“I will tell you something very important, so listen carefully. You must not tell it to another soul under any circumstances.” [Nylian]

“Yes, my lord.” [Ava]

Having called Ava to his office, Nylian stood in front of her as she nodded expressionlessly. Blocking the door behind her was Orist who had brought her here.

“You cannot cut your hair short.” [Nylian]

He started in a roundabout manner. It was something he had delayed for a few days since he came back from the meeting with the other six clan heads.

“Understood.” [Ava]

“No. I am not ordering you again. There is a reason why you cannot cut your hair and only trim it.” [Nylian]

“…?” [Ava]

Ava stared at him with a puzzled gaze, but said nothing. Nylian held his hands behind his back and walked to his desk.

“You are a half-breed. Although you look similar to us, you are different from us. As proof, when you cut your hair short…” [Nylian]

He turned around and faced her.

“You lose your powers.” [Nylian]

“… Eh?” [Ava]

He stated, bluntly and simply. The half-breed’s eyes went round from this revelation and her voice leaked out.

“That is why we forbid you from cutting your hair, why we let it grow down your back and it is proof that you are a half-breed. Do you understand what it means?” [Nylian]

“… No. I’m sorry.” [Ava]

“It is the unique trait and glaring weakness of half-breeds that few of us know. Luckily, half-breeds are very rare. The other races, the humans, the therianthropes, the dragons, all of them have no idea. They only know that your kind are infertile, which is the only thing we allowed to be spread.” [Nylian]

Nylian looked at Orist and this one, understanding his intent, stepped forward.

“You may be young and possess the blood of humans, but your ability is to be feared. That is why I do not underestimate you. Only a fool would seeing as how you killed a man at the age of eight and found your way back at night.” [Nylian]

Orist swiftly grabbed Ava’s hair with one hand and raised a pair of scissors in the other, ready to cut them at his lord’s command.

“I can’t say I know what’s going through your head. Perhaps you’re planning on escaping and using your powers to gather allies and make a living. But, we know how to stop you and render you powerless. You might find it laughable that we’re threatening to give you a haircut, but know this…” [Nylian]

Nylian looked down on the half-breed whose expression tensed up.

“There are various ways to stop your hair from growing. And with no powers, you’ll be useless to anyone and to us. When that happens, we’ll throw you out to the wolves. Do you understand?” [Nylian]

“Y-yes, my lord.” [Ava]

She nodded fearfully.

“Then from now on, never again disobey another order. The next time you do, your punishment won’t just be a day without meal or a simple slap to the face.” [Nylian]

Nylian raised his hand and Orist stepped away from her.

“Now leave, and do not tell anyone else.” [Nylian]

The half-breed nodded repeatedly and left the room followed by Orist. Alone, the head of the Luceran clan sat on his chair and sighed. He closed his eyes and thought about the meeting he had a few days ago.

“Now that news of the half-breed’s powers has travelled around the world because of the attack on Sanctuary Academy, the eyes of various countries are on us. They most likely want her for themselves. As such, we will reveal to the half-breed her kind’s weakness as a means of intimidation and remind her where she stands. It is important to tighten the leash around her neck so that she won’t defy us and join another camp. Does everyone agree on this matter?” [Hastos]

Hastos asked the confirmation of all his fellow clan heads sitting around the table one last time. They silently nodded, showing their consent on the matter.

“Then, Nylian, you can proceed with the plan. Make sure that she knows her place so that she won’t run off to another country.” [Hastos]

The man with long silver hair tied behind his nape said to Nylian who was keeping his eyes closed.

“… Alright.” [Nylian]

Thus, the meeting between the seven clans was adjourned and they all got up to leave.

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“Nylian.” [Elenaril]

A golden-eyed woman with long white hair called out to him as he headed for the door.

“Elenaril, what is it?” [Nylian]

He asked as he showed her a small smile.

“Letting her come in contact with the other races in that academy didn’t go as we had hoped.” [Elenaril]

“Time has changed many things. The world has grown somewhat used to their presence… And we are the only ones who know of what happened. History doesn’t speak of them after all.” [Nylian]

“We should have expected it. How can history speak of them when we keep it a secret?” [Elenaril]

Elenaril smiled bitterly as she recalled the distant past. The two of them, who were the only ones left in the room, began walking.

“Do you think that half-breed will behave after learning that we can render her powerless with a simple haircut? If it doesn’t work and we need to threaten her with death, we would lose a valuable power.” [Elenaril]

“What choice does she have? But, I’ll double security around her just to be safe.” [Nylian]

“Good. Her enhancing ability truly is valuable, despite her being… *Sigh*” [Elenaril]

The elven woman let out a sigh filled with the various emotions that rampaged in her chest when she thought about Ava.

“… Talindra’s doing fine.” [Nylian]

Seeing her like that, Nylian informed her of his wife’s well-being.

