This time, Bella Belinder slept with an unusual sense of peace, and her sleep was unusually long and strange. It seemed she had dreamed of something, yet it also seemed she had dreamed of nothing at all.
When a pair of suddenly appearing purple eyes startled her awake, she realized her body was swaying continuously and felt the wind blowing over her. Only then did the Blonde Witch discover that she was lying prone in Shade's arms, while everyone was already on the road back to the city.
Her clothes had been put back on, and she even had an extra hooded cloak to keep out the cold. She was sitting sideways before Shade, held in his embrace by one arm. Both her clothes and the person before her were providing warmth.
Shade also noticed that Miss Belinder had awakened, his voice carrying through the wind:
"Awake? The treatment was a success. We saw that you were asleep, so we didn't wake you. Please don't move your right shoulder for now. We haven't encountered any attacks, and we'll reach Saint George Stone Bridge soon. If you want to sleep, you can sleep a little longer."
She felt herself out. The sense of "absence" in her face and right shoulder had vanished. The flow of spirit through her body and soul was still somewhat sluggish, but the Four Elements had barely returned to balance.
"Mm."
She nodded gently in Shade's arms. The exhausted witch did not "reproach" Shade for his current impropriety. Instead, she tightened the hand that had somehow been holding his arm, then closed her eyes and leaned against his chest as she fell asleep again.
When Miss Belinder woke once more, the familiar ceiling was already before her eyes:
"Belinder Manor. We're back already."
This was her own