Blood and flesh flew in all directions, with Lily and the young man being hit at close range. Lily, naturally, was the most affected, as her barrier, along with those of her parents, was inevitably weakened. She was barely able to hold onto a breath of life.
The young man, on the other hand, had suffered severe internal injuries. He dismantled his barrier and staggered over to Lily, checking her breathing. Then, placing his hands under her knees and neck, he carried her disfigured body to his winged mount, ignoring Elisa and Erick, whose conditions were unknown.
Mikha traveled with Lily's body until they reached the nearest town, on the border between Ellia's territory, where they were, and the Sirius Empire. After passing through the city's gate inspection, he hurriedly searched for an inn. By now, Lily's faint breathing indicated her life was gradually fading away.
Mikha was in a foul mood. Nothing was going as planned. The draconic heart was never supposed to be inside a random human. Since everything had gone off course, he needed to find a way to make the most of it. However, winged mounts were prohibited within the city gates, so his only option was to rely on himself and find an inn as quickly as possible.
Finally, a dilapidated inn came into view. Mikha's face brightened.
He quickly checked in and entered a room that reeked of mold and stale drink, carefully placing Lily on the bed, her exposed flesh already necrotizing. Yet, what he valued wasn't the girl herself but what lay within her.
After examinating her condition, his face returned to its previous indifference. Then, he sat in the room's lone chair, resting his head on his hands.
Through the night, he watched the semi-corpse struggle for life. At times, her wounds seemed to start healing, but necrosis overwhelmed the frail attempts.
Lily remained unconscious the entire time, with only faint groans indicating her persistence to live. Even after witnessing her suffering, Mikha made no move to ease her pain.
He himself was in intense pain but remained still in the same position. His focus was entirely on Lily, like a fanatic worshipping his deity.
When Lily finally died, he snapped back to himself. Breaking free from his stupor, he took a transparent orb and contacted his subordinate.
"Erase all traces in the cave," he instructed, then gave the location.
Mikha scoffed at the pungent smell from Lily's wounds, which had seeped into every corner of the room, as he stood and approached the corpse.
He mentally noted, 'She stayed alive this long because of the draconic heart. But, as expected, the regenerative capacity in an inferior body is insufficient, given that the draconic regeneration properties are largely absent. Still, she exceeded my expectations by lasting so long.'
The experiment was complete. Now it was time to repair his precious asset. Normal methods wouldn't be able to heal Lily in her current state, so he didn't try anything till her death.
Mikha stood beside the corpse, which had a delicate, pale face with closed eyes. If one ignored the rest of her body, she would simply look asleep.
He took a watch from his pocket, examining every detail of it, recalling the face of the man who had given it to him. Losing interest upon seeing nothing unusual, he placed it on Lily's open chest. It was absorbed almost instantly.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Mikha wondered if he heard hallucinations, but when he snapped out of his trance, there was no sound in the room. Unnoticed, evening had already fallen.
Looking down, he saw Lily's recovered body. But... did she have horns?
For the first time in a long time, Mikha was surprised. Was she a demon? No, it couldn't be. Demons had a distinctive aura, and he doubted an ordinary girl could hide it. Then, was she of mixed race?
"Ha," Mikha let out a short laugh.
Things were starting to get complicated. He couldn't take a demon girl out. Making a decision, Mikha summoned a mana blade and didn't hesitate.
Two horns fell to the floor.
A river of blood started to flow over Lily's face, staining the bed and floor. Mikha wasn't disturbed by the bloody sight, merely taking a pill from the pouch on his leg and placing it in Lily's mouth.
Quickly, Lily's injuries began to heal, leaving only a relatively discreet scar. Mikha took a cloth and gently wiped her face, creating a clear contrast with his earlier behavior.
Finally, he reached his limit. Against his will, his body gave out, collapsing onto the floor. Lying on the old wooden floor, Mikha's eyes slowly closed.
Amidst the darkness, Mikha felt something sharp prick his neck. He opened his eyes in alarm, only to see the girl holding a piece of wood at his vital point.
"Who are you? What did you do to her?" she demanded, her heavy breathing revealing her stress.
Mikha was momentarily confused but reacted quickly. He grabbed her hand and swapped their positions, putting her at a disadvantage.
"Is this how you thank your savior?" he asked with sarcasm.
"Where is her family? I want to see them!" The girl didn't seem to realize her position, still demanding answers.
Mikha found the entire situation interesting. Amused, he answered without thinking, "They're dead."
"I have big plans for you, and your only choice is to trust me."
"What do you mean? H-how are they dead?" the girl stammered in disbelief. Her duty was to protect Lily, but had she already failed from the beginning? How would she tell this to the defenseless little girl?
Mikha was unfazed by the girl's shock, continuing, "What matters is that if you walk out that door, the treasure in your chest will make you hunted worldwide. You only have one option."
He felt like he was persuading a small child, even though Lily was already a teenager. What bothered him most was the fact that he was bothering to do it at all. Normally, he would simply fulfill his mission, even against his target's will.
The girl, meanwhile, was utterly devastated. It was her first time in this world, and she had only been able to come with Celestine's permission. If she returned with such an unbalanced agreement, how would he punish her? More importantly, how would she face herself?
Questions tortured her mind, but time wasn't on her side. Losing patience, Mikha tightened his grip on her arms. "Come on, decide!" She awoke from her reverie, gasping. Biting her lip, the teenager, who didn't even have a name, chose Lily's fate: "... Alright."
Mikha smiled, victorious.
"But you have to keep Lily safe! You have to do that!"
He still didn't understand why the girl referred to herself in the third person, but he agreed lightly.
He would keep her safe.
As long as she still served a purpose for him.
Relieved, the girl fainted shortly after. When she woke up, she saw Lily, surrounded by that vast darkness, still crying. The girl with white hair walked over to her and silently embraced her.