The entire process took fifteen minutes. Three long scorch marks replaced the three bloody cuts on Elizabeth's body. It was crude work, bordering on barbaric or abusive, but it had done its job because her bleeding had stopped. Her life was saved for the time being! However, their hasty work would not hold forever. She still needed proper medical attention by professionals. It just gave them more time to work with.
That said, the fifteen minutes of exertion winded them even more. Freon paled by another shade as blood spilled out of his nose. He managed to rupture something during his spellcasting. The extreme blood loss made him lightheaded and nauseous, and he vomited violently off to the side. He felt utterly miserable. Benedict was the same. To monitor the situation and ensure everything went smoothly, he had used his Martial Perception throughout the fifteen minutes. Although he advanced to Perception Realm Novice, which did make things easier, it remained a tall order. He slumped on the ground in a pool of his own sweat, too weak to move a muscle. Even breathing felt painful! Despite his best efforts, he passed out. Meanwhile, Shirley wanted to stand up, but she could not muster the force. Her bones felt like broken glass. Any movement, and a big surge of pain would follow. Her originally strong vitality had withered significantly. This was unsurprising, because every fire needed wood. It had been five hours since they rested or had anything to eat. Her Martial Energy could not recover. If they were attacked now, they would be helpless to resist. It would be as easy as strangling a newborn…
Ten Dawn Yvonne raised her head to see the orange sky. Night was upon them. She sighed, since their situation did not look promising. Even if they could hide from their enemies until morning, the cold night air would most likely kill them first. They needed to start a fire or find shelter as soon as possible. The problem was that neither were viable options. A fire would be extremely noticeable at night, and shelter was hard to come by. No one had the energy to move as well. Their last option would be to wait for rescue then. However, the woman smiled wryly. Who could rescue them? General Petra should have noticed and sent reinforcements by now, but to find them in the middle of a nondescript forest at night was next to impossible. Therefore, their only hopes laid with the Featherwind Sect and the five elder birds. The woman shook her head in defeat. As it turned out, this was where their story would end. She eventually fainted, thinking their next journey was in the afterlife.
A cold breeze blew through the forest and whipped up dead leaves. It was eerily quiet, now that everyone passed out. An unknown time later, branches cracked as footsteps approached. From the bushes, several figures emerged. One, two, three… Their numbers swelled to more than ten! Releasing low growls, the wolves eyed their prey closely. As it turns out, the biggest danger was not the enemy soldiers or the cold temperatures. It was actually the wildlife! The wolves pounced! They would tear Elizabeth and the others to shreds! Just when it seemed hopeless, a humongous aura descended from Elizabeth's bow. It was so strong and sudden that the entire pack of wolves were slammed into the ground, unable to move a muscle. They yelped in fear while their bones creaked under the pressure. The force continued to mount until… splat! Twelve wolves were turned into a bloody mess. Rena had killed them all! Furthermore, the aura rose high into the night sky before scattering. The forest then returned to its usual silence.
After a few minutes, several figures landed. The five elder birds of the Featherwind Sect had arrived! They were originally searching for Elizabeth and the others, but the forest was vast. At their current level of strength, it was difficult to search the entire forest. That was why when they sensed Rena's aura, they rushed here. No… It was probably more accurate to say they were 'called' here. That aura was specifically meant to summon them. They could see why. Elizabeth and the others were in grave condition! Elder Argo shouted his orders. Immediately, Crus, Unvo, and him began infusing their Martial Energy into the wounded to sustain their lifeforce, while Elder Ludin and Terus began casting healing spells. The powerful vitality coursed through Elizabeth and the others, changing their complexions by the second. Before long, their conditions had improved, much less stabilized. They were saved! Finally, the five birds grabbed the six humans and flew away.
Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes and saw a white clothed roof. Where was this? She had no idea. She hoped to look around, but even moving her neck proved to be challenging. That was how injured she was. Her mind stirred. To be honest, her last few memories were scattered and chaotic. She could not figure out what exactly had happened, nor their order. Everything turned one big, jumbled mess. It was impossible to sort out. A splitting headache assaulted her. Clearly, the mental exertion was too much for her. However, there were two burning questions on her mind… Did her friends survive? And what about her aunt? If they died, then she would… Her thoughts were interrupted, when someone walked in. She gulped. They were out of sight, so she could not tell if they were friend or foe. Anxiety crept up. Who was it?
"Your Highness?" A physician appeared, wearing the Alzar Kingdom's uniform.
This brought a wave of relief on Elizabeth's face. She replied, "Yes, I'm awake."
"Pardon me, but I need to notify the general immediately."
"Mm."
The physician rushed out, leaving Elizabeth to wonder how much time had passed since she was unconscious, and more importantly, how did she escape from Sentinel Mao and the other Perception Realms. Their situation should have been hopeless… Soon, the physician returned with a group of assistants, who then carefully examined her physical condition from top to bottom. She knew how nervous they would be when facing royalty, so she let them do what they needed without a fuss. During their tests, she asked the physician many questions.
"How long was I unconscious for?"
"Your Highness was sleep for approximately fifteen hours. It's almost noon currently."
"Fifteen hours… So, we're on the third day of battle?"
"That's correct."
"What about any survivors? Are my friends… Are Benedict, Shirley, and Freon safe?"
"Yes, they're in the other rooms resting."
"That's good to hear," she exhaled sharply. "How did we get back here?"
"I believe it was the Featherwind Sect's doing."
"Them? I didn't expect that… Where are they now?"
"I wouldn't know."
"What about my aunt, General Christina Kalmar? Is she here too?"
"I'm afraid that… General Christina and many other Brigade Commanders have been missing since yesterday. Their status and whereabouts are unknown."
"I see…"
Elizabeth's face sunk since it meant her aunt was either captured or killed. She could only pray it was the former, and not the latter. An awkward silence fell, as Elizabeth inwardly sighed. Although her personal strength grew by leaps and bounds, rising from Low Gaseous Fog to Half-Condensed Drop in little under a year, it was clearly not enough. There were still things that she could not do. There were still people that she could not save! When would she escape from this vicious, endless cycle? Would she ever? Her melancholy was noticed by the physician and the assistants, who stayed quiet. They dared not disrupt her moment of grieving.
Eventually, Elizabeth said, "Tell me about the battle. What happened while I was away?"
Nodding, the woman relayed the events in order. First, General Christina and the Brigade Commanders leading the rear forces were attacked by a small, elite force of Perception Realms. It was unknown how they infiltrated, but the battle was over in an instant, leaving no survivors. Next, they ambushed the rear camps of the three flanks. Elizabeth and her friends fought against Sentinel Kong and Mao here. Although the Featherwind Sect managed to secure their side, the other two camps collapsed, leading to a near-complete annihilation of allied forces. Almost no one survived. The enemy should have pushed immediately for the Alzar Kingdom's main army, to launch a devastating pincer attack, but they stumbled for some reason. It was later believed that Elizabeth, her friends, Sir Winstin, and the Ten Dawns had inflicted unexpected heavy casualties on the Imperial Council's side, which stopped their momentum. For example, Sentinel Kong and Sentinel Feng had died, along with Lord Xu Geming, the couple from the Tiuxan school, and Lady Lanfeng… Little Sword was heavily wounded, while the old bald Perception Realm, Lord Xiaobo, and Lord Ru went missing. Only Sentinel Mao was in fighting condition. The sudden loss in upper fighting strength, and the failure to capture Elizabeth had left the enemy army shocked. Therefore, when General Petra discovered what had happened, she could deploy reinforcements and defend the rear in time.