The trio took a moment to recover from their recent battles. Ayla, her body riddled with wounds, struggled to walk and had to lean heavily on Vale's shoulder for support as her injuries slowly healed.
Vale wasn't faring much better. He had exhausted every drop of mana essence to defeat the two doppelgangers and was running on fumes. Even summoning his weapon felt like a monumental effort. Without devouring a few mana crystals, using his blade's enchantment—let alone tapping into his unique ability—was impossible.
Klein was arguably in the best shape of the three. His mana reserves were still decent, though he hadn't fully recovered from his clash with the Rat King. Each step brought a fresh wave of pain, but the student gritted his teeth and pushed forward.
