Layena stared blankly at the ceiling.

The mechanical beeping of the monitor tracking her heart rate echoed softly through the room. Her body still felt numb. Thick bandages wrapped around her head and face, leaving only her left eye and mouth uncovered.

The faint smell of floor cleaner lingered...she hated this smell.

At the moment, more than pain, she felt emptiness.

Perhaps they had used some kind of medicine to suppress her pain receptors. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Considering the condition she had been brought in, that was understandable. She could barely remember what was happening after a point.

"Layena... can you hear me?"

A familiar voice came from her left.

She slowly turned her eye and found Ethan, Hannah, and Clara standing there.

The moment their eyes met, Ethan visibly relaxed, though stress still lingered there.

"How... long... has..." she barely managed to mutter through her dry throat. Even dragging out a few syllables felt exhausting.

"It’s been two days," Hannah answered calmly. "How do you feel now?"

"Better..." Layena replied weakly.

She knew recovery would take time, but with modern medical technology and her Aether Circuits remaining unharmed, she would be back on her feet soon enough.

"We were really worried, Layena. You’re one of the strongest Nightwalkers I know. Who could have done something this vicious to you?" Clara asked, much to Ethan’s annoyance.

He did not want anyone reminding Layena of the incident. She might be strong, but something on this scale had undoubtedly left scars on her mind as well.

However, the words had already been spoken.

All they could do now was wait for her answer.

Was she going to name her sister, just as Hannah feared? Even Ethan had begun leaning toward that possibility. After digging into the matter himself, he had discovered the deep rift between Layena and the Klaus family.

Yet, much to their shock, Layena said,

"I... didn’t see their... face."

"!!!"

"How is that even possible...?"

Both girls openly showed their shock while Ethan frowned deeply.

He could not accept that someone as powerful as Layena had been overwhelmed to the point where she could not even identify the person attacking her.

It made no sense.

’Why are you hiding who it was, Layena? Was it your sister after all?’

If it truly was Ava, then he could understand her silence.

The moment Layena accused her, the Klaus family would become involved.

An investigation might be launched, but considering the Klaus family’s influence, it was highly unlikely Ava would ever face proper punishment for her actions.

Worse still, by dragging the Klaus family into an official inquiry, Layena would only invite more trouble upon herself.

Maybe that was why she chose to remain silent.

Ethan bit down on his lower lip and lowered his head slightly.

’You have to endure all this pain and suffering alone... I’m sorry, Layena... I’m so sorry...’

....

"Haah... let’s see," Kyle muttered under his breath as he stood beside the bed where Melissa lay.

Her eyes were closed, her breathing soft and steady. She was definitely asleep.

Hopefully, Amanda had shown some restraint instead of overdosing her simply because he had warned her about the possible consequences of Melissa moving during the extraction.

He glanced toward Amanda and said, "Make sure no one comes near me. I don’t know what state of mind I’ll be in during the extraction."

Amanda nodded firmly. "No one will disturb you. I promise."

Kyle gave a small nod before taking another deep breath.

Alright... here goes nothing.

The mattress dipped slightly as he knelt beside Melissa.

’System... assess her body and tell me where I should place the gauntlet to safely extract the blessing.’

[The ideal location is the left side of her chest, where Genesis gathers the most, Host. And don’t worry, Host, you will not hurt her.]

Kyle nodded inwardly.

’Hopefully.’

Slowly, he lowered the gauntlet above her chest.

The next instant, four sharp fangs extended from the gauntlet and pierced into Melissa’s chest.

Her body jolted faintly, startling him for a moment, but she remained asleep.

Kyle glanced toward Amanda for only a moment before his eyes suddenly widened.

Not because he had seen something behind her, but because of the burning sensation erupting through his arm.

"Kyle?" Amanda called out worriedly.

But Kyle had already turned away, staring down at the gauntlet now glowing with a black radiance.

WarHorse: [No... this should not have happened. A life this young is capable of resistance?]

Those words instantly sent panic surging through him.

Before Kyle could even ask whether he should pull the gauntlet away, a violent spark shot through his arm. He consciously felt it traveling upward, racing straight toward his head.

He felt it.

But he could not stop it.

And the very next moment, Kyle lost consciousness right there, still kneeling beside the bed, the gauntlet remaining attached to the Blessed One.

"Kyle!" Amanda panicked the moment his head went limp.

She immediately rushed toward him, only for a lantern to suddenly materialize above him. Golden light poured from it, forming a radiant dome that stopped her from getting anywhere near them.

"Agh... what is this?" Amanda groaned, clutching her forehead after colliding with the barrier.

Everything had happened too quickly for her to even notice the lantern until she stumbled back.

"What in the world is that thing... and why is it stopping me from reaching Kyle?" she muttered anxiously.

Was it protecting him? Or was interfering now dangerous?

Would it be dangerous even for Kyle himself?

She bit down on her lower lip and stared at Kyle’s motionless body.

In a quieter voice, she whispered,

"I hope you’re okay..."

....

"Where the hell am I?" Kyle muttered as he looked around the endless expanse surrounding him.

The place resembled something akin to a mental ward.

Everything was white. The ground, the sky, the horizon stretching endlessly into the distance, all pristine and utterly unblemished.

The system had never warned him about experiencing something like this.

Nor had Aleda mentioned anything.

Then...

WarHorse: [This is the mindscape of the Blessed One.]

Kyle frowned in surprise. "Am I still streaming?"

[Indeed, Host. However, using your equipment here would be impossible. You can still access God’s Eye though.]

Kyle blinked before instinctively raising his hand, attempting to summon Aquilla.

....

"Ah!"

Outside, Amanda yelped when the golden bow suddenly materialized in the hand of the unconscious Kyle.

....

Kyle wryly smiled inside the mindscape...great, his only weapon was out of reach.

But then again, this place seemed so soothing and calm that he didn’t think he would need to find it.

"What exactly am I supposed to do here?" He asked, looking around to see if he could find anything.

WarHorse: [You need to find the blessed one and convince her to stop resisting this extraction.]

"...."

WarHorse: [And you must do it in limited time since the more you stay here, the more you put your sanity at risk.]

"...."

Great. Just exactly what he wanted on a day he was supposed to be resting.

’Haaa...now, let’s see where you are hiding Melissa.’

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, please leave a comment or review.