Chapter 74 The Breath of the Purple Robe
The tossed torch struck the white wolf that had ambushed them from behind with pinpoint accuracy...
Scorched by the flames, the white wolf howled and stopped its attack.
Several white wolves instantly raised their eerie, vertical eyes and fixed their gaze on Isaac, who leaped from the bushes.
Isaac, gritting his teeth and trembling slightly, raised his wooden sword,
and shouted to Perseus, who stood frozen in the distance:
"Run!"
Perseus, taking advantage of the white wolves' momentary reassessment of the danger,
immediately ran towards Isaac...
However, Perseus was wounded and had exposed his back to the wolves.
The wolves, seeing this, quickly made a decision.
Continue the pursuit!
A white wolf led the way, its figure flashing—
Pounced on Perseus's back...
But little Isaac, seeing Perseus covered in blood, felt a surge of courage within him.
He gripped his wooden sword, took a step forward,
The swordsmanship techniques Grandpa Tyr had taught him a few days ago flashed through his mind...
His waist and stance became one, his grip on the sword vertically...
His mind focused...
Slash—
A loud thud rang out.
"Awooo~"
The swung wooden sword collided with the head of the white wolf, which was pouncing in mid-air.
Though not particularly sharp, the impact, amplified by the momentum...
Isaac slid half a meter, half-crouching...
The wooden sword pierced the white wolf's throat, tearing apart its brains along its mouth...
Warm, foul-smelling blood splattered onto Isaac's face...
Then, brain matter mixed with blood slowly seeped down the wooden sword, flowing to the hilt, making his hand feel icy cold...
His heart pounded...
This was the first time Isaac had faced blood directly, and his body trembled.
The pack of wolves behind him, seeing one of their companions dead,
immediately stopped in their tracks.
They began to reassess the risks and rewards...
Finally, the alpha wolf seemed to glance at Isaac, who stood on the ground breathing heavily.
It bared its teeth and howled.
It turned and led the pack into the forest...
Seeing the danger recede,
Isaac and Perseus slowly came to their senses.
They exchanged a glance, saying nothing.
Isaac picked up the torch, and the two of them remained in the perilous jungle until they were out of sight.
Back in the Canaanite wilderness...
Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
The moonlight and stars returned to the sky, illuminating the darkness and dispelling the mist over the wilderness.
"Let's...go back…"
Isaac spoke first, worried about Perseus's injuries...
Especially the three claw marks on Perseus's chest...
If Isaac had suffered this wound, he felt he would have cried.
But Perseus, enduring the pain, trudged along in the moonlight without uttering a sound.
The two walked on.
"Thank you…"
"I'm sorry…"
They both spoke at the same time, then froze simultaneously.
Perseus spoke first:
"Thank you, my name is Perseus..."
"Actually, I heard you call out 'Son of Dicttis' from the beginning..."
"I was in a bad mood then... so I didn't respond, and I even avoided you..."
"Then I encountered the wolves..."
"Thank you for saving me, I take back what I said during the day."
"Your swordsmanship isn't bad..."
Isaac nodded, saying apologetically:
"My name is Isaac..."
"I shouldn't have asked that question during the day..."
"But believe me, I meant no harm..."
"And you are truly amazing, far surpassing me in swordsmanship, and you managed to fight those wolves alone for so long..."
"But... how are your injuries?"
Isaac looked at Perseus's pale face, somewhat worried.
He seemed to be walking heavier and his lips were turning increasingly blue...
And the next moment after he asked that question... As if by magic, Perseus collapsed onto the grass with a thud.
Isaac was startled. He quickly bent down, wanting to do something.
But his hands were stained with blood.
He was at a loss.
He turned Perseus over, his touch repeatedly touching the gruesome wounds...
He looked towards the distant village, but they were now in the wilderness closest to the forest, still a long way from the Canaanite villages...
If he went to call the adults, he would be unable to watch over Perseus, abandoning his body in the wilderness.
That was an extremely dangerous thing to do...
But if he carried Perseus's body back...
He was certain that what he would return with was perhaps only a cold corpse...
He had to do something.
But what could he do?
He was filled with unbearable anxiety, yet utterly helpless.
Tears welled in his eyes...
"Wake up... wake up!"
Isaac cried out desperately.
But he could only feel Perseus's breathing gradually slowing...
For the first time, young Isaac understood the meaning of despair. He could only watch helplessly as his new friend died before his eyes, bit by bit, and he was powerless to do anything...
The torch fell to the ground, extinguished by the dew on the grass.
Darkness enveloped everything once more. This time, there was no light; even everything before him was slowly fading into darkness...
Just like Perseus's impending death.
"What... what should I do?"
And just as Isaac's despair reached its peak...
A gentle voice inexplicably sounded in his ear—
[Feel your soul, child...]
[You possess the authority your mother shares with you...]
[Close your eyes, feel it...]
Hearing this voice, Isaac's fear and panic inexplicably vanished. A sense of peace, like a father's instruction, washed over him. He naturally obeyed the voice's guidance, closing his eyes...
and tried to feel his soul.
He felt a profound stillness wash over him.
As if he had forgotten everything. The wounded Perseus was no longer before him, no wolves, no Canaan...
The starry sky above, the boundless wilderness beneath his feet...
He meditated in the wilderness like an ascetic.
The sound seemed to follow a certain rhythm,
guiding his every breath,
gradually calming his mind and body...
When he realized he had reached a state of perfect tranquility—
A soft, flowing sound...
like a clear spring flowing through a crack in a stone.
When he opened his eyes again.
A luminous, pure energy.
flowed from within him, slowly gathering at his fingertips—
[The Breath of the Purple Robe]
[Healing, Restoration, Longevity...]
In an instant, he understood this power.
Then, he gently reached out and softly stroked the lifeless boy on the grass...
His fingertips traced each of Perseus's wounds, and the wounds slowly healed, the green energy gradually flowing into Perseus's body...
In the darkness.
Perseus felt a cool sensation throughout his body.
When he opened his eyes again.
He witnessed a scene he would never forget—
In the moonlight, a boy with golden eyes gently touched his forehead...
He no longer felt pain.
Instead, he felt a clarity from the depths of his soul.
A tranquility, a divinity.
...