"I really don't know what to say," Azel muttered, kneeling beside Feng and placing a steady hand on his subordinate's head.
Warm, golden light spread from his palm, cascading across Feng's battered body like liquid sunlight.
The swollen cheeks began to ease.
The black eye diminished.
Cuts sealed themselves shut, leaving behind faint, silvery traces before vanishing entirely.
Even the ugly claw marks across Feng's chest faded under the steady flow of restorative magic.
Feng exhaled shakily, shoulders sagging in relief.
Azel sighed.
His crimson gaze sharpened as he studied the boy's pathetic state.
'I was comparing myself during my first monster hunt to him… and honestly, I did far better.'
He remembered stumbling through the forest filled with hostile creatures, bleeding and terrified, but even then, he had learned quickly.
He hadn't looked this pitiful.
