Chapter 34
Maybe mana and divine power were incompatible...
I still felt a faint tingling throughout my body from the shock.
If that was true, then how was I supposed to use mana?
I glanced down at the book resting on my lap.
I picked it up and began flipping through the pages again, searching for anything about mana and divine power.
There had to be an explanation.
Something that could tell me why my body reacted that way.
I turned another page.
Then another.
"Come on..." I muttered.
I continued reading, carefully scanning every line.
Until something finally caught my attention.
The book explained that some people could possess both mana and divine power, but they could only use one of them.
Mana was the natural energy of the world, while divine power was something entirely different.
The two energies were incompatible and couldn't be used together.
My eyes widened.
"So that's why..." I whispered.
My divine power must have reacted with the mana when I tried to draw it out.
That explained the shock.
I stared at the book.
"There has to be a way."
If mana and divine power couldn't be used together, then maybe I could control them separately.
But how?
I closed my eyes again.
I focused on my divine power.
The familiar warmth immediately spread through my body.
I slowly tried to suppress it.
The warmth began to fade.
I kept going, trying to push it deeper within me.
But the moment I loosened my focus, the warmth surged back.
I opened my eyes.
"Damn..."
Suppressing it completely was harder than I thought.
I took another deep breath and closed my eyes again.
This time, I focused harder.
I had to make the divine power completely silent.
Only then could I bring out my mana.
The warmth slowly faded.
I kept suppressing it, pushing it deeper and deeper within me.
Just a little more...
I was almost there.
Then suddenly-
"What are you doing?"
My eyes snapped open.
I quickly turned toward the voice.
Cassian stood near the doorway, staring intently at me.
"When did you get here?" I asked, my eyes widening.
"A few minutes ago," Cassian answered. "I called you several times, but you didn't hear me."
I stared at him.
I didn't even sense his presence.
I was so focused that I hadn't noticed him at all.
"Damn..." I muttered.
Cassian slowly walked toward me.
He stopped in front of me and reached into his coat.
"Pardon me," he said.
Before I could ask what he meant, he gently placed a necklace around my neck.
I looked down at it.
It was a simple silver necklace with a small gemstone hanging from the center.
"This is an enchanted necklace," Cassian explained.
He lightly touched the small gemstone.
"The Duke had this gemstone enchanted before he came to Solaris."
He paused for a moment.
"He asked me to have it made into something you could wear."
"Enchanted?" I asked.
Cassian nodded.
"Look at yourself in the mirror," he said.
I glanced around the room, searching for one.
Then I spotted an old mirror standing against the wall.
I slowly approached it.
A thick layer of dust covered the glass.
I reached out and wiped it with my hand.
Then I looked into it.
I froze.
I couldn't recognize myself anymore.
"Black hair... and red eyes." I whispered.
Cassian nodded.
"Black hair is common in both Solaris and Sylvania," he explained. "No one will find it strange, and no one will recognize you by your silver hair anymore."
I slowly touched my hair, still staring at my reflection.
"And the red eyes?" I asked.
Cassian looked at my reflection.
"They aren't as common," he admitted. "But at least they're not violet anymore. No one will immediately associate you with Luna or Rishima."
I turned to him.
"Did you choose this appearance?"
Cassian shook his head.
"No. The Duke chose it," he answered. "He also said you need a new name."
"A new name?" I asked.
Cassian nodded.
"From now on, you can't use Luna or Rishima. You need an identity no one can trace back to you."
I went silent for a moment.
A new name...
I thought carefully.
What name should I use this time?
After a few minutes, I still couldn't think of one.
I sighed.
"Can you help me think of a name?" I asked Cassian.
He didn't answer immediately.
After a moment, he walked over and stopped behind me.
I looked at his reflection in the mirror.
For a moment, we both stared at each other through the reflection.
Then he spoke.
"How about Cosima?" Cassian asked.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Is that the name of your ex or something?" I asked.
Cassian stared at me through the mirror.
"No."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. And besides, I don't have an ex," Cassian said, completely unfazed.
I blinked.
Right.
Cassian had never been interested in anyone else in the novel.
He had only ever loved Aurora.
Unfortunately, Aurora chose Prince Enzo.
I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
"Fine," I muttered. "Cosima it is."
I looked at our reflections in the mirror again.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Cassian frowned.
"What?" he asked.
I pointed at our reflections.
"We could both pass as twins," I said, still laughing. "Cassian and Cosima."
We had the same black hair and red eyes.
Cassian stared at our reflections for a moment.
"Do you want me to introduce you as my long-lost twin sister?" he asked with a straight face.
My laughter instantly died.
"Hell no!" I quickly replied.
A small smile appeared on Cassian's face.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.
"I was just joking," he said.
I stared at him through the mirror.
For a moment, I was completely dumbfounded.
So he could smile and laugh too...
"So..."
I turned around to face him.
"Are we going back to Sylvania today?" I asked.
Cassian glanced toward the window.
"We'll leave at dawn," he said.
I looked outside.
The sky had already grown dark.
We still had a few more hours before dawn.
"Come to think of it..."
I rubbed my stomach.
I hadn't eaten anything yet.
"Have you eaten already?" I asked.
"I did," Cassian answered.
