The wraith passed through John like mist. Hestia screamed and darted to her daughter.
"No!" she cried, voice cracking.
As the wraith moved further, Elsa stepped in front of it. What Hestia had feared was actually true. Elsa didn't have an iota of magic to cast a spell. She could only intercept it with her own body.
The dark forces had taken a lot from her. She had lost all her friends in that siege ten years ago. She had lost her husband to it too. He died protecting her—two years after being affected by their cursed magic.
She had sworn she would never lose a loved one to it again. Unlike John, her body had been tempered by magic over the years. She still held some magical power, though greatly diminished now. She resisted the wraith trying to bypass her, with sheer willpower. Her mind grew weaker and weaker as the wraith overpowered her with relative ease. She had barely resisted it for a mere second, but it felt like an eternity.
And then her thoughts faded into the void as she lost consciousness. Her body fell limp to the ground.
The wraith, which had phased through her, was slightly weakened but mostly intact. It moved swiftly and entered Isabella's body, phasing through Hestia, who hugged her daughter tightly.
William stood there, his body refusing to move. A multitude of emotions ran through him: anguish, despair, anger. Anger toward the wraith for trying to kill his daughter, toward himself for being too weak to save her. Anger toward the heavens for being so unfair, so cruel. Eventually, all he could feel was grief. The mere thought of losing his daughter was horrifying—let alone seeing it happen in front of his eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks as his legs gave out. His knees buckled and he knelt down.
Hestia was faring even worse. Tears and snot covered her face as she hugged her daughter, who had lost consciousness the moment the wraith entered her body.
Isaiah was the only one who had the presence of mind to speak. He didn't understand what was happening but was terrified. He had never seen his parents behave like this. He shook his sister, trying to wake her up.
"Big sis, wake up, wake up. It's not the right place to sleep."
His voice became a mumble as he teared up. He shook her again. When that didn't work, he checked her forehead, as if she were sick.
"Mom, big sis has a big fever! If you give her some medicine, she should be alright! Mom!!!"
He called out to Hestia.
The moment Hestia saw the wraith moving into Isabella's body, she lost all her senses. The world faded around her as she saw her daughter fall unconscious. She held her tightly, as if letting go meant she would never see her again. If only she could hold her like this forever.
When Isaiah called her, she didn't listen. He tugged at her, but she didn't react. In the end, he took her hand and placed it on Isabella's forehead. Her head was heating up far more than any human should, even with a strong fever. In fact, Isabella's head was so hot, it snapped Hestia out of her stupor. She came to her senses instantly.
"Her head is hot? Yes, her head is hot! That means she is still alive!" Hestia's mind began spinning into overdrive.
If she is still alive, she can still be saved.
She abruptly stood up, lifting Isabella into her arms.
"William, John!" she called out urgently.
Isabella rushed into her home. The chief's house was the only one inside the barrier. William took a few moments to come to his senses. He stood up and walked to Elsa's side. She lay unconscious on the ground, her daughter Aria crying beside her. He gently lifted her and followed Hestia.
After giving a few instructions to the old guard members and village elders, John also followed William.
Inside the house, in the bedroom, Hestia's mind was in overdrive. She paced back and forth beside the bed, repeatedly checking Isabella's forehead every two or three seconds. William walked in and laid Elsa beside Isabella.
Hestia immediately rushed to him. Grabbing his shoulders tightly, she spoke.
"We need to hurry! We can save her. We have to act quickly… act quickly."
She practically shouted, repeating her words multiple times.
William had known Hestia for almost twenty years. She had never stuttered, never panicked. She had remained calm and collected even in the worst crises. Even when all others panicked, she had stayed strong.
Is losing her daughter too much even for someone like her?
He couldn't help but fear losing his daughter and wife at once.
"Hestia, calm down. Pull yourself together. Think about Isaiah. What would happen to—"
"NO… YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. LISTEN TO ME. OUR DAUGHTER IS NOT GONE. SHE IS STILL ALIVE. WE CAN SAVE HER. DO YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN SAVE HER."
She said each word with force, gritting her teeth, tears never stopping.
"Check her head if you don't believe me. You'll understand."
She said this in a lowered voice after he stood there for a few seconds, stunned.
William instinctively moved to Isabella's side. He was stunned by what he felt. Her head was burning—and most importantly, she was breathing. Shallow, but breathing.
John also moved closer after seeing his reaction. His response was no different from William's.
"We always knew our daughter and son were different. Isabella was a quick learner from a young age—to an extraordinary degree. But in the last few weeks, she has changed even more. Her capabilities have become… enhanced. Didn't we feel a strange vibe from her? Didn't Elsa say she sensed a strange energy in her? I don't think it's anything ordinary anymore. I think she's awakened some kind of unique—rare—powerful bloodline. I think that's why the dark beasts attacked our village. Their leader, a wraith—or dark lord, whatever it is—wants to eliminate her. Didn't we hear rumors that dark forces always try to eliminate powerful future potentials? That would explain why they attacked a village so far behind Cyrus Stronghold. The strategy, the traps they laid… and also how we can save her."
"But Hestia… humans don't have powerful bloodline abilities…" they tried to object, but she spoke over them again.
"LISTEN TO ME… We've already lost a minute or two. I don't know about bloodlines, but the human lord of Atari City is a human Transcendent. That means humans can ascend like other races. If one human can, others can too. I think because of her awakening, she survived a magic attack that would have been fatal. First, they tried to eliminate both our children with that sneak attack. When that failed because of Elsa, they tried to eliminate her alone. They were sure they'd succeed—but didn't. Because they didn't expect her awakening to give her resistance. I think they expected some resistance to magic, which is why they resorted to a powerful, all-out single strike. For her to survive that… doesn't it tell us she's much stronger than even they expected?
"Their attack on our village tells us they consider her a future threat. And their failure tells us they underestimated her. While we've been ignorant, our enemies already sensed her potential. We need to get her to safety now, or we won't get another chance. If we can get her treated by a powerful magician, we can save her."
William and John, who had lost all hope, were now paying full attention. They were veterans, and they knew wraiths were magically strong. Even Elsa, the strongest spellcaster in the village, would be no match at her peak. The moment they saw the wraith's projection enter Isabella, they thought she was lost.
But now, with Hestia's conviction, they were willing to charge the enemy head-on if needed. A strong determination flashed across their faces.
"Hestia… tell me what we have to do," William said.