Chapter 144 Tempered (1/2)
Arran tried to ishly, as if it had been drained of all its power He could tell that he was lying down — in a bed, he thought — but he had no idea where he was
”Finally awake, are you?”
Arran opened his eyes and saw Tuya sitting next to his bed, enthusiastically eating what looked to be a roasted leg of ue and blurry, but he could recall suffering intense pain, feeling as if his body was being burned to ashes and thinking he was going to die
”What happened?” he asked, just saying the words costing hireat deal of effort
He sat up, and at once he could tell that his body felt frail and feeble, different fro somehow
”And why do I feel so weak?”
”It see was unusually harsh,” Tuya said, finishi+ng the leg ofup another one from a table at the side of the room ”You should consider yourself lucky”
The Tean to remember what had happened He had spoken with Elder Naran about his Destruction Real pain
”Why are you here?” he asked
”Father said to tell him when you awoke,” Tuya replied ”He also had soestured at some half-empty plates on the table, and Arran surmised that she'd already eaten ht about the food, Arran realized he was hungry, but so Instead, he wasto wait, he got out of the bed and headed for the table
”You ht want to put on some clothes,” Tuya said, an aed He had a vague sense that he was supposed to feel eht now, he needed food, so he sat down at the table and began to eat
Tuya laughed ”It see one indeed”
Arran nodded absentmindedly, not concerned with Tuya's presence He could tell that the food was rich in Natural Essence, and he ate it greedily, anxious to be rid of the feeling of weakness that filled him
When Tuya left the room a moment later, he barely noticed her departure
He finished the food quickly, and although it did little to drive away the feeling of weakness, he could feel his hts returned to the Tean to recall the eventshis body continuously being shattered and torn apart by Essence, but at a slow enough rate that it had tirowth in an endless cycle
As he was sunken in thought, he heard the door open, and when he looked up, he was surprised to see that it was Snowcloud rather than Elder Naran who had entered
Her face turned red as she saw Arran, and this tilance at the roorabbed a robe
Snowcloud waited until he was dressed, eyes turned away When he finished, she asked, ”Are you all right?”
”I think so,” he replied ”Although I feel weak”
”No wonder,” she said ”Your Te took four weeks, and you've been unconscious for another two”
”Has it been that long?” Arran asked, his eyes going ith surprise
”I feared so,” she said ”Elder Naran sealed the room after we left, and when the two of you reht some disaster had happened” Her expression troubled, she added, ”It's only supposed to last a week or two”
Arran frowned Fro, he did not recall it lasting days, much less weeks
He was about to ask Snowcloud more about it when the door opened onceElder Naran
”Lady Snowcloud,” the ht you were still busy plundering lared at him ”You should have let me know he had woken up”
”I only just received word myself,” Elder Naran replied ”And now that I' my alchemists There are matters I have to discuss with Ghostblade”
Snowcloud protested the unceremonious dismissal, but to no avail When it became clear that Elder Naran would brook no objections, she left, scowling at the Elder as she closed the door
”Now then,” Elder Naran said, giving Arran an exalad to see you're back on your feet Your Te was an unusual one, and I had soht not recover easily But it seems my worries were unfounded”
”Hoas it unusual?” Arran asked, still not fully re what had happened