After preparations for their trip were complete, they finally set off towards Serenth, the capital city of Valoria. The trip there from where the Graves mansion resided was about two and a half hours by carriage, so Killian thought it best to try and get comfortable and sleep through the ride. Yet no matter how hard he tired, he simply couldn’t fall asleep, regardless of how long he closed his eyes. Looking over at the completely knocked-out Runa did not help either, even going as far as irritating him more and more with each murmur and unconscious movement that came from her slumped-over body.

“You alright, Killy?”

“I can practically feel bloodlust radiating off of you every time you look over at Rue.”

Lucilia questioned Killian as she waved her hand towards him, trying to get his attention. After catching a stray glare from Killian, she let out a sigh before deciding to make her way across the carriage where he’s sitting.

When the carriage started to slow down a bit, Lucilia stood up, walking towards the other side while pinching the bottom of her long black dress that made up her uniform so as not to trip. It wasn’t uncommon to hear her complain about the black and white fabrics that her attire consisted of, clashing with the natural light blue tint of her otherwise pearly hair. However, there was no denying her beauty. It wasn’t uncommon for her to be mistaken for nobility due to her exceptional looks and figure, much to her satisfaction, although sometimes the attention came from some not so desirable men.

Lucilia now sitting next to Killian, adjusted her dress, and tucked her long, wavy hair behind her ears in order to give him her full attention.

“I can’t believe she sleeps so easily.”

“And I think she’s drooling too.”

“Gross…”

Lucilia gave Killian a look of disappointment before lightly chopping him on the top of his head.

“Don’t say mean things to people who aren’t awake to defend themselves.”

"Plus, you’re really just envious of the fact she can sleep so easily and that you’ve been so restless, right?”

"Well, I get it; I mean, I’d be pretty restless myself if all of a sudden I was meeting family from such a famous house.”

Killian nodded, affirming her assumption, which was only half correct. While he was indeed bothered by his inability to fall asleep, it wasn’t due to nerves. Ever since the memories of his past life slowly started coming back to him in his dreams, sleeping has become quite a tedious thing. However, he couldn’t exactly go around telling everyone that, so whatever excuse people made for him was what he’d usually go with.

“Honestly, I don’t even know what a ceremony of blessings is.”

Sighing to emphasize his perceived anxiousness, Killian lowered his head to the side. Lucilia then reached her arm towards him and patted his head like she always did whenever he wasn’t feeling the best. Bringing her other hand up to her chin, she boastfully declared,

“Well, worry not, my little killer, for I have the knowledge you seek.”

She then moved her hand from her chin to her temple, lightly tapping the side of her head, emphasizing her self-proclaimed wisdom. Lucilia had always been quite playful with Killian and Runa due to her rather young age to be a mother, or perhaps it’s her way of masking the grief she’s been through. Either way, the two love her for it, and the bond amongst the three wouldn’t be the same with even just one missing.

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Playing along with her attempt to lighten his mood, Killian grinned a bit and inquired as to what insight she supposedly holds.

“So what knowledge exactly do you have that will soothe my woes?”

A little surprised by his response, Lucilia responded.

“You really have quite the extensive vocabulary for a kid, you know? But I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked, seeing as you’re the child of two genius nobles.”

Lucilia shook her head, regaining her focus on what she had previously wanted to say.

“Anyways, while I may not know much about Madam Lyn’s maiden house, I can absolutely tell you all about the ceremony of blessings!”

She proudly yet quietly exclaimed as not to wake up Runa.

“See, the ceremony of blessings is something reserved solely for children of nobility once they turn ten, so in two years, you’ll be having one too. But essentially, all that goes on during a ceremony is that said child will have their elemental affinities told to them, and in most cases, affinities are hereditary, along with your arcane reserves and other strengths. So, it usually isn’t a surprise but more a really odd birthday.”

Figuring as much, Killian wasn’t too surprised by her explanation of what a ceremony of blessings was, although there was one thing that did catch his attention.

“What do you mean in most cases?”

