Damned Healer

"Darian, don't be reckless," Tetoya said seriously. "Zelkov and I will go to the royal family, we'll ask the Matriarch for help..."

Darian cut her off bluntly. "Don't be stupid. She'll only do something if it's proven whether they're traitors or not. And the infiltrators inside the royal family are definitely prepared — they'll find a way to delay this as much as possible. I know the Wube family's methods. If I don't show up there within a day, they'll kill the entire Crimson Storm Talon race just to get to me. And royal help won't arrive in time."

"But... you two! You've only slept for half an hour. How long has it been since you ran from your family?" Tetoya asked quickly.

Lihan murmured, "I think... nine hours."

Darian nodded. "Hudu must still have some emergency resources to burn. The enemies are waiting for me and won't finish everything that soon. But they won't wait long either. We have to move now."

Zelkov nodded seriously. "I've got thirty soldiers and two members of the royal family."

"I cleaned up Tetoya's soldiers recently, so she only has a dozen. Three entire families, and only forty mediocre Fighters on our side... yeah, that's definitely not enough."

Darian spoke, and everyone tensed up. Was he really planning to go like that?

"It's fine, I've got a plan. We'll take a detour before heading to the city," he added calmly.

...

Minutes later, about forty-five people left the capital on a flying ship. Everyone was ready for a suicidal fight, having no clue what Darian was planning.

He only pointed in one direction, close to the capital — he wanted to head north, toward a dense forest that lay there. Near that forest was the royal family's medicinal field, the same one whose gates had once been perfectly protected by Darian.

The ship flew over the city while Darian focused on sensing the karma of everything alive below.

After a few minutes, he ordered them to stop. Then, he jumped off alone, landing among massive trees.

Everyone on the ship watched curiously, wondering what he was about to do. It didn't take long before they saw something darting toward Darian like lightning.

"Celestial Fox!" Tetoya exclaimed.

A small yellowish fox jumped onto Darian's shoulder, and he gently petted its head. Then, he called for everyone on the ship to come down and land.

They got out and waited for a few minutes — until suddenly, they were surrounded by nearly forty Celestial Foxes.

They were all small, much tinier than normal foxes. Their fur was vibrant in different colors, each one showing affinity to one of the five natural elements.

Some had two tails, and only one had three. Each tail represented not only age but also power level — with nine being the highest ever seen.

Their eyes were big and round, and they all jumped around Darian happily, as if he was more than a savior — almost like a being of natural worship.

In the center of the group, the only one with three tails seemed to be their leader. Darian spoke quickly:

"I need your help. Are you willing to fight by my side?"

When he said that, everyone behind him widened their eyes.

He wanted to take those mediocre Heavenly Beasts into battle? The only thing they were good at was running — they had no real attack or defense power. On that planet, where physical strength meant everything, they were seen as pathetic creatures.

"If we could do anything... I fear that—"

"Don't worry, I'd never use you as sacrifices. I promise none of you will suffer." Darian replied with a faint smile, then turned to Tetoya and gestured for her to come closer.

"This is the princess of the royal family. If you help us and prove your worth, she'll take you into the capital and make you her personal soldiers. You'll never go hungry again, and she'll protect every one of you with her own life. What do you say?"

Darian's words made both Tetoya and the Celestial Fox leader widen their eyes.

He smiled, then picked up a small brownish fox — one that was born with an Earth element affinity, the same element Tetoya mastered the most.

"We don't have time to waste. Princess, channel the power from your raw ring and pass it to this little one here," he said, placing the tiny fox in her hands, which startled her.

She held it awkwardly but found it really cute.

"Little Xin, do as I say," he told the fox he already knew. "Use your core to absorb the power she's about to give you."

Xin nodded with bright eyes. Tetoya looked at Darian, confused, but seeing he wasn't going to explain, she did as he asked. In her hands, a violet energy began to flow, radiating from her seven rings.

All princes and princesses had seven rings — even Zelkov. That was because, even inside the training universe, where they didn't have their bodies with the powerful draconic Bloodline, they could still use the Spiritual Technique created by Painita.

That technique could make their Mannaz partners much stronger on the other side. With it, they stood out easily, making it simple to earn merit.

Xin received that violet power and absorbed it.

At the center of his body, there was a "core" — actually, an elemental rune, very similar to the true body of a Heavenly Elemental Spirit.

They weren't considered related races for nothing, after all. The big difference between them was that Heavenly Elemental Spirits didn't have a real physical body. Still, even their energy and fluctuations were incredibly similar.

From the first time Darian saw the Celestial Foxes, he felt that strong resemblance. It wasn't just an energetic similarity. Those races were born from the purest natural energy, all connected to Heaven's Will. If treated well, they were the kindest… or most terrifyingly powerful lifeforms that could exist.

Now, Darian saw a golden opportunity right in front of him.

The moment Xin began absorbing Tetoya's power—

"!"

His eyes glowed with an intense yellow light, bright as a star. All the small creature's fur stood on end, and the ground around him began to shake and shine.

Everyone froze, stunned by the overwhelming power of the earth emanating from that little fox.

"Focus! Move the energy slowly." Darian warned, then turned to Tetoya. "You need to help him control it. Since the power inside him is yours, you still have influence over him."

Tetoya was completely confused but did as Darian said, trying to help him absorb the energy in a slower and more controlled way.

To her surprise, she could actually do it without a problem. When she finished...

...she was sweating cold as she felt the strength that Heavenly Beast held within him. Everyone turned their eyes to Darian.

He nodded toward Tetoya. "Xin was born from the Earth element and has the potential to use it at its highest level. As for you, even though your race is close to Earth, you're nowhere near his level. You only gave him 5% of what you had, right? Trust me — if you fight him now, you wouldn't be able to kill him before losing the remaining 95%."

"Wha… how?" she murmured, tense.

"You're someone blessed by Heaven's Will, but have you ever wondered what the true benefits of that are? Why would Heaven's Will bless someone in the first place?"

He spoke calmly, remembering when he discovered that with Awel, Tir, and Eleri. When he shared the power of his ring with them, the three had used their elements at an astonishing level. Now, he saw the same thing happening with those seemingly fragile little foxes.

Unfortunately, Zelkov wasn't blessed. Among the princes and princesses, only five were. But that wouldn't be a problem.

"All six of you, join your big sister Tetoya. She'll grant you power and help you fight," Darian said to the Earth-element Celestial Foxes. That would be excellent training for Tetoya.

"As for the rest of you, stay with me." He continued, addressing the others. Then he looked straight into the leader's eyes. "I'll show everyone on this planet your true power. After today, no one will ever treat you like trash again — and you'll never go hungry. Are you willing to follow me?"

At those words, the eyes of the little three-tailed fox — and all the others around — trembled. Instinctively, they felt their destiny had changed forever.