their faces reflected surprise, and some even dropped their jaws.
— Words of gratitude are not enough, — I added. — From today, all of you will have your salaries doubled and receive a bonus of two months' pay.
Then I turned to Sila, who, as usual, stood nearby, maintaining his composure.
— Record the names of everyone present and ensure that my promise is fulfilled.
— As you wish, Mistress, — his voice was even, but I noticed a hint of approva.
— And now, before you go to rest, bring clean robes for me, Anna, and that tall girl. Also, prepare separate baths and screens for us.
The servants confirmed the order in unison, and I returned to the room.
Inside.
Sharissa still stood aside. Qinxuan remained seated on the edge of the bath, eyes never leaving her friend's motionless body.
"Clap!"
I clapped loudly, trying to draw attention.
— Today has been a hard day, — I said, attempting to lighten the mood. — We all need at least a little relaxation. I propose taking a bath.
Qinxuan faintly raised her tired eyes to me and quietly replied.
— The crisis is over, but I do not want to leave her.
Sharissa briefly remarked:
— Me neither.
I nodded, anticipating their response:
— That's why the baths will be here. We'll be separated by screens, so no one will see anything unnecessary.
Qinxuan hesitated slightly, then agreed:
— Fine.
Sharissa remained silent.
I shed my dirty clothes, immersed myself in the hot water, and a wave of relaxation passed through my body. And heard the rustle of fabric and a soft splash of water behind the screens.
Sharissa had, it seemed, decided to join.
And as we began to enjoy this rare moment of peace, Qinxuan raised an important question.
.