By the time Iris regained her consciousness, she woke up with a splitting headache. She wasn't sure what had just happened and how long she was out, but the moment she opened her eyes, Iris found herself in a dark, cold place. Her hands touched the ground and she could feel the roughness and the coldness of it. However, she found it odd that she could feel some heat next to her.
She froze still, recalling what had happened before she lost consciousness. Iris could hear the wind howling from somewhere, and she wondered where she was. The darkling hadn't taken her to Asnar, right?
The mere thought was enough to send her into panic. Using her magic — no, healing ability would usually force her to enter into a deep sleep for long hours. Iris had no idea how many hours had passed since then, and wondered if she would be able to return home in one piece this time.
The scent that was wafting around her smelled like the forest. Pinewood with a hint of ocean water. It was a scent that she found alluring and comforting at the same time. However, there was no time for her to mull about it. Iris forced herself to sit up, only to find the same white wolf curled next to her.
She then looked around her surroundings in pure confusion. Iris found herself lying at the entrance of a small cave. She knew this place as she used to come here with her friends when there was heavy rain or blizzard keeping them from returning to Calaren Town.
Why did the darkling bring her here anyway? Did it perhaps know this place as well?
The thought bothered Iris, but she couldn't remember sensing a trace of a darkling whenever she and Amelia spent their time here. If anything, this only proved that her knowledge about the darklings were limited.
She looked outside and saw that the clouds were too thick for her to see whether the sun had already set, but if she was right, Iris had spent the whole day sleeping to recuperate the loss of her mana from her body. It was a pity she couldn't ask anyone about it, as there was no magus who would be brave enough to reveal themselves.
When she turned her attention back to her companion, Iris noticed that the huge wolf that could dwarf the trees with its massive size earlier, had now shrunken in size. It was obviously still larger than a normal wolf, and Iris suspected that he was still taller than her.
"I should go back." She said to no one, her eyes trying to search for her foraging pouch to find her hunting gloves.
Iris found her belongings neatly placed across her. She crawled towards it and immediately wore her gloves for protection. Who knew what could happen if she left her bare hands exposed.
'Father should have known something.'
Iris hated that she had no idea of what kind of magic she possessed or what entailed it. Was her father intent on her to continue living her life as a human? She could remember how evasive her father was when she sought him for answers. However, Iris was certain that her father was afraid of something, and the look he had given her was one filled with uncertainty and despair.
The slight movement behind her reminded Iris that she had company. She looked over her shoulder and found the darkling wolf staring at her, as if it was waiting for her to run in fear.
"I should get going." Iris repeated. "You may stay here if you think you still need some time to recuperate. I only came to the woods to find something that I lost yesterday."
Perhaps the wolf had saved her life as a repayment for what she had done for it. Obviously, it was easy for this darkling to end her life if it wanted to, but it didn't. Regardless of what kind of species this wolf was, Iris knew that she owed it her life somehow.
"I should also thank you for taking me here and saving my life. I would have frozen to death by now if it isn't for you. I suppose we are even now, don't you think?" She chuckled, as if the creature she was talking to didn't pose any threat towards her.
Iris stood up and gave the darkling wolf a curtsy before excusing herself from its company. She still felt exhausted, but she would rather rest in the comfort of her home rather than stay any longer with a darkling.
She walked back home at a slow pace, stopping once a while to take a deep breath. Iris felt her whole body burning with fever, and she was starting to wonder if she made the right decision, leaving the cave where the darkling wolf was.
When Iris reached the third marker, she allowed herself to slump on the ground, leaning against the trunk of a huge tree to rest for a while. She shut her eyes and took calming breaths. She had never thought that using her magic to such an extent was enough to dry her physical energy out.
Her ears picked up sounds of footsteps coming her way. Perhaps because she had spent the entire five years in the woods, Iris's senses were sharper than a normal person.
'You aren't even a normal person to begin with.' She taunted herself.
When she lifted her head up to see who it was, Amelia's worried face came into view. Her friend knelt next to her and held her back to her feet.
"Gods, Iris. You are burning. What happened to you? Ren came to find me, asking if you are with us. They were worried because you didn't come back at lunchtime." Amelia supported her, and they slowly walked back to their town.
"Sorry, Melia. I lost track of time." Iris smiled weakly.