Ethan didn’t know where he was, or what had happened to him after his attempt to save Lily from being hacked to death by the warrior who was supposed to be protecting both of them.
He was unable to move his body, but he felt very light and comfortable. In fact, he felt so relaxed that he didn’t even want to open his eyes and was tempted to continue sleeping instead.
However, a voice filled with contempt reached his ears, which prevented him from falling into the darkness that wished to keep him forever in its embrace.
“How long do you plan to sleep? Do you want to wake up only when Lily is already dead?”
After hearing these words, Ethan forced himself to open his eyes.
What met him was complete and utter darkness. It was so dark that he couldn’t see anything, even his own body.
But, a few seconds later, a faint light appeared in front of him, taking on the form of his appearance.
Ethan looked at the cold expression on his other half’s face. The latter seemed to be doing his best to restrain the anger that was about to explode in his chest.
Although the other Ethan was looking down on him, he was certain that the anger that his other half was projecting wasn’t directed at him.
“Listen, I know that you’re still muddle-headed right now, and I can understand that,” the other Ethan said in a calm manner. “But you have already slept for an entire day, and Lily doesn’t have much time left. As much as I want to let you rest and recover, I know that if she really did die, you would regret it for the rest of your life.
“So, listen properly. You are still seriously injured, but your life is no longer in danger. Once you wake up, ask Sebastian if he has a way to save Lily. I don’t have to know to be sure that the price you will have to pay in order to save her will be great, but we really can’t let her die. At least, not like this.
“You don’t have to worry about the Necromancer right now because he’s pulled back his army. He won’t be attacking anytime soon. He needs you alive, not dead. Now, take my hand and return to the world of the living.”
Ethan forced himself to raise his arm in order to take the hand of his other half. It wasn’t easy because his body felt so heavy. Even simply raising his arm was taking everything from him.
He didn’t know what happened after he lost consciousness. However, he could feel the urgency in his other half’s voice. If the confident and powerful version of him was acting like this, then it just proved how serious the situation was.
With a roar that came from his very soul, Ethan used all of his strength and willpower to grab the hand that was extended to him.
As soon as his hand touched his other half’s own hand, he found himself being pulled hard.
A moment later, Ethan’s eyes opened abruptly in the real world, and his sight was welcomed by the ceiling above his head.
“Sebas… tian.” Ethan forced himself to speak and called out to the Spirit of the Stone Trident.
“You’re finally awake.”
Sebastian’s voice, which was filled with relief and anxiety, reached his ears. There were shamans inside Ethan’s room, so he didn’t show himself because it might cause an uproar, and aggravate the young man’s injuries. 𝗈𝗏𝓵xt.𝔠𝐎𝔪
“Where is… Lily?” Ethan asked.
“She’s in the room where the two of you always sleep together. But you can’t do anything for her right now. Tell me, how are you feeling?”
“Pain… lots of pain,” Ethan replied.
The Shamans, who were guarding him, realized that he was awake and immediately gathered around him.
They could hear Ethan talking to himself, but they thought that he was just feeling delirious due to his high fever.
His body was still fighting the poison of the Dream Eater Flower, and due to the severity of his injury, the poison had still not been completely eradicated from his system.
“Don’t worry, Tide Bringer,” Safiya said softly. “You are safe, and will recover just fine.”
Ethan ignored her and simply focused on Sebastian’s voice.
“How is… Lily?” Ethan asked.
Safiya, who thought that Ethan was talking to her, bit her lip, unable to say anything. When she visited the young lady’s room to check on her condition, she found that Lily had encased herself in a block of ice.
The Head Shaman couldn’t tell whether Lily was dead or alive because she didn’t dare shatter the ice to check her condition.
“She’s… dying,” Sebastian replied. “If my estimate is right, she only has two more days to live.”
Ethan felt a lump blocking his throat after hearing Lily’s current condition. Forcing himself to speak, he asked Sebastian if there was any way to save her.
Sebastian didn’t reply right away because he was weighing the options of Ethan’s and Lily’s survival.
The primary requirement for Lily’s survival was Ethan’s safety because only he would be able to help her. However, they didn’t have the luxury of waiting for the young man’s recovery. By the time Ethan was finally able to stand by himself, the young lady would already be dead, which would leave him broken.
A minute later, Sebastian sighed before appearing beside Ethan’s bed, which surprised all the people inside the room.
At first, the Shamans thought that the Necromancer had returned to take over Ethan’s body. However, after they saw Sebastian’s appearance, all of them canceled the spells that they were about to cast in his direction.
Sebastian ignored them and talked to Ethan with a solemn expression on his face.
“I have a vial that contains five droplets of the Tide Bringer’s blood,” Sebastian stated. “If you consume this blood, it will help your bloodline become purer. The process will be extremely painful, and it is possible that you will receive more injuries on top of the existing ones, including the serious wound that you already have in your back.
“I will not lie, Ethan. Your chances of surviving are very slim in your current condition. It is practically suicide, but this is the only thing that I can think of that might just save you and Lily. Are you willing to take a gamble?”
Ethan didn’t hesitate to say yes.
At that exact moment, the flapping of wings was heard inside the room as a White Raven landed on Ethan’s chest.
Before anyone could even do anything, Dantalion spoke using his telepathy, allowing everyone inside the room to hear him.
“If you let Ethan directly drink the blood of the Tide Bringer, his body will not be able to take it and implode,” Dantalion said. “However, there is a way. If you will let me refine the magical powers that you have stored for the past century, I will convert them into healing energy that will allow him to withstand the changes that will occur in his body.”
Sebastian was pleasantly surprised by Dantalion’s words. If there was really a way for Ethan to survive the painful process of absorbing the Tide Bringer’s blood, he wouldn’t mind sharing the magical power he had saved up for the past hundred years.
“I don’t mind doing this.” Sebastian nodded. “However, know this, Ethan. Once I use up this magical power, I will not be able to send you back to the future at the promised time. However, you will only have to wait a year and a half at most before you can return to your own timeline.”
“I don’t… care,” Ethan replied hoarsely. “I want to… return… with Lily.”
Sebastian glanced at Dantalion, and the White Raven nodded his head.
“Prepare yourself, Ethan,” Sebastian said as he procured the vial. “This will hurt like hell.”
In order to ensure that not a drop of blood would be wasted, Sebastian gently pried Ethan’s mouth open before pouring the contents of the vial.
As soon as the blood entered Ethan’s mouth, he felt a burning sensation rush down his throat as if he had ingested fire.
A blood-curdling shout escaped his lips as his skin cracked in several places, spraying out a blood mist that made the Shamans panic.
Dantalion then flapped his wings and hopped onto Sebastian’s shoulder, absorbing his Magical Energy.
A moment later, tendrils of blue light emanated from the White Raven’s body and flew towards the wounds that were opening up on the young man’s body, stopping the bleeding and helping his body regenerate at a very fast rate.
The Shamans could only watch helplessly as Ethan writhed in pain.
They could also hear the sound of bones cracking, and they assumed that the young man’s bones were breaking apart, before being forcefully reformed by Dantalion’s healing ability.
Ethan’s screams echoed inside the room as he endured the torture of having his entire body remolded to accommodate the bloodline of a Deity, who had disappeared hundreds of years ago.