In theory, I shouldn’t be worrying about Morrigan turning on Aine as Morrigan tried to go after Methild and others until I attacked her. The corruption left her very single-minded. While this didn’t mean that Aine was safe as even the shocks created by our clash could hurt her, it was one less thing to worry about.

At least, that’s what I thought initially. However, as if to spite me Morrigan turned her head towards the Aine the moment she called out.

“No! Aine, run!”

I shouted as Morrigan bolted towards Aine yet my voice came out as a quiet cough. I too started to run towards Aine in hopes of catching up to Morrigan. However, as I reached out to Morrigan it felt like the distance between us grew more and more distant. Even though the distance between me and Aine was something I could close in a second when I was healthy, Morrigan was sure to reach her before me. She was so much faster! I needed more time.

Time.

Time.

(Arrow Time activates. Your perception of time speeds up for 15 seconds.)

Everything surrounding me came to a halt, even my heart beating in my chest. I used that time to melt into shadows and Shadow Walk to Morrigan and tackle her before she could reach Aine.

“Morrigan!”

I roared, spitting blood and saliva everywhere as Arrow Time ended and I crashed to the ground with a resounding thud. Morrigan was under me. While my tackle managed to knock her off course, it wasn’t enough to damage her. She tried to claw my throat but I managed to imprison both of her hands into a block of ice. She reacted by trying to bite me.

“You promised! You promised to create a world where beastkin and humans coexist!”

I answered her by slamming my forehead into her lower jaw.

“Morrigan! My baby! What happened?”

Aine tried to reason with her but Morrigan only growled and struggled to break free. I pushed her down with my elbow, pressing her down with all of my body weight.

“Aine, just go! You can’t get through her!”

I shouted as I released Ice Wolf’s Breath, causing thin sheets of ice to form on Morrigan’s body. I was afraid of hurting Aine as I couldn’t control it fully but I had to stop Morrigan while I had the chance. Morrigan roared under me as she dug her elbows and feet to the ground. Out of nowhere, shadow blades exited out of the ground, piercing my body and allowing Morrigan to break free of my grasp though not before I put the Bite of Binding Centipede through her thigh.

But before I could react, Aine stepped forward, her voice filled with desperation as she pleaded with Morrigan to listen. "Morrigan, please! This isn't you! You have to fight this corruption!"

But Morrigan's only response was a guttural growl, her eyes burning with feral rage as she launched herself at Aine once again. With a surge of adrenaline, I leaped forward, interposing myself between them, determined to protect Aine at any cost.

The cost was truly great as my sword severed Morrigan’s left arm above the elbow while her other claw tore into my face, taking my vision with it.

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“Gökbörü, I need your help.”

Both my hearing and vision were gone. Even though I sensed the mana and demonic energy coming from Morrigan fighting her in this state was still beyond me. I randomly released blasts of mana where I felt Morrigan’s presence to hold her off while Gökbörü reached to me. Him not being close to Ama meant that I had no way of communicating with them as he served as the channel but I needed him more now. Feeling him join me caused me to sigh a breath of relief.

Synchronization.

It was a skill both of us gained when he was born. It didn’t have a rank as it relied on the depth of our bond. It allowed us to share emotions, mana, and skills while knowing where each other was. Now the question I wanted to know is if we could also share senses. While we knew when each other was in pain, sight, and hearing were another thing.

Drawing upon our bond, I focused my mind, trying to see what Gökbörü was seeing and hearing.

Huh, so how I looked from the outside. I hope that my not-wounded version looks better because I looked like I just lost a fist-or claw- fight against world’s meanest cat.

While my newfound perspective was interesting and my looks were horrible, it didn’t change the fact that Morrigan was still aggressive and ready to pounce. She was now slower with one of her arms gone and my dagger pumping her full of paralyzing venom but so I was with my injuries worsened as the time went on. I prayed that Thalia and Methild could reattach her arm without any problems.

(Full Combat Mastery ranked up to C rank. Your ability to adapt to various fighting styles grows greater.)

Fighting while seeing through Gökbörü’s eyes was disorienting. So disorienting in fact that my stomach contents threatened to escape out of my mouth though I suspected that the damage I endured also had something to do with it.

(Combat Sense ranked up to A rank. Your intuition and perception in battle reach unparalleled levels, allowing you to anticipate enemy movements with uncanny accuracy.)

Even though rank-up notifications rang in my head, I didn’t feel good.

“The circle is ready! Poyraz!”

Fucking finally. Summoning my mana, I let out wild mana bursts, pushing Morrigan back to where Ama and the others were. Thanks to my connection to Gökbörü, my mana reserves were full, unlike my dwindling stamina reserves. Aine ran to avoid the shocks of our clash.

“Thanks Poyraz. I will take it from here.”

Börü jumped between us with his sword on one hand and Morrigan’s twin daggers on his other hand. He showed them to Morrigan who fixated them the moment she saw them.

“Your Majesty! Your condition!”

Thalia ran the moment she saw me. Without me being able to react she pressed my head down to her bosom while dragging me away from the fight.

“I can’t breathe.”

Normally I wouldn’t complain but she was too rough damn it! With a gentle touch, Thalia eased her grip, allowing me to catch my breath as she examined my injuries with practiced efficiency. Her fingers traced over the wounds, her expression growing more somber with each passing moment.

“Can you hear me, your majesty?”

She asked as she looked at the blood coming out from my ears.

“Through Gökbörü, yes. But my ears and eyes are out of commission. But don’t worry, I’ll recover perfectly.”

I tried to assure her but the worried expression on her face didn’t soften a bit.

“Your majesty, just one of your wounds can kill a common man. You are in mortal danger.”

“But I am no common man, aren’t I?”

I tried to smile but it was hard to with a mauled face.

I watched Börü, Ama, Methild, and others push Morrigan into the circle from Gökbörü’s eyes as Thalia tended to my wounds. They were able to keep Morrigan at by thanks to injuries I inflicted on her and when the circle etched on the the ground sizzled with energy and closed on Morrigan I felt the tension in my body lessen a bit. Priestess ran around the circle with their hand shining bright with a red light, purifying the demonic energy as Methild and Ama tried to get rid of the signal on her soul.

As Thalia worked, I allowed myself to relax, letting the healing magic wash over me and ease my pain. In the distance, I could hear the sounds of battle as Methild, Ama, and the others worked to purify Morrigan's soul and rid her of the demonic influence that had consumed her.

And as darkness threatened to overtake me once again, I found solace in the knowledge that, for now at least, we had succeeded in containing the threat posed by Morrigan without killing her. I tried to stop myself from losing consciousness but I couldn’t.

Everything went dark.