Chapter 193: A Spoonful of Porridge

Two days later.

The huts that had been broken down by the bone drake were fixed, and for the first time in thousands of years, Dhaevrak wasn’t under the impending danger of the purple fog forest.

However, as if the world itself had decided to keep everything balanced, the beasts that were already much stronger because of the energy that seeped out of the red and black mountains were chosen by the ether.

Their bodies were changed drastically, becoming much more similar to the beasts of the stories.

Some changed entirely as their body adjusted to the gifts they had obtained from the ether.

Their fur turned into fire, water, wind, ice or something similar. Their body became wood, earth, metal or so on. Many gained horns, wings, extra limbs or other physical features.

A once-timid deer now walked on legs of living flame, antlers dripping molten light. A wolf pack prowled with crystalline ice pelts that shattered light into rainbows.

Every one of them had been evolved into an ether beast, and the Redwood Den, which had just been freed of its previous duty, had to take care of the beasts that had gained abilities beyond their control.

Even though these ether beasts were stronger than their previous self, they were still weaker than the kareths and the humanoid monsters.

Unlike them, they didn’t have instant regeneration, had multiple weaknesses, could be exhausted, and the warriors didn’t specifically need Azrath weapons or aura to deal with them.

However, the warriors couldn’t kill them easily either.

Their instincts were much sharper. They were spread throughout the red and black mountains, and above all, they were not completely mindless.

But just as how these beasts were strengthened by the ether, the warriors could also make use of ether arts — the only reason they could not was their lack of knowledge.

Only three figures within the red and black mountains knew ether arts, and these three figures were Haden, Lara and Marin.

Zaelyane also knew of ether arts, but she never learned them. Being a sylvarae or an elf, she could easily absorb ether through her spirit eyes and perform elven sorcery, which was far more advanced than the ether arts of the humans.

Haden couldn’t teach them because he was still lying unconscious, though now he had been moved to his own hut.

Lara’s ether arts belonged to the royal Leonara family and she couldn’t teach them to the warriors.

Lastly, Marin had told Varok that he didn’t have enough knowledge about the ether arts, and the only few that he had mastered before coming to the mountains were the ones that helped him in his daily life.

So everything was once again dependent on Haden, and after three days, he finally woke up.

Haden sat on his bed, his eyes locked onto the purple spot around Rion’s heart.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he touched the leather strips wrapped around his body and mumbled under his breath, “Everything went fine…”

Right then, the door parted open, and Lara walked inside with a wooden tray that had two bowls.

Steam escaped through the bowls, hinting at the hot porridge within them and seeing that Haden was looking at her with a faint smile, she froze in her tracks.

Tears threatened to roll out of her eyes, but she sniffled them and walked towards Haden with quick, shaky steps.

Haden watched her with a faint smile and called out in a low voice, “Lara…”

She shot him a glare, placed the tray on the space between the two beds and sat beside Haden.

Their eyes met, their faces just an inch apart, and she mumbled while tears glimmered in her eyes like exploding stars, “I… I was scared…”

Haden nodded faintly. He pulled her closer by the waist and grabbed her right hand, caressing its back with his thumb.

She lay her head on his shoulder, sniffles left her as she forced the tears to stop, and Haden breathed near her ear, “Why are you crying like a little girl?”

Her eyebrows turned sharp, she pinched his hand and growled in a low voice, “Here I am trying my best not to cry, and you are making fun of me!! What kind of husband are you?!”

A chuckle escaped his lips, his arm tightened around her waist, and he whispered, “You tell me, what kind of husband am I?”

She shot him a deadpan look, pushing her face near his neck. She answered, “You are a stupid husband. Hmph!”

He placed his head atop hers, and a chuckle escaped both of them.

For a few minutes, they continued to hold each other until Lara mumbled, “You should eat.”

She picked up one of the bowls, picked up some of the porridge with the wooden spoon and blew air into it.

Haden gave her an amused look and asked, “Do you think this porridge would be enough for me?”

She stopped blowing air, looked at Haden and then at the bowl and said, “It’s still better than nothing…”

Haden shook his head, and Lara hissed, “Eat.”

She placed the spoon before his lips, and he opened his mouth and ate.

After gulping it down, he commented, “It’s good.”

She stared at him with a deadpan look and muttered while stabbing the porridge with the spoon, “’ItS gOoD’ like I don’t know it’s nothing but herbs and grains.”

He chuckled, kissed her on the cheek and opened his mouth.

She smiled and continued to feed him.

Even though Haden could eat by himself, Lara still wanted to feed him with her own hands.

A few more minutes passed as Haden finished the porridge, and just as Lara placed the empty bowl back on the tray, a low, pained groan resounded throughout the hut.

Both of them tore their gazes towards Rion, and Rion, who had been asleep for the past five days, suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, “DORAAAAAA!”

Lara shoved off the bed so fast the tray rattled, her hand already reaching for him. “Rion—!” But before she could go near him, Haden grabbed her by the arm and muttered, “Let him calm down.”

She shot him a troubled expression. “L-Let go—”

A loud gasp, and Rion finally opened his eyes.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep