Timmy grabbed the bloodied bucket without hesitation, disappearing from the room before even replying to not bring anything else back.

“Wash the bucket properly! This duck is all bloody. I need clear water.” Iris shouted before he left behind the closed door. Timmy gave her a simple nod, which was enough for her.

With the successful and clean mission being over, Timmy did not need to be so quiet when Murai was no longer with him. He ran even in the middle of the night back to the well.

As he did so, Iris got her attention back to the bloodied mess in her hands. She, herself, wasn't Blessed, but there was something else within her that was interesting. Something that even Timmy didn't know about. The beginning of being something great was already a part of her Path.

Iris was a priestess of the Vermillion Church because of certain benefits, or luck on her side. Because of magic, and thanks to the blessing from Lady Vermillion, she had certain privileges. The power of the Handler was in her control, using mana to perform all kinds of things that no regular person can do.

It allowed her to perform a limited amount of spells, but it was nothing near what a proper unrestrained mage could make.

What Iris held resembled more of the borrowing power from the mana of the world, thus making her a Handler that worked with what she could. It was unlike the mana core, which some mages could create under certain secret arts, but it wasn't all that successful. Unless one would be born one, it was hard to change fate.

As for being the Handler, it was a generic way to mention someone handling the mana of the world as a mage with the core could. It had similar rules of Shaping and Conjuring and had intricacies of similar values.

One can't handle it all the time, making Shaping infinite and returning. After all, in Handlers, using the mana of the world had limitations on how much, and how long one could work with it.

Iris was more of a normal kind of mage of this world, without being talented enough to be someone special. She was a simple girl that was prone to the mana, while the mana itself was prone to her. Such cases were abundant and ordinary since the flow of mana in the Battleworld was quite rich.

Anyone born with the right aptitude could become a mage, and correspondingly to that, there were many Paths one could choose. Out of the many races, humans like her were the most common Handlers of magic.

“Alright, with Timmy gone I will start with the healing then,” Iris stated and grabbed something under her shirt. It was a necklace, that she pulled forward, resting it on her shirt.

Putting both of her palms around Murai's body--close to the wings--she began speaking strange syllables of an unknown language. They were crisp, and sometimes rough-sounding vocals.

This was a unique incantation method of letting mana around the world turn to one's specific control and turn a bit stronger than without it. It was a simple spell turned stronger by the use of incantations, which wasn't only available to her alone. It was a recipe for success as if the world would carry the laws themselves.

Anyone could use them, but in the heat of battle, it wasn't something unique to forget about them completely.

Even though she was under the premise of Lady Vermillion, it didn't mean spells and abilities over the mana were exclusive to gods. None of the regular and common spells were, but the unique and powerful ones might be, since Paths were exclusive, and many Blessings were the same.

Lady Vermillion was a god that was following a similar premise as Lordis, and her place in the Battleworld was as firm as it could be. Unlike many, she was a kind goddess in the eyes of many people, and she wasn't the kind that overruled others. She had a more passive approach to being someone beyond the Battleworld.

There were easier methods of proving her godhood, so her vision was different than the rest of her peers.

She had a lot of followers, and people worshipped her for her good reasonings and blessings that weren't overly harsh like some others. In this way, the Vermillion church was a place of wisdom, help, and care.

Many ideologies made Battleworld a harsh place, so having this sort of god as a beacon of hope wasn't a bad thing. It definitely didn't resemble the common situations of this world, but a lot of people certainly needed some form of hope.

Hence, the option of the good-willed god in the presence of Lady Vermillion was created, and her power wasn't small.

Iris was already a part of this church for some time. She may still be a small and insignificant priestess that wasn't all that powerful, but that may change one day.

The influence of her Lady on her wasn't that strong yet, but she had every right to like her and devote her Will to her view. Particularly, there was something rare that she had. Iris was lucky enough to reach certain requirements of getting a minor Blessing a few years ago when certain luck, presented itself to her fate.

Ever since then, she was interested in following the doctrine of Lady Vermillion, and it didn't pose a problem to her to do so. That was to never hurt others and care for the souls instead. It was a rather unpopular belief in this world, unsurprisingly. But for the sake of the interest, Lady Vermillion used such a rare view as an opportunity instead, creating power over the common folks.

These sorts of beliefs were within Iris's interest. It was something she needed since her parents died not long ago, leaving her, Timmy, and her elder sister as orphans. If it wouldn't be for the help of her uncle Lazar and his status in the army, she and her siblings would have long died or become slaves of war.

After all, the course of losing her parents was a Holy War ~ a disaster that struck her homeland. The Centralis Kingdom destroyed it, and the kingdom under the name of justice ceased to exist. The overwhelming strength of the Holy War was undeniable, and it was nothing that a little kingdom of fewer than 100 years of history could manage.

