CHAPTER 72

CLAIRVOYANCE AND INHERITANCE

  Delimira's eyes were fixated on her mother, who was engrossed in a lively conversation with Hans. It was a peculiar sight, considering her mother's usual reserved demeanour. The expressions on her mother's face, which had previously been devoid of any emotion, now blossomed with excitement and enthusiasm. Delimira couldn't help but be surprised at the sudden transformation.

  Noticing Delimira's astonishment, Sierra leaned in and whispered, "You know, your mother used to be quite the talker back in the day. We even had to physically restrain her from talking too much!" The memory brought a smile to Sierra's face, as she fondly recalled the days when Aredhel's chatter was a constant source of amusement.

Aredhel spoke at length, and Delimira listened silently until a strange question from Hans caught her attention.

"Why did you name her Delimira?" he asked Aredhel with sudden curiosity.

Delimira, along with everyone else present, was taken aback by the question. Aredhel responded with a question of her own,

Why do you ask?

Hans replied,

Because it is not an elven name or from any other language.

Aredhel raised an eyebrow at this response,

You know High Elven?

Hans cast a fleeting glance at Delimira, remembering her promise that she never mentioned again, and said,

No, someone was supposed to teach me, but I think she forgot.

"Then how did you know?" Aredhel asked, her expression suggesting that she already had an inkling of the answer and adding,

Do the words themselves come to your head?

Hans was taken aback by the question and rose to his feet. "How did you know?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course. There was a possibility, a slight one, but it was there... after all, you carry the Parvian blood" Aredhel replied, casting a knowing glance at the elders in the room. Rudolf and Sierra remained silent, knowing that they had concocted the lie that Hans was Samson's son, but it seemed that Aredhel somehow was adding proof, solidifying that lie.

As the three of them turned to Aredhel, she asked Hans, "

So, what does your name mean in elvish?

  Hans knew that his name meant "God's gift" in human language, but as he delved deeper into the meaning of his name in elvish, a few words flashed through his mind. "A new beginning," he said, his tone pensive and introspective.

Aredhel wasn't surprised by his answer, but the rest of the group was taken aback. Delimira, in particular, couldn't help but ask,

If you already knew the high elvish, then why did you ask me to teach you?"

Aredhel replied instead of Hans,

The knowledge of the past flows within his blood. In fact, before the incident with the image crystal, I had my doubts if he was truly Samson's son, or if Samson had employed some trickery to shrink himself.

  Delimira cast a bewildered look at her mother, not believing her inference. But Aredhel, who never patted her, patted her today and said, "You have no idea what he can and can't do." Turning to the elders, she continued, "But he never had this power; its even rarer than the Imperial bloodline that Parvians are so proud of."

Sierra interjected,

What are you saying? He carries the knowledge of the past!

Aredhel asked her in surprise,

You didn't know your own lineage?

"I do know the imperial bloodline that only a select few inherit, but Hans doesn't have it," Sierra clarified.

  Aredhel shook her head in response and explained, "Not the imperial bloodline, but the power of inheritance. Only a very few with your bloodline are born with this power, and they receive the knowledge of all previous holders of the same power. That's where the name INHERITANCE comes from. Not only knowledge is passed down, but their skills, habits and memories are passed down as well. You may already be dreaming about the past without even realizing it."

Rudolf asked in disbelief,

And how did you know?

"Because what Mr Hans saw and showed in the Image Crystal was not just a dream, but an event from the past. Most likely, it was something a previous user saw. He must be seeing her through someone else's eyes," Aredhel replied with a knowing tone

Hans interrupted,

So you do know who she was?

"Not was but is" She emphasised, adding.

And yes, I met her once with your father but he introduced her as the crafter of the ring and also as the one who has the same power as you.

Hans interrupted,

But she is an elf, not Parvian.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"She is not just an elf but much more, a God-blood elf is an entirely different thing, Mr Hans. For them, race is a thin boundary" she instantly refuted.

Hans sighed and asked as he had an inkling of how he was using this power,

So what I am dreaming of is the past of the people who held the inheritance power, right?

"Correct," Aredhel nodded. " You understanding the elvish tongue is most probably because one of the previous owners must have learned it."

Hans pressed further.

But apart from the fragments of knowledge, nothing is passed to me.

Aredhel smiled.

Aren't you a sword prodigy? Do you think the level you are at now comes from just talent and training? If you had been a knight, I would expect you to break your grandfather's record of the youngest warlord by at least two years.

