Chapter 157 - End Of A Long Day

Raising her soaked head from the pond, Iris let out a satisfied gasp, feeling reinvigorated from the relieving sensation of the water, standing herself up with a smile as she brushed her damp hair back. Looking over at her elfish companion, she received a worrisome and questioning look before moving on once again down the familiar path. 

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Uylia asked with her hands kept close to her chest, keeping her gaze up towards Iris, looking at her as if she were a reanimated corpse. 

"For the moment--yeah. Let's just keep going; we're close now."

Not many more minutes were passed until the two reached the stone abode belonging to none other than the elder of the village, giving a few hearty knocks to the door before it was answered. 

"By the grace of the gods...Uylia!"

The moment Heldjrim's platinum gaze met with the sight of his once lost daughter, the tiny elf brought Uylia into a tight embrace, running his palm over her back. 

"Father!"

Watching the two be reunited brought a triumphant feeling within Iris' heart as she smiled at the heartwarming sight, keeping her hand on the threshold of the door for balance. After keeping his beloved daughter in a prolonged embrace, Heldjrim brought his gaze up to Iris--his eyes widening at the state of her being.

"Oh, dear--missus, are you alright?"

The elder primorelf approached the sickly-looking woman, looking between her and his daughter as if seeking an answer. 

"Mr. Kerull said she ran through all of her mana--she needs to rest, Father."

"Kerull? You two went to see the doctor?"

"We'll explain it later! Just give her a place to rest!"

Uylia smacked her hand against her father's chest, snapping his focus onto what was paramount--ushering him to adjust his glasses before nodding his head a few times, "Yes, yes...Right this way, missus."

Following Heldjrim into the room towards the back of the igloo-like home, Iris was brought into the resting quarters, gently guided down with the assistance of Heldjrim and Uylia onto a mattress made of a peculiar substance--fluffy, yet unknown. 

"Apologizes that there is nothing more adjusted for your size, missus…"

"It's alright...It'll...It'll do great."

Iris assured him in a drowsy tone, allowing her syllables to linger before drifting off into slumber without needing a moment to get into a comfortable position. 

It was an odd state of slumber; one that came with the depletion of one's mana--Iris had experienced this on a few occasions. A state that fell between consciousness and unconsciousness, existing in a static realm of her own mind, surrounded by gently moving tides that bound her to this state. Complete warmth wrapped itself around her, resulting in an elated feeling that came with comfort as her body recuperated its mana. 

Anytime she had wound up in a position to fall into this recharging slumber, Beatrice scolded her for such reckless expenditure of her own mana--drilling it into her to never drive herself to these lengths. 

--I've always been the weakest of the group. She knew that, they all knew that. Even you, Ren...You've left me in the dust. I think Mother knew how I felt; for so long she tried to shield me from this cruel world, but eventually--all fledglings must be released into the unforgiving maw of nature. 

Slowly her eyelids parted as consciousness pushed itself forward, finding it to be an immense task in itself to keep her heavy shutters open as the rest of her body still seemed to be asleep. 

A cool, moist sensation was pressed against her forehead, slowly raising her hand to feel the familiar touch of prickly cloth covering her heated forehead, drenched with chilled water. 

"Ah, you're awake, missus?"

"Heldjrim?..."

Iris asked groggily, only able to see a slight blur before her eyes. Rubbing them after waking from slumber in the morning would always focus her gaze, however, this time she was truly exhausted. 

"Yes, it's me, missus. How are you feeling?"

A hand was placed on her shoulder, hearing the familiar, low voice of the elder, her eyes adjusted--seeing the meek form of the primorelf. 

"I'm fine--still a bit groggy is all."

"That's good to hear, very good…"

From the detachment of his words at the very end, Iris could see a certain look come over the wise, silver eyes of the cave-dwelling elder as he sat himself down on the cushion across from her. As she sat herself up, her eyes came to realize the presence of bandages wrapped around her hands and fingers, running her digits across her cheek--wincing as a sensitive lump had spiked with pain at her touch. 

"My medical skills aren't quite up to par with the doctors, but I did my best...There was nothing serious, though you will likely be sore for a couple days. You're welcome to stay in the village to rest as long as you'd like."

The fact that it was Heldjrim that had tended to her injuries instead of Kellur brought her mind to the state of the boy she brought back with her. 

"...Macheo. How's Macheo?"

"Ah, yes...Kellur just recently notified me that he had concluded his tending of the boy's arm."

As Heldjrim paused for a moment after his words, he could see the suspenseful worry come over the girl's lapis gaze, bringing his next words to her quickly. 

"He's going to be alright, Iris. You've saved him."

"I didn't do anything like that...I'm the one that did that to him."

"I haven't known you long, but I know this much; you're a kind girl, Iris. Whatever you did, you had to do it. Just like how you brought him back here--in your mind, you had to save him. Thank you, Iris. You may not get any thanks for saving the menace to this village--but you have my gratitude."

Hearing the genuine utterances from the withering elder, holding a small smile of his own, Iris felt her heart in her throat as nothing came out of her mouth--her eyes heating up as tears dedicated themselves to the rims of her eyelids. 

---I did it, I saved someone...Maybe, just maybe--I'm not so hopeless after all, Mother. 

"I'm sure you're impatient to get your end of the bargain, Missus--"

"No, no! I wasn't thinking about that!"

Iris quickly raised her hands into the air out of embarrassment, earning a chuckle from the old primorelf as he adjusted his glasses. 

"It's quite alright, Missus. This was part of the deal, now...the person you're looking for, what kind of description can you give? Our scouts are light on their feet; quick and sharp--your friend will be found without a doubt in my mind."

"...Ren, his name is Ren. He's my age, a head or so taller than me...I think. Pale skin, navy-blue hair. hazel eyes; when he talks about something he's passionate about, they become so big and vibrant like he's a giddy child."

As she described the young man, a slight blush and smile came over her as her eyes seemed to look at him through her memories.