Wait… Were they shouting—danger?

In an instant, I snapped my eyes open as danger struck me—but it was already too late.

A blue barrier materialized out of thin air, only to shatter into glittering specks. A grayish-white light expanded before my eyes—relentlessly.

The next moment, searing pain ripped through my entire body, flooding my mind.

A childlike wail tore through the forest… I didn’t even know I could scream that loud. But there was no time to think. White-hot agony blanked my thoughts.

"Yiyi…? Yiyi!"

I saw Master… that guy. His right hand clawed at empty air. In his left, a teleportation scroll lay unused—activated too late. He stood frozen, dazed. *Good*, I thought faintly. *Maybe this cursed Contract will finally break.*

Then—CRACK!

A fresh wave of pain exploded across my back like electric current. I heard wood splintering as my body, launched like a missile, smashed through tree trunks. Leaves rained down, blurring my vision.

*Thud—*

The shrieking wind died. My body slammed into the muddy earth beside the Elven Spring. Momentum dragged me through weeds until a broken branch pinned me down. Pain flared everywhere: my chest crushed by a beam like a cannonball, my ankle trapped under timber, skin pricked by gravel. My clothes had vanished. Naked, smooth, and fragile-looking—I lay exposed like a little girl.

So… painful…

I shook my head. Sweat beaded in my hair, sticky on my forehead.

"Yiyi! Yiyi!"

Master’s voice rushed closer. Relief washed over me…

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry…"

Warmth pressed against my skin. He held me tight, panic and worry twisting his face. Through the Contract, the pain melted away. Only his warmth filled my mind.

"O Light Spirit, heal this wounded one before me…" His chant for a healing spell reached my ears. A gentle warmth spread from his arms through my body. It didn’t fix much—but it felt so soothing.

"Thank goodness… Little Yiyi’s alright…" His voice cracked. "Seriously, after just one tiny hit? My Contract Beast shouldn’t be this fragile…"

*Wait.* Despite the agony, I realized—I wasn’t actually hurt.

That blast would’ve totaled a car. Not just popped airbags.

Yet on me? Only pain. No wounds.

*Huh.* I vaguely recalled reading that Angel bodies were incredibly durable… Back then, I’d grumbled about my weak, childlike form and doubted the book. But now… Angels really were hard to break. *Break?* I meant—hard to injure.

"Xia, the time?"

As he cast an enhancement spell and heaved the branch off my reddened calf, I caught the distant elves’ conversation.

"Mmm, Master? They ran into other monsters too. The War Ancient Tree won’t get here for ten minutes. Seriously, that big slowpoke… When we get back, I’m setting fire to its head!"

"If we get back," Tida replied, her face grim despite Xia’s teasing. "The next strike’s coming. Xia—defend."

"Got it! Don’t worry, Master! Xia will guard you for ten minutes—even if it drains all my magic!"

But for an Elemental Spirit like her, "draining all magic" meant only one thing. Even I, who’d never met one before, understood.

Tida’s expression shifted. Her voice stayed calm: "It’s fine. Take all my magic."