Nox finally slipped into a deep slumber, the comforting presence of Tilda being the only anesthetic capable of soothing his tormented mind.

Tilda focused intently on the healing. Her powers, intrinsically linked to nature and life, manifested as a warm, verdant energy that coiled around Nox's physical injuries. The bruises, cuts, and muscle tears left by the Chimeric Cleaver and the Exsanguinator's explosion were rapidly beginning to seal themselves shut.

However, she knitted her brows. The physical recovery was quick and effective, but something far more subtle was actively resisting her touch.

"A Curse?" Tilda whispered to herself, her eyes fixed on Nox's chest, her tone laced with professional curiosity.

"No. Corrupted mana!"

Nox hadn't actually fallen victim to a genuine, complex curse but rather to a concentrated exposure to corrupted magical energy. It had taken the form of a dark, fine energy, as light as a mist, which had stealthily infiltrated Nox's entire nervous system. It wasn't designed to attack his life force directly, but rather aimed specifically at his emotional and mental stability.

"What kind of truly monstrous entity could have done this?" she questioned, a shiver running down her spine. She immediately grasped the perilous nature of the portal that Nox had entered. To manipulate mana with such subtlety and malicious precision was not within the capabilities of just any ordinary monster.

The Exsanguinator hadn't merely sought to psychologically break him by taking Tilda's appearance; it had left behind an energetic trace of dark mana, meticulously designed to sustain and nurture emotional chaos.

It had effectively anchored a mental venom within Nox just moments before its own death. This barely perceptible quantity of dark mana acted as a potent psychological poison that amplified feelings of guilt, fear, and general instability, constantly feeding self-doubt within its host. It would kill the body only very slowly, but its primary target was the victim's sanity and reason.

Tilda caused her own mana to vibrate with increased frequency, transforming the bright green healing energy into a soft, pale halo of pure gold. The vibrant green energy was excellent for mending the flesh, but the pure gold light was absolutely necessary for the essential purification of the spirit and the very soul.

The golden halo began to gently penetrate Nox's skin. He gave a soft, almost imperceptible moan in his sleep, a clear sign that the delicate purification process had finally commenced. He felt a wave of soothing, radiating warmth systematically chase away the lingering, cold residue of self-doubt and deep self-hatred.

A few intense minutes later, the pure golden glow slowly retracted. The insidious dark mist was utterly gone. Tilda sighed deeply, utterly exhausted. This had been a very unusual and demanding fight for her, but she had definitively succeeded.

The Exsanguinator had ultimately failed in its deliberate post-mortem vengeance.

She straightened her posture and looked down at her sleeping husband. Now that he was fully stabilized, he could easily recover the remaining energy by himself. She remained sitting patiently by Nox's bedside, peacefully contemplating him while he slept.

...

[ A Few Hours Earlier... ]

As she had done every single morning for more than a fortnight, Tilda woke up exceptionally early. After performing all her routine morning activities, she began preparing meticulously for her outing.

She had made the decision to pay a visit to the magnificent Citadel of Kyralia, the precise location where Nox spent the majority of his time. And, like the civil, highly respected person she was, she had already secured the Emperor's approval the previous day, after submitting her visit idea to him.

After she was finally ready, she and Tiffa got into the waiting carriage that the Emperor had assigned to them for the visit, which had been patiently waiting for several minutes. She set off for the Citadel, driven by the intense missing of Nox and a genuine desire to reconnect by visiting the places he often frequented.

After completing a tour of the entire Citadel, she decided that she wanted to visit Nox's personal chamber. To her utter surprise, absolutely no one stopped her; in fact, the guard responsible for the area even granted her explicit permission to enter. This made her feel a little disconcerted, giving her the strong impression that the Emperor and his close associates were readily indulging her every whim.

"They should really respect the personal lives of the Guardians," she thought to herself, a slight frown on her face.

As she stepped into Nox's room, she wondered fleetingly if Nox had ever even mentioned her to the Emperor or his immediate friends. She felt her cheeks flush at the very thought, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed by the speculation.

"But he hasn't even officially come to meet my parents yet," she muttered under her breath, a playful smirk playing on her lips.

Tilda slowly strolled through Nox's chamber, carefully examining the personal items that belonged only to him. She noticed a small, beautifully crafted wooden casket on his bedside table, with a particular symbol engraved on its lid. Curious, she opened it and discovered a photograph of herself, taken during a grand palace ball. Nox had kept this picture with him all this time?

She felt her heart utterly melt, deeply touched by this small, significant gesture. "He's hiding things from me," she thought, a joyous smile spreading across her face. She continued to carefully explore the room, discovering various notes and detailed maps that seemed to be directly related to his active missions.

Suddenly, she heard a distinct noise behind her. She spun around, startled, and saw Nox standing silently in the doorframe, his gaze intensely fixed upon her.

"Why, out of all possible moments, does he have to show up on the very day I decide to come here?" she mentally exclaimed.

She was completely caught off guard.

Normally, she would have immediately cracked a joke to lighten the atmosphere. But seeing the terrible state Nox was in, the playful expression on her face instantly crumbled.

Tilda immediately moved toward him, her eyes quickly filling with unshed tears.

"Nox, oh Nox," she whispered tenderly, pulling him tightly into her arms.

But almost instinctively, for some unknown and immediate reason, Nox had quickly pushed her away.

"Is this trauma related to the dangerous portal he just managed to close?" she silently theorized.

Tilda approached him again, this time with a deep sense of tenderness and affection, which finally caused Nox to let down his guard. While treating him, she immediately understood the source of his profound distress and very quickly neutralized it.

Soon after, held securely in her arms, Nox fell deeply asleep. Gazing at him sleeping so peacefully, Tilda blushed fiercely, feeling a sudden flood of decidedly impure thoughts inundate her mind.

...

Three demanding hours later, Nox finally woke up. The heavy fatigue still persisted, but the intense pain and the mental confusion had significantly and immediately lessened. He was completely alone in the room. A simple note was neatly placed on the bedside table.

"I have gone to check on the state of the other Guardians. There must be other injured people out there. Don't worry at all, and please rest for a little longer to fully recover. — Tilda."

Nox pushed himself up, a new and firm sense of determination in his eyes. He was no longer a broken man, just a very bruised one. He quickly put on some light attire and headed directly toward the Citadel's large conference room.

He found Johan, Jack, and the other survivors, all looking very somber, gathered tightly around a massive table.

"Nox! You are here," Johan said immediately, pure relief clearly visible in his eyes.

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