Dried leaves rustled underneath her footsteps, echoing against the silent area except for the frequent howling of the winds. Artemis tried to remember the exact location of Ian and ended up in another circle clearing hidden away inside the groups of towering trees. From here, her anxiousness lowered as she could clearly recognize the location. Just east from here and she could meet him.
Artemis took a deep breath and wasted no more time, she turned right and as she ventured near an ancient tree, something grabbed her attention.
Raven black feathers descended from the skies and a giant phoenix rushed towards her with a scathing look, his golden beak loudly squawking in terror. Large waves of wind targeted Artemis and made her stumble on her balance, yet she still managed to stand up. The raven's burning amber eyes stared at her with so much fierceness and anger as it flew near towards her. He was a majestic beast; a huge body that was covered in pure black feather that shined against the sun, golden beak that greatly contrasted its own body and the sharp and fierce amber eyes it had.
Artemis was dumbfounded as her heart clenched from the sudden shock. It was like a horror scene, suddenly appearing without any precautions. If she was right, this should be Ian's spirit beast that had been with him ever since his childhood days; his familiar that went through ups and downs with him, Sarith.
At least with him here, she could certainly tell that Ian was nearby. As for the angry look in Sarith's eye as if he wanted to swallow her whole… Even she could not tell why.
"You're Sarith? Lead me to your master quickly so we can quickly get out of here," It was the first time they've met but she was not about to waste her time with a volatile phoenix. Even if he had reservations against her, what can he do but lead her to him? He also wanted his master to quickly get better.
Sarith let out a high-pitched cry of displeasure, glaring at her with its tenacious eyes before flying towards the back of the ancient tree. Artemis let out a breath of disbelief before following him closely. From the naked eye, she could see the vague traces of blood on the dirt and the barks of the tree. Her nose picked up the fishy smell and she could immediately guess just how badly wounded he was.
Artemis picked up her pace and from the corner of the roots of the tree, she could see the torn clothes drowned in dried blood. She frowned, feeling a heavy feeling weigh in her chest. As she turned her head to the side, the first thing she saw was his familiar silver-blue hair that greatly contrasted the splatters of red blood. Then his face that was barely conscious was staring at her with furrowed eyebrows, his ocean-dark blue eyes were fixed at her with unknown emotions. His lips were as dry as it could be, the previous blood that he had thrown up had already dried and his complexion was as pale as paper.
He looked worse than she had thought. Artemis quickly kneeled beside him and swept back his messy hair. Sweat continuously rolled down his skin and it showed just how much he had been enduring the pain. His hands which were both laying on his stomach were drenched in blood along with his previously elegant clothes of white and royal blue which created a very grotesque view.
Ian felt a presence beside him and tried to resist the touch, his dry mouth gasping open and close. His barely awake consciousness wanted him to flee in case of danger but could helplessly not do so. Artemis sighed in pity before she rummaged in her pouch for the first-aid kit, "Don't move so much, I'm not going to hurt you."
His movements stopped perhaps because he recognized the voice which he had only heard a couple of times. Either way, Artemis was grateful. She gently and carefully peeled away both his hands to reveal the huge laceration on his stomach that was dripping with blood and she bit her lip. With renewed concentration, she closed her eyes and recalled the magic spirit inside. Regular bandaging won���t fix it and she had no choice but to try and use magic.
Summoning her magic took longer than she had ideally wanted and she frowned. Light illuminated the surroundings sourced from her hands and she placed it on top of his stomach. Truthfully speaking, this would be the first time she tries a healing spell. There were several risks that could potentially happen, but given the urgency of the situation, she just had to trust in herself this time.
"Don't… do it… if you c-can't…" Ian gasped out in short breaths as he watched with uncertain
eyes the inexperienced hands of the girl in front of her. Even Sarith on the side was on alert and he watched with great fear for what this girl can do.
