At that moment, a knock on the door sounded.

"Neven, Stormblade is awake," Alexander said succinctly from outside.

Neven and Aria exchanged a glance, then quickly opened the door.

"He just woke up. I haven't informed Quinn yet," Alexander explained. "I thought you'd want to see him before anyone else." He then looked at Aria with a smile and said, "You look much better. You slept so deeply during the day that I thought you wouldn’t wake up."

"I’m not usually like that," Aria replied with an awkward smile.

"Alexander, take us to see Stormblade," Neven said.

They left the north tower, walking along the open-air corridor toward the herbary. The air was filled with a faint herbal fragrance. The chill of the night seeped into their clothes, but their anxiety left them oblivious to it.

The door to the herbary was gently pushed open, and a wave of warmth mixed with the scents of herbs and wood enveloped them. In the center of the room, Stormblade lay quietly on a wooden bed. His bare torso was covered with a thick blanket, and his chest, bruised and purple, was smeared with a mud-like herbal paste, making him look pitiableand.

Alexander patted Stormblade's face, and he murmured a few times.

"His mind is severely confused. He can't even remember his own name," Alexander said.

"Are you saying he's lost his memory?" Aria asked, surprised.

"He's senseless. He can't even explain how he was attacked." Alexander slapped his face harder, his voice growing impatient. "Stormblade, wake up!"

Stormblade groaned and opened his eyes. He looked around the room with wide eyes, his pale face looking as if he were seeing the herbary for the first time.

Aria stepped forward angrily, ready to slap him. "Stormblade, it's Aria. Do you remember what the demigod did to you?"

"What are you talking about?" he coughed.

"That night when you threatened me with your sword, a demigod attacked us and then dragged you away," Aria tried to describe the scene.

"He used a sword?" Neven roared from behind. Alexander pushed him, and the two started muttering and shoving each other.

"A demigod?" Stormblade's eyes widened even more.

"A tall man with silver hair and a Devil's Eye implanted in one of his eyes. Do you remember? What did he do to you after he took you?" Aria asked again.

"I heard... his spell..." Stormblade said slowly, then suddenly turned to ask, "Who... are you?" He wore a foolish expression.

Aria impatiently responded with a sigh.

His eyes suddenly widened, his mouth opened, and he said in a terrified tone, "Lucius... Atg..."

"Yes, you remember, Lucius Atgent," Aria said excitedly.

"His... eye..." Stormblade suddenly sat up, startling Aria so much that she nearly fell over. Neven caught her and pulled her back a few steps.

Stormblade suddenly let out a howl. His tone then became sorrowful.

"If you keep moving like that, you'll hurt yourself..." Alexander forcefully pressed him back onto the bed and impatiently covered him with the blanket. "I can't take this anymore. I need to inform Quinn Morrison to come and get him."

"Has he regained consciousness at all?" Neven asked.

Alexander shook his head. "No. I don't know why he's like this. Quinn will have to decide what to do with his Executive Commander."

Aria and Neven left the herbary, both feeling very frustrated. With Stormblade's mind in disarray, they were at a dead end. As Aria left, she told Alexander not to bring her food anymore. She could go to the dining hall herself and get some exercise. Staying in bed all the time was becoming tiresome.

In the days following the demigod attack, Aria quickly recovered and found life to be quite enjoyable. She also took the time to visit Oak, whose injuries were much more severe than hers.

Aria gently pushed open Oak's door, and the sight of a cluttered room met her eyes. Oak lay on the bed, covered with a worn blanket, his injured leg braced with wooden planks. Seeing Aria, Oak flashed a toothy grin. "Aria, you're here."

"Yes, I came to see you," Aria responded with a smile, placing a bag of extremely spicy jerky by the bed.

Suddenly, a black shape darted past her feet.

Aria jumped and looked down.

Near the bed, a plump rat was gnawing on a chicken leg. Its fur was sleek and shiny, and it seemed completely unafraid of people.

She walked closer to the bed, bent down, and studied the rat carefully. The rat seemed to sense her presence, looked up with beady black eyes, met Aria's gaze for a moment, then continued to focus on its chicken leg.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Is it your pet?" she asked.

"Oh, that rat is very smart. It comes to steal my food every day. But, you know, having it as a pet is not a bad idea," Oak said.

"No, I was just joking," Aria quickly waved her hand. Then she sat by the bed and looked at Oak's braced leg, trying to sound lighthearted. "How's your recovery going?"

"Alexander said it will take a hundred days," Oak said gloomily. "I really want to go to Voidmarsh, but Neven and Lyra won't agree."

“Neven hopes you get better soon. He really needs you. He said you’re the best warrior he’s ever seen.” Aria patted Oak’s hand, hoping her words could provide some comfort, even if they were just a white lie.

“Am I the best?” Oak’s eyes sparkled with a glimmer of hope.

“Of course, the best.” Aria smiled brightly, as if her words could dispel all the darkness.

The two continued their conversation for a while until a group of Starguard rookies came to visit Oak. Aria then bid farewell to Oak and turned to leave, walking through the corridors of the Starguard base until she reached Neven's large bedroom. Her thoughts kept swirling around recent events, as if all the questions in her mind were tangled into a chaotic knot. Aria lay down on her bed and drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.

The sound of armor falling to the floor woke Aria. She lazily turned over, squinting to see Neven’s tall figure silhouetted in the dim light.

“Are you leaving again?” Her voice was tinged with sleepiness and reluctance.

