Devina stood before the full-length mirror in her chambers, examining her reflection critically. She wore a plain linen shirt and pants, garments she favored for their simplicity and ease of movement. As she looked herself up and down, frustration stirred within her at the overall weakness of her form.
In her previous life, while never a fighter, she had maintained a regimen of basic physical routines. These weren’t meant for combat, but rather to keep her body functioning optimally and her mind sharp. It was clear that the previous Devina hadn’t shared this philosophy. The body she now inhabited was soft, untrained, and utterly unprepared for the challenges that lay ahead.
Her side still bore the mark of her recent injury, the wound closing up nicely. Under normal circumstances, she would have waited at least another week before engaging in any strenuous activity. But these were far from normal circumstances, and she needed to grow stronger—fast. In an ideal world this would have meant awakening her core and forging herself some mana channels, but from what Elena had been able to tell her, the mage organizations of this kingdom kept a close eye on who had access to the resources she needed.
That didn't mean she couldn't improvise and at least get her core working anyway, but for what she had in mind she'd need to gather a considerable amount of mana, and without a storage medium at hand, that wasn't happening soon either. She would have to keep an eye out for huge gemstones though. If she got her hands on one of those, she could slowly fill it with ambient mana using the same collector runes she'd already employed on the stones she'd given to the fishermen.
She sighed internally. Until she got her hands on a gemstone, those were just daydreams. If magic was out of reach for now, then physical strength would have to suffice.
Devina took a deep breath and began to mentally catalogue exercises that wouldn’t aggravate her injury but would start the process of strengthening her body. She settled on an exhaustive routine that would take just over an hour, planning to repeat it daily from this moment forward.
An hour later, she lay on the floor, limbs heavy and breath coming in ragged gasps. The training session had been effective, perhaps too much so. She knew she’d be in a world of pain for the next few weeks if she maintained this pace, but the alternative—remaining weak and vulnerable—was unacceptable.
As she slowly pulled herself to her feet, wincing at the protest of her muscles, a knock sounded at her door.
“Enter,” she called, trying to keep the strain out of her voice.
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The door opened, and Elena stepped inside, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of her mistress’s disheveled state.
“My lady,” Elena began, “I have a report for you. I can come back at another time if you’d prefer…”
Devina waved off the concern. “No, no, that’s all right.” She gestured to one of the nearby chairs. “Sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.”
Elena hesitated for a moment before taking the offered seat. “Very well, then. Two things. First, I’ve found a suitable room for the offices and we’re well on our way to having it prepared. Second, I’ve been trying to gather that information you requested, but…” She trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
Devina raised an eyebrow. “But?”
“Your brother is interfering,” Elena admitted. “He said to tell you, and I quote, ‘Those reports aren’t toys. That’s valuable information, and we can’t just give it out to anyone.’”
Devina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course her brother would make things difficult. “Well, that’s unfortunate about the reports, but I think I’ve got a pretty good idea about the state of affairs for now anyway. We’ll be fine until we find a different way to get that information.” She paused, considering her next move. “In the meantime, what about the ranger I asked you to summon?”
Elena straightened. “Ah, yes. The ranger isn’t currently available—he’s in the forest. But he usually returns around the same time each day. He’s expected back within an hour or two, and I’ve left instructions for him to report to you immediately upon his return.”
“Excellent,” Devina nodded. “Thank you, Elena. That will be all for now.”
As her secretary left, Devina made her way to the bath that had been prepared earlier. She eased herself into the warm water, hissing slightly as it enveloped her aching muscles. She had about an hour before the ranger was likely to arrive, and she intended to use that time to relax and gather her thoughts.
As she soaked, Devina’s mind raced with plans and possibilities. The physical training was just the beginning. She needed to awaken this body's mana core as soon as possible, find more ways to fix the current state of affairs in her domain, and start implementing changes without arousing too much suspicion.
The ranger’s report would be crucial. If her hunch about the forest was correct, it could provide a solution to multiple problems at once.
Devina closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment of vulnerability in the privacy of her bath. She was weaker than she had been in centuries, her fate now hanging on the politics of a few insignificant provinces in the middle of nowhere. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of excitement—she had succeeded. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt hope. The constant threat of dying from old age no longer loomed over her. Her experiment had worked, and if she could just pull this off, her dream of immortality would finally be within reach.
With a deep breath, she submerged herself fully in the water, letting it wash away the sweat and strain of her earlier exertions. When she resurfaced, her resolve was strengthened. One step at a time, she would reclaim her power and reshape this world she’d been thrust into.
As the heat of the bath soothed her aching body, Devina began to plot her next moves. The game was just beginning, and she intended to play it to win.