Damascus returned to his original form before kneeling beside the unconscious human.
Without much effort, he slipped one arm beneath Ellio's back and the other beneath his knees before lifting him from the muddy ground.
The human was astonishingly light.
So light that Damascus almost questioned whether he was carrying a person at all. It felt as though he had picked up nothing more than a feather.
His lips had turned pale from the cold, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably beneath the relentless rain. Seeing his condition, Damascus instinctively drew the human closer against his chest, shielding what little warmth remained in Ellio's body as he tightened his hold.
Then, without wasting another moment, he took to the skies.
The storm raged around him, but it took less than a mi
