'It's stopping.' It was low, but the sounds were slowly returning. At first, Oscar heard muffles and echoes. They became clearer and sharper, returning to normal levels.

"Oscar!" A melodious voice finally broke through to his head.

It was Celestina; her disguise was discarded, revealing her emerald eyes full of worry. She was wondering what was going on with him.

"Celestina. Did we win?" Oscar asked, short of breath. During the throes of backlash and strange loss of hearing, Oscar could not focus and pay attention to the battle.

"We won. Take a look." Celestina stepped to the side to show the bloodied corpse of the Thousand Serpent, leaving Oscar stunned.

The Thousand Serpent. The Elite Exalt Beast, who dominated this section of the island, was lying dead on the wall. The head was nearly split in two from the mouth, like its cheeks had been torn apart.

While Oscar was absorbed in the sight of the death of this great beast, Celestina interrupted and snapped, "Where is your heal elixir? Drink that now!"

"Ah?" Oscar stumbled. His hands were shaking.

"Ah? Don't 'Ah' me. Look at you; you look like you're falling apart. Drink the heal elixir we distributed." Celestina was disgruntled and scolded Oscar. She reached into his pouch without a sense of shame.

"Too close! I can do it myself." Embarrassment covered Oscar's face as Celestina was rummaging in the pouch on his side. Her face was so close that Oscar didn't know where else to look.

The pale yet alluring cheeks, the shining emerald eyes, the long eyelashes, and those rosy lips drove Oscar near the edge of rational thought.

"Here. Drink your elixir." Celestina found the heal elixir. She pushed the vial of yellow elixir into Oscar's hands.

Oscar downed the entire elixir. His wounds were showing signs of healing, and his complexion looked healthier. However, the pain in his heart was still prevalent, although it subsided to lower levels.

Near the Thousand Serpent's corpse were the others. Phillip and George had already drunk their elixirs and were in meditation to recover. Emily was flat on the ground, prompting Oscar's worry.

"Is Emily alright?"

"She overdrew her Ein, and her Anima was destroyed. She's in bad condition and will need time to recover, but her life isn't in danger." Celestina helped Oscar to his feet, but he could not maintain balance. Quickly, she held him up and helped him to Emily's side.

Oscar wasn't flustered this time despite being so close to the princess that they were practically hugging. He was focused on the unconscious girl with orange hair.

His eyes welled with gratitude as he knelt beside Emily. Her body was battered and weary, but her face was relaxed with a smile. At the last moment, before she collapsed, she believed her team would pull through.

"Thank you, Emily."

Oscar's chest heaved up and down with emotion as he looked at Emily, Celestina, Phillip, and George. While he was unable to help, they continued to fight.

"Thank you…." He said. "Thank you for being here."

George cheekily smiled while stroking his naked hedgehog, who was fast asleep. "We agreed to come here. Besides, I can brag to Rachel about this."

He imagined the blond-haired, red-eyed girl he was in love with pestering him for details. There was no doubt that she would be interested and frustrated. He enjoyed every moment with her and seeing her reactions.

"I came along with the princess as was my duty. But this was a truly eye-opening experience. I have to thank you for that." Phillip recalled the harsh sensation running through his body throughout this precarious fight.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

'No wonder Oscar's strong for a Grade Four. Similar experiences must have molded him.'

"It's natural to help a friend. Otherwise, who would I continue to discuss books with?" Celestina said to Oscar with a smile before addressing everyone. "Everyone should rest. Thanks to our plan succeeding, I still have reserve power to keep watch."

Her confidence beamed out, making everyone else feel safe. Oscar also lay down on the ground near Emily and closed his eyes with a tired smile.

In the moments before sleep took hold, Oscar remembered one scene. The slash of light had stopped the snake tendril that would kill him. It wasn't Celestina's spell.

The spell had come from above, on the cliffs surrounding them. There was one person that popped up in Oscar's drifting mind. The one who learned 'Brilliant Slash' and was supposedly in the Floating Islands of Edin.

