CHAPTER 74

THE RESURRECTION KEY

  Sierra made up her mind about the request but as she gazed at the girl standing before her, barely in her teenage years, she felt a pang of sympathy for the difficult path that lay ahead of her. That leads her to hesitate for a moment so before declaring anything she addressed Ardehel.

"May I ask you something?" She inquired softly and receiving a nod from Aredhel in response, she continued, "Why are you willing to push your child to the brink of exhaustion and beyond? Your daughter has a natural talent for magic; she is already an exceptional mage. Why do you want to subject her to such hellish life?"

  Sierra's voice carried a tone of genuine concern and care, her heart aching for the young girl whose future was being decided which also reminded her of Arahan. She vaguely remembered her own sister asking the same favour as Aredhel in the past and also the consequences that were brought by her choices. She hoped that Ardehel would hear her words and take them to heart, for the sake of her daughter's well-being.

Aredhel's voice was laced with desperation as she pleaded her case to Sierra."You don't understand," she implored. "My daughter is driven by a thirst for power that I have never seen in anyone else. I fear that if I do not guide her, she will take the wrong steps in her search for it. With the art of Krosh, at least she can defend herself against the ancients, just as your sister did." She paused to see Sierra's reaction and continued as she thought the lady was being persuaded "And I have seen her using it through my clairvoyance, so I know that she will prevail in the harsh trial." finished Aredhel with a fact that was going to happen.

  Delimira's eyes widened as she turned to her mother, finally realizing that there were many things her mother had seen about her future but had chosen not to disclose them. One such secret was her successful learning of the Krosh Arts.

  It was only through her incessant questioning and pestering in the past that Delimira learned of Theodred's significance and his role in her future. She longed for a life where she could break free from the shackles of constant vigilance and hatred, to find her happiness. And, her mother had given her the answer she had been seeking as 'Theodred', the person fated to bring her all of that.

  Hans's thoughts were straying in a different direction. He couldn't help but think of Sierra's sister, Arahan, who he knew was the birth mother of Samson. When Ardhle mentioned the ancients, it reminded him of Delmira and her talk of Samson's ability to defeat them.

  It was no mystery to Hans that Delmira was interested in the Parvian king, despite the bad rumours that surrounded him. He had never been particularly interested in the Ancients before, as they were known to be the good guys, still defending the Genas on the other side of the Deadlands. But now, Delmira's constant interest in them had sparked a new level of curiosity in him.

  The thoughts of both children came to a sudden halt as Aredhel spoke to Sierra, who was still looking intently at her daughter. "I don't want my daughter to suffer the same helplessness that I did," Aredhel declared, her tone firm.

Sierra asked again seeking confirmation. "Are you sure about this?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern. But it was Delmira who responded with unwavering confidence., "I want this," she declared, her eyes sparkling with determination. "The pain would be nothing compared to the power I would gain. I'm willing to endure it."

  A grin spread across Delmira's face as she spoke, and Rudolf spoke up in support of the young girl. "Do not disrespect her resolve," he said, his voice full of admiration. "She looks confident, not like our squeaky one who cries at the mere mention of mana property tests."(chapter 9)

  Hans's ears perked when his name was mentioned and he shot a withering glare at his grandfather, knowing that his embarrassing nickname had been revealed to Delimira. He watched in frustration as Delimira turned to him, stifling a laugh. Irritated with his grandfather, Hans demanded to know Delimira's nickname from Aredhel. But all he received was the brief and unremarkable name "Deli."

Getting his expected response, Delimira turned back to Rudolf and inquired,

Why squeaky though?

Rudolf hesitated. He had spoken without thinking, and Hans was now glaring at him with fury in his eyes. But Rudolf did not want to exacerbate the situation, so he refuted his stare by saying,

She is your friend, it's fine, beat it.

Hans raised his voice in protest, retorting,

No, it's not.

Delimira giggled but Vanessa interjected her tone grave.

Ms Delimira, please refrain from calling him that.

  The seriousness of Vanessa's tone caused Delimira's laughter to abruptly cease. Meanwhile, avoiding the children's scuffle, Aredhel who had been waiting for Sierra to give her response, finally received a positive answer."Fine. I'll teach her." said Sierra, still reluctance in her voice but it was a yes nonetheless.

  Delimira was brimming with happiness, ignorant of the pain she would have to endure in the future. As the time for the impending "TALK" approached, Aredhel subtly asked Hans to show her daughter around, saying to get the hell out of there in a roundabout way. Hans was curious and wanted to eavesdrop, but Sierra's expression made it clear that he should not interfere.

  Reluctantly, Hans escorted Delimira to his room upstairs. She was uninterested in what her mother was going to talk about with the dean couple but Hans was practically bursting with curiosity. As he gazed at her intently, wanting to know what were they talking about, but she suddenly asked, "Do you know about Krosh arts?" distracting him with a more enticing topic.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Hans's mind was like a kaleidoscope, constantly shifting from one fascination to another. Despite his occasionally chilling degree of intellect probably coming from his weird power called Inheritance, his curiosity often got the better of him. Delimira's question about Krosh arts was like a siren's call, pulling him away from his concerns about what Aredhel and the dean couple were discussing. And Delimira shook her head as her expectations turned true.

