Nesis appeared in the room where Kyle's unconscious body lay. His figure was blurry, but he wiped his forehead with a trembling hand as if he had sweat on it. Today was the worst day of his life.
He glanced around and almost freaked out because the room, which had a faint layer of ice before, was now completely frozen. Thick ice covered everything, and even the curtains had stopped moving. Then, he looked at Kyle's body and saw that ice had completely enveloped him in a tight embrace.
Nesis cried out when he saw his original form, the bracelet from which he emerged. It was also frozen into ice on Kyle's wrist.
He quickly bent down and started breaking the ice. No way, he was gonna stay here after completing his end of the deal! After all, he knew that even if the essence let him go, there was no way the cruel human would.
The man hissed when the ice seeped into his fingers as he tried to reach the bracelet, freezing his skin completely.
"I can't admit defeat!"
He summoned all his strength and white smoke emerged from his forehead. Nesis grabbed the bracelet, and as the ice started to melt, he snatched it away. However, his eyes widened as a loud and clear cracking sound echoed in the air.
The man stared at his original form and dropped to his knees.
"Oh my gosh... Another crack? How am I going to repair it? It's going to take at least fifty years!"
Nesis stared at the human, but first, he formed a small portal mid-air and quickly tossed the white bracelet inside. He wanted his original body to be in a faraway place. He sighed with relief after securing himself.
"Now, I will just heal his injury and disappear before he wakes up."
He hurriedly sat down beside Kyle. His heart ached at the thought of the amount of energy he would waste, but if he didn't, his consciousness would explode. He had no other choice.
"Damn it, it's gonna take me days just to remove the icy layer above his chest."
His eyes glowed, and white smoke emerged from his body, gathering above Kyle's chest. To his surprise, the ice above the latter's heart moved on its own, giving him enough access.
"Haha, why does it feel like I've been scammed? The essence is making way for me so easily as if it already knows that I don't have the guts to harm its host."
Nesis laughed, but his eyes were filled with regret. He easily passed through the dormant blue shield on Kyle's skin and guided the white smoke toward the human's heart.
The man closed his eyes to concentrate. After all, if he made even the tiniest mistake, he would die instantly. Yes, it was hard to admit, but he knew it wasn't the human who would die. He would be the one suffering the consequences.
After just a few minutes, he discovered the small hole in the middle of the human's heart, where dark red energy had stopped the surrounding area from healing the center part.
A lot of faint blue particles were surrounding the energy, but they weren't daring to move too violently inside the human's heart. That's why they could only slowly try to destroy the energy, so as not to harm its host.
...
After an hour, the mana in the room shook violently, and the ice around the majestic bed in the center cracked loudly, scattering into large chunks.
Kyle's heart, which had stopped beating for a long time, finally made a low beat, like a gentle breeze. Then, with each passing second, the beats grew stronger and more frequent. Some faint sounds echoed in the room, and after another minute, his heart found a steady rhythm, full of life. It was a bit weaker than before, but as time passed, it picked up its pace until it finally found the perfect rhythm.
The room echoed with the sound of a harsh breath, and Kyle's fingers began to move. He couldn't open his eyes because of the layer of ice, but he noticed it starting to melt as soon as he moved. A lot of familiar yet unfamiliar knowledge appeared inside his head and he momentarily paused in his actions.
Dazed, Kyle blinked away the drops of water clinging to his lashes and gazed up at the frozen ceiling. It was completely covered in ice. He let out a deep sigh.
"Finally... Nesis?"
He called out, but there was no response. The bed creaked as he shifted his body to a more comfortable position, sitting up. He looked around the room, adorned with many antiques, but found no other presence.
"Huh, don't tell me that bastard ran off?"
Kyle snarled, realizing that guy was pretty sharp. The man had actually left before he could open his eyes.
"He did check my past, and I guess he would have sensed that I wouldn't let him go so easily."
He shifted his hand slightly, feeling his muscles twitch a bit. Well, it was to be expected after being immobile for so many months.
Kyle clenched his fists and closed his eyes, channeling the mana inside his body. Slowly, he regained some strength and removed the frozen blanket draped over him before stepping onto the floor.
His feet were bare, and he felt a cold sensation from the icy surface, but it didn't bother him much.
Kyle gazed at the window in the distance and moved his hand. He wanted to try melting the ice around him, but he knew it would be better not to exert too much strength abruptly, especially since he had just woken up.
"I still can't sense Bia?"
He closed his eyes, and after a few seconds, he did sense the presence of the phoenix in a faraway place, but it was very faint, almost as if their connection was barely holding on.
"It seems like I was completely isolated from the outside world. That's probably why I felt like our connection had been broken. I can still sense it weakly. It might take some time, but I believe it will recover if she stays near me for a while."
