Ayen ignored the ringing in his ears and the voice, which became increasingly agitated. They did not resemble Devion’s voice anymore, but instead a combination of various voices.

Ayen could not help but clench his teeth from the uncomfortable feeling the voice gave him. It was not just grating to the ears; they were noises that seemed not meant for the ears or any individual to hear.

Voices laced with corruption.

A sting throbbed in Ayen’s eardrums until he could only hear static in his ears. He felt something drip from his ears, which he suspected was blood.

Not long after, Ayen felt the same with his nose, now having a nosebleed.

It was painful, yes, but Ayen could adapt to such pain quickly. He began to clear his mind again, seeking help with the core.

Recklessly using it could prove taxing with his wavelength, but he had no choice. He had to complete the first guiding session with this curse as soon as possible.

Just as Ayen was concentrating on guiding Devion, despite the painful experience, Khal was also about to lose his mind. His jaw clenched tight as he composed himself not to do anything reckless.

Purposely stopping the guiding session was more dangerous... These words resounded in his mind like a mantra.

Khal took a deep breath and activated another artifact; soon it floated above Devion’s and Ayen’s heads. His hand then took an item resembling a ball and crushed it with his hand.

It had now become useless; its mana had been exhausted.

This was not the first one, but the third one. It had only been less than twenty minutes, and three special and rare items had been used up.

Khal’s eyes swept to the two; the corner of his lips had also been torn from being bitten so hard to control himself.

Taking a deep breath again, Khal’s arms with protruding veins stretched out and slowly wiped the blood around Ayen’s lips. His hands shook slightly as he did so, the whole situation messing with his mind.

Then, he went on Devion’s side to do the same. Khal could not clean the blood off them more efficiently because of the soil barrier around them.

He did not want to disrupt its flow by suddenly recognizing his wavelength and providing him with protection as well.

Khal only took about ten seconds before he withdrew his hand outside of its influence.

Since the start, Devion bled, Khal’s mind went blank, and he was torn between disrupting the whole situation and getting the jar to calm Devion.

Khal thought the relapse had happened; the guiding session was a failure.

However, when he was about to do so, Ayen also began bleeding. It was not as excessive as Devion’s but definitely alarming.

His mind was rational enough to notice the artifact dimming and change it to a new one. The bleeding did not stop, but Khal had realized Ayen had succeeded.

Yet, Khal could not bring himself to feel happy about that. This success was in the prospect of risking himself.

Khal’s hands clenched as veins protruded frighteningly around them. He could only bite his lips, ignoring the taste of blood. His heart was shaking, but he had to at least do something.

The jar... He took it and set it aside. It could not be abused for now because if he did, the guiding session would be interrupted, and both would receive backlash.

He proceeded to wipe the blood off their faces while being wary not to disrupt the artifact flow.

Khal’s face had long gone pale, and his whole body was actually shaking. Nervousness... fear...

He was not new to that.

Every time Devion’s curse manifested, Khal felt like his whole world was trembling. The anxiety of not being able to do anything, and the terrified thought that what if Devion succumbed to it?

For almost a decade, the gripping doom had settled within him. Khal was traumatized by it, the despair creeping in each time.

And now... It was a thousand times worse. The anxiety building up within him and making him powerless began to suffocate him.

It was not only Devion who had his life at risk; Ayen... was the same. Two of them were in the situation he least wanted to see.

Khal felt like dying just by the thought of that. He had never been so insignificant as he was feeling at this moment.

The cold in his heart gripped him as his breathing slowed down. Khal was having a panic attack; his shoulders moved as he tried to breathe and regulate his emotions.

His eyes grew bloodshot, the scent of blood influencing his mind.

The thought that this scent was a combination of two people precious to him continued to strain his sanity. His vision was darkening.

Even with his chest tightening and his labored breathing, Khal did not stop. His actions were purely operated on instinct.

He continued to wipe the fresh blood off Ayen and Devion, unable to stand the sight. He did not care if it was deemed useless when the blood continued relentlessly.

Khal was having a mental battle of his own, yet he never acknowledged it. He was more concerned with the two people in front of him.

The sound of Khal’s labored breathing resounded; his hand continued to tremble as he continued what he was doing.

Soon, Ayen’s and Devion’s hands suddenly fell, followed by their figures. Khal had not even calmed down yet, but his movements did not stop.

He caught Ayen first as he was a bit on the edge of the couch, about to fall over, and Devion slowly slumped on the couch. Khal lifted Ayen, shocked at the guide’s hot temperature.

Khal’s lips quivered before he bit them again. The temperature quickly dropped as he embraced Ayen, his clothes quickly becoming soaked with Ayen’s blood.

Khal then turned his gaze to Devion; the blood from his hand dripped to the floor. While it was less than the actual curse manifestation, the amount still made Khal’s mind go blank for a moment.

His eyes slowly turned to Ayen, who was also bleeding, but fortunately, there were no skin wounds like Devion.

Khal tightened his hold on Ayen, and he slowly lowered his head, and his quiet sobs resounded in the room.