Arianna could sense that her disciple was rapidly approaching breaking point. Knowing it was now or never, she was just about to make a move and put an end to all this when she saw Lance step forward.
Although Ace was confident his mother could overcome this trial, he better than anyone knew that sometimes, all we need is a gentle push from the ‘right person’ to overcome our demons.
For him, that person was Amira, and for his mother, all he could do was hope that Lance was the right person.
“Calm down, Milli,” Lance said, gently taking his partner’s dainty hands in his. “Do you remember what you told me? The reason you began cultivating in the first place?”
Milianna was still at the point of no return; her face had lost all its natural colour, and her eyes were vacant, but Arianna could feel that she had stopped worsening, so she allowed things to play out.
“Didn’t you say that you wanted to cultivate so that you could do your part to support your son?” Lance asked, his voice oddly firm but gentle. “Well, now’s the time. Your master has faith in you, I have faith in you, and even Ace has faith in you.”
Milianna subconsciously looked down at her son as she heard Lance's words.
He was barely conscious, and it took all his willpower not to scream so as not to worry his mother any more than she already was, but still, his bloodshot eyes were full of warmth as he tried to give his mother a look of reassurance.
“Ace,” Milianna muttered softly, as though she was scared that speaking any louder would worsen Ace’s condition.
“You can do this!” Lance whispered, giving Milianna the final push she needed.
Her eyes were full of hesitation as she knelt by her son’s side, raising her milky white palms over Ace’s trembling chest.
“Have faith in yourself,” Arianna voiced gently, seeing her disciple’s hesitation. “For the sake of your son, have faith in yourself!”
Her master’s words in that moment resonated with her soul. The resolve in Milianna’s eyes grew firmer with every word as she began chanting the incantation for the spell [Luminous Life].
[Luminous Life] was a unique spell within the edict of Life in that, even though it was a simple spell of the second rank, it was the only spell with a slight variation for each rank.
Whilst her son was away, despite the precarious condition of her soul, Milianna had long since managed to reach the middle stages of the fourth rank, and as a disciple of Arianna, Milianna was more than capable of insta-casting it, but as her son’s life and future was hanging in the balance, she refused to take any risks.
Everyone surrounding them watched in shock as Milianna’s resolute and unwavering eyes seemed to glaze over, and the power of her spell seemed to skyrocket, reaching the sixth rank – surpassing her own by two.
“Sudden enlightenment…” Cesar muttered, taken aback by the spectacle. ‘Freaks! Why are there so many freaks in one place!’
‘Looks like Ace was right after all,’ Arianna smiled radiantly. ‘He really did inherit his freakish talent from his mother, after all.’
‘I knew you could do it, Mom,’ Ace thought to himself as he looked up warmly at his mother’s focused face.
He could feel his injuries rapidly stabilising, but his focus was on his mother. Even though he genuinely believed his mother could overcome this hurdle, he was still over the moon when she proved him right.
Though Milianna’s sudden enlightenment also had the effect of increasing her comprehension of the edict of light, its most pronounced effect was on her soul. Ace and Arianna could feel the condition of her soul improving dramatically.
Because of the extent of Ace’s injuries, there was no way Milianna, at her current level, would have been able to completely heal him. Arianna had initially planned to finish the treatment when Ace’s condition became stable, but even as her mageforce began to wane, Milianna refused to stop.
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It was only when her tank was completely emptied and she lost consciousness that she finally stopped.
Arianna could’ve stopped her long before reaching this stage, but she knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Not only had she gained over a year’s worth of insight in over a minute, her mage realm had broken through to the peak of the fourth rank, but most importantly, the condition of her soul had improved drastically.
Not only had the damage inflicted by the arrival of Kenyon a year ago been reversed, but her condition had also improved even further. This was the best state she had been in since her soul was initially tainted 16 years ago.
Arianna moved just in time to catch her disciple before her unconscious body hit the ground.