Naturally, Artemis also didn't want to resort to such means. She gritted her teeth and concentrated on the growing coldness inside her, leading it to her hands before spreading out on top of Ian's wound. She fluttered her eyes open, sweat rolling the side of her face and watched with extreme fascination as the gaping laceration slowly closed bit by bit. Scabs started forming and just as she could fully close the wound, a sweet metallic taste rolled up her throat.
Artemis started coughing and saw blood quickly drip down her mouth to her clothes, staining it like blooming flowers. She watched with terrified eyes as blood surged uncontrollably from her. The light in her palm disappeared and replaced with a splitting headache. Sarith let out a shrill caw and flew towards them.
"Damn…" Artemis saw her vision blacken. It seemed like she used too much magic than necessary. She still had long ways to go before she could fully grasp it. She sat next to Ian in hopes of resting for a bit as the pain was unbearable. After a few minutes, the pain subsided and she turned to look at how Ian was faring. His deathly pale complexion was no longer that white and it did not seem like he was on the verge of death. That's good.
She turned towards him on her knees and observed the wound. Minor bandaging and cleaning could do it for now after that healing. She clasped her hands on the blood-stained buttons on his clothes
She picked up the previously scattered first aid kit and proceeded to unroll a long length of the bandage.
Artemis stretched out her hands and carefully wrapped them around Ian's chest, trying her best to reduce the pain as she made him sit up but still lying down at the same time. With this position, she was able to wrap the bandage around his whole stomach before returning him to lay down on the makeshift bed that Sarith previously created. It was not only his stomach that had been wounded, but several abrasions and cuts were also present on his arms and she proceeded to treat them with medicinal creams that were available.
As Artemis busied herself bandaging Ian and herself, Sarith suddenly pitched in a loud cry of alarm. She turned to look at him questioningly and Ian beside her grabbed her sleeves tightly. His face was warped in unprecedented fear, which she had never imagined he would be able to make.
"Wha-" She wanted to ask before she felt rush of pain enter her brain. Sounds of cloth and flesh tearing entered her ears and it felt as if her back was burning. Artemis quickly turned around and was faced to face with the sickening breath of a wolf, his mangled mouth with blackened molars and wrinkled skin traumatizing her.
'Did a stray wolf escape from back then?'
Terror enveloped her body. Without even thinking, she unsheathed her rapier and summoned light from her palms. The wolf was one step quicker and brandished his sharp claws, aiming at Ian. She raised her arms to block and blood immediately burst out of her pale skin.
It hurts. Artemis felt tears gather in her eyes as several streaks on her body burned and ached. Her palm that gathered the light crushed against the wolf's eyes, temporarily blinding it. She brandished her rapier with undaunting determination, slashing it on the furry body, and droplets of the warm blood spilled on her. Her eyes trembled in hesitation.
The wolf howled in pain and tried resisting her attacks, blindly raising its claws to try and harm her. Artemis clenched her jaw, withstanding the pain that attacked her senses and recklessly slashed her rapier towards it. The sharp blade smoothly glided along the skin and the sensation made her feel terrible. Never in her life had she even tried to harm a living thing. But the adrenaline coursing through her veins made her feel volatile and awake and in one deep thrust, she pierced through the center of the wolf's head. The red liquid poured out continuously, dripping onto the unwilling face of the beast and it etched itself onto her mind; forever to be remembered.
Artemis dropped down on her knees, throat constricted and every breath felt like fire. Her heart violently thumped like it wanted to get out. The previous sensations remained vivid in her mind, the sickening way her blade thrusted into its body, claiming its life. Her vision blackened and an acidic taste forced its way up her throat at the thought of the dead wolf and the fishy smell that tainted her very being. She felt so terrible. So terrible… She wanted it to end.
A piercing yell wanted to make its way out of her throat, she wanted to let out all her bottled feelings. All her frustrations and pain. She turned to look at Ian at the tree with tears blurring her eyes.
Everything went black.