Serena's footsteps echoed loudly off the walls of the corridor as she walked along slowly. She kept looking in both directions, waiting for something to jump out at her. Even though she knew there weren't any enemies nearby, she continued to scan every inch of the room just to make sure. When she finally arrived at an intersection, Serena hesitated. Was it better to continue forwards or turn back?

After a couple of seconds of indecision, Serena chose to keep moving forward. There didn't seem to be any reason why she shouldn't go through here. As she passed the corner, she saw another door that led to a staircase heading downwards. That made sense; the village chief house likely had access to other floors.

"You seem to be under a false belief," Ravana said, breaking the silence. Or at least the silence in her mind. "Look around you and take it in. Tell me what you see."

As soon as he said that, Serena realized that they were alone. No guards or soldiers stood between them and the exit. It certainly looked less intimidating without anyone present.

"The hallways are all designed only for one person to walk down at a time," Serena muttered, glancing around quickly. They'd come across a few wooden structures earlier, but everything else was either rock or metal.

"That is correct," Ravana agreed easily. "It would easily trap potential sacrifices and prevent them from escaping if there was usually only one person in long hallways with no other exits. This building was designed to trap others and limit their freedom."

"How did you know that?"

"Because I am not a fool and can critically think," Ravana answered plainly. "Now tell me what you notice next."

What sort of game was he planning to play now? If he wanted to trick her into telling him things, then he wasn't very subtle about it. "This hallway has doors leading to rooms where sacrifices were kept. If I retraced my steps, I would reach the front room and entrance. Which leads us to…?"

"Tell me, what do you hear?" Ravana asked calmly.

Serena listened carefully. After a moment, she heard nothing except her breathing. Not even the sound of the wind brushing past the trees outside. What was he trying to get her to focus on? "Nothing…"

Ravana chuckled. "I'm afraid we don't have much longer before your training begins."

His words caught Serena completely off guard. She hadn't expected such an abrupt change of topic.

"I would have normally advised you to listen to your heartbeat as a grounding technique, but that would be nearly impossible for you," Ravana continued. "Instead, I want you to try and listen for anyone else's. It should be easier to accomplish with your new affinity for hemomancy."

Hemomancy... Serena's eyes widened at the implications of having access to a specialization like that. Blood magic and manipulation were subaffinities within Animancy. Animancy was hard enough to even learn, and she didn't know anyone with an affinity for it.

Animancy was the ability to manipulate the living, the soul, and life itself. Those who could use the rare magic could theoretically create new forms of life, grant life to the lifeless, and even animate things.

There were so many specializations within animancy, with blood being a part of biological manipulation and magic. It was strange to think that she could learn to harness this skill at all.

But the thought of being able to manipulate blood and use it as fuel to cast spells was too tempting to ignore. It seemed like the perfect fit for her. But more importantly: it was also extremely dangerous.

If she used it incorrectly, Serena could kill someone by accident. And while she might not care personally—she wouldn't lose sleep over killing some random villager who tried to kidnap her and force her into becoming a sacrifice—the consequences could still affect everyone around her.

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So instead, Serena focused on listening intently to every noise coming out of the hallway. The floorboards creaked slightly when she shifted her weight. Her footsteps sounded louder than usual because she was walking barefoot since those bastards took even her boots. Even the air felt different somehow. Maybe she just couldn't pinpoint exactly how.

"Are you ready to begin?" Ravana inquired after several minutes passed.

"Yes!" Serena replied instantly. "Let's start practicing right away! Let's find something to test my abilities against."

"You're eager," Ravana noted, sounding impressed.

"Of course I am," Serena scoffed. "Do you expect me to wait until someone tries something?"

"No," Ravana said simply.

"Then let's go already," Serena insisted. "We need to rescue Lucian as fast as possible."

Just as she said that she heard a faint rushing of blood and the distant beating of a heart. It was beating fast as if terrified by something, and Serena followed it to its source.

The strange blue screen appeared once more, this time with new words.

Through the usage and practice of sensing the blood in one's veins and the beating of the heart, you have acquired the ability of Presence of Blood.

Presence of Blood is the ability to discern blood, whether fresh or dried in the environment. It also includes the ability to sense the presence of blood in any living subject. Currently, this ability is at the lowest level, and so there are limitations like requiring to focus on tracking and sensing over using it.

"I see," Ravana uttered. "So this box is some form of connection and way to directly influence and alter a person. I wonder how many have access to this."

The box distorted slightly before more words appeared.

Access to higher priveledges and methods of power acquisition will be unlocked for both Serena Araceli and...

The rest was blurred and corrupted, like an old scroll that has been badly maintained.

"What was that about?!" Serena asked quickly before Ravana had a chance to speak.

Ravana blinked in surprise for a moment. "I haven't the foggiest idea about