“Alright, the show’s over,” Mathias announced, wanting to give Ace and his family their space. “Amira will be back tomorrow morning, so the competition will be held tomorrow afternoon. Go back now and get some rest.”
“You are just as impulsive as that master of yours,” Arianna sighed helplessly as she passed Milianna’s body to Lance, giving Ace the side eye.
Ace smiled wryly as he rolled over, hissing in pain as he forced himself to his feet. He knew he went a little overboard with his actions tonight, but the feeling of improving so rapidly was too invigorating.
“Thankfully, things ended with the best possible outcome,” Arianna said, a gentle smile gracing her flawless face as she looked down lovingly at her peacefully sleeping disciple. “I’ll leave the rest of your recovery to your mother.”
“What about the competition tomorrow?" Ace asked helplessly, wanting to be at his best in case he was challenged.
Everyone in the Pavilion knew how strong Ace was at this point; the chances of anyone actually challenging him were minuscule. Still, Ace would rather be safe than sorry.
Even though all the serious injuries had been healed, it still felt like every muscle in his body was burning from the inside out. And his dantian felt uncomfortably bloated.
“You should’ve thought about that before you pulled your reckless stunt!” Arianna snorted before continuing. “Plus, it might be best for your mother’s future to be the one to finish what she started.”
A helpless sigh escaped Ace’s mouth, but he didn’t say anything else. As unfortunate as it was, Ace knew Arianna was right.
“Ooh, and carry Killian back with you,” Arianna added as the afterimage of her body vanished with the wind.
Mathias and Alissa both considered carrying Killian back with them, but all things considered, they both knew that when he awoke, there was nowhere he’d rather be than by Ace’s side to make sure he was okay. As such, they all left him be when they took their leave.
Ace was about to pick him up when Leonel, who was the only other individual to remain behind, casually flung the little giant onto his back.
“Thanks, buddy,” Ace said as he stroked Leo’s mane. “Not sure I would’ve been able to carry him on my own as I am now.”
Ace, Lance, and Leo walked back to the cabin in silence. Or at least Leo and Lance were silent. The sound of Ace’s strained grunts, as he followed behind them, could still be heard.
“Are you sure she’s alright?” Lance asked suddenly, still looking affectionately at the sleeping beauty in his arms with a hint of worry and concern.
“I’m sure,” Ace replied confidently. “When she wakes up, her personality should return to how it was before the incident with Kenyon. In fact, she should be even more stable.”
After spending the last two months accompanying his mother and Lance, Ace had noticed that even though she wasn’t as distraught as she was before he left, she was still a lot more needy than usual – not that it bothered him. He knew that it was a result of her condition.
Still, he could imagine how much she must’ve relied on Lance to keep her pacified in his absence. It couldn’t have been easy, and yet, Lance did it with a smile on his face. The appreciation Ace felt for his mother’s partner only increased with each passing day.
“As long as she’s fine, that’s all that matters to me,” Lance said softly. “If it means she stays safe, I wouldn’t mind her staying as she has been this last year for the rest of our lives together.”
“I know,” Ace nodded, understanding that Lance’s words were more than just mere words.
“But I mind,” Ace continued. “I want to return everything that was taken from my mother and make the man responsible pay with his life – My mother deserves at least that much!”
Lance stopped suddenly as he processed Ace’s declaration. Till now, he hated the thought of Milianna being forced into what was effectively the line of fire just so that she could regain her talent.
There was a small part of him that believed Ace was being selfish. That the best course of action was to give her the potion to restore her personality, even if it came at the cost of her talent. Even if she never became an immortal, she would be able to live a full and happy life as a mortal.
But he knew it wasn’t his place to say anything, so he vowed to silently do his part, even if, deep down, he disagreed. But Ace’s words made him realise that it was he who was being selfish.
As her man, it was his job to not only protect her from harm but also to do everything he could to right any wrongs that she suffered and help her fight for what is rightfully hers.
“You’re right!” Lance stated simply.
It was only two words, but those two words were filled with an unwavering resolve.