Hans asked, his excitement evident,

I thought it was impossible to have the aura and mana heart in the same body

Delimra seemed unfazed by Hans's excitement as she casually replied,

It still is, but there was a way some years ago. Queen Arahan was called a sword mage because of it. It's her method, and I don't know how it works, but it's like regularly breaking the mana circles

Hans winced, "Aah, that would be painful for sure," he said not believing what he was hearing, the thought of breaking mana circles regularly seemed excruciating.

Delimira asked, ignoring Hans's distorted face,

What do you live for?

"So are we asking personal questions now?" retorted Hans with a smug face.

"Be a jerk then," Delimira said, unfazed.

Hans let out a sigh and answered,

I don't know... Maybe to let my grandparents live in peace, and my sister Vanessa too. And of course, to become a powerful mage.

Delimira shook her head.

Those are all general things. Deep down, there has to be something you really want. What is it?

Hans thought for a moment, but he couldn't come up with anything. Turning back to her, he asked,

Give me a glimpse, tell me yours first.

When he asked that from Delimira, her face started filling with hatred as she spoke,

Me, I want to kill someone and then leave the cursed place called Clandor for good.

  As Delimira's expression filled with hatred, Hans decided not to push her any further. Instead, he recalled the thrill that had surged through him when he had first stumbled upon the Book of Fate. He had wanted it more than anything, ignoring anyone that stood in his way. And so, he revealed to her his deepest desire.

"I too have something that I want, Winters," he said, his voice tinged with determination. "It's like the legacy of King Samson, and I'm determined to retrieve it, no matter what."

AT LIVING ROOM

  Rudolf idly stroked his stubbled chin, his mind preoccupied with the weight of the words Aredhel had spoken to him in the prison. She had promised to clarify everything in two weeks' time, and he had been counting down the days ever since.

  Without warning, Aredhel took out an artefact, similar to the size of a pebble from her pocket, a sleek and advanced device that Rudolf had never seen before. He watched in fascination as the device behaved similar to a memory stone, projecting a recording of an adult man, someone Rudolf immediately recognised as Sam.,

"I made this in case she needs your help protecting her daughter, possibly if I died" Sam's voice crackled through the memory stone. "That child is key for me coming back and everything. So protect her well, teacher"

  Rudolf felt a knot form in his stomach at the implications of Sam's words. He had raised him and trusted him implicitly, but no matter how much he wanted it to be true, the gravity of his words was too much if that turned into a vain hope.

Aredhel's voice broke through his thoughts.

He asked me to show this to either Parvians or you. I need your help, Sir Rudolf.

Rudolf was still out of it and was mumbling,

I have not seen his body but he got killed with the Karmic blade...even healing was impossible..even with Sierra's divine Mana, so how?

Aredhel defended with a barrage of questions,

Why didn't he use his ring or sunstones? Why did he insist on fighting as a knight with just one hand?

His frustration mounting, Rudolf suddenly erupted in a shout. "It was all because of his stupid pride!, he was Parvian, they are all crazy bastards" he bellowed.

Sierra stepped in, her voice calm and measured. "Resurrection is a concept of the gods," she said. "No one in this world has the power to bring someone back from the dead, not even Osiris herself."

Aredhel's voice was firm as she spoke countering her.

Yes, but what if he's not dead? We don't know what Parv is hiding behind that thick fog, and Sam never spoke nonsense.

Rudolf interjected, "He was a human, not a… wait a minute," He turned to Sierra and a possibility ran through his head so he asked her to confirm "What if the magic is not from our world..." he turned to Aredhel this time and said with the same tone "Delmira is your husband’s daughter after all. I remember Samson joking about your husband being a god of some kind and having the ability of resurrection."

  The words jolted Aredhel, catching her completely off guard. She struggled to make sense of them because she was not aware of this, but her daughter's safety was her top priority. She didn't know what Samson had planned for Delmira, but she knew that his message would secure her daughter top-level protection for the time being. The thought of losing her daughter again filled Aredhel with a deep sense of dread and fear, and she was willing to do whatever it took to keep her safe, so she used her strongest card to secure the protection of the infamous Alastor.

Rudolf chuckled as he watched his wife's expression change. "This is getting interesting," he said with a smile. "Maybe we'll finally get to meet our son in the future, dear."

  Aredhel was waiting for the exact moment and hammered the final nail in this conversation, "Protect my daughter". It was a mother's instinct, to do whatever it took to keep her child safe. In response to her plight, Sierra, who had accepted Delimira as her disciple, nodded in agreement. It was her duty to protect her disciple, but there was a hint of doubt in her voice as she spoke. "But your daughter doesn't know otherworld magic," she said. "And her father isn't around to teach her."

Aredhel's voice was filled with confidence as she made her declaration.

"He is still alive," she said firmly.

Rudolf and Sierra looked at her with surprise.

"Did you see through Clairvoyance?" Rudolf asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Aredhel replied. "I couldn't glimpse into Hans's future, and now I know it's because his INHERITANCE power was obstructing me. But when I met the god-blood elf Aadya, she strengthened my ability, and I glimpsed one of his events that is crucial for everything."

Sierra's question came out quickly, her curiosity piqued.

"And what is it?" she asked.

Aredhel took a moment to think before answering.

Hans must not kill my husband," she said, her voice serious. "He is destined to fight him to the death, in a way to protect the masses.

Rudolf's eyes widened in shock at Aredhel's revelation.

"Pft... he's protecting the masses, that's bullshit," he chuckled. "But still, when is it going to happen?"

Aredhel's face darkened as she thought about the nightmare that had haunted her for so long. She released a heavy sigh before finally speaking.

On his graduation test.

***