Straightening up abruptly, he scanned his surroundings carefully. Orion's head swivelled from side to side as he observed every detail around him, briefly fixating on an unconscious, unfamiliar figure wearing a familiar tulga lying nearby.

After a while, he began to grapple with the reality that he had returned to the village.

'How? How did I return to the village? Where's Aegis of the Arctic Deity? What happened to the trial? What about Crystalia and the other participants? Did they make it?' Orion's mind raced with questions, trying to fathom the various reasons for his return to the village.

'Maybe they managed to free themselves from the mountain?' he considered, but the more he contemplated it, the less plausible it seemed.

It was highly unlikely that they had settled the war, regrouped, defeated White Flame, and escaped the mountain in such a short span of time.

Unless..." he pondered, the realization slowly dawning on him, "unless I've been unconscious for an extremely long time!"

"Shit!" Orion cursed inwardly, but even his hushed exclamation managed to slightly disturb the unknown woman sleeping on a nearby mat.

Realizing he needed to clear his head and get some fresh air, Orion rose from the mat and decided to stretch his stiff body.

He twisted from side to side, remembering a simple exercise from his former world that made his bones crack and pop. Stopping when he felt more relaxed, he began to walk forward, but his foot caught on a loose wooden floorboard, and he tumbled to the ground.

Orion stumbled over the wooden floorboard and collapsed to the ground. Frowning, he picked himself up, realizing he was now in his tulga. His legs felt unnaturally weak.

He turned his head as he heard a sudden sound, noticing the woman who remained undisturbed by the commotion.

Refocusing on his legs, he made a slow and steady attempt to stand. Gradually, he regained his sense of balance and began to walk gently and steadily.

Finally reaching the door, he took a deep breath, stretched his arms, and pulled it open.

Suddenly, a fresh wave of breeze collided with his bare chest, causing his body to shiver slightly as he exited the hut and closed the door.

He used his arm to shield himself from the sun's rays, which threatened to blind him.

Gradually, things began to clear up as Orion surveyed his surroundings. It was evident that he was in Overseer Anara's part of the farm. He observed the wide grassy field, with tall and assorted trees providing cover in the distance, along with the two large huts behind him. The view extended to a crystal-clear lake, likely the Ancestral Lake, further in the distance.

Orion took a deep, relaxing breath, choosing to savour the moment before he returned inside to wake the unknown woman and unravel the mystery of his situation.

However, a rhythmic thudding noise abruptly pierced his ears. He shifted his attention towards the source of the sound, and it became clear that the noise emanated from the side of the hut.

Curious to identify the origin of this disturbance, Orion's feet came to an abrupt stop, and he stood there transfixed, his gaze firmly locked on the source of the noise.

Right before him stood a woman, her waist-length black hair cascading around her. She was clad in a well-worn tulga, looking as if it hadn't met water in quite some time.

Her gaze, though weary, was intense, as if sleep had been a rare visitor. She was diligently pounding a pestle against a mortar as if grinding something within.

With a sudden halt to her efforts, she shifted her attention to a colourful pile of plants, most of which he had never seen before. Stretching out her arms, she grabbed a handful and added it to the mortar before resuming her vigorous pounding.

She paused once more, wiping the sweat from her forehead with both arms and then returned to her task with a determined expression.

Orion tried to speak, but to his surprise, he found himself strangely devoid of the strength to utter a word. He slowly advanced toward the woman, the persistent pounding of the mortar and pestle enveloping his senses.

The sound felt like it was piercing his ears, each pounding force resonating in his chest, stirring a myriad of emotions. He reached the woman's side, but she remained utterly absorbed in her task, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

Orion attempted to speak, yet once more, he was rendered mute, his voice imprisoned in his throat. The woman almost let go of the pestle, but her determination won, and she firmly clutched it, resuming her vigorous pounding.

Bowing down slowly, Orion extended his arm and grasped her arm, his voice finally breaking through. "That's enough, Greta. It's enough."

Frozen in disbelief, Greta, who had been diligently grinding herbs for Orion's treatment, could only stare in shock at his arm, which had suddenly clasped her trembling hands.

Slowly, she turned her head to the side, her gaze travelling upwards to meet the familiar individual whose eyes were locked onto her, causing her heart to skip a beat.

"Orion," Greta exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the well-known figure, brimming with emotion. "Orion, is that really you? Orion..." Without finishing her sentence, she swiftly reached out and touched his face, as if trying to confirm his identity.

Orion nodded in response, slowly extending his hand to clasp her trembling one.

Gazing deeply into her eyes, he offered a warm smile and softly said, "It's okay. You don't need to say a word. Just rest, you've already done more than enough."

Greta slowly nodded in response. Even though she had yearned for this moment, thinking it was nothing more than a dream, she closed her eyes and peacefully nestled against his chest.

Meanwhile, Orion gently wrapped his arm around her and used his free hand to caress her hair.

He had no idea how hard she had been working, but he had no intention of waking her up to ask about such a trivial matter.