"Who are you?" Lumine shouted, running toward the figure. But it felt like an unreachable horizon—no matter how far she ran, she couldn't get any closer.
In the next moment, the entire space erupted in blinding light, forcing Lumine to shield her eyes.
Soon after, she felt herself sinking into darkness.
"Is she really going to be okay? It's been so long…"
Amid the haze, Lumine thought she heard Paimon's voice.
"Don't worry just yet. If she says there's no issue, then there won't be any problems."
Lumine also heard another female voice. With great effort, she opened her eyes.
What came into view was Paimon speaking with a beautiful green-haired girl with crimson eyes.
"Ugh…" Lumine groaned, rubbing her head as she sat up with difficulty.
"Huh? You're awake?" The green-haired girl noticed Lumine sitting up and hurried over to ask.
"That's great! You've finally woken up!" Paimon exclaimed through teary eyes, flying over to her.
"Paimon, I'm okay," Lumine reassured, hugging Paimon.
"Paimon, where are we?" Lumine shook her head, trying to shake off the dizziness.
"Oh, right! I was so worried when you passed out, I forgot to ask," Paimon said, scratching her head before looking at Lumine with concern. "Lumine, are you still dizzy?"
"Mm," Lumine nodded.
Paimon pulled out the Golden Crystal with a huff. "That Akio is so unreliable! He said this crystal could ward off all kinds of mental interference, but it's totally useless! What a jerk!"
But as soon as Paimon finished speaking, the Golden Crystal emitted a golden light that enveloped Lumine. Instantly, Lumine felt refreshed and clear-headed.
"…" Paimon froze at the sight. Seriously? Was she getting slapped in the face this quickly?
"Little Paimon, don't talk badly about Akio!" Lumine said, glaring at Paimon.
"I didn't mean it…" Paimon whined, poking her little fingers together. "It really didn't work earlier, okay… Besides, I like Akio too. I wouldn't actually badmouth him."
"Sigh…" Lumine shook her head helplessly and turned to the green-haired girl. "Hello, where are we?"
"This is Avidya Forest. It was originally a resting spot built by Sumeru scholars in the rainforest, but now it serves as a resting place for patrollers," the girl explained.
"Hi, I'm Collei, a trainee Forest Ranger in Sumeru. I was patrolling the forest with my master today when we found you collapsed and brought you here," Collei elaborated.
"Thank you… Wait, Collei?!" Lumine's eyes suddenly widened.
"Collei? You're Collei?" Paimon exclaimed as well.
"Eh? Do we know each other?" Collei asked, scratching her head in confusion. She racked her brain but couldn't recall ever meeting these two.
Seeing Collei's frail and delicate demeanor, Lumine and Paimon exchanged a glance and nodded.
Paimon flew forward to explain. "Collei, we don't know each other, but someone in Inazuma told us about you. They said that if we met you in Sumeru, we should give you something."
"Huh? Me?" Collei asked, puzzled. "But I don't know anyone from Inazuma…"
"Heh heh, you wouldn't know about this. The person who asked us to give you something is none other than Inazuma's God, the Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven, Akio!" Paimon said proudly, crossing her arms.
"That's right," Lumine confirmed with a nod.
"Inazuma's God? The Great Divine Sovereign of Heaven?" Collei murmured. She was certain she didn't know him. How could a god know about her, a nobody?
"We don't know either. Maybe it's because gods are omniscient or something," Paimon said with a shrug, then looked at Lumine.
Lumine nodded, and a pure white orb of light appeared in her hand. "Akio told me to give this Life Source crystal to Collei if I met her. He said it could cure the resentment within you…"
"What?!" Collei's eyes widened at Lumine's words, staring in disbelief at the white orb in Lumine's hand.
She wasn't sure what they were talking about, but Eleazar felt like a curse. Could this really cure her?
"Take it. This is a gift from a god. You shouldn't refuse it," Lumine said, taking Collei's hand and placing the Life Source into her palm.
In an instant, the white orb fused into Collei's hand. The next moment, countless beams of white light radiated from her body. Black, scale-like patterns emerged on her skin before being purified by the white light, dissolving into a dark mist that vanished into the air.
"I… I'm healed?" Collei stared at her hands and her flawless skin, feeling an unprecedented lightness in her body. She was stunned.
The Eleazar that had tormented her for years had disappeared just like that under the power of this tiny orb?
"Wow, looks like she really is healed…" Paimon whispered to Lumine. "Look at her, she's completely dumbfounded."
"Paimon, don't say it like that," Lumine said, shooting Paimon a speechless look.
"Wahhh…" Suddenly, Collei burst into loud sobs.
"Whoa… why's she crying all of a sudden?" Collei's outburst startled Lumine and Paimon, leaving them at a loss for what to do.
"What's wrong, what's wrong?" A man with fox ears rushed into the room, looking at the sobbing Collei with concern.
"Collei, what happened? Why are you crying?" Tighnari asked anxiously.
"Uh… probably tears of joy?" Paimon guessed quietly.
"Tears of joy?" Tighnari blinked. What kind of reasoning was that? How could someone cry from happiness?
But for now, the priority was to soothe Collei's emotions.
After a while, with the trio's comforting, Collei's emotions gradually stabilized.
"Master, my… my Eleazar is gone," Collei said through sniffles.
"What? That's impossible…" Tighnari's expression changed before he quickly corrected himself. "Sorry, Collei, I didn't mean it like that…"
"I know, Master," Collei shook her head, then turned to Lumine and Paimon. "Just now, these two gave me a white orb of light. After it absorbed into my body, my Eleazar mysteriously disappeared…"
As she spoke, Collei rolled up her sleeve to reveal her arm, which was completely free of Eleazar marks.
"Good heavens! It's true! Collei, your Eleazar is really gone!" Tighnari exclaimed in shock.
A/N: Enjoying the story? Read 60+ chapters ahead on Patreon! Your support helps: Patreon.com/nneol