In the cold stone coffin, Aria was trapped, the lid pressing down on her like a cloud, her body touching the decayed corpse below. Nausea churned within her as she struggled, trying to breathe through the narrow cracks. Blood flowed swiftly in the murky water, and she knew she couldn't hold on much longer. The silver starlight shimmered in the water, filling her with fear and despair.

“Is there anyone who can save me…” Aria cried out in her heart, unable to make a sound.

Suddenly, she felt something twitch beneath her. Aria tried to turn her head, but her heavy head barely moved. Then, a more violent tremor shook her, and she realized it wasn’t an illusion. Fear surged through her again—Stormblade’s corpse was moving!

A hand reached up from beneath her body. Aria gasped, inhaling cold, foul water that made her choke instantly. She struggled to lift her head, breaking the surface of the water, coughing violently. Water splashed, wetting her cheeks and hair.

“Ah!” she screamed as Stormblade's corpse forcefully shoved her head into the water. She felt cold, stiff fingers gripping her hair, pushing her head down. Muffled sounds echoed from below, the waves of noise distorting underwater. She opened her eyes, seeing only murkiness, with a decayed face barely visible.

Stormblade’s head suddenly floated up, his eyes vacant and hollow. Aria tried to push him away in terror, but Stormblade’s strength was immense. He opened his decayed mouth and bit down on Aria’s shoulder.

Pain slashed through her like a knife, her muscles and skin tearing. More foul water flooded into her lungs, burning her chest. Blood quickly turned the water red, strands of it spreading and swirling in the water.

“Help… someone save me…” Aria screamed in her heart, her voice lost underwater. Her consciousness began to blur, and her vision grew dim.

Pain cut deep into her bones like a blade. More foul water filled her lungs, the stench nauseating. She saw her blood quickly dyeing the water red, a grotesque whirlpool of warm blood and cold water. Her vision blurred, everything losing focus.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a blurred light appeared before her. She seemed to see a figure reaching out to her through the halo of light, like a divine savior. She tried with all her might to grasp that hand, but her senses had drifted far from her body, her fingers barely twitching. Cold water enveloped her, her body becoming heavy and stiff.

In that moment, her consciousness fell into endless darkness. All around was silent, the cold darkness wrapping around her, her heartbeat slowing and eventually stopping. She felt herself drifting away from this world, away from pain and despair, entering an unknown realm.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Aria heard a voice echoing from a great distance.

Gradually, the voice became clearer.

“Aria… can you hear me… wake up… open your eyes… Aria…”

A violent cough brought Aria back to some awareness. She opened her blurry eyes, seeing a bright golden light and the chaotic sounds around her. Her clothes and hair clung to her wet body, the pain in her shoulder reminding her of what had just happened.

At that moment, Neven was holding her, his eyes filled with worry and regret.

“I was too late,” Neven said softly.

“I was so scared…” Aria managed to whisper.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here,” Neven held her tightly, as if she would disappear from his arms in the next second. Aria felt weak, on the brink of death.

Her gaze moved to the ground, noticing the dazzling golden light coming from the Soul Stone on Neven’s sword hilt. She furrowed her brows, puzzled, “Your… Essence…”

“I’ve regained my Essence Power,” Neven replied, his tone complicated.

“How…” Aria started coughing again, Neven hurriedly stopping her from speaking further.

From a distance, Alexander shouted, “Hurry, Neven!” He was fighting off two robed men, and from the surrounding darkness came even more terrifying howls—Night Ghouls had caught the scent of the living.

“We can’t delay, you need treatment,” Neven looked into the forest, his voice tense. He began hurriedly wrapping Aria’s shoulder, his movements frantic.

Aria closed her eyes, enduring the pain in her shoulder. Even wrapped in a cloak, she felt the biting cold, shivering by the stone coffin. The pain in her shoulder nearly made her pass out.

Neven tore at his clothes, urgently bandaging Aria’s wound, “Don’t fall asleep, Aria, keep your eyes open…”

Aria struggled to keep her eyes open but saw more Night Ghouls emerging from the darkness. She finally noticed the green eyes moving through the dark forest, Night Ghouls approaching. Fear gripped her, seeing Neven and Alexander as beacons in the dark.

She panted weakly, hearing Neven say, “We must leave! Alexander, I need your help…”

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“Daph…”Aria struggled to speak.

“She’s dead,” Neven said, glancing aside.

At that moment, Daphne lay lifeless in a pool of blood not far away.

“She's trying to resurrect Stormblade…” Aria started coughing again, intensifying the pain in her shoulder.

“Don’t speak, ” Neven’s frown deepened.

Alexander ran over, saying he had taken care of the two robed men. Then, looking down at Aria, his handsome face turned pale with fear. He extended his hand, placing his palm over Aria’s wound, a warm flow gently entering her shoulder.

Aria felt some relief from the pain, leaning into Neven, shivering from the cold.

“This won’t work, we need to get back quickly. Her wound needs proper treatment, and…” Alexander retracted his Essence Power, hesitated, and said, “I’m not sure she can hold on until we get back…”

Neven whistled, and with the sound of hooves, a fiery steed galloped towards them. The warm flames surrounded them like a halo.

“We leave now,” Neven said shortly.

He picked up Aria, the cloak slipping off, and a beam of light shone from the pendant around her neck, the Soul Stone glowing in sync with Neven’s sword. Neven mounted Spark with her, the ripping pain in her shoulder making her hang limply in his arms. She saw Stormblade’s corpse floating in the water, the decayed head and body separated.

In the distant dark woods, the wails of Night Ghouls grew denser.