He pictured his green-haired, yellow-eyed, handsome friend. The one he considered a brother.

'Fred.'

…….

Above and far from Oscar's location, a lone figure walked on the rocky hills. His green hair was rough and wild, swaying from the light breeze.

He turned slightly with one side of his face, staring back with one yellow eye toward where Oscar was.

But that moment did not last as Frederick turned away. His back was straight and broad, like a confident and powerful person, but his feet were unsteady and his hands trembling.

'Os, Emily….'

Frederick thought of his friends, but Gilbert and Teresa's visages immediately replaced Oscar's and Emily's, flooding his mind with anger. He continued walking away without turning back.

…….

Oscar awoke to view the moon and stars alighting the night sky above. In this place, surrounded by cliffs, like a hole, the lunar light came through and covered every corner.

"You're up!" Emily noticed and smacked Oscar on the back. She was very lively and happy.

The force of her slap stung Oscar's back, and his tired body trembled and spasmed from the reverberating pain. Although he was awake, his body was not fully recovered.

"Sorry!" Emily realized her mistake. "I forgot how badly you were hurt."

"And you're not?" Oscar griped. "How are you so energetic? Weren't you completely knocked out?"

Emily smirked and released her Ein to the fullest. The orange Ein surged out stronger than before and was purer in color. It was much more imposing than it was before.

The orange Ein covered her, brightening her hair and eyes like a fairy.

"Greater Apprentice Exalt? You managed to advance?!" Oscar stood up, ignoring the pain in his body. There was confusion and pleasant surprise on his face.

"Yup!" Emily's cheerful and loud voice roused the others' attention.

George, Phillip, and Celestina greeted Oscar warmly. They were worried for him earlier but were glad to see him alright. Behind them were the remains of the Thousand Serpent, already harvested.

"So, how did you accomplish it?" Oscar said while eating some succulent meat of the Thousand Serpent. The taste of an Elite Exalt Beast was unbelievable. It was better than any meat he had tasted before. Moreover, there were faint traces of Ein laced in each bite, naturally absorbed into his core.

"After I woke up, I entered meditation to replenish my Ein. My core was completely drained, and I quickly took in a lot. But then it began pulsing as if wanting more." Emily explained the process that occurred while Oscar was unconscious.

"I had three Ein Amassing Elixirs saved up to advance. I planned to get one more, but I went for it. I had a feeling this was the moment and didn't hesitate."

"You make it sound like you had it easy, but you were suffering through that." Celestina sighed, scolded Emily more, and said to Oscar, "You needed more Ein to do it safely. If you failed, then you would have been out of commission longer."

"It's fine. We have one more Greater Apprentice Exalt in our group now. That will make our days on this island more bearable." Emily said.

Phillip was resting in a kneeling position. He opened his purple eyes, staring at Oscar in thought. "Oscar, what happened to you back there? You weren't with us in the last moments of the battle. The princess told me you were in pain."

Celestina and George had worried expressions. Emily, as well, but there was also some understanding. She knew Oscar was using Reis, and that had significant repercussions.

But what she didn't know was Oscar's reply.

"I lost my hearing."

"?" Emily was certainly surprised.

"Lost your hearing? Is it related to your missing ear?" Phillip was sharp and pointed out the likely source.

"You may be right. I started experiencing this when I got back to the Pavilion. When it happened, I was unable to focus on anything." Oscar rubbed the spot where his left ear used to be.

"Are you really alright?" Emily asked, her voice trembling. She was angry with herself for not noticing.

"Don't worry. I'll look for a cure. There should be something to help me." Oscar reassured Emily, who was afraid for him.

"It's alright, Emily. This book lover won't let something like this get him down. I can help out too." Celestina patted Emily's head teasingly to cheer her up. Emily quickly swatted it away with a laugh.

George thought this entire interaction was awkward with the princess in the middle. Phillip merely shook his head in resignation.

"Ah! I almost forgot." Celestina clapped her hands and reached into her space pocket, pulling out a glass container. Inside was a large heart.

"Here is your prize!"

The Thousand Serpent's heart.