Tave sat still, his breath shallow and uneven, eyes locked on the limp form of Fang that was lying silently across his lap.
The wolf didn't move. His chest barely rose. He was right on the edge of death.
In this condition, no healing skill could save him, not like this. Fang hadn't just been wounded. He had burned out his core. The very life force that sustained him.
When Tave had checked his status moments before, the truth had hit harder than anything else.
At the very last second, Fang had awakened a new affinity, Shadow Element, a low-level affinity born from sheer desperation. A rare advanced form of the Dark element, one that usually required years to even touch.
But Fang had forced it.
To save him.
To save Tave.
Moments later, Lily walked over, moving slowly, still pale. She knelt down beside him, saying nothing at first. Then, after a long silence, she spoke quietly, barely a whisper.
"I'll heal Fang…"
Tave didn't answer right away.
He knew. He had told her before. Their elements didn't match. Her healing magic, aligned with Water, would never reach the exhausted, shattered core of a beast now aligned with Shadow.
But… that wasn't the real reason.
It wasn't about compatibility.
It was that this kind of damage… couldn't be healed at all.
Tave shook his head slowly.
He had already come to terms with it.
He was ready to let go of the first beast companion he had ever bonded with. His first partner in this world.
Tave turned toward Lily, his expression tired, but soft.
At least… Lily was saved.
They were all alive.
Barely.
And yet, how many chances had they burned through in such a short span of time?
Tave.
Orion.
Oriana.
Even Lily.
All of them had brushed the edge of death.
If Elias and the others hadn't arrived when they did. This battle would've ended differently. There would've been no final strike.
No survivors.
No one left to bury the dead.
Until… After a long, aching silence, someone else stepped toward them.
Tave slowly lifted his head. It was Elias.
The blond-haired man walked up quietly. There was no smugness in his face, no smirk, no words. Just calm, steady steps.
For the first time… Tave didn't feel that familiar hate. He didn't feel the flare of tension, the cold resentment that had always lingered between them. Not now.
Because whatever had happened before, whatever his doubts were…
Elias had come. Elias had saved them.
They could've let him die. Let them all die. Elias had every reason not to care.
But he had come anyway.
The man knelt beside Tave and Lily. He was silent for a moment, then placed something gently on the ground in front of Tave.
Tave blinked.
His gaze shifted down. His breath caught in his throat.
It was a A crystal. Rough and jagged crystal with faint embers of red flickering from within.
No way…
Tave stared, unmoving, barely breathing.
He looked up at Elias, heart pounding.
The man tilted his head slightly. "Can this… help the wolf?"
Tave didn't answer right away.
The truth was… Yes. In theory, this could save Fang. Because what Elias had just placed before him was a Monster Soul Stone.
Not just any soul stone, an Elite-grade Tier 3 Monster Soul Stone.
A drop like this was astronomically rare. Less than one percent chance from any monster. And from an elite-grade? Even lower.
This wasn't just a rare item.
This was a treasure.
A core that could be refined into a Relic, if entrusted to the right blacksmith. A fragment of life force that could grant abilities, raise monsters, even evolve them.
Its value was beyond anything they had found so far.
And Elias had just handed it over.
"The others don't mind if you use this to save your wolf," Elias said quietly. "Any strength we can preserve will be needed to conquer this Rift."
Tave turned slightly, his gaze shifting to the three other teammates standing a short distance behind Elias. They didn't speak. But they didn't need to. Their silence was enough.
Normally, an item like this, a Monster Soul Stone would never be used so freely. It would be kept, brought back from the Rift, and sold for an enormous sum, with the profit divided equally.
"Do it now, before it's too late," Elias said.
Tave nodded, silent. He lowered Fang gently onto the earth, his movements careful, reverent.
Then he reached for the soul stone.
It pulsed in his hand, alive, almost breathing. The surface was warm, with a rhythm like a heartbeat, vibrating softly as if acknowledging his touch. This was his first time holding such a rare and potent artifact, and he understood its worth, not just in coin, but in potential.
He placed the glowing crystal softly on Fang's body. And then whispered softly to the wolf, "Fang… absorb this core."
The Monster Soul Stone pulsed, once, twice and then unleashed its energy. A rush of earthen and ember-hued light spilled from the crystal, flowing like liquid fire over Fang's broken body.
The light wasn't blinding. But it was deep. Warm. Heavy. Living.
It coiled around Fang like a cocoon, sinking into his fur, into his skin. Where there had been stillness, there was now motion. A stirring of life.
The wolf didn't move.
But Tave saw it. The rise of his chest, slow, but steady.
The soul stone dimmed. Its glow fading, until, finally, it turned gray, lifeless, crumbling slightly around the edges like cooled ash. The magic was spent.
Fang's wounds had closed. His body, once limp, looked stable now. His eyes remained shut, but…
Tave could feel it.
Fang was breathing normally again. He was alive.
Tave let out a slow, shaking breath, and for the first time since the battle ended, he allowed himself to smile.
Relief flooded his chest.
Fang was going to live.
***
Tave's eyes snapped open, his head spinning with the kind of deep, aching dizziness that only came after being dragged from the pit of unconsciousness.
He gasped, then sat up fast, too fast, clutching his head as a wave of disorientation hit him. But through the haze, he saw them.
Elias and the others, seated calmly on scattered rocks nearby, their expressions relaxed.
Damn. Tave had passed out. After the midnight battle. After everything.
He glanced to the side. Orion was slumped near the edge of the clearing, his arms and legs bound with thick restraints. He was clearly still recovering, occasionally shifting and tugging like he was planning to break free… eventually.
And there, sitting among the others, was Oriana. Her left arm was wrapped tightly and suspended in a sling, the bandage slightly stained but clean.
She noticed him and raised her good hand with a faint wave. "Good morning, Tave."
Lily was there too, crouched near the fire, eating cooked meat and holding out a strip toward him.
"Tave… you're awake. Come eat. You're probably starving."
He blinked.
Everything felt… different.
Like something had shifted too far while he was asleep.
He stood slowly, pushing himself upright and moving closer, confusion painting his face. He looked at them all with a silent, questioning expression.
"So… how was your two-day nap?" Oriana teased as she giggled.
"Two days?" Tave echoed.
His stomach dropped.
Damn. Two full days?
What a weak. He'd slept through two whole days?!