Chapter 7

Amaryah sobbed louder as Lucian beside her did his best to hide his panic.

Thinking the girl was now crying and blaming himself for it, Yaron Lucian kneels beside Amaryah and checks her condition.

The girl had red eyes, probably from pain and holding back some tears, but of course he didn't realize it was actually from suppressing laughter.

She was gripping her shoulder with both of her hands; one hand was bandaged while the other, with sleeves rolling down, revealed more scratches and bruises

She also seemed to have internal injuries from the way she was leaning down, body trembling a little.

"May I?" Lucian asked, pointing at her hands. "You seem to be in a worse condition than I initially thought. Let me check your pulse."

Acting reluctant, Amaryah let go of her shoulder and showed him her hand which Lucian carefully grasped. He held her right wrist, and using his middle and index fingers, he looked and felt for her pulse.

Lucian's eyebrows raised a little upon listening to her heartbeat.

She would have to be checked thoroughly. He knows little about medicine, but he immediately understood that whatever she had gone through, it was bad and alarming enough that it was so noticeable even for an amateur like him.

Ordinary people would not be able to handle this.

He wondered how the girl was holding up.

Lucian made up his mind, and Amaryah was oblivious at how far Lucian had taken her joke. Anyway, it was true that she was injured and could be suffering from internal injuries.

Must be from exerting too much force about maintaining an annoyingly firefly-sized scrap of soul.

And using a power the current state of her mortal body is not eligible to use yet.

"As an apology, I will bring you to my clan and have you treated. You may stay till you are fully healed." Lucian noticed how Amaryah paused momentarily after hearing his words.

So he continued: "You should go to avoid any serious repercussions in case you have dangerous injuries."

Yaron Lucian was sincere about his offer, but there was undeniably another reason for this. Amaryah also realized it.

He wants time to observe and make sure she really is just some homeless nobody who happened to look so much like the person he knows, or used to know. He is even confident that the girl will eventually give herself away.

Because that's just how Amaryah is. Or used to be.

At this time, Amaryah was also a bit taken aback when she realized what the witches meant as well.

What better place is there to train her body than the Mist Mountains, where His Highness Yaron Lucian lives, the place well-known for being one of the most spiritually abundant mountains mortals are allowed by the gods to inhabit?

Amaryah inhaled deeply and tried to ignore the searing pains of her insides and bruises that she might have gotten from the struggle back in the cabin.

She once again stood upright and proper as if the embarrassing breakdown a second ago never happened. Shamelessly, she spoke in high spirits.

"Right. Even though I am in a hurry, it is not a matter that needs my attention instantly." Amaryah once again raised her chin and confidently continued speaking like there really was no other choice now.

"Very well. I shall give you this chance to make it up to me. Bring me to your clan."

Unsurprisingly, Amaryah realized another matter she had not noticed a while ago. She gritted her teeth in anger.

"What have you done!" she screamed in her mind. "You actually warped space. Isn't that breaking the oath you all vowed?"

No wonder the pains she's been feeling aren't going away. And the wounds she has on her body are unnatural. Her internal organs must be a total wreck now!

The witches didn't even consider her limit when they used a power with such great toll!

Lily Valley is at least three days away by horse from Mist Mountains, yet isn't this forest actually the woods leading to the Mist Mountains?

Worried that Lucian might pick a fight when he feels the spirits she's carrying, she chose to keep silent for now and resorted to cursing them in her mind.

If Amaryah was the one putting up walls a while ago, now it was the witches who are shutting her out.

Amaryah could feel their faint movements and hear their low voices. This means that they are conscious and they are doing everything on purpose.

Like always. And she's used to it. But they already had a talk before she even returned!

She set rules and conditions, and one of them was not to make her do something that's out of her league yet. She asked for some time, but they just couldn't wait.

Normally, Amaryah would adjust and shrink her spirit to let the witches occupy at least half of her spiritual body to give them space and to make them comfortable.

Because of anger, she loosened her control and almost completely occupied all the space inside.

The witches panicked. They immediately protested with shrill voices again. Cornered and uncomfortable, the witches slowly quieted down and admitted their mistake.

Using pitiful voices and teary eyes, they begged for her forgiveness which she ignored.

They were obviously being insincere again and were actually mocking her by copying her actions a while ago.

Amaryah decided to have a talk with them later and finally shut them out again.

Just then, Lucian, who wasn't aware of the internal war happening between Amaryah and the witches, stood up and ushered her towards a direction she was familiar with.

The path up the Yaron Clan.

The Mist Mountains do not allow outsiders. If your body has not been imbued by the song needed for permitting your entrance, you will forever run circles in the mountains and never find your way up. You may only go down.

Unless you have connections, you cannot enter.

Or in the rarest of cases, unless one of the gods who conferenced to allow mortals in the mountains has taken a liking to you, even without the song, you can come and go as you please.