Re-Awakened: Echelon Supreme

A dark horse and a brown horse traveled side by side along the riverfront. The brown horse had no rider, while two people rode on the dark one. One was a large woman with a concerned expression on her face; the other, a handsome twelve-year-old boy. The boy was unconscious, his face smeared with blood, his breathing shallow, and his skin ghostly pale.

Torgana carried Noyan on the horse as they hurried to meet with Lady Naran. Crossing the river, Torgana patted the horse, urging it to hurry. The horse neighed excitedly and galloped like the wind. Beside it, the brown horse, feeling the urgency, let out a snort and also galloped along.

Torgana looked at Noyan's face and shook her head. She noticed his limp, broken arm and furrowed her brows. She was not worried for Noyan's life; like Noyan, she also had an unreasonable amount of confidence in Lady Naran's healing skills. Thinking this, Torgana recalled something and smiled. "The madam would naturally be able to save the young prince. After all, my condition at that time was far worse than this. I was almost dead…" She thought while caressing the hideous scar on her face with a bitter smile.

Torgana sighed, 'It's best to let go of such painful memories…' She thought to herself, lowering her gaze.

Feeling the sensation of the cold wind smashing against her face, Torgana relaxed as she began thinking about some things, even if she tried not to. After all, the things she had seen were really not ordinary.

Torgana knew that she hadn't hallucinated. The direwolf from earlier was actually an Irregular beast! The way that direwolf was able to use wind for attack and defense, it was quite evident that it was no ordinary beast. It could actually use sorcery to some degree!

Such beasts were not completely rare, but they weren't common either. In fact, Torgana herself hadn't seen many of them in her life. Fortunately, the ambush was successful. There was also the matter of poisoning…

Torgana frowned. The Nomads of the Sumerû Plains believed that the use of poison was a mark of a coward. Naturally, Torgana did not look favorably upon those who used poisons.

However, even she couldn't deny that the kinds of poison Noyan and his mother were accustomed to using were not normal at all! She had seen many kinds of strange poisons during her service to the madam. These poisons were extremely potent and strange, so much so that it was hard for a normal person to counter them. But even for an awakened one like herself, it would be a huge headache.

Torgana wasn't particularly surprised by Noyan's use of poison, his courage, or his cunning. What drew her attention the most was his last strike against the direwolf. Torgana was very shocked after seeing the aftermath of the battle. The force behind that slash was so strong that the knife had chipped completely, and the sturdy teeth of an Irregular beast had shattered!

Torgana knew what this meant, and that's precisely why she was so astonished. She was certain that only an awakened warrior, thoroughly cleansed by the Greenglow found in that cave and with a superior Bloodline Tattoo, could achieve this.

Thinking of this, Torgana really thought that the little guy she was holding was a monster through and through. Not only was he clever, brave, and fearless—but he also carried some unspeakable secrets.

As Torgana realized that her thoughts were flowing in the wrong direction, she sighed and resolutely cleared her mind. She vowed that she would not think about this any longer as it went against her principles. This was also the reason why Lady Naran trusted Torgana completely.

After crossing the river, it did not take long for the horses to reach where Lady Naran was waiting.

Torgana quickly tied the two horses to the trees, then carried Noyan to Lady Naran, who was sitting calmly by the riverbank. However, for some reason, Torgana felt that something was off as she looked at her madam.

Lady Naran's emotionless face twitched as she laid her eyes upon the miserable condition of Noyan. Looking at Torgana, she asked, "What happened?"

Torgana shook her head in exasperation. With a bitter smile, she began reporting everything that Noyan had done, not leaving a single thing out, including her doubts regarding his unusual burst of strength.

Hearing the final part of Torgana's recounting, Lady Naran's eyes flashed with an imperceptible glimmer. Perhaps because she had suffered a major emotional setback recently, or because Noyan's condition was really too miserable this time—but Lady Naran looked at her son gently, her eyes brimming with pride.

To Torgana's shock, Lady Naran laid her son's head on her lap. She then lowered her head and gently kissed Noyan on his forehead. Naturally, she had already taken the antidote, and her lips were no longer blackened; only a little pale.

Seeing this touching scene, Torgana smiled awkwardly, "Madam, oh madam… if only you would show such love to him while he's conscious." She mused while moving back tactfully, giving the mother and son some privacy. However, her gaze did not leave them, as she desired to witness the miracle of healing sorcery once again.