Aria weakly closed her eyes, unable to remember how Neven had gotten her onto the horse. When she heard the voice again, she opened her eyes. The shadows of the dark forest passed overhead, and Neven’s urgent breathing was close. “Don’t fall asleep, Aria, keep your eyes open…”

Aria couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer, she was so tired, just wanting to sleep.

She lay in Neven's embrace, surrounded by the warm glow of Spark's flames, which eased the chill from her damp body. The white mist hung low in the forest, obscuring the hazy moonlight above. Distant, eerie howls echoed through the darkness as Night Ghouls prowled the shadows.

Aria half-closed her eyes, her vision a blur of shifting trees. The distant light of the Moon Tower was hidden by the thick fog, appearing faint and elusive.

She saw the faint glow emanating from the necklace on her chest. Shivering, she grasped the golden pendant, where the Soul Stone inside radiated a soft, golden light.

“How did you restore your Essence...”

“Aria, we'll talk about it later,” Neven whispered.

“The bodies in the royal city were burned by Daphne... She also stole the Celestial Deer’s heart... and the Sacred Spring water...” Aria’s voice was weak and hoarse, each word heavy as though it were forced from her throat like stones.

“Shh, don’t talk,” Neven said with a furrowed brow. “I promise, we will get through this safely. You can tell me everything when we’re back.”

Aria looked up at the hazy glow in the night sky, the light barely visible through the mist, as if on the verge of disappearing.

“Can she hold on?” Alexander’s voice cut through from nearby.

“I’m not sure. Her shoulder has been chewed to the bone,” Neven replied with deep concern.

Aria felt a wave of dizziness. She had thought only a part had been bitten off, but Stormblade had actually gnawed her shoulder clean. This wasn’t a revival spell—it was more like a necromancer’s curse.

The searing pain burned through her shoulder and chest, making her emit a low moan. Whenever her consciousness blurred, she could always hear Neven calling her name.

Resting her head against Neven’s chest, she could hear his strong heartbeat through the armor, a steady drumbeat against her ear. But her body under the cloak grew colder, and even the warmth of Spark’s flames couldn’t stop her intense shivering.

“Are you cold?” Neven asked.

Aria nodded faintly, wanting to tell him how much it hurt. After a bout of severe coughing, star-like specks flickered on Neven’s armor. She wiped the corner of her mouth and noticed the glowing liquid on her fingers. Realizing it was her own saliva, she was hit with a cold sweat, understanding that the resurrection spell was seriously affecting her body.

Neven’s voice became distant, her vision dimming as her consciousness sank once more into darkness.

She heard a voice, a woman whispering in her ear, “I love you. I’ll do whatever you say, give you whatever you want.” The woman pulled away, her eyes red as though she had just been crying.

Aria heard a man’s voice.

“He suspects your disappearance was a ploy to leave the Moon Tower. He’s investigating. If they find out you’re still alive, they’ll imprison you and torture you until you reveal all your secrets. You were careless in killing his Grand Mentor. How could you let them discover he was poisoned?”

“It’s your fault you didn’t persuade them to cremate the body,” Daphne retorted. “If you had convinced Quinn…”

“Do you want me to expose myself too?”

Aria’s gaze shifted to the window, the outside pitch black. Her reflection in the black glass was startlingly familiar—she realized it was Stormblade. “If the Lunar Essence Clan discovers an Executive Commander has betrayed them, I will be the first to be executed,” Stormblade said, his gaze cold and impatient as he looked outside, disdainfully glancing at Daphne’s reflection in the window.

“So what do we do, my dear?” Daphne asked with a hint of tears in her voice.

“There’s a burned female corpse where we often meet. Drag her out and place your Soul Stone on her. The Moon Tower people will think you’re dead. Don’t let your brother, Damian Blackwood, expose you. He won’t save a sister who has left the Moon Tower. He’ll inform Alpha and betray you without regard for family,” Stormblade said coldly, his tone devoid of emotion. “Once I find everything we need, we’ll leave the Moon Tower and spend our lives together in a place where no one knows us, my dearest Daphne.” His stern face suddenly broke into a smile as he turned toward her.

Daphne, with tearful eyes, moved toward Stormblade and embraced him with a dramatic sigh.

“We already have the Celestial Deer’s heart. What else do we need?” she asked adoringly.

“Sacred Spring Water and Aria Magnus’s blood,” Stormblade replied.

“I’ll kill the girl right away,” Daphne said venomously.

“Don’t touch her until we get the Sacred Spring Water. Do you want Neven Everhart to keep pursuing you? Don’t alarm him. Wait until we have the Sacred Spring Water before capturing his girl,” Stormblade warned.

At that moment, Aria’s shoulder throbbed with pain. Her consciousness was pulled from the swirling darkness into the biting night, where the howling wind and distant roars became clearer. She trembled as she woke from the nightmare.

The world was shrouded in thick fog, every sight distorted and blurry. The biting cold wind and the Night Ghoul’s terrifying cries came from all directions, threatening to tear her soul apart.

They had stopped somewhere deep in the forest. Aria could feel Neven’s muscles tensed, sensing something dreadful was approaching.

Nearby, Alexander’s sword gleamed faintly in the dim light. His gaze was stern, locked on the darkness ahead.

“Be careful, prepare to fight,” Neven whispered.

Suddenly, the sounds of breaking branches and trembling ground filled the air, as if a monstrous presence was drawing near. The atmosphere grew more terrifying, sending shivers down Aria’s spine. Her heartbeat quickened, struggling to see through the thickening mist.

The fog grew denser, like a heavy curtain blocking her view. The surrounding cries grew more frantic, and the air was thick with the stench of blood. Her heart pounded like a war drum, as if it might burst at any moment.

“They’re coming,” Alexander swore, readying his sword.