He looked at me.
"What about you?"
I shook my head.
"They didn't give me any food or water the entire time. They just kept torturing me for hours," I said.
Cassian's expression darkened.
"Wait here," he said.
He turned toward the door.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"To get you something to eat," he said.
I pointed toward the small table.
"Rakim left that. Can you cook?" I asked.
"Yeah," Cassian answered. "Just rest. I'll cook it."
I watched him walk toward the table.
This is unexpected.
Who knew Cassian could cook?
~~
A few minutes later, Cassian placed the food on the table.
I stared at it.
I don't know how he cooked this, but it looked... questionable.
The meat was cut into uneven chunks, some pieces were almost burnt while others looked barely cooked. The vegetables were sliced at completely different sizes, and there was a strange amount of sauce covering everything.
"Here's the spoon," he said, handing it to me.
I took it and slowly scooped up some food.
I stared at it.
After everything I'd been through today, eating something questionable couldn't possibly be that bad.
And besides, maybe it just looked bad, but tasted delicious.
As they always say, don't judge a book by its cover.
I swallowed hard and slowly put the spoon in my mouth.
The moment I tasted it, I almost threw up.
I quickly covered my mouth and forced myself to swallow.
I couldn't let him see my reaction.
I looked up at him.
He was watching me.
"Did you forget to put salt?" I asked.
Cassian's eyes widened slightly.
"Ah, right. I kept wondering what I was missing... Turns out, it was the salt," he said.
I smiled awkwardly.
Of all the things to forget, he really forgot the salt-the most important ingredient.
"I'll add the salt. Wait here," he said.
He turned around and went to get it.
Damn.
I take it back.
Cassian couldn't cook. T_T
"Try it again," he said after adding the salt.
Here we go again...
I cautiously took another bite.
I chewed slowly.
It was still terrible.
But at least it had salt now.
I forced myself to swallow.
Cassian watched me carefully.
"Well?" he asked.
I smiled awkwardly.
"It's... edible," I replied.
Cassian frowned.
"My knights said I'm a good cook," he said.
My eyes twitched.
His knights?
Of course they'd say that.
They were probably too scared to tell him that his cooking was terrible.
"I wonder when Rakim will arrive," I said, quickly changing the subject.
"Is he the one the Duke said brought you here?" Cassian asked.
I nodded.
It seemed like Duke Theon had sent Cassian a letter too.
Wait!
Speaking of letters...
I forgot to burn mine.
Damn.
I quickly stood up, grabbed the letter, and hurried over to where Cassian had cooked.
Then I tossed the letter into the fire.
"What was that?" Cassian asked curiously, clearly confused by my sudden action.
"I forgot to burn the letter the Duke sent," I said.
Cassian simply gave a small nod.
"Rakim said he'd come back as soon as he could," I said, staring at the fire.
"I hope nothing happened to him..."
"Don't worry," Cassian said. "I'm sure he's fine."
He looked toward the window.
"You should get some sleep while we wait. We still have a few hours before dawn."
Cassian paused for a moment.
"Actually, it might be better if he doesn't come back tonight," he added.
I looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because the more people who know about your new appearance, the riskier it becomes," Cassian explained.
He's right.
I can't risk anyone recognizing me.
I walked back to the sofa and slowly sat down.
Then I turned toward Cassian again.
I noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
He looked tired.
He probably hadn't been able to sleep for days.
The nightmares must be haunting him again.
"You should sleep too," I said.
"I'm fine," Cassian answered. "I need to keep watch."
I rolled my eyes.
"The house has a protection spell," I said. "There's no need for you to keep watch."
Cassian remained silent.
"Oh, come on. Don't be stubborn. You clearly haven't slept properly in days," I said, frowning.
Cassian looked away.
"Even if I try, I won't be able to sleep," he said.
I stared at him for a moment.
Then I gave him a small smile.
"I'll help you," I said.
I walked toward him, grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward the sofa.
"Just lean back against the sofa and close your eyes," I said.
Cassian looked at me.
"Are you going to sing a lullaby or something? Because if you are, I assure you, it won't work," he said.
I frowned.
"Just do as I say," I said.
Cassian finally closed his eyes.
I waited for a moment to make sure he was actually going to rest.
Then I raised both hands toward him, holding them a few inches above his body without touching him.
I slowly released my divine power.
A warm, gentle glow began to gather around my hands.
Thankfully, I had managed to eat something.
My body had recovered a little, so I could use more divine power than before.
I carefully let the energy flow toward Cassian.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
He stared at me in shock.
"You can use divine power?" he asked.
I frowned at him again.
"I told you to sleep," I said.
Still looking puzzled, Cassian simply closed his eyes again.
I smiled.
As I continued channeling my divine power, I noticed the dark circles under his eyes slowly fading.
He looked much more relaxed now.
Not long after, Cassian was fast asleep.
I slowly lowered my hands.
Then I looked down and saw that my fingernails had grown back.
My eyes widened.
"Amazing..." I whispered.
I leaned back against the sofa.
The exhaustion I had been fighting finally caught up with me.
My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
I tried to stay awake for a little longer, but my body refused to cooperate.
Before I knew it, I slowly drifted off to sleep.