"Do they hurt..." The voice whispered behind Nn''s ear, resonating through the dimly lit room where two figuresy covered under a heavy mattress.
A cozy warmth radiated through the space, its source none other than one of the figures gently flickering with blue mes.
Nn looked down at Luna, whose fingers slowly trailed beside some of the wounds on his body.
He shook his head.
"They don''t hurt much..." he began, but suddenly winced as a stinging pain surged through him, its source none other than from Luna dipping her fingers too close to the wound on his chest.
"You lie..." She whispered, her gaze soft but knowing. Nn rolled his eyes but chose to remain silent, shifting back to sleep.
Yet, he quickly snapped his eyes open again when he felt Luna press her hand firmly against his chest.
Then, something began to flow through his body. It felt like the purest essence, present in all worlds, as his wounds started to rapidly heal.
But just as the sensation came, it was interrupted as Nn forcefully moved Luna''s hand away.
"I''ll heal, Luna. Don''t waste your Divine Essence," he said, his tone now serious.
Luna looked at his deeply for a while and she finally obliged.
While Nn never knew she had the power to heal, he at least knew well that her Divine Essence was limited.
He didn''t think it was wise for her to use it on something like this.
She had been recovering well in recent days, and using her Divine Essence for anything unforeseen might worsen her condition.
That was why he didn''t want her to heal him. Perhaps, she would be free to use her Divine Essence anyhow she likes when she was fully healed, but now he would love her to not make any reckless moves that might ruin everything.
[You know Nn, she would be a valuablepanion to have if she manages to heal up perfect,] the system suddenly chimed in.
''What do you mean?''
[She''s an Hexive with six eyes, meaning she has control over six elements, and now just as you have learned, one of those element include the rare Life element that can heal wounds.]
[Imagine having someone like that by your side in a battle.]
[Not only could she fight by your side, but she could also bring you back from the brink of defeat if you''re injured.]
[She''s worth keeping close.]
Nn hesitated.
[Didn''t you say before that you wouldn''t mind her dying and that she was just a random girl who deserved to die?] he reminded the system, recalling its earlier cold judgment.
[Circumstances change,] the system replied.
[And right now, she offers more advantages than disadvantages. Why can''t my thoughts about her evolve?]
[You need to learn to adapt, Nn. It''s an important skill.]
Nn scoffed.
[You''re a shameless oldie, but I have to admit, your advice tends to work in my favor.] Though the system''s choices didn''t always align with his own, Nn understood that it wasn''t purely self-serving.
It genuinely wanted to help him, even if it seemed shameless at times. That was why, despite its faults, he respected it and gave it credit where due.
Though, of course, Nn didn''t always follow its suggestions.
The system had made mistakes before, like when it had urged him to abandon Luna.
Had he done that, this opportunity wouldn''t have been possible.
He could now see the system''s point: Luna was capable of great potential.
She was starting to regain control of her powers, and one of her six eyes possessed the rare ability to heal.
Even if she was still weak now, one day, if she fully overcame her condition, she would grow much stronger and her six eyes definitely had the potential of such, and she would soon be a valuable ally—someone who could fight for him and also heal him.
The Luna who had been nothing but a burden at the beginning was now evolving into a usefulpanion.
"I guess my choice in the beginning wasn''t wrong after all," Nn mused with a smile as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness, after passing a small portion of his own energy to Luna to help burn off her frozen organs.
His Anti-Aether energy could continue to work within her without his constant intervention.
He''d been able to share his energy and still go to sleep, leaving the system to keep watch.
Before morning, the system would wake him, and he would retrieve his Anti-Aether energy along with all the cold from her frozen organ.
Silence remained in the room and gentle snoring filled the space,ing from Nn, whose wounds were now rapidly closing up.
Six eyes from across observed each and every wound healing swiftly, their gaze flickering with both interest and suspicion.
As the days passed, Luna had started to notice things about Nn—things that were strange.
After conducting her own research as to why the Dark Eyes group wanted him dead, she had discovered something surprising.
Nn wasn''t just any neer.
He was the first of the Newest Ascendants that were currently in the academy, a title that came with considerable weight.
His past intrigued her and even she had heard the rumors about him.
He was the odd anomaly, a student who couldn''t control his Divine Essence and others could.
Even as Luna trued to control Nn''s essence, she could see she could control it, something that should be impossible but she didn''t.
That confirmed to her she really was right and he truly was that odd anomaly.
But deeper truths were beginning to settle within Luna, especially as she noticed the mes within her burning away the injuries inside her body.
These mes—they were different.
Normally, when Divine Essence was passed into someone, it would transform to match the receiver''s essence.
Yet, no matter how much Luna tried to control the energy within her—Nn''s energy—she couldn''t.
It remained foreign, beyond her control.
It was like...it was like.
''These mes aren''t formed from Divine Essence.''
''They are something else.''
''Something... different.''