Lucilia’s hand trembled a bit as a shudder ran up her spine, her expression now serious. All before answering what was seemingly an innocent question.

“Well, you see, Killy, in our world, there were once gods who walked among the lands we now inhabit with power far beyond human comprehension, but I’ll spare you the history lesson for another time and sum it up as, on rare occasions, a child may inherit a blessing."

"A blessing is a non-elemental affinity that usually can only be accessed through a magic relation with an unheard-of level of mastery over an element.”

Her explanation left Killian a bit puzzled as to why her expression would change so much for what sounded like an answer with no real major implication. However, before he could ponder any longer, Lucilia wasted no time explaining why blessings are certainly something to be wary of.

“Despite that, there is one sole reason blessings are so highly coveted yet feared at the same time. As you know, despite whatever your affinity may be, you can still use any of the elements, but doing so doesn’t come without cost.”

Lucilia stated with a very no-nonsense tone, contrasting her usual lighthearted demeanor. She bit her lip and lifted her hand from atop his head, clasping both hands together. She then opened her hands to reveal a bright but weak flame that only lasted a moment before going out. Effortlessly, she then conjured up a bubble of water around her fingertip, rubbing it on the palm that briefly held the flame. Lucilia let out a quiet groan before continuing her explanation.

“As you know, I am not of nobility; therefore, I do not know my aptitudes, or at least I had to find out the hard way.”

“As a child my brother and I were obsessed with the beauty of flames due to my adoptive father being an ex-adventurer who was known for his fierce yet elegant fire magic. So naturally, being his children, we wanted to be just like him.”

"However, after pushing myself to try and use fire magic like him, I was bedridden multiple times with burnout, or at least that’s what we called it in my village. Essentially, my constant abuse of an element foreign to my body fried part of my nervous system and made me very ill, as my body temperature had become too hot for the white blood cells in my body, and even to this day, I don’t do too well in hot environments.”

"My brother on the other hand whom actually shared his blood, also shared his affinity for fire too."

"Anyways, it turns out my only affinity was water, the complete opposite of my father and what ultimately led to his…”

Lucilia went quiet for a moment, wrapping her arms tightly around Killian before she began speaking.

“Getting back on topic, what I’m saying is our bodies are only meant to use our affinities and nothing else. Some say it’s a curse from the gods placed on humans in particular to limit the extent of our greed and hubris.”

“Others believe it’s to punish those that overstep their mortal authority, but we don’t truly know.”

“All we do know is that those born with blessings are closer to gods than they are humans, being able to manipulate concepts like light, darkness, and even time without any restraints.”

Her body shuddered once more as she listed the possibilities of blessings and the immense powers they held.

“But don’t worry, Killy; the odds of you having a blessing are almost none, and even if you did, I trust in the boy I helped raise.”

“Plus, if you ask me, all I know is the only thing you’ve been blessed with is incredibly curly hair.”

Lucilia then smiled from ear to ear as she ruffled his hair in between laughs.

“Hey, cut it out!”

Killian squealed trying to free himself from her.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll fix your hair before we arrive!”

However, the rough housing between the two ended up shaking Runa, completely knocking her over in her seat.

Lucilia and Killian paused, immediately exchanging silent looks, waiting to see if she’d react. With her eye still closed, Runa pushed herself up and slowly crawled towards Killian before flopping across his lap.

Lucilia covered her mouth as not to laugh. Reaching in to her bag, she pulled out a three-pronged comb and quickly fixed Killian’s hair before standing up and crossing carriage again.

“It looks like you're gonna be stuck on Rue duty for the rest of the ride.”

Smiling while leaving the responsibility of Runa in Killian’s lap metaphorically and literally. Killian gave back a look of “you can’t just leave me like this." Yet his protest was short-lived, as it seemed the instant Runa made contact with him, his eyelids grew heavy and sleep could finally find him.

Looking at the long-gone Runa, his head slumped down as he spoke a couple last words before drifting off himself.

“Could…”

“She possess..”

“Sleep mag……..”