Neven silently picked up the armor and gently placed it back on the table. In a low voice, he said, “Yes, I must go.”

“Why?” Aria’s voice carried a hint of pleading and confusion.

Neven walked to her bedside, gently stroking her hair. “There are some matters I need to take care of.”

Aria sighed, closing her eyes. “Just be careful.”

“I will.” Neven leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. “Sage Solon has been very understanding, allowing me to return to Moon Tower frequently. I can’t neglect my tasks there. I’ll come back to take you to Voidmarsh in a few days.”

“Can I go?” Aria asked, opening her eyes with hope.

“Of course you can,” Neven confirmed with a nod. “But it’s not a leisurely place; it’s Voidmarsh.”

“But you’re all there.”

“I brought you a little gift. I came back last night, but you were already asleep.”

“A gift?” Aria was now fully awake, curiosity lighting up her eyes.

Neven pointed to the small iron box on the table.

“What is it?”

He stood up and gently kissed Aria’s cheek. “I’m leaving now. You’ll have to open it yourself.”

As she heard the door close, Aria’s gaze fell on the iron box. She was wide awake, excitedly crawling out from under the blankets and walking to the table. The small gift inside the box took her by surprise. When she opened it, she was stunned by what she saw.

It was a golden balance scale adorned with sun and moon motifs, the same one she had once seen at the Celestial Sanctum.

She placed the scale on the table, and the moon slowly began to rise. Aria glanced out the pitch-black window; it was still the middle of the night. Suddenly, she realized something—Neven must have left much earlier than she thought. But how did such a finely crafted divine artifact end up here?

Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, Neven had been gone for half a month. The northern weather had warmed up a bit, and among the melting snow on the ground, she could see scattered yellow flowers beginning to bloom.

It was a bright, sunny morning.

Aria felt refreshed and invigorated. As a patient who had long since recovered, walking in the sunlight felt incredibly good. A few days ago, Sable had sent word that Neven planned to come back today to fetch her. Due to the tense situation in Voidmarsh, Neven hadn't been able to come back and visit her since their farewell that night. Aria hurried to say goodbye to Oak, who was busy placing strips of dried meat on a splint for his broken leg, eating them one by one. When he saw Aria, he accidentally knocked over all the dried meat. He dejectedly chased away the mice on the floor, then flashed a gap-toothed smile at her and wished her a safe return to the Moon Tower.

Aria forced a smile in return, finding his blessing rather chilly.

On her way back, she was nearly knocked down the stairs by a group of Lunarshade soldiers. She angrily cursed at their retreating backs, thinking they were a bunch of rude idiots. But then, she pricked up her ears, catching their conversation.

“Quinn cared so much about Stormblade. How could this happen?”

“He went mad and eventually...”

“What’s Quinn going to do?”

“What else can he do? Give Stormblade a decent funeral...”

As they walked away, Aria stood frozen on the stairs, unsure if what she heard was true. She ran to the herbary; if Stormblade was really dead, Alexander would know what happened.

“Alexander...” she shouted as she pushed open the door.

Alexander jumped, spilling half a bottle of potion.

“I need to ask you something,” Aria said, panting. Alexander turned around, and she saw a wounded man lying on a bed. Swallowing nervously, she stammered, “I heard... about Stormblade... something happened to him...” She didn't dare to go into details, unsure if this was a secret.

“Yeah, he went dead,” Alexander said nonchalantly. “Quinn and I were discussing his condition when he just ran off. We found his body outside later...”

“Was he murdered?”

“No, he died from his injuries...”

“But he was able to run. He looked fine.”

“The magic was strong. It seemed like Stormblade was under some kind of control. He tried to reach the building where the incident happened, but he was suddenly attacked by a dark spell,” Alexander said, his face growing serious. “That kind of magic is very rare and lethal. It summoned his deepest fears and pain, quickly eroding his will and body.”

“What happened next?”

“I think his soul was torn apart by that dark power. He collapsed in a pool of blood, his eyes filled with agony and despair, as if he had been tortured a thousand times. By the time we arrived, his body was already being corrupted by the dark energy. He died shortly after.”

Aria was stunned. The wounded man on the bed groaned in discomfort, and she slowly closed the door. From behind it, she heard Alexander call out, “Aria, go pack your things. We're leaving soon.”

Aria reopened the door, surprised. “Neven is almost here?”

“Yes, they stayed overnight at a safe house north of Shadowvale,” Alexander nodded. “We need to get ready to go.”

“You said ‘we,’ you’re coming too?”

“Yes, I’m coming.” He added with a reproachful look, “And remember to knock next time.”

Aria responded with a quick acknowledgment and swiftly closed the door. She knew now was not the time to worry about details, so she turned and left to prepare her belongings.

A few minutes later, she returned to the herbary, where she saw Alexander arranging for others to take care of his patients. On the ground, there were two open leather bags, and he was packing tools and medicines.

“Do we need to bring anything special?” Aria asked.

“Bring your weapons, and I need to take some emergency supplies,” Alexander replied. “The situation in Voidmarsh is unstable. I've heard there are many injured there.”

Once they were ready, Aria and Alexander left the herbary and headed toward the gathering point. Along the way, Aria saw other Starguard members busy with their preparations for departure.

When they reached the gathering point, Alexander mentioned he needed to check his wagon, which was loaded with medical supplies for the injured. Aria had no choice but to wait by the gate. The sun hung high in the somewhat hazy sky as she sat on an oil barrel, waiting idly.