CHAPTER 5
She stepped forward toward Ur'zan. The soldiers of Aethenroth instinctively parted, forming a path for her. Something unspoken gripped them, a primal sense of dread, as though their stars themselves whispered, 'Let her through.'
Even the young master, bruised and breathless, could only watch in stunned silence.
Her voice rang out as if it wasn't her voice. Sorayael's eyes blazed gold, not with power alone, but with something ancient-something sovereign. It felt less like a command and more like a divine decree.
The Ur'zan, a creature from the dungeon, dropped its head low, trembling before her presence.
She smirked as the creature let out a low, guttural growl. "Gruu..."
Then, as if a veil fell from her, her amusement vanished.
The entire manor fell still. The very ground seemed to draw breath. Her presence, once timid and playful, now pressed on every soul like a weight of judgment. Even the wind dared not move.
The beast groaned, "Gruu... gruu..." a sound clawing its way from deep within its throat, trembling with dread.
To the soldiers, it was a meaningless noise, but to Sorayael that now bearing a presence that bent the air around her, it was as clear as a confession.
The words crawled into her mind, uninvited yet understood, as if shadows themselves whispered their meaning through her bones.
Her gaze dropped to the trembling Ur'zan. She could tell it was no longer a threat, just a frightened pawn thrown into battle with no real knowledge. Killing it would yield no further truths. And yet, letting it live would only invite another disaster.
The beast let out a soft, grateful sound as if relieved. It bowed its massive head one last time.
With a single motion; no weapon, no chant, just her hand moving through the air like the swing of a blade, the Ur'zan shimmered, cracked, and dissolved into dust and silence.
The field was quiet.
But the silence broke when Sorayael's knees buckled. Her body, pushed beyond its limit, collapsed.
They didn't understand what had happened, or what power she had drawn from. But in that moment, no one questioned it. They simply gathered around the girl who had saved them all.
...............
She wanted to respond-to open her eyes, move her hand, anything-but it was like her body had locked itself away.
Everything felt distant, like she was underwater, barely clinging to the surface.
Her memories came flooding back: the glowing chains, the beast bowing, the power coursing through her veins like fire.
'I had that power inside me... all this time?' she thought, startled by her own strength.
But as quickly as that realization came, so did doubt.
'Then why can't I control it? Why now? Why only when I'm not myself?'
No answers came. Only silence.
Outside, voices cried and begged, but she couldn't hear them clearly. Inside, she was trapped, confused, and lost within her own mind.
'No... I'm losing consciousness again...' Her thoughts slowed, heavy and helpless, as she sank into unconsciousness once more.
At the imperial palace, within the cold halls of marble and shadow, the Grand Duke knelt before the throne, his head bowed low.
The Emperor's grin spread slowly, eyes gleaming with malice. "Ohoho... what a joy it is to have you, Grand Duke. Very good... very good!"
The Emperor waved him off with careless amusement. "Hmm... no. You'll return when I say so. Dismissed."
As he walked away, a servant rushed to his side and whispered rapidly in his ear. The moment he heard it, he didn't wait another second.
The concern carved into his face was unmistakable. For the first time in years, fear gripped him-not for his life, but for his son... and for Sorayael.
'If only I'd acted faster...'
When he arrived at the manor, he burst into the room where Sorayael lay unconscious. The scent of old blood still lingered faintly, and the flickering light of healing spells danced across her pale face. His son sat at her side, clutching her hand tightly, his shoulders trembling.
The Grand Duke looked at Sorayael, then back to his son. "If she wakes up and sees you like this, what do you think she'll do? She'll scold you for not resting, wouldn't she?"
'she wouldn't' - The young master.
That wasn't enough to convince him but still, his son slowly leaned back, falling asleep beside her from sheer exhaustion.
Near the other side of the bed, little Krios sat quietly, tears trailing down his cheeks as he held his sister's arm.
The Grand Duke knelt beside him, placed a comforting hand on his head, and whispered softly:
Krios didn't set his gaze off to his big sister while mumbling that he would surely get stronger to protect his sister.
...........
It had been two days since Sorayael fell unconscious.
In that time, the young master recovered swiftly and had rarely left Sorayael's side. Every day, he sat beside her bed, talking to her as if she might respond at any moment.
He sighed and leaned forward.
He paused.
His heart stopped.
Sorayael slowly opened her eyes, blinking up at him. He was grinning like a fool.
She stared at him for a moment, and sighed.
'Ugly.'
She gave him a smirk that was half-teasing, half-tired.
His face turned crimson at the comment, and he looked away with a scoff.
Sorayael chuckled, then slowly sat up, wincing slightly as pain flickered in her head. It still hurts, but nothing like before.
The young master leapt to his feet and called out to everyone.
Soon, the Grand Duke rushed in, embracing Sorayael tightly, relief written across every line of his face. Her little brother, Krios, practically launched himself onto the bed, clinging to her and sobbing into her chest.
Everyone in the manor rejoiced; some for her recovery, others out of pure relief that the Grand Duke wouldn't have their heads.
"You even called for everyone?" Sorayael raised a brow at the young master. "Thank you, young master."
She gave a slight, polite bow-though inwardly she was clearly enjoying the situation.
Zarethian blinked. "Was it that hard to say my actual name?"
He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ah whatever!"
The moment passed with warm laughter and quiet celebration. Afterward, Sorayael returned to rest, focusing on her recovery.
But days later, once her strength returned, she made her way to the manor's library-silent, determined.
From that moment on, Sorayael devoted herself to uncovering the truth of the power within her.
"I will master this... and when the time comes, I'll use it-for that person."
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Sorry for the late update, I've been so busyT_T