The lion had vanished, leaving only Eugene and the Treader merged as one—just as when he first arrived and preserved his life within the enigmatic creature.
What vexed Eugene was that he remained injured, exactly as before.
He had left this place in the same condition he now found himself in it.
They were still inside the spacious room beneath the castle, where light filtered from behind the wall, illuminating the entrance they could see ahead.
A flurry of activities was happening above in the castle.
She entered the room. The Treader was agitated with excitement, its loyalty to this human exceeding anything it had ever experienced.
"You're back!" she said, her voice laced with fatigue and her eyes drooping from lack of sleep.
She knelt before the Treader and frowned. It had grown smaller than before, but there was also an unfamiliar essence mixed with other energies within it.
*It's brimming with vitality, yet still not healed!*
