Zorat was resting while simultaneously taking his sweet time integrating his newly acquired ability, courtesy of the benevolent Saintess Sylvara.

Roughly guessing the serpent must have had enough time to put some proper fear into Ariana, setting the stage for his subsequent heroic arrival, he decides it was time for him to make his move. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

This time, however, Zorat needed to be faster than when he went out in search of a suitable target that turned out to be that serpent.

He needed to make his arrival as quick and as convenient as possible.... So, Zorat took to the skies.

High above the gathering of towering trees where they had set up their camp for the night, a shimmering purple tear in space materialized with Zorat stepping through it and into yet another tear that formed several meters along the same path as his eyesight.

This action presently drains a copious amount of mental strength with every continuous use, but it was the most efficient method when he already has an image of where he is headed in his mind.

And so, Zorat continued tearing through space with complex hand signs to streamline the process and ease the burden on his body as he progressed.

Where Zorat had taken more than two hours to reach the previous night, he had now done so in less than thirty seconds.

Granted, they have come closer to the general area of the cave as they fought their way through the forest during the day...

Still, even for him, it would still take at least ten to fifteen minutes on foot to reach this place, and that is after removing the variable of beasts on the way, since he would be in his void domain.

For any other hero who encounters beasts with every move they take, it might even take them an hour to get to this location.

As Zorat remained afloat in the air, hovering over the cave below, made possible by his suspended state of stepping through and into a portal.

What he first noticed down below as he spread his perception was the quietness..... Telling him, the serpent must have concluded business, and Ariana should be in her damsel-in-distress state.

Zorat walked through his portal, stepping onto the entrance of the cave.

He needed to make his appearance in the cave look logical and believable to Ariana.

From the very first moment he got a read on her desire, Zorat knew he would have to show a part of his ability to this young lady in order to explain him being able to save her.

So, he would be using just one of his most convenient spells on this rescue mission..... to a reasonable degree, of course... with a little sprinkle of dishonesty.

As Zorat advanced leisurely through the softly illuminated cave entrance, he was suddenly obstructed by a small mountain of rocks and debris, blocking the entrance to the enlarged space inside, which was the serpents’ layer.

He nodded in approval, as the serpent was quite smart for blocking out its victim’s exit, but now, he would have to show way more power than he intended to display.

Still, if things go according to plan, it won’t really matter. Nothing was more important than getting his hands on the divine authority fragments.

With a little gesture, the entire obstructing rocks, sand, and debris spontaneously imploded inwards inside the cave, clearing Zorat’s path as he walked through.

Arriving fully inside the layer, Zorat cast his gaze around the space that was now in shambles.

Ninety percent of the cave rocks and floor were broken apart with molten flames and burnt rocks all around the area.

Zorat knew it wouldn’t be a straightforward job to incapacitate one of the chosen heroes, but he was impressed she had put up such a fight.

And luckily, the serpent had managed to subdue her at least.... Only problem was... the young lady looked half a foot in the grave.

Her breathing was weak, shallow, and forced, with open wounds all over her body. Her nightwear was in tatters, with her own blood staining her beautiful red hair and face.

The serpent had gone way overboard, but luckily enough for Zorat, she was still conscious, and maybe that’s why she’s still alive.

Zorat needed her to be conscious; only that way would she see him come save her like a damsel in distress. Otherwise, all the stress he had gone through orchestrating all this would have been for naught.

Zorat was both pleased with the serpent and equally displeased since it almost cost him to lose all his hard work.

Seeing the hopeful spark in Ariana’s eyes as her gaze found Zorat’s, he knew it was time to get into action.

The evil beast that had done all this to her had to pay, and she had to see it being dealt with so she could understand he had come to the rescue.

Zorat wasted no time running over to the half-dead Ariana, as her cloudy eyes watched him approach and the evil serpent beast in the distance being pummeled by large, floating rocky hands.

"Ariana!..... Are you okay?!.... Don’t worry, you are safe now!" Zorat uttered worriedly as he approached and bent over to her, lifting her off the rocky ground and onto his lap.

"I’ll make that beast pay for doing this to you!" Zorat said with anger in his voice, as he fed a blue colored liquid from a small vial into Ariana’s mouth.

Ariana offered no protest; she wasn’t even entirely sure who had come to save her, just blurry images of that evil serpent being beaten, and her being taken into the safe, masculine, warm embrace of someone who smelled like sandalwood and sweet fresh morning dew was the only detail she could make out.

But as the liquid settled inside her, Ariana felt a deep soothing warmth emanating from her inside, and she could literally feel her internal wounds beginning to mend themselves slowly back together.

Arina’s vision and hearing slowly became clearer, as she then saw the visage of the person who had risked their life to save her from that monstrous beast...

"Caleb ?!" she whispered weakly in surprise in Caleb’s embrace.

"Shh...don’t try to speak right now.... Just rest and heal, you are safe with me here." Caleb said softly to her as he stroked her hair, anger and worry evident on his handsome face as he turned to look at the monstrous serpent.

"You vile serpent!.... How dare you hurt my friend this way?!"

Ariana’s heart sang through her chest, watching this young man take such protective charge of her, shield her, defend her, fight for her... save her.

Slowly, her eyes began to water, as tears began streaming down her beautiful face, until it transformed to a full-on crying session, with her burying herself in Zorat’s embrace, she mumbled in between cries.....

"Thank you, Caleb!... "

"Thank you so much!"