“That’s good to hear. Please continue to take good care of my younger sister, especially since that half-breed is back.” [Elenaril]

“I will. You don’t need to worry about that. Speaking of which, would you like to come by to see her? Agis and Saria would be happy to see their aunt.” [Nylian]

“That’s an attractive proposal. But, unfortunately, I have work to take care of. You too. You’ll need to tell that half-breed about her peculiar weakness and deal with how she reacts. She may try to escape or even get aggressive.” [Elenaril]

“The possibility is there, but she’s been docile up until now.” [Nylian]

“That may just be a lie. Don’t forget. At the age of eight, she killed her kidnapper and found her way back. Even though she could have escaped, she chose to come back with his corpse no less. You’ve been confining her since she was born, and she still chose to come back despite her caged treatment. Why is that so?” [Elenaril]

Elenaril stopped walking which prompted Nylian to do so as well and she stared at his face with sharp eyes.

“No half-breed child has ever acted like her. There might have been some who were more obedient than most, but from what you’ve said, that girl is too docile, too quiet. It’s like she’s hiding her claws and bidding her time.” [Elenaril]

She warned him of the bad premonition she felt when he reported her actions during their meetings.

“Be careful, Nylian. With her powers, she could sell her services to any kingdom’s royalty and get a good position. If we say that we’ll take that away from her, her most powerful weapon and her means of living somewhere else, it might push her to do something drastic.” [Elenaril]

“As someone who’s talked to her, I can see where you’re coming from. She certainly has been labeled as a creepy child since birth, but there is no way I would be tricked by a mere fourteen year old or be bested by her.” [Nylian]

“If you say so, then I will believe you. Once you tell her that her powers are linked to her hair and intimidate her, make sure to keep her under your watch. It’ll probably become even more stressful than before. Who knows? Your hair might turn grey.” [Elenaril]

She threw a little joke at the end and smiled wryly. Her brother-in-law also smiled and the two resumed walking.

“I am merely going to warn her like I’ve done before. Besides, if knowing this truth does change her behavior and she somehow manages to escape, then we can still use her dresses as a last resort.” [Nylian]

He added to reassure her, and himself.

Sitting at his desk, Nylian sighed deeply. In the end, he didn’t need to worry about it so much. The half-breed barely reacted and was as docile as ever. He already instructed the soldiers in charge of keeping her in her room to be on their guard and increased their numbers. If she really was a sly fox and did plan on escaping, he would be ready, though it felt a bit much for just a young girl. For now, he would watch how things would develop and if there was any change in her conduct.

As for Ava, who was back in her room and was lying on her bed…

“(I was this close to losing my powers!)” [Ava]

She was beating herself up over the fact that she was going to ignore their orders and cut her hair short before Agis showed up. If she did, then her elven magic would disappear until her hair grew back to a proper length.

“Well, whatever.” [Ava]

Five seconds later, she shrugged her shoulders and sat up. Then, she grabbed a handful of her black hair and silently stared at it.

“(A person’s powers are linked to their hair. Sounds dumb, but it’s not the first time I heard something like that.)” [Ava]

She thought to herself as memories from other worlds resurfaced.

“(There were people who let their hair grow and took great care of it because their powers increased by doing so. There were also plenty of magic rituals and tools that utilized hair as an important component.)” [Ava]

The experiences she went through as a monster that could jump from one world to another were varied and numerous. Something that was strange in one world could be considered normal in another, so she learned to not dismiss them right away. As for accepting them, although it didn’t look like Nylian was lying, she wanted to see with her own eyes if half-elves really did lose their powers by becoming bald. Of course, she wasn’t going to test it on herself.

“(They can cut my hair and burn my scalp to take away my powers. I would have no worth to anyone and wouldn’t be a threat anymore. They probably have some elves that can use healing magic, so if I behave, they’ll heal me up and have my hair grow back, or at least I think that’s their plan. That guy didn’t tell me that I’d be killed if I disobeyed orders. Guess they want to keep me alive… Wow these elves are damn soft on me. No torture?)” [Ava]

That was what Ava thought as she laid on her bed again. She stretched out her left hand to the ceiling. Unlike the scar-covered one she was used to seeing, it was a small, dainty hand with soft skin. On her face, a frown appeared. After spending fourteen years in her current body, she learned that it was a good, healthy one, and it didn’t put on muscles easily. Then again, it might be a trait of the elven race of this world.

“(Wonder if calluses will form if I swing a sword. Maybe I’ll turn into a macho man if I increase my training from here on, but I’m stuck in my room.)” [Ava]

After thinking so jokingly, the half-elf kept staring at her raised hand without saying a word as if she wanted to burn a hole through it. Then, she covered her eyes with it and took a deep, deep breath. In the windowless room, Ava stayed still on her bed for nearly ten minutes.

“… I didn’t forget who I am.” [Ava]

She muttered in a low voice.

----------------------------------------

Inside her luxurious bedroom, Saria woke up earlier than usual. Gentle sunlight streamed in through the curtains of her windows as the young elf rose her upper body.

“…?” [Saria]

She blinked her half-closed eyes and stayed seated on her bed in the dim room. On her face was a dazed expression. Silently, she looked left and right as if to confirm where she was. Then, she looked down to see her hands that were tightly gripping the blanket.

“… The girl from before.” [Saria]

She muttered in a low voice.