It was the fourth day already without success. She could not help but feel slightly discouraged. Although the maids did everything in their power to create a suitable environment for meditation, it was not enough. There was always something off, whether it be her condition or the room itself. Her thoughts kept wandering too. She never realized how hard it was to empty her mind. How did her friends do it? Sadly, they were busy with their own problems. Freon had to deal with his uncle and the Arcellius Family bearing down on him. Shirley had pressure from her family to quit being a Royal Guard. Benedict probably had something as well. Elizabeth did not want to pester them. She shook her head and concentrated. The time between eating dinner and sleeping was the perfect time to train, since her mental energy was highest and the mansion was silent.
Breathe in, breathe out. Her chest moved in a steady rhythm, as she shut her eyes and stilled her movements. The world gradually darkened and faded away, leaving only herself. Time seemed to slow down. Things that she could not sense before, like her own beating heart, grew 'louder' in her head. She dove deeper. Blood pulsed through her limbs, making her skin crawl. Her shoulders slumped and her head drooped. With every breath, she felt her lungs and heart bring life to the rest of her body. Her sense of awareness blurred. Elizabeth entered a rare trance, as her concentration rapidly rose to its peak! Finally, at the end of this long tunnel, there was that familiar, yet vague feeling: Martial Energy! The surge of happiness she felt nearly brought her out of her trance, yet she held on to memorize this feeling. A while later, her meditation ended, having exhausted her mental energy. There was a wide smile on her face though. It proved it was possible!
After recovering her mental energy, she continued with renewed fervor. Her success seemed to trigger a qualitative breakthrough in her Martial Perception. It lowered the difficulty in sensing Martial Energy. Granted, she succeeded about once in a handful of attempts. That was plenty. Her goal was not to master Martial Energy in the short-term. It was to test the plausibility of a Bloodline Ability. On one of those rare chances, she estimated how much Martial Energy she had. That would be her baseline. Magic Energy swirled in her Core and vanished. Elizabeth quickly checked her Martial Energy. Her brow then quivered. It was as she thought… Her Martial Energy really did recover! This confirmed it! She had a Bloodline Ability that converted Magic Energy into Martial Energy!
Excitement and relief flooded her face. She wanted to jump out of bed and punch the air. If it was daytime, she would have been cheering. It had weighed on her to be the only one among her friends to not have a Bloodline Ability, so this made her feel much better. Despite how quiet her celebration was, the guards outside still asked what was wrong. Elizabeth's cheeks turned red hot from the embarrassment. She quickly reassured them that she was fine. That quelled her mood. Questions about her Bloodline Ability popped up in her head. For example, how much Magic Energy could she convert at once? Could she convert Martial Energy back into Magic Energy? How many times could she do it? And so forth. This exploration would consume a lot of time and energy, but it was the most important step. Only then would she have the confidence to wield it. Fixing her backlashes would come after that.
Some days ago, Freon had a headache. He knew that his uncle had allied with many Hochlaegen and Kreftig Families in an attempt to resurrect the Arcellius Family, but he did not know the exact number. However, while he was resting, people came and introduced themselves. The Kreftig Families were the most passionate with their flowery words and fancy gifts. They brought along beautiful women of all ages and sizes to appeal to Freon's whims. He merely had to nod his head, and they would be his. Thankfully, he saw through their schemes and politely declined. Nothing good would happen if he agreed. The Hochlaegen Families were more dignified, speaking a few words before leaving. Unlike the Kreftig Families, their reputations spoke for them. Everything made Freon uncomfortable, since they saw him as the future patriarch of the Arcellius Family. He did not have the courage to say that he never agreed, and that his uncle pushed him into this role. A deep sigh later, there was a knock on the door, and someone entered with shaky legs.
"Nassandra?"
Freon was surprised. They had not seen each other since the Mordrigan Peaks. Her condition was apparently dire until their uncle found her. Of course, he was very happy that she survived, but, at the same time, he was frustrated that she ran away, depressed that he could not protect her, and worried that this experience might have traumatized her. What should he say? How should he react? Perhaps, Nassandra noticed his awkwardness because she silently walked up and hugged him. Tears poured from both of them. There was no need for words. The bond between siblings was that strong. Who knew how long they stayed like that? Eventually, Nassandra let go.
"Feeling better?" Freon asked with a gentle smile.
She sniffled through the snot, "Are you mad at me?"
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't, but…" He patted her on the head. "I'm glad you're alright. That's what matters."
"I was so scared!" she wailed. "I thought I wasn't going to make it! But there were other people with me, and they depended on me. I couldn't give up. So, I… I gathered my courage and tried to get out. But it was so dark, and we had no idea where we were. There were these giant monsters crawling around too! And… And…"
"Relax, Nassandra. It's okay. You're safe now. Let's start from the beginning, shall we? How did you end up there?"
She stared at her feet. "Promise me you won't get mad."
"I'll try."
"Brother!"
He raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, I promise."
"When we needed to go to the mountains, everyone stopped because I was there. I didn't want to be the reason everyone gave up, so I… I wanted to prove you wrong. I decided to go there myself."
"You idiot!"
Her eyes watered. "You promised."
"I'm not angry. I'm just stating the truth." He sighed. "You didn't have to prove anything to me. You're fine as you are."
"No, I didn't want to burden you anymore."
Freon averted his gaze. "Then what about the caves? Did you go there yourself?"
She shook her head. "No, that wasn't me. I… I think I fell unconscious somewhere near the mountains." Her expression turned weird. "The last thing I heard was a creepy voice, then I woke up inside a cocoon deep in the caves."
"A voice? Somebody did this to you?" Chills ran down his back. This changed the story completely, if there was another person there!
"I don't think it was a person. It just… sounded like one. I think Shirley said she heard something similar in the mountains before. When I woke up, there was this humongous centipede monster, the size of a house, in front of me."
"That sounds familiar. We fought that thing."
"You fought that?!" Nassandra gawked. She remembered the utter dread and despair she felt seeing it. The idea of fighting never crossed her mind. It was a genuine nightmare spawn! So, to think that her brother actually battled that creature made her admiration soar higher!
"There's nothing to be proud of. We were crushed. If it wasn't for a miracle, we would have died." The second he spoke those words, he regretted it. That was because despite saying it without any hidden meaning, Nassandra would interpret it differently.
As expected, she began sobbing. "I'm sorry! It's all my fault you and everyone got hurt! People even died because of me! I didn't mean for any of this to happen! Please believe me!"
"I know and I'm not blaming you. I don't think anyone is. Nobody could have predicted this outcome. We should be glad that things ended this way and not in a tragedy."
"But I still feel guilty…" Nassandra replied, downcast. "What should I do? How can I make it up to everyone? Do you think they'll forgive me?"