Zeli was reading in her room upstairs the moment Erwin appeared. A sudden jolt shot through her blood—she knew he was there.
She set down her book. She understood exactly why he had come.
Her bloodline.
Zeli felt neither sadness nor nervousness. She trusted Erwin's promise: he wouldn't risk her life. More importantly, she had longed for this moment. She yearned to learn spells. Her bloodline's power had robbed her of that chance; unless she fused with more bloodlines, she was limited to the telekinesis granted by her heritage. It was powerful, yes, but she craved the dazzling array of proper magic.
Most importantly, once she learned spells, she wouldn't be an outcast anymore. No one would regard her as just a girl with telekinesis—someone who couldn't get along with others, unable to connect.
Downstairs, a knock sounded.
Zeli's parents exchanged a glance. Her father stood and opened the door.
"Mr. Erwin, you've arrived."
Erwin nodded. "Yes. Apologies for the late hour, but I just finished. Is Zeli here?"
"She's upstairs," Zeli's father said. "She's been waiting a long time."
Erwin noticed the worry etched on the man's face. "Don't worry. I promised I wouldn't harm her. You can live peacefully in the wizarding world now. After today, the fate of the Sacred Twenty-Eight will be gone."
"I believe you," her father said, stepping aside.
Upstairs, Zeli was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Seeing Erwin, her face lit up.
"Erwin! You're a little late. I thought you'd be earlier. I thought I could go to Ollivander's this afternoon and finally choose a wand that truly belonged to me."
"Congratulations in advance," Erwin replied. "Soon, you'll have your own wand. It won't just be decoration anymore."
Zeli did have a wand—her first—but it wasn't quite right for her. Since she couldn't cast spells, no wand would truly choose her. However, Erwin had instructed Ollivander to select one for her specifically. It was the only time in Ollivander's entire career that he had proactively chosen a wand for a young witch. Ollivander had complained about it quite extensively.
After Erwin absorbed Zeli's bloodline, she would become an ordinary witch.
"I felt your bloodline pulse even before you entered," Zeli said. "Congratulations, Erwin. You're the first person in the history of the Sacred Twenty-Eight to achieve this."
Erwin said, "Yes. If it were before, I would have found it troublesome. Now, it's not so challenging."
Zeli shrugged. She couldn't comprehend his meaning—they were operating on completely different levels.
"Shall we begin?" she asked. "What preparations are needed?"
Erwin shook his head. "Close your eyes."
Zeli obeyed. Erwin extended a finger and touched her forehead.
The next moment, Zeli felt her bloodline power surging rapidly within her, converging toward her forehead. The extraction made her face turn pale. Soon, a liquid sphere of condensed blood slowly appeared on her brow, growing larger and larger.
Erwin held his breath. Although this wasn't his first time, it was different. He had promised Zeli he would preserve her life. To do so, he needed to extract the bloodline power from her blood, absorb only the energy, and return the blood to her.
If he were the old Erwin, he would have struggled. It required extreme control and a deep understanding of the Dragon Speaker bloodline—just as Merlin had managed in his time. But the current Erwin, relying on his overwhelming strength, could accomplish it forcefully.
The blood sphere floated in the air. Under Erwin's manipulation, it began to separate. Streams of energy were extracted, condensing into a sphere of blood-red energy. Erwin's movements were meticulous—not only for his promise to Zeli, but also to verify something.
An unknown amount of time passed. Zeli struggled to remain standing, weakened by the loss of power, leaning against the wall.
Finally, Erwin extracted all the bloodline energy and returned Zeli's blood to her—now devoid of power. He then absorbed another bloodline's energy. Afterward, he waved his hand. Zeli floated into the air, drifted toward her room, and landed gently on her bed.
Erwin descended the stairs, greeted Zeli's parents, and departed.
At this moment, the Dragon Speaker bloodlines of the Sacred Twenty-Eight within his body were rapidly fusing, coalescing into a complete Dragon Speaker bloodline.
Erwin Apparated instantly to his office atop the Cavendish family building. He sat on the bed and began consciously controlling the fusion of the energy within him. Streams of energy flowed around him.
As the Dragon Speaker bloodline fused within Erwin, in that other space, Merlin frowned slightly.
"Bloodlines... have they merged?"
Merlin could feel his own Dragon Speaker bloodline trembling. This was due to the unique nature of the bloodline: there could only be one Dragon Speaker in each generation—not strictly each generation, but one in the entire world at a time.
Generally, the Dragon Speaker bloodline remained dormant. Only when the previous Dragon Speaker died would the bloodline activate in the next heir. Merlin's own bloodline had activated only after his father's death. In its dormant state, it only granted superhuman talent and minor special traits.
But now, his bloodline pulsed urgently. Clearly, a second Dragon Speaker bloodline had manifested. The power of his bloodline was warning him.