She remembered it all, yet it was already in history, and her future mattered much more than that.

Now, the Centralis Kingdom was her forceful home, yet the Vermillion Church always felt more like a home.

Iris continued muttering many syllables, causing a form of Mana Flow to appear around her body. It was coming from her surroundings, air, and from the open window, bathing her in light of the mana. The mana was part of everything.

At usual times, one can see it normally while at other times, not so much. Under certain conditions, reason, and certain rules, its vision will offset its mysteries. One could flare it up, making it useful for oneself, and jolt it up. The air, wood, and everything around her was part of the undeniable source of the River of Manaflow.

Murai would understand what was Iris doing, but he was yet to regain his senses.

The mana had the appearance of small waves and was a bit like what Murai had within him, but their quality and power were different. Iris was more gentle over her Conjuration, which was like calling the mana itself, speaking to it, and whispering for its help.

Her quality and control were different that what Murai had, as it wasn't forceful and mana drifted under her control itself. It was the difference between a Shaper and Handler.

Iris held her hands as a beacon, turning her palms as the ending path of this spell. Mana was traveling through her body, flowing toward Murai's body.

He, on the other hand, was restrained to his soul space, sleeping senseless, since he needed some rest. He couldn't feel much of anything, but the certain flow toward his body and soul woke up his awareness. He recovered his reasons and noticed his mindful connection to the soul space was still firm, even though he nearly met his End.

Ever since he fell back into the water, his focused and strained mind was put into a state of turmoil. It was as if a sudden force caused his mind to take a break. Since Razmund's beating, the effects of his near-end experiences caused his mind to take what it deserved, regardless of what Murai wanted.

It was a numb state, or maybe it was an involuntary effect of the trauma that was even working against his powerful soul. He was aware that he almost died, yet he wasn't fully aware of what was happening at the moment.

At that time in the well, Murai didn't watch everything with all his attention. He just felt his body lifting up.

Was he reaching the heavens back then? No way. That was impossible!

His mind was drifting within the pain and helplessness, but his soul was keeping a watch out.

Amidst the state of these feelings, and partial recovery of his senses, Murai was floating in his soul space. Around the still-sleeping Lisa, he made a few rounds but chose not to disturb her, even though he couldn't even if he wanted.

It appeared something was going on with her sleeping state, as the flaring soul form of her body was unkept, and the vortex of mana was surrounding her ghostly figure. So, he didn't pay her too much attention.

This was bad... So bad. He thought inaudibly to anyone but himself. Maybe I was way too comfortable with how this life went. It's rare to see this sort of living and feeling life in such a different way. This pain, I will keep this in my heart for the future, but first things come first. What the hell is going on in reality and myself? What is this strange feeling of being weak? It is so annoying.

Murai decided on some certain decision in his mind. He was feeling something wrong within his perception and senses. Did he want to come back to his soul space upon his harsh failure, leaving his body to the fate of someone else? Hell no! He was the ruler of his own fate and whether the world would turn upside down, he won't live it down!

As he thought so, he recalled the face of that kid before the stars. It wasn't what he wished to see, since what happened afterward? He can't remember.

Sighing, he left his worries alone and lifted his Will up to no good level.

“So I am not dead. I can feel it, but should I be glad? Fuck this... Let's see what is happening outside. I seem to feel a bit numb over this experience and disaster.” Murai scowled and decided to broaden his Will. That was to spread up his soul awareness, lifting the unwanted feelings away and going back to reality.

Reaching the real body that was broken didn't mean he was unable to go there. Soul and body can be activated separately, and he knew it as he did so numerous times in this life. But that didn't mean his mind was well accustomed to his body disaster, as the death experiences weren't always easy to deal with.

He was a step away from the End yet he was still living. No. He should've been past those steps a long time ago, instead of living, yet he wasn't.

It was a temporary crisis like the pain but too much of something can create trouble even to something like Murai's soul.

Frail, his Will went back to its proper place, wincing left and right in his state of the Robust Spirit that remained standing firm. It was as if a dog shook water around itself, becoming soft and fluffy. His senses and mind turned to some calmness.

He was still usable as if he wouldn't fare too badly against Death itself. Then, Murai put his consciousness and feelings back into his real body, hoping to uncover what he wanted. It was like a simple wave, and his awareness jolted back into reality.

Could he breathe? Yes, he took a small breath, but it almost turned his lungs aflame, and blood choked his innard. This shook Murai's body, alerting Iris who was focusing her attention on the mana itself rather than Murai. She opened her eyes for a moment but closed them again since she had to control her healing spell.