Hans couldn't contain his excitement as he interrupted her mid-sentence. "Wait, just Wait for a minute!" he exclaimed. "I once had a dream where I was a fearsome warrior, slaughtering mountains of people."

"You have the answer then." She said with a smirk.

Rudolf couldn't help but voice his objection. "so inheriting their experience for nothing, that's cheating, isn't it?" he whined.

Aredhel shook her head in denial,

No, it would have but it's like a skill that Mr Hans can't use properly.

Hans couldn't help but feel disappointed. He asked,

Why?

Aredhel's response was firm.

Because the power of inheritance is exclusive to Parvians, and those were all knights. Do you get it?

  Rudolf couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight of Hans making an irritated face, but the moment quickly passed as the boy's thoughts drifted to a more pressing matter. Turning to her, he asked, "I also felt them watching me in those dreams, Any idea why?"

Aredhel shook her head. "I'm not sure," she replied, "but you have the same power so it's also possible that someone with that power is watching you now from the future."

Hans couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh. "Damn it," he muttered, "there's no such thing as privacy then.

  He grunted as others watched him. The ability to peer into the memories of his mighty ancestor was undoubtedly advantageous, but alas, it remained beyond his command. The visions materialized sporadically, without warning or consent. and Aredhel also did not know much more about it. All she knew was that the individual who harnessed this ability to its fullest was the descendant who several hundred years ago called down Osiris to the mortal realm.

  Oddly enough Hans did not ask her about this individual person since this big power already occupied his tiny mind. The power was intriguing, surpassing even that of Samson. To be born with such a talent felt like a dishonourable advantage, yet Hans's fate had played yet another cruel trick on him. He lacked the way of a knight, a vital ingredient for inheriting the power to its fullest potential. Despite wielding the potent force of limitless mana, capable of upheaving the world, Hans once again longed to become a knight.

Hans turned to Aredhel, desperation etched on his face. "Can I ever gain mastery over this power?" he asked, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

Aredhel, with a firm shake of her head, denied him any semblance of control.

Both your Inheritance, which delves into the past, and my Clairvoyance, which glimpses into the future, are abilities that manifest on a whim.

Hans let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping in resignation. He needed something else to focus on, to distract him from his uncontrollable gift. "Tell me then," he implored Aredhel, "who was that god-blood elf?"

Aredhel thought of something and explained

True forger of the Ring of Chaos, likely a god, child of Osiris, much like the bearer of technology, Hellforge's Imophet, or Concordia's Lavoisier, known as the bearer of alchemy...

She glanced at Sierra and added further,

Her name is Aadya, the bearer of power, from the land of Parv.

Sierra suddenly interjected.

I thought it was just a myth,

Aredhel responded calmly,

I have seen her up close, she is the real deal

Sierra's voice rose in volume as she continued, "If she was real, why couldn't she save Sam? Why did he have to die?" Her frustration was evident, and Aredhel could sense the conversation taking a sour turn.

"I do not know, Lady Sierra," Aredhel admitted hesitantly. "But I do know that she was quite docile around Samson"

  Aredhel was about to steer the conversation towards Hans's mother when Rudolf intervened, his arm around his wife. "Let the past remain in the past, my dear," he said, his voice gentle but firm. The atmosphere in the room seemed to relax, and Aredhel postponed the conversation to some other time.

Meanwhile, Delimra was jolted by a sudden thought. The idea of Hans possessing a way to access past knowledge was sinking in deep, and she muttered in her inner voice that was as clear as day,

Then he would know how to craft the Ring of Chaos.

  As Rudolf absorbed those words, a sinking feeling settled in his stomach. The possibility that Hans held the key to the lost crafting method of the Ring of Chaos was becoming all too real. Aredhel had denied Samson's true status as the ring's forger, instead attributing its creation to a mysterious figure named Aadya who only Hans could see in his dreams.

The situation was escalating, Hans was already the target of a wild goose chase but now the chase was turning out to be true. A throbbing headache only added to his mounting stress and frustration, causing him to curse under his breath.

Ah, darn it!

Contrary to Rudolf's sinking feeling, Hans erupted in a burst of excitement.

Hell yeah!

  He thought that he could truly become as powerful as Samson with the ring, all the while unaware that what Aredhel knew was only a half-truth. The forging of a new Ring of Chaos was impossible due to the lack of materials left in the world, further adding to the potential disappointments awaiting Hans on his journey.

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