Rex's Resolve

High above, the luminous sunlight bathed the soft clouds in golden light. The blue sky sparkled as the sun scattered its rays.

The light spread, the wind whispered, the trees listened, and the leaves danced — living up the world below.

The birds continued their adventure with the morning breeze, telling their own story as the quietened forest progressed with its discussion.

Meanwhile, in a nearby land, people moved with purpose. Merry children rushed out of their homes like dazzling stars in the night, lighting up the village with their smiles.

However, there remained a place with heavy air, a silent force pressing down as Paul unveiled himself. Brown hair, weary eyes, fists clenched. He looked at the green-robed man in front of him and inquired.

"Rex, did he show any signs of breaking the silence and arising from his slumber?"

Rex shook his head and said.

"No! I've been observing him closely. There haven't been any signs of that yet."

"But his injuries seem to be healing quickly, even from the past few hours."

"In my years as a healer, I've never seen such a monstrous healing speed."

"Most of his injuries have healed in less than a day."

"But—"

Just as Rex was about to say something, Paul's face brightened as he jumped up and asked

"So, will he be alright?"

"Hmph, I was getting to that, but you interrupted me."

Rex chided, an annoyed expression crossing his face.

Upon seeing Rex's expression, Paul apologized with an awkward smile.

"Forgive me! I just got excited when I heard about my savior's recovery."

"You can speak now. I won't utter a single word without your permission."

Rex nodded, and as he was about to reply, his expression turned grave. His fist clenched, but he quickly replaced it with a smile.

"Don't worry, Paul. With his abnormal recovery rate and my healing, he'll be back on his feet soon enough."

A thought swirled in Rex's head as these words left his mouth.

"How could I be so heartless and tell you that, though that boy's recovery speed is extraordinary, it's draining every ounce of energy from his body as compensation?"

"His body was already deprived of energy, and now this recovery is absorbing what little energy he had stored, and that amount is so large that I can't keep up with it, even with my healing power."

Hearing Rex's reply, Paul heaved a sigh of relief, his face blooming like a flower.

"Haha, is that so? With the expression you just made, for a second, I thought you were going to say 'he can't be saved' or something like that."

"After hearing you, a boulder of weight has been lifted from my heart."

Rex's smiled awkwardly,

"Sorry for lying to you, my friend Paul, but I had no choice. I just couldn't tell you anything after seeing that bright smile."

And he commented.

"Hahaha, did I get you for a second there? Be assured, nothing will happen to him as long as I'm here."

Paul responded enthusiastically.

"That's for sure, after all, you're the best healer in our village."

Rex, his voice awkward, heaving a sigh in his mind, added.

"Yeah, and by the way, I forgot to mention, but Mr. Hauser was looking for you regarding the werewolf incident."

Upon hearing Mr. Hauser's name, Paul replied.

"Is that so? I'd better be on my way, or that old fart will not leave me alone until my ears bleed from his lectures."

Rex chuckled.

"Haha, yeah, you should go now, or you won't get off lightly this time."

Paul answered laughingly.

"Hahaha, yep, you're right. I barely escaped last time. Everything about that old man is good until he starts bickering."

Saying this, Paul turned around, about to leave, but then called back.

"Ah, I forgot to mention, but if anything happens to that young man, inform me instantly."

Rex, with a stiff smile and bit his lips as he spoke,

"Yeah! I'll make sure to do that. And you better get going fast before Mr. Hauser comes looking for you."

Hearing this, Paul felt a chill down his spine. Raising one hand, he turned his sturdy back toward Rex, slowly disappearing from his sight.

With Paul gone, the smile on Rex's face disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression. A hurricane of thoughts swirled in his mind as he walked.

Rex continued walking until he reached the room where I was slumbering. A cool breeze entered from outside, while sunlight shone brightly on my pale face.

Rex lifted the blanket, revealing my body, its flesh clinging desperately to the bones. My skin was paper-thin, the bone structure visible beneath it. I looked like a living corpse, with no life force left.

Only the faint sound of breathing indicated the small life force still lingering in my body. These were the effects of overusing the instant regeneration skill.

And when Rex looked at my dying body, his expression turned grim, and helplessness showed on his face.

"I wonder what expression Paul would've made if I had told him about your condition. I'm sure he would've blamed himself for everything, and that expression I despise would've shown on his face."

"At that moment, lying to you was the only option."

Rex glanced at me with woeful eyes, remembering the time Paul had brought me here, dripping in blood, clothes tattered, and wounded all over. I had been screaming unknowingly due to the effects of my skill.

"And what kind of life have you lived that made you scream like that in your sleep?"

"Why do you possess such harm-inflicting power?"

"And most of all, what was a child of your age doing in that dangerous forest?"

Rex's eyes were slightly teary as he thought this, his fists clenching tightly. There was frustration in his eyes.

"Why am I even called the best healer in the village?"

"A child is suffering before me. What can I even do to free him from this suffering?"

As Rex was thinking this, he suddenly noticed something.