Murai opened his eyes amidst these terrible feelings in his body. He couldn't do much but watch his surroundings. At least his head, neck, and face were alright. Albeit, barely so, apart from his beak which was bloodied but remained in pristine condition as if made of precious materials.

In front of him was flowing mana, surrounding a face of a young-looking girl. It wasn't something he saw with happiness, since his circumstances were quite terrible. He put his senses around his body and quickly went over his biggest problems.

It took a second to discover how fucked he was. Almost every muscle around his body, apart from the neck, was damaged. Bones and even blood flow were in shambles. He was broken as a duck could be, yet he was still alive by some miracle.

Iris ignored the slim movements and kept chanting some incantation. Her closed eyes hid some previous interest. From Murai's view, he saw her glowing figure, flowing long brown hair, and a small, narrow face. She appeared young, all things considered, and kind.

There was a serious look on her face, filled with strange resolute kindness, but there were also some grief and emotionless feelings that he perceived with his Soul Read.

Murai read her face in a simple glance, coming to these conclusions as if it was the easiest thing in the world. It was the involuntary effect of the soul read, but not as he cared too much about it. He guessed a smile wasn't on her face for a long time, but why was he even thinking of that?

What is this... girl? Someone saved me, right? That kid? This fate? Who is this girl? She is using the mana of the world and the chant over the prime principles of magic. Is she a tool of some god, or is working with one already? What kind of magic is this... It's somewhat familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time.

Murai was looking forwards but that's about what he could do. He felt his terrible injuries, and blood dripped from his feathers, coloring the table below him with his blood.

Iris didn't mind it, it seemed.

The wounds caused by the Bloodrush's aftereffects overlapped with Razmund's damages. It wasn't anything good, and he felt weakened, even beyond the previous injuries.

I knew it... This mess of the Vitaliy is like a gift or a blessing that god can give. This whole Battleword is like borrowing power that isn't mine, yet it is, in some sense. What a strange system. It's not mine per se, but life is still mine, so in a sense, this borrowing power is a gift of this world and not gods. Lordis is also borrowing this... I bet. It makes him like some kind of shopkeeper? How funny. It's as if this life of a Blessed is a borrowing power of the world itself. This Battleworld... Fuck!

I should have read the whole book that Rudolf left behind goddamnit. Now, it's lost in the hands of that fucker from the Centralis Kingdom. I am even supposed to get it back! What kind of reasoning is that? Major Task? More like a major ass! I feel like I am some sort of plaything of those fuckers who came to that conclusion as if I am a tool for their desired chess. It's making me so uncomfortable that I would rather crush my skull open!

Murai could complain all that he could, but what happened, already happened. Crying over the spilled milk wasn't worth it, but the course of his newfound ideas was truthful. He couldn't see it being otherwise, because that's how the gods acted.

They had to live off of their divinity alone, and it was a source of power that was desirable in many paths. Not in each, but it made sense. They need prayers, and the power of the living to keep their divinity going. They could reach higher stages of power depending on their decision over living. Though, their Path still mattered a lot more than anything else.

It was in a sense, similar to the situation of that God of Pain that Murai talked with at the end of Somalis Dungeon. Pakutan was his name. He was offering him a blessing from a challenge, but that wasn't just because he was Blessed, but because he accomplished a rule set up by Lordis, or the World.

Murai guessed what he could, so he won't worship him because of that, but some would do so without hesitation. That was a difference between the stakes. Mortals had their own. He had his own.

Blessings and amount of people they could influence were extremely important to any god. That's how they are, were, and will always be until the end of their time.

Watching the girl before him, Murai began to pay more attention to her words.

Hearing those words, and looking at the mana under her influence, Murai was slowly grasping the situation. She was forcing some structural spell over the mana to heal him. In a sense, it was a Mana Construct, Chanted Spell, and quite a good handling of mana.

It was already channeling for a good while, empowering a version of a spell that one could use without any core. Doing so in this matter was more difficult than the simple use of spells, which were defined by magic and simple usage.

Murai felt goodwill from her, so where did that bad feeling from before come from?

He didn't believe it at first but he was actually half right, half wrong. Iris turned her attention to the shimmering mana under her control, which traveled around Murai's body, enveloping him in a warm hug. It began to seep the residual blood away, turning it to nothingness.

Then, the mana began to flow toward the external wounds that Murai had over his body. There, the mysterious force of this spell and worldly mana was reconnecting external wounds, making the wounds slowly disappear.

In truth, Iris was treating Murai's injuries with the help of her Lady's Gift that was glistering on her shirt. It was a strange necklace, that led some shimmering mana out of it. That was strange, filling the surrounding mana with certain affinities, or partial laws, but Murai wasn't able to feel the mana all that well.

So he did nothing regardless of his previous feelings and if they were warranted or not. Right now, he had no choice but to wait.

