As the healer sat down on the chair, he was gasping for air. Sweat covered his forehead.
After catching his breath, he looked at me.
"Are you ready to do it again?"
I removed the cloth from my mouth and looked straight at him.
"What."
"You have more than three areas that are seriously injured. I need to make sure I heal them properly. I've already treated the most damaged parts, so this time it won't hurt as much as before."
He paused.
"But the pain will still be there. Be prepared."
I nodded.
He began chanting again.
For another ten minutes, I endured the pain.
This time, it was somewhat more bearable.
When he finally stopped, he sat down and took a deep breath.
Then he reached into his bag and pulled out two small bottles with green liquid inside.
The liquid looked strange, almost as if something was moving inside it.
He handed them to me.
"This isn't difficult to prepare, but you need to take it regularly."
He took a bowl and crushed several berries and leaves inside it.
Then he mixed them together with the liquid from one of the bottles.
He handed the mixture to me.
"For now, your legs have taken too much pressure, and your hands are in a similar condition."
He paused.
"I'll prepare this in larger quantities and give it to you regularly. Drink it every two hours."
He pointed toward my legs.
"In between, I want you to try walking a few steps on your own."
"Without support?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"Just a few. I don't want you putting too much pressure on your body. I only want your body to start getting used to movement again."
He stood up.
"If everything feels normal, continue. If the pain becomes too much, stop immediately."
Then he left the tent.
For the next several hours, I remained on the bed.
Every two hours, I drank the mixture.
It tasted terrible.
Somewhat bitter, almost like eating raw tree bark.
But I had no reason to complain.
After some time, I tried standing.
At first, my legs barely supported me.
I held onto the side of the bed and took one step.
Then another.
I sat down again.
A few minutes later, I tried again.
Two steps.
Then three.
Each attempt became slightly easier.
I repeated the process throughout the day.
Step by step.
Again and again.
It wasn't much.
But it was progress.
My legs still shook.
Both my hands trembled whenever I tried to use them.
The injuries were healing, but the weakness was still there.
I couldn't even hold a weapon properly yet.
I looked down at my hands.
If Siena saw me like this, she'd probably scold me.
A faint smile appeared on my face.
Then the smile disappeared.
I needed to recover.
The next morning, I heard a loud noise outside.
People were shouting.
Boots were running across the ground.
There seemed to be some kind of commotion.
Then Rany entered the tent.
"There you are."
He walked toward me.
"Something is happening outside. Come on."
Before I could respond, he helped me up.
I placed my arm over his shoulder.
We slowly walked toward an open platform outside.
Azpen was already standing there.
He looked tired.
But he was standing.
Everyone gathered around him.
Azpen looked over the crowd.
"We're alive."
The soldiers became silent.
"We survived."
He paused.
"Death didn't take us this time."
A few soldiers smiled.
"But we still have work to do."
His expression became serious.
"Not now."
"We need to recover."
He looked across the wounded soldiers.
"Everyone will receive one month of rest."
A few surprised voices came from the crowd.
"Our reinforcements will arrive during this period. After one month of recovery, we will return to the forest."
He paused.
"We will hunt the remaining lizardmen of this nest."
The crowd erupted in noise.
Some cheered.
Others shouted.
I stood there listening.
One month.
I looked at my hands.
I have one month to recover.
That wasn't a lot of time.
But it was enough to start again.
From that day onward, I began training my body.
I started with the smallest things.
The first goal was simply standing.
Then walking.
At first, I could barely move four steps from my bed to the tent entrance.
So I repeated it.
Again.
And again.
Every day, I tried to walk a little farther.
I clenched my fingers.
Then opened them.
I repeated the movement over and over.
The pain slowly decreased.
Once I could walk properly, I began working on my breathing.
I used my breathing techniques while focusing on my abdomen.
I wanted to strengthen my control over my Dark Aura.
I sat in the middle of the camp and concentrated.
Slowly, I felt something moving through my body.
The Dark Aura began flowing more smoothly.
I could feel it gathering in my abdomen.
Then I directed it through my body.
Little by little, my control improved.
I couldn't train seriously with my weapons yet.
So I focused on recovering my body first.
The days passed.
One week.
Then two.
Then three.
My body gradually became stronger.
By the time the month was almost over, I could walk around the camp without assistance.
My hands were still slightly shaky, but I could use them again.
I could even hold my weapon.
It wasn't perfect.
But it was enough.
One month had passed.
My body still wasn't completely healed.
But I could take care of myself again.
And that was enough.