Chapter 240
The object functioned to actively counter, block, or divert the harmful effects of the bond between Ilux and Theo.
With this fan in operation, if Ilux were injured, the wound would no longer echo through Theo's body or soul.
It granted a pause, a safe space for Theo to act without having to immediately pay the price upon himself.
Unfortunately, this blessing came with strict limitations.
Its counteractive effect lasted only for a short time, perhaps no more than around seven minutes—a painfully narrow window of opportunity on the battlefield.
Furthermore, once used, this noble artifact required dozens of seconds, perhaps even longer, to recharge its energy before it could be activated a second time.
'Not permanent… but it can be upgraded.'
The news that the artifact bestowed by Quil-Hasa could be enhanced shone like the first ray of light piercing the deepest cavern within Theo's heart.
A hope that was not merely temporary, but a promise of something closer to lasting liberation.
For now, however, the gift remained at its lowest tier, a crude tool still in need of refinement.
Its counteractive effect endured only within a narrow window of three to seven minutes, an opportunity that had to be measured with heartbeat-level precision in combat.
After that, the artifact would fall dormant, requiring dozens of seconds that felt eternal to recharge before it could be used again.
Even so, this already represented a tremendous leap forward, a crack in a wall of fate that had once seemed immovable.
The surge of joy nearly manifested as a wild victory dance amid the ruins of battle.
Theo could picture himself leaping about like a monkey that had just discovered forbidden fruit, clutching the youthful blue artifact tightly with both hands before his chest, his heart overflowing with euphoria at the new possibilities unfolding before him.
That vision vanished instantly when his gaze fell upon Aldraya's weakened form, still lying in the corner of the cave.
That harsh, blood-soaked reality immediately cooled every bubble of joy about to burst, reminding him that celebration was not yet warranted.
"Slowly, your body is still injured."
Theo bent forward, a motion resembling a ritual of reverence more than a simple act of assistance.
His hands, which had just unleashed overwhelming power, now moved with an almost unbelievable gentleness, sliding beneath Aldraya's back and the curve of her knees.
The body of his personal mentor felt both light and fragile, like a structure of cracked glass, trembling beneath waves of shock and deep exhaustion.
Every tremor traveling from Aldraya's body into Theo's arms felt like a direct echo of the suffering she had just endured, a bitter physical memory.
With absolute concentration that blurred the world around him, Theo performed the delicate task.
His eyes, usually sharp with analytical precision or cold flashes of resolve, now focused solely on the scattered pieces of fabric.
With the careful, precise movements of a surgeon, he worked to reassemble Aldraya's clothing, which had been torn apart by Ilux's vile intent.
Every touch was calculated, every finger striving to contact only the edges of cloth, deliberately avoiding exposed skin that might trigger deeper trauma.
The air inside the cave seemed to thicken, as though holding its breath, witnessing this painstaking effort to restore a fragment of dignity that had been stolen.
One wrong touch, one breath drawn too close, could have turned this already fragile atmosphere into a new chaotic eruption, blurring the line between rescue and violation.
'Even after nearly having her dignity stolen by her own student, the way she holds the world level before her—
That is perfection.
Not numbness, but resolve.'
Though ninety percent of her clothing once again covered her wounded body, the effort could not conceal the suffering etched into every short, strained breath she took.
Her skin was still bruised, her bones possibly cracked, and her wounds gaped like small, mute mouths screaming silently.
Yet when Aldraya's eyes opened halfway, what shone within them was neither panic nor despair, but an extraordinary flat calm, an acceptance of an unbearably bitter reality.
It was this serenity, amid the ruins of her honor, that quietly filled Theo with awe.
Within the cave littered with remnants of fury and vile intent, the personal mentor radiated a stillness like a lake at the heart of a storm.
Aldraya's cracked lips trembled as she struggled to form words.
Her voice emerged not as flowing sentences, but as broken fragments, each separated by deep, shaking breaths.
"I… can't… repay… a kindness this great."
Every word felt like a weight forced up through a throat heavy with pain and shame.
Her statement was not merely rejected gratitude, but an acknowledgment of a debt too immense, a rescue whose scale buried all conventional forms of recompense.
Theo merely listened, continuing his steady steps as he carried her toward the light.
He understood that Aldraya's words were not refusal, but a statement of the imbalance that now existed between them.
An honest admission that her life—nearly stolen in two horrific ways—now rested entirely in the hands of the one she had once mentored, who had ultimately saved her from the deepest abyss.
Within that inability to repay lay a new kind of honor, a bond forever changed.
"Relax, I don't mind.
Besides, protecting a character as beautiful as you was already on my task list."
Fhhhh!
"I didn't go to all this trouble without a reason.
Fufu—"
Theo chuckled softly, his low voice echoing gently through the quiet cave, breaking the tension that had briefly wrapped around Aldraya's serious confession.
With careful movements, he lowered himself to sit upon the damp ground, the filthy red mud now serving as his seat.
His hands, which had been supporting her, slowly released their hold from Aldraya's shoulders and shifted to brace his own weight, palms pressed into the earth.
With gentle yet firm guidance, he led Aldraya to sit facing him, creating an intimate space amid the debris of chaos.
Sitting face to face beneath the shadow of dark stone, with only the sound of breathing and dripping water as accompaniment, Theo replied.
His voice carried a casual tone that contrasted sharply with the gravity of their earlier exchange, an attempt to lighten a burden too heavy for someone hovering at death's edge.
Naturally, his words were deliberately laced with a teasingly possessive note, implying that the entire heroic rescue stemmed from a desire to claim Aldraya for himself alone.
Yet beneath the serious, almost vulgar-sounding words, Theo's eyes betrayed the truth.
There was a flicker of genuine cheer, a warmth replacing the cold violence that had only just passed.
It was a joke.
A jest spoken deliberately to chase away the specter of trauma, to restore a fragment of normalcy through slightly unconventional means.
Theo had no intention whatsoever of truly claiming Aldraya as property.
In the deepest part of his heart, the rescue was pure, born of respect, responsibility, and perhaps an old bond not easily severed.
His joke was a bridge, a way of saying that Aldraya need not be burdened by an overwhelming debt of life, that they could move forward with a lighter dynamic—even though the shadow of this day would remain forever etched.
To be continued…