The healing wasn't fast. Murai could guess she wasn't that good at it. At least it wasn't uncomfortable. He only felt a minor numbness and itchiness from his wounds, and warmness and cold spread from this hugging mana.

Suddenly, the warmth spread around his side, coming from her palm, and a powerful flow of surrounding mana focused more toward Iris's hands. It began to seep into his body, hoping to seek and heal internal injuries.

What in the seventh hell! She didn't even finish external ones, and is already going inside of my body? Are you kidding me? What a novice...

Murai was shocked at her attitude. This wasn't proper.

The mana of others was usually a problem if they went into another mage, but this time, it wasn't the mana of others. It was the mana of the world itself, so Murai was feeling a surge of warmth penetrating his body, traveling around him, and jolting up even his Beast Core. But that stubborn thing didn't like it, and only took a little of it before barking back, unfollowing this unfamiliar richness.

It was like a shockwave or lighting that struck someone unprepared for it. The mana wanted to repair the cells, making blood vessels whole, and torn muscles whole again. It was flowing through his blood vessels, stretching the muscles, which were indeed becoming better in a couple of dozen seconds, but it was too slow, and too poorly done.

The mana itself wasn't healing him on its own. It was Iris who did so because of the spell under her control.

Murai could feel and see the struggles of her brows. She was frowning, while her eyes remained shut. Sweat floated down her cheekbones, making her decisiveness apparent, albeit her skill wasn't up to this task. She was obviously a beginner at this, or was it some kind of different issue?

Murai would stop her if he could.

As the minutes flowed, Iris didn't stop, but something interrupted her after a while. The opened door to her room shot open.

It wasn't her uncle or her elder sister as she feared. It was Timmy, who was carrying a water bucket with some difficulties. She glanced at him but returned to her focused state shortly afterward. The spell was visibly shaking the room with mana, making Timmy gasp in surprise. She didn't cease her hands from Murai at all.

Timmy understood what was going on since he saw this situation a few times already. Although, the majority of these situations were done in some other ways, than healing a duck.

Still, he knew his sister was a Handler of mana, and was also a Priest. This was clearly a Healing Spell with some water or earth-based affinity or some kind. Timmy didn't know what it was specifically, but he saw her healing him and others. That was why he asked for her to heal Murai.

Timmy quietly closed the door, before reaching her table with the bucket. He put the bucket beside her table and looked at Murai that was in her hands. Around the table were some diagrams, runes, and small versions of mana crystals or shards. Those were tiny and big as one's palm.

Some of the mana was coming off of them under Iris's influence, but Murai wasn't able to see what was underneath him.

“Is something wrong, sis? You look pale.” Timmy asked after a minute of his open presence. Since Iris didn't tell him to get lost as usual, he figured he could stay.

This healing spell that he saw a few times already was always a magical thing to see. He watched the light in the room, which was all too beautiful and interesting to his curious mind.

After a while, Iris coughed, losing some sort of control over the mana and her spell along with the incantations.

“This... Timmy... This is a demonic beast. You were right. No, they were right, but I am not going back from this. By the doctrines of Lady Vermillion, one's Will shouldn't be against living on the fundamental level. It is like that...” She said the truth through a determination that came upon opening her eyes. “It would lead to apathy and pain instead... You hear and know it, Timmy. Right?” Iris asked after glancing at him beside her chair.

He had a worry in her eyes, but Iris wasn't that kind to go back against their promise.

So what if this was a demonic duck with intact Beast Core and powerful feelings she felt through her senses?

So what if it made her very afraid for her life when she felt its might, feel of the soul and Will?

She had to restrain her fear and healing upon discovering the massive presence of this duck. It went against her mind, and at last, she couldn't help it.

Being forceful over something wasn't her Will, but her power wasn't enough. Because the demonic energy worked against her efforts, she stopped the inner healing part of this spell.

Although her sense told her she didn't have to worry about that, since Murai had no inclination to do anything against her. It wasn't as if he could even do something.

Iris was unaware of what exactly was before her, but it was dangerous inside, and not outside. From the way of things, Murai's demonic aura got lost in him and his Beast Core was calm like an unwavering pond of water, creating no large quantities of mana. Anyone would disregard this duck to be a normal duck, but not her.

Maybe the majority of mages upon researching or feeling Murai's body would come to the same conclusion.

“Is.. it bad sis? You can heal it, can't you? Can I help you with something? Anything!” Timmy asked in worry, hoping to ease her frowning face away, but he knew he would never achieve that. Her sister never smiled since the time of the Holy War.

“I... I don't need help.” She said resolutely since she can still heal outside wounds. There wasn't anything Timmy could help her with, since now, this was her problem and hers alone. It was part of her stubbornness and how her Lady would act.