Borne stared at the woman lying before him.
Despite her severe injuries and her defenseless position on the ground, there was an undeniable aura of power emanating from her.
The woman was striking in appearance.
Even in her current state, her features were sharp, her body tall and strong, and she stood a full head taller than Borne.
Her long, muscular legs and toned physique hinted at immense strength, far from the fragility one might assume at first glance.
Her black, short hair was soaked, clinging to her scalp in a messy tangle.
Her clothing was torn, leaving much of her skin exposed, with numerous wounds and traces of blood still visible.
But Borne harbored no inappropriate thoughts simply because she was a woman.
His mind remained sharply focused and alert.
He had encountered women before who, despite appearing delicate, were cold-blooded killers on the battlefield.
The woman before him, although gravely injured, had an air about her that set her apart from any ordinary person.
Following the instructions of the voice in his head, Borne retrieved the mysterious tooth from his pouch.
The childlike voice echoed again, this time more urgently, instructing him, "Place the tooth on her head."
Though still filled with doubt, Borne decided to trust the voice.
He approached carefully, gripping the tooth tightly while keeping his eyes locked on the woman lying on the ground.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly and cautiously moved the tooth toward her forehead.
As he got closer, the woman suddenly coughed violently, a deep, painful sound that made Borne's heart jump into his throat.
Instinctively, he took a step back, his pulse quickening.
"Damn it!" Borne cursed inwardly.
He was lucky to have reacted so quickly, narrowly avoiding the blood she had coughed up from splattering onto his face.
The blood that spattered onto the ground was jarring.
The woman's mouth twitched, and though her voice was weak, it carried a clear warning.
"Get out!"
Despite her feeble, immobilized state, this reaction told Borne that she had not lost consciousness entirely.
This woman wasn't just alive—she was still aware, and even in such a weakened condition, she had the strength to issue a warning. Clearly, her body and power were far beyond what most could comprehend.
Borne stood there, his heart still pounding as he kept his eyes on her.
It was clear she didn't want anyone approaching her, but the childlike voice in his mind pressed on with urgency.
"Ignore her! Keep going—put the tooth on her forehead!"
Borne forced himself to remain calm.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and steadied himself.
He approached again, slowly, and gently placed the tooth on the woman's forehead, holding his breath as he awaited some mysterious result.
As soon as the tooth made contact with her forehead, a faint blue light erupted.
To Borne's astonishment, the light spread rapidly, enveloping the woman's entire body in a glowing blue aura.
Before he could react, the light grew blinding, flooding the cave with a brilliant glow.
The intensity of the light made it impossible for him to keep his eyes open.
Instinctively, Borne shielded his face with his arm, struggling to make sense of what was happening.
After a few seconds, the blue light began to fade.
Borne cautiously lowered his arm and opened his eyes, trying to comprehend what had just occurred.
What he saw left him stunned.
The woman was gone, as if she had never been there in the first place.
All that remained was the tooth, lying quietly on the ground, seemingly back to its original state.
Borne stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the tooth and the patches of blood the woman had left behind.
His mind was flooded with questions.
Where had the woman gone?
What was that blue light?
"What just happened?"
Borne muttered to himself as he knelt to pick up the tooth, gripping it tightly in his hand.
This time, the childlike voice in his mind didn't answer, leaving him in silence.
Borne frowned, frustration bubbling up inside him.
"Damn it," he muttered, feeling a growing sense of irritation.
But there was no other option now.
Borne decided to head back the way he had come.
The atmosphere in the cave had become stifling, and he didn't want to stay there a moment longer.
Quickly, he turned and passed back through the curtain of the waterfall, returning to the outside world.
As he hurried back, his mind raced, replaying the events that had just unfolded.
He was filled with questions, but this wasn't the time to dwell on them.
Rushing along the path, he soon spotted Viktor and Dillon waiting for him up ahead.
Initially, Borne thought he would have to come up with an excuse for where he'd been, but to his surprise, neither of them asked.
Viktor and Dillon merely glanced at his wet appearance but refrained from questioning him.
There were no inquiries, no reprimands.
Dillon simply took one look at him before urging them all forward.
"Let's get out of here," Dillon said.
The path downhill was far easier than the climb up, and the three of them moved swiftly, descending the rugged trail.
As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over their figures, they finally caught sight of the camp's silhouette.
"I'll take care of the report. You two go get something to eat," Dillon said, his tone calm as he glanced at Borne and Viktor.
Borne and Viktor exchanged a look but said nothing.
The camp still held a tense atmosphere as soldiers busied themselves with fortifying the defenses, and torches had already been lit.
Viktor, who had initially intended to remain silent, finally couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. He turned to Borne, his voice tinged with hesitation.
"Borne, seriously—where did you go?
Why are you soaking wet?
Did you fall into the river or something?"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Borne felt a twinge of embarrassment.
He stammered for a moment, searching for a plausible excuse, but nothing came out immediately.
"Uh… I… just… well, I took the wrong path, and, uh, ended up at a waterfall."
His explanation was vague and evasive, clearly avoiding the details.
Borne knew that Viktor had picked up on the oddity, but he wasn't ready to reveal the truth about the strange experience behind the waterfall.
Viktor raised an eyebrow, clearly unsatisfied with Borne's answer.
He gave him a suspicious look but shook his head and sighed.
"Took the wrong path and ended up like this?
You're completely soaked—it doesn't seem like a simple wrong turn to me."
Borne just scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, feigning helplessness.
"Really, it's nothing.
I just got turned around, and before I knew it… well, I'm back now, so no worries."
Despite Borne's evasiveness, Viktor seemed to accept that he wouldn't get a clearer answer.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Viktor gave up pursuing the matter further.
"Fine, whatever.
Next time, we won't wait for you."
With that, Viktor strode off, leaving Borne standing there, watching his friend walk away.
As Viktor's figure receded, Borne was left with a swirl of emotions.
He sighed deeply.
A part of him truly wanted to tell his childhood friend about the strange secret he had just uncovered.