Lady Naran was smiling, looking at her son. Seeing his small and pale face, she first took away the 'pendant' from his chest. Then, she muttered to herself in hopelessness, "Little guy, it seems like you really overdid it this time." Then, her smile faded as she continued helplessly, "But perhaps that's for the best. Fortunately, nothing severe happened."

Lady Naran took a deep breath. She then placed her hands on Noyan's chest, closed her eyes, her face glowing with solemn beauty as she began the treatment.

First, she opened the lid of a potion bottle she had already prepared. Then, she gently pressed the bottle's mouth on Noyan's mouth and got him to drink it. She then brought out a few pills and fed him directly. Next, she pierced his pressure points with acupuncture needles and began channeling her magical power through his body.

A few minutes passed, and color had already returned to Noyan's skin. His breathing was now no longer as labored, his expression also becoming much gentler; as if he was no longer in pain.

Lady Naran followed this procedure for nearly half an hour. Now, she no longer looked as elegant as before. Her entire body was sweaty, as if she was boiling in a hotpot. Her hair was messy and stuck to her forehead due to the sweat. She looked very, very exhausted, but her face was still calm and expressionless.

Torgana observed all this from far away and sighed. She felt that she was sighing a lot this day, but she couldn't help it. "I wish the young prince won't hate his mother… alas, I wish he knew how much she suffers daily for his sake." She thought bitterly.

A lot of time passed, but Lady Naran was still attending to her son. Finally, she took out the needles from his body. Her body was trembling from deep fatigue, but the work was still not done, far from it.

Lady Naran took a short break. She then gave Noyan a loving look—it seemed she really was very shaken from the earlier incident as something like this would never happen otherwise.

Noyan was still unconscious. But suddenly, he could feel a warmth reach the depths of his soul as if a warm breeze of spring tugged at his heartstrings. Subconsciously, Noyan felt incredibly relaxed and comfortable, as if there were no worries in the world and as if he was floating in the clouds. Of course, he didn't know what was happening outside.

At this moment, Lady Naran was breathing heavily, as if each breath took her entire strength. Her palms were glowing with a soft, cyan light. This light also enveloped Noyan's entire being, healing his body and soul.

Seeing this magical scene, Torgana felt happy, but she also felt pity. Torgana was awestruck seeing the lovely green particles floating around like fireflies. At the same time, she was proud of the fact that, apart from two others, only she knew this secret—Lady Noyan was a rare healing type Apostle. She possessed the gift of sorcery, which was incredibly rare in the world! In fact, the reason why those with such powers were called 'Apostles' was because they were said to have been blessed by the Gods, thus, they carried his message, so they were his Apostles.

Basking in the cyan light, Noyan slowly opened his eyes. 'Am I dreaming?' he thought shortly, vaguely seeing a smile on his mother's face. "Sleep…" He heard faintly, and once again lost consciousness.

The sun was up in the sky in all its glory. Noyan was quietly lying on a rock, wearing a smile as he slept peacefully after getting healed by his mother. He would need more rest to completely recover but was now completely fine.

Lady Noyan, who had cleaned up in the river after exhausting herself, still looked very weak and fragile. It was clear that spending so much of her power had taken a big toll on her. But it was definitely worth it to do so.

Seeing Noyan well, Torgana was relieved. It was then that she remembered once again that something seemed very off about Lady Naran. Walking up to her, Torgana was full of hesitation to ask.

"Torgana, what is it?" Lady Naran asked.

"My Lady… Well, are you fine?" Torgana asked with a knowing look as her eyes briefly glanced at a large black patch on the ground in the distance.

Lady Naran smiled, "Don't worry, I have handled it. You don't need to pay attention to it." She answered, refusing to elaborate further.

Torgana was very doubtful but, in the end, decided not to meddle needlessly. The Lady would naturally ask for her if it was necessary.

Suddenly, Lady Naran giggled. Looking at her son, she felt that perhaps he could really do it. She was very proud and happy. With high spirits, she turned towards Torgana and said, "Let's go back, we're already late. Everyone will be alarmed."

Torgana nodded, then, Lady Naran got on the brown horse, and Torgana on the darker one as she carried Noyan like a rice dumpling. With cheerful neighs, the horses then galloped, rapidly leaving the Aanjin river behind, leaving behind the significant events that had transpired there, heading towards the Ulaan's Tribe settlement.