My breathing grew louder — gasping, struggling to breathe — and my chest rose and fell violently. My body's flesh started thinning at a fast pace, as if every bit of life in me was being sucked out.

Sensing this, Rex's eyes widened, and he immediately extended his arm and chanted a desperate incantation.

"Vital Surge."

A warm green light manifested on Rex's palm, and a peculiar symbol materialized on his dorsum. This warm light flowed out from Rex's palm and made its way toward my belly before finally entering it. It was warm and filled with life.

As soon as it entered my body, the flesh that had been withering earlier slowly started regaining life; it glowed slightly, showing signs of recovery, while my body glowed with a green light.

But it didn't last long before it started withering again, faster than the green light could heal.

Witnessing this, Rex infused more green light, but the results were the same.

Clenching his fist tightly, Rex had a thought in his mind:

"Even if I can't heal him fully, I must keep him alive — for as long as possible."

Determination flashed in his eyes as countless thoughts flowed through his mind.

"What exactly is this power? It's clear that if it continues healing more, it will do more damage than it can heal."

"Is it a power that works by instinct? When it senses that the body has wounds, it starts healing instantly, which is quite great. But it has a big flaw — it works regardless of the situation."

"Then what if it had started working like this in the forest when this boy had gotten gravely injured, and there was no one to replenish the energy like I am currently doing?"

Rex stared at my withering body.

"In that case, this boy would've gotten more injured than healed, or he could've also died."

"Now, the real question is whether this boy can control this power with his will or not. If he can, then it has many benefits, but what will happen when he is gravely injured and faints?"

"It's going to be just death for him unless—"

Just as Rex was thinking this, the withering quickened. Rex also straightened his arm, murmured some chants, and more green light gushed out, directly flowing into my body.

Rex repeated this process.

His once determined face slowly started losing its determination.

His hands started trembling slightly… and he began losing focus as time slowly passed.

After some hours...

The darkness swallowed the light, the sun retreated, and a bright crimson moon took its place. A star-studded night descended, quieting the whole forest.

Night wind flowed through the forest, the mountains, the river, before finally passing through a window, whispering in my ears.

The room was gleaming with green light, as Rex continued healing me.

Quite some time had passed, and Rex hadn't stopped for a moment with the healing. Sweat flowed between his brows, his arm was shaking, and a slight redness colored his face.

Countless thoughts were brewing within him.

"How is time even moving? Has it stopped? Or am I stuck in some endless loop?"

Rex looked at me.

"If not, then why is he not showing any signs of awakening?"

"Am I doing it right or not?"

With each passing second, the once sturdy green light started wavering, its flow weakening with time… losing its denseness and getting dimmer and dimmer.

Time stretched on as floods of thoughts swept through Rex's mind.

"Why isn't it working? Why can't I save him?"

Rex's hands were shaking; drops of sweat started falling onto the floor, and Rex's expression became weary.

Rex looked at me intently, clenching his fists.

"My mana has already depleted quite a bit. I can't hold on for too long."

"If it progresses like this, I might also die in an attempt to save him."

"Is it even right for me to work this hard for a stranger?"

"Why should I care about him?"

"Should I give up and stop?"

Rex's vision started blurring, his eyes squinting...

Rex's hands began lowering unknowingly, and the green light started losing its glow...

His body was staggering.

Just as he was about to collapse, a scene flashed in his mind...

Paul's bright smile from earlier appeared before his eyes as he said those words:

"After all, you are the best healer of our village."

And a voice came into his head...

"I can't break the promise I made with my friend. I must succeed at any cost."

With that, a sudden brightness from the green light flowed out, more shining than any light of the past.

It directly started pouring in, overpowering the thinning.

It continued spreading all over my body, warming every part of it, giving it new life, as my body glowed like an emerald ruby.

While thoughts came into Rex's mind, his eyes were determined.

"I must not lose myself here. I must break my limit and push harder than any other time."

Rex looked at me.

"I'll be waking you up with a smack on your head."

With his newly found motivation, Rex continued pouring out his best.

Quite a while passed.

The crimson moon hid behind the clouds, painting the night in dark ink. There was complete silence… no sounds were heard.

Everything, every place, was covered in darkness… Yet one small house resisted this darkness as a green light shone bravely, eroding the gloom.

And there stood a man, with an indomitable will like that of a mountain glinting in his eyes… A radiant green light was coming from his palm and reaching my belly.

Some thoughts came to his mind, his eyes slowly losing their light as they stared at me.

"Dammit!!!"

"How long are you going to take to wake up?"

"Just wake up already. I can't continue like this for long."

"Please, open your eyes."

With Rex finally losing his strength, the green light began fading away...

Rex's eyes blackened, his vision getting covered with darkness, and he staggered and fell onto his knees.

His arm stayed in its place as the green light completely faded...

And his eyes finally closed, and he collapsed onto the ground...

But there was a smile on his face, as words left his mouth...

"You finally woke up."

To Be Continued.