This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Chapter 501: Chapter 501: For Serena's Sake (2)

Kain stared at the glowing cube-shaped device in his hand, its surface now pulsing with a steady, vibrant purple light. The energy from Pangea's core had brought it back to life, but the cost had been immense.

At least a third of the forests of Pangea were withering, many of the rivers furthest from the oceans were drying up, and the planet's spiritual energy decreased to a level that was unsustainable for the strongest creatures.

The earthquakes and tsunamis had left destruction in their wake, and the strongest creatures on the planet had fallen into a deep hibernation. Even Aurem, who had grown so powerful since hatching, was now dormant. Meanwhile, the weaker creatures that remained were struggling to survive due to the changes in the environment, but unlike the high-level spiritual creatures, they do not possess the power to combat Mother Nature.

Kain knelt beside Serena, his fingers tightening around the newly charged device. The violet glow pulsed in his hands, steady and strong, but as he brought it closer to her, doubt flickered in his mind. Would this be enough? Had all that suffering, the strain on Pangea, been worth it?

Prismarin hovered nearby, its luminous eyes locked onto Serena with an intensity that Kain rarely saw. "Activate it," it urged. "Don't waste time."

Kain exhaled sharply. He placed the device against Serena's chest, pressing it lightly against the fabric of her uniform. The Order had a similar healing device, whose technology had supposedly been obtained from another relic in the past. If the Order's healing device came from a similar relic, this one might function the same way. But there was no certainty.

The sigils on the cube flared to life, the soft violet glow bathing her in light. For a long moment, nothing happened.

Then, Serena stirred.

Her brows twitched, her lips parting ever so slightly as the golden light surrounding her flickered in response. The tension in her body seemed to ease, the rigid stillness giving way to something softer. Her breathing, once so shallow it was barely perceptible, grew steadier. Color returned to her face—not much, but enough that the change was noticeable.

The Prismarin's ears stood up. "She's—"

"Not awake," Kain finished, swallowing back frustration. Relief that they had seemingly chosen a suitable device and the attempt wasn't wasted, warred with bitter disappointment. She looked better, but she still hadn't opened her eyes. The healing had helped, but it wasn't enough.

Kain's mind raced. He couldn't afford to make another blind guess. He didn't have the luxury of time or resources to waste. The cost of failure wasn't just Serena's life—it was Pangea itself.

Pangea was an irreplaceable resource for Kain, and he suspected he'd only managed to uncover a fraction of its capabilities. Moreover, its existence was so intricately tied with him, who knew if its destruction won't have crippling or life-threatening consequences for him.

Kain really didn't want to attempt this a third time, he needed certainty with the next attempt. And there was only one way to get it.

His eyes flicked to Balens, who stood silently at the foot of the dais. The wish-granter had been unable to heal Serena directly, but perhaps it could help in another way. Kain will likely have to deal with the backlash from the wish, and had been hoping to avoid Balens' help, but now he saw no other choice.

"Balens," Kain said, his voice hoarse but firm. "I need you to make a wish. Identify the next device we should charge. Tell me which one will help Serena the most."

Balens' scales trembled ever so slightly, the delicate chains that held them swaying as if burdened by an invisible weight. The face carved into its center, usually like an emotionless judge, now bore a subtle downturn at the corners of its mouth, its hollow gaze dimmed with something close to sorrow. A soft metallic creak echoed through the chamber—an unspoken lament for its own powerlessness.

It took a while for the dejected creature who resembled legal scales to respond to Kain. Clearly, its inability to heal Serena had taken a huge toll on it. This was likely the first time it had run into something it couldn't simply wish away. Moreover, as Serena's first contract, who had known her since she was quite young, it had an extremely close bond with her—beyond even her close relationship with her other contracts.

Balens' expression shifted slightly as it finally seemed to hear Kain. The air around it seemed to shimmer as it focused its power. A faint, silver light emanated from its body, and for a moment, the chamber was filled with a soft, melodic hum. Then, the light it emitted seemed to concentrate on a single object—an unassuming cylindrical object covered in glowing sigils.

Kain's eyes narrowed as he picked up the cylindrical device. It was heavier than he expected, its surface cold to the touch. The faint sigils etched into its surface were dull. This device, like the others, had been drained of its energy over time.

"Alright," Kain muttered, steeling himself. "Let's do this."

He held the cylindrical object in his hands and closed his eyes, focusing once more on the connection he shared with Pangea. The planet's core pulsed faintly within him, and once again allowed the energy to flow through him and into the device.

Kain's breath came in short bursts, his body trembling with the effort and black began to creep into the corners of his vision. He could feel the immense soul-deep pain, the weight of Pangea's suffering pressing down on him. But he pushed through, determined to see this through. Finally, with a final surge of energy, the device was fully charged, its surface glowing with a bright, steady light.

The Prismarin hopped closer, its luminous eyes filled with concern. "Kain… are you alright?" Although, it and this human had previously only met when fighting, and so their relationship was not the best, seeing Kain's current efforts made him warm up to him a lot. He had no idea how Kain was charging these devices, something that they had previously tried to have Balens attempt unsuccessfully, but it could be seen it took a huge toll on Kain.

Kain nodded, though he could feel the strain in every fiber of his being. "I'm fine. But that's it. I don't think I can even make the third attempt..." Kain explained after seeing the devastation to the planet that seemed even worse the second time. The entire planet was now practically devoid of any life, those stronger or lucky simply fell asleep or hid, while those unlucky weaker creatures had died. Kain himself wasn't even confident that he could stay conscious through a second attempt.

Kain placed the cylindrical device on the platform near Serena. The golden light of the chamber seemed to react to it, and even took on a violet hue.

However, in a gruesome sight, a viscous liquid resembling a black-purple blood began to drain out of her eyes, nose, and mouth. If anything, she looked even worse than before. All of her contracts began to frantically surround her as they tried to figure out what was going wrong.

Kain's heart sank. He had given everything he had, but it still wasn't enough. He slumped to the ground, his body trembling with exhaustion. The darkness that had been creeping along the edges of his vision, finally consumed him.