Chapter 376: Being Impressive Even With A Twisted Ankle

Chapter 375: Being Impressive Even With a Twisted Ankle

Sophia shifted her weight—and immediately regretted it.

A sharp sting flared up her ankle, quick and bright like a spark snapping against skin. She masked it instinctively, jaw tightening, posture steadying as if nothing had happened.

But Genevieve noticed anyway.

Her eyes flicked down, sharp and practiced, catching the faint hitch in Sophia’s movement. "You just winced," she said gently. "Does your leg hurt?"

Sophia hesitated for half a second. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Then she nodded.

"A little," she admitted.

Genevieve stepped closer at once. "Which part?"

"My ankle," Sophia replied. "I think I twisted it."

Genevieve’s brows drew together. "When?"

Sophia opened her mouth, then paused.

"...Before the main fight," she said slowly. "When I was drawing the Tidebreaker away from Joren and the others."

Genevieve blinked in shock. "Not when you were trapping them?"

Sophia shook her head. "No. It was earlier than that."

There was a brief silence. Even Holly was shocked by what she had just heard.

"Sophia, you said you were okay," Joren told her with a frown.

"I was, and I still am, but it hurts a bit now. I think I strained it too much," she told him.

"You didn’t say your ankle was hurting," he told her.

"It would have delayed the task. It was just a small injury. It didn’t hurt as much as it does now," she replied.

Joren gave her a look, but he didn’t say anything.

Meanwhile, Genevieve stared at her like she was reevaluating the laws of reality.

"You ran, fought, coordinated four—"

"Seven, actually," Ethan corrected her.

"Yes, seven. Seven full kills, all on a twisted ankle?" Genevieve asked.

Sophia shrugged, trying for casual and landing somewhere between sheepish and stubborn. "Adrenaline helped, though."

"That’s not a medical principle," Genevieve muttered. "But I can’t even argue with that."

Adrenaline could help someone even forget that they were almost at the point of death. It was very possible.

Then she looked at Sophia again. She observed her slowly, taking everything in. Snow dusted Sophia’s hair, faint streaks of blood and grime still marked her sleeves, and exhaustion lingered beneath her eyes like a shadow she refused to acknowledge.

Genevieve exhaled slowly. Sophia was... no, she shook her head. Sophia was strong. Extremely so. She was even stronger than most people twice her age. And she wasn’t even talking about physical strength—this was mental.

"Is there anything you can do to help me?" Sophia asked Genevieve softly. "I promised I wouldn’t get hurt, and I thought I kept my promise, but..."

Genevieve’s expression softened. "Of course I can."

Relief flickered across Sophia’s face.

"Sit," Genevieve instructed, gesturing to a flat rock half-buried in snow.

Sophia obeyed without protest and carefully pulled off her boot, wincing as the cold air brushed against her swollen ankle.

Genevieve knelt immediately, opening her box and sorting through small bundles of dried herbs, crushed leaves, and sealed vials.

"Let me see," she murmured.

She gently examined the joint, fingers light but precise. The swelling wasn’t severe, but there was clear tenderness along the side.

"Definitely a twist," Genevieve said. "You’re lucky it’s not worse."

Sophia tilted her head. "Lucky isn’t usually my word of choice."

Genevieve smiled despite herself and began grinding two herbs together in a small stone dish, adding a few drops of clear liquid that released a sharp, minty scent into the air.

"What’s that?" Sophia asked curiously.

"Cooling agent mixed with nerve-calming extract and muscle stabilizer," Genevieve replied. "It’ll reduce swelling and dull the pain. It’s not a miracle cure—but it’ll help."

She spread the paste gently around Sophia’s ankle, her hands warm even in the cold air.

Sophia exhaled slowly as the sting faded into a soothing numbness. "That already feels better."

"Good," Genevieve said. "Just don’t twist it again. If you do, I will personally haunt you for medical disobedience."

Sophia smiled. "Noted."

Genevieve wrapped the ankle snugly with a clean strip of cloth and tied it off firmly. "You’ll be okay. Just be careful."

Sophia nodded sincerely. "Thank you."

Genevieve straightened and turned toward the rest of the team. "If anyone else has anything hurting, now’s the time."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Then Bianca raised a hand. "I think my shoulder might’ve gotten clipped."

Miles rubbed the side of his ribs. "Pretty sure a paw introduced itself to me."

Joren flexed his fingers. "My wrist’s sore."

Uther hesitated before admitting quietly, "I scraped my forearm when I slid."

Genevieve sighed fondly. "Wonderful. A full buffet."

She went to work methodically, treating bruises, cleaning minor cuts, rewrapping strained joints, and muttering under her breath like a battlefield mother hen. None of the injuries were serious, but the fatigue was unmistakable on all of them.

When she finally finished, she closed her box and gave them a nod. "You’re all good. No excuses for collapsing dramatically later."

"Aw," Miles said. "There goes my plan."

Ethan glanced up at the sky, gauging the light filtering through the clouds. "You’ve got about an hour and a half left for individual testing," he said. "You’d better get moving."

The weight of his words settled over the group instantly.

This wasn’t over.

They exchanged brief looks. One by one, they nodded.

Sophia stood carefully, testing her ankle. There was a bit of pain, but it was okay.

"Let’s go," she said.

They split off in different directions, snow crunching beneath their boots, disappearing between the trees.

Ethan watched them go with a thoughtful expression.

Genevieve let out a dreamy sigh.

Ethan glanced sideways, his lips twitching. "You are being dramatic."

"I can’t help it," Genevieve said. "If I weren’t tragically uninterested in women, I would absolutely go after Sophia."

Ethan laughed. "You’re serious."

"Deadly," Genevieve replied. "I’m starting a fan club after this. Officially. I will personally silence anyone who ever says she isn’t fit to lead."

Ethan smirked. "I might join that fan club."

Genevieve looked at him. "Really?"

"She surpassed my expectations today," Ethan admitted. "Leadership, composure, tactical thinking, nerve under pressure. She handled a nest-level threat with a half-injured leg and still kept everyone alive."

Genevieve grinned. "Exactly."

"And honestly," Ethan added, "I’m not surprised Alpha Orion chose her, or that the goddess chose both of them as mates. They’re... well-matched."

Genevieve nodded. "That is true."

Then she turned to Ethan. "Have you ever thought that these beasts in Nirvana are actually mutated?"