Valtava: Dragon Sword

Chapter 23

"How are you feeling now, Tony?" Janice asked as she placed a bowl of hot lamb soup in front of him.

"I'm much better, Aunt Janice. I think I'll be fully recovered by the end of today," Tony replied.

"That's great to hear. We have been struggling to keep up with our supplies, so I'm hoping we'll be able to set foot to the Northern Lands soon," Turbo said, blowing on his own bowl of soup to cool it.

"I wonder how the troops are doing in the north. It's been three days and we haven't heard a word from them!" Fennie said.

"Speaking of which, I think I see them coming our way!" Janice exclaimed, peering out the window of the tent.

They exited the tent and let out a sigh of relief when they saw that it was indeed a group of Emeradian troops. The horses came to a stop, and all the soldiers descended to the ground and bowed to Turbo. Among the crowd was Jackie, whose was catching his breath, face was covered in sweat and his robe splattered with dried blood.

"Greetings, General Turbo!"

"Get up, please! How was the battle? Is anyone hurt?" Turbo asked.

"We've only suffered minor injuries, but we've successfully defeated the Hollow Men and sent them back several kilometers to their camp!" one of the soldiers reported.

"That's amazing news! It's been hard on all of you, everyone take shelter and we'll have your injuries treated," Turbo instructed.

The soldiers stood up and dispersed among the tents. Katerlina ran up to Jackie and inspected him carefully. "Are you alright, Jackie? Did you get injured too?"

He smiled at the sight of her and shook his head. "Don't worry, Katerlina, I've just got some cuts and bruises." He was about to take a step forward when he suddenly lost all his strength and fell to his knees.

Katerlina caught onto his arms to stabilize him and cried, "What's wrong with you, Jackie?"

Everyone went up to him and worriedly looked at his pale face. "Jackie, are you alright? You don't look well," Tony said.

A nearby soldier joined the scene and explained, "Jackie has been fighting nonstop for the past three days. He never took a night to rest, so I'm afraid he has overworked himself."

"Quick, bring him inside to rest. I'll get someone to brew some herbal medicine for you," Turbo said to Jackie. He nodded weakly in gratitude, and Katerlina helped him into a tent.

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"Jackie, you're finally awake!" Katerlina exclaimed gently, placing a hand on Jackie's shoulder.

He opened his eyes and looked around, reminding himself where he was. His mind calmed when he saw Katerlina sitting on the bed next to him, her beautiful face peering down at him with a sense of longing. She helped him sit upright, and he asked, "How long have I been sleeping for?"

"It's evening now. You've been asleep soundly for the entire day, but I made sure no one came in to disturb you. Here, I helped brew some medicine for you." She reached to a table and picked up a bowl. Before he could take it into his hands, she raised the spoon and held it up to his lips. He grinned and let the spoon enter his mouth, where the bitter medicine seeped down his throat.

"Did you make this medicine yourself?" he asked curiously.

"I asked one of the soldiers to teach me."

"I see, you wanted to learn so that you can make me medicine every day!" Jackie snickered.

"Oh, stop it! You only know how to speak nonsense!" Katerlina said, nudging him with her elbow. She finished feeding him the bowl and was about to get up when he suddenly grabbed onto her hand.

"Wait, Katerlina, there's something I want to say to you," he said, his voice shifting to a serious tone.

"W-what it is?" she asked.

"When I was fighting the Hollow Men troops, there was a kind of energy propelling me forward that I never experienced before. Now that I reflect on it, I think it's because I knew that if the Hollow Men were to break through us and advance towards Emeradia, you would be in danger. I...I couldn't let that happen no matter what."

Katerlina stared at him for a moment, then looked away, her heart pounding in her chest. She was at a complete loss for words, trying to decide if her feeling towards him was right.

She felt his grasp on her hand tighten, and he continued, "Katerlina, once this war is over, I want to bring you back to Mount Hau with me."

She opened her eyes wide in shock. She wished with all her heart that she could say yes, but she knew that with her arrangement with Tony, it would be an impossible request to fulfil. Seeing that she was hesitant, his eyes glimmered with desperation, and he asked, "You...you're not willing?"

"Jackie, I..." She couldn't bear to look at him in the eyes. Still, a part of her could not bring up her engagement as she could only imagine the heartbreak it would cause for him. He suddenly began to cough uncontrollably, and he clutched his chest and cried out in pain.

"Jackie! Quick, lie down," she said, supporting his body as he flattened onto the bed. She covered him with a blanket, and seeing that his eyes were closed shut due to the pain, she whispered, "Have a night's rest, I won't disturb you now."

She carried the empty bowl and walked out the room. Tony, who had been quietly listening from outside, quickly ducked around the corner to avoid being seen. He stood there for a moment, replaying their conversation in his head. It seems like they both have feelings for each other. But with all the responsibilities I have yet to fulfil, how can I bring the same kind of happiness to her? Even after the war ends, she would still only have him in her heart. His chest sunk as he felt an additional burden on his shoulders.

"Tony, you don't have to stand there. You can come inside," Jackie's voice suddenly interrupted.

Tony jumped as he realized he was seen. He obediently walked into the room and bowed his head down to Jackie. "I hope I didn't bother you from your rest."

Jackie smiled and said, "Have a seat."

Tony followed his orders and asked, "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine, just have some muscle pains all over. Oh, I remembered I wanted to tell you about something interesting that happened when I was fighting the Hollow Men," Jackie said as he pulled himself upright.

"Oh? What is it?"

"In the past, I've only seen men fighting among them. But yesterday, there seemed to be a girl fighting on their side as well. She looked to be a young lady, but she was still equally strong."

"Really? Did you get into direct combat with her?" Tony inquired.

Jackie nodded. "I fought with her for several moves, but she eventually retreated with the rest of the Hollow Men. I also picked up something that she dropped." He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a shining golden bracelet.

Tony gasped when he realized it was no ordinary bracelet, but one that he had once held in his own hands. He took the bracelet and examined every detail of it, his hands trembling as thoughts scrambled within his mind.

"What's wrong, Tony? You look shocked."

"Ada...Ada..."

Jackie looked at him with a flustered expression. "Do you know the person this bracelet belongs to?"

Tony grabbed Jackie by the shoulders and asked, "What did the girl look like? Please describe her to me!"

Seeing his panicked state, Jackie responded, "She looked to be around the age of eighteen or nineteen. She had long black hair, tied up in a ponytail, with a thin layer of bangs at the front. She was wearing a mask, so I couldn't see much of her face unfortunately."

Tony stared into space, trying to imagine the girl he loved dearly and wondering if there could be such a miracle that she was still alive. He stood up and dashed out the tent, his hand clutching tightly onto the bracelet as he felt all the arteries within him flowing with hope.