The feeling of blood sliding across the skin is like being caressed by someone.

On the fifteenth level of the Silent Spiral, Gwen looked up and watched Igula's blood slide down her arm. A strange thought suddenly passed through her mind—so his blood is also warm.

But this is no good omen.

Igula is already in a severely injured status, even still in life-threatening danger. The concentrated attack by the Black Feather Guard injured most of his organs, even breaking some ribs, one of which pierced his lung. If not treated in time, he might have already stepped into Hell by now.

But even so, he remains in a state of massive blood loss and other negative statuses. The Water Therapy Technique Spirit's treatment is also based on consuming life force. After such a severe injury, Igula has lost at least several years of life, depleting the life force stored in all his cells. Ordinarily, he should immediately fall into a deep sleep for recovery.

Like how Ash slept soundly every time his body was wrecked in Shattered Lake Prison, waking only when fully rested on the Medical Practitioner's bed.

The reason the Swindler can still remain conscious now is that he's using mind magic to deceive his body. Even if he suddenly passes out the next second, his body has done all it can for him.

But to pull Gwen up, Igula had to squeeze out the last bit of energy from his body. His freshly clotted wounds burst open again, and his newly healed muscles tore anew. This ragged doll continues to spill its stuffing.

Plop.

A drop of blood ran down the back of his hand, slid across his knuckles, and landed on Gwen's face. This was the first drop, but not the last.

Soon, Igula's right hand turned into a bloody arm, with all the wounds on his arm and shoulder splitting open again. Although Gwen couldn't see, the wounds on other areas of Igula's body, like his left hand, chest, and waist, surely cracked open too.

Gwen quietly watched Igula's bleeding right hand without speaking. Igula kept holding her arm tightly, his nails almost embedded in her flesh, not speaking either.

Suddenly, Gwen drew the dagger from her waist. It was a gift from Ash, custom-made in Black Robe Town, with a walnut handle and a black steel blade. The blade was inscribed with the golden name "Gwen," no surname, just the name, which Gwen liked very much, hesitant to use it ordinarily.

However, she now trembled as she summoned the Technique Spirit, first cutting her already tattered pants, exposing her smooth, taut thigh, then—

"What are you doing?"

"Losing weight," Gwen explained succinctly.

"It's pointless," Igula said calmly. "If it's just a weight issue, you could spread the Void Wings and fly up yourself. But you can't resist the downward pull, and I can't pull you up an inch, which shows we're up against a Miracle, something beyond natural gravity."

"It does make sense," she said gently, "at least it means you don't have to pull me so hard."

"If there was something I needed you to do, I would tell you," Igula said coldly. "Don't be presumptuous. If you have nothing to do, just feel carefully and tell me if you notice anything unusual."

Gwen closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then said, "…I feel like I'm in a waterfall, endless rapids washing over me… and the rapids are so fine, like they can pass through my body…"

"I, I feel like I'm a drop of water in the stream."

Igula was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You have a Water Therapy Technique Spirit, see if there's any change in your body."

Gwen summoned the Water Therapy Technique Spirit, using the power of the water flow to check inside her body. After a while, she slowly shook her head, her voice somewhat dry, "I… didn't find any problem."

Igula looked at her for a long while, then closed his eyelids, "It's good if there's nothing."

But Gwen opened up, "Igula, I've always wanted to tell you all a joke, but never found the chance to slip it in as naturally as Ash."

Igula said, "Of course, he's already stupidly free-willed."

"You know, in Senluo's nights, there's only dark green, no moon, no stars," Gwen said. "But I'm a Star Mage, isn't that funny?"

The Swindler's mouth twitched with a trace of blood, clearly indicating internal bleeding from his internal wounds starting to rupture. Yet he smiled, "You indeed have no talent for telling jokes."

"I only learned about stars from books," Gwen said. "They appear in the night, twinkling and lighting up the earth, so even at night, it doesn't stay dark; they form many patterns, numerous light bands, the starry sky is prettier than the day; there's even a miracle of meteors, where making a wish on them will fulfill your desires…"

"I quite envy you for having such unrealistic fantasies at your age, though that last one is practically an urban legend," Igula said. "You would be disappointed."

"I won't," Gwen said. "Even if there's only one star in the night, I would be satisfied. I always thought when I was little, the night is so dark, yet so vast, it's terribly lonely, but even one star shining in the night wouldn't make it seem so alone."

"Surely there are many who, like me, are lonely at night staring at the pitch-black sky. If a star accompanies us, at least we would have a friend."

"I thought like that every night, and before I knew it, I summoned the Starlight Technique Spirit." Gwen turned her head to look at the blue light on her shoulder, "I've always felt that I'm not the only Star Mage. Surely there are many people like me, looking at the empty night, dreaming of the sparkling stars."

Igula suddenly coughed twice, then closed his mouth tightly, making a swallowing motion, his voice hoarse, "You organize this and tell them this joke next time, I guarantee Ash and Qikara will at least chuckle."

Gwen looked at him dumbfounded, and softly said, "Don't hold it in, if you need to vomit, just do it."

Igula said, "I just think coughing up blood looks ugly."

Gwen shook her head, took a deep breath, and said, "Actually, I lied to you just now, I do feel some changes in my body. The invisible rapids are eroding me as they wash over. Although nothing's changed yet, once a threshold is crossed, I might collapse."

She said softly, "Just like water would dissolve in water."

"Hmm, I guessed as much."

"You guessed?"

"Who do you think you are, who do you think I am?" Igula said coldly, "I'm the Swindler, I can discern someone's personality in half an hour, and you've been around me for over a month. Do you think there's anything left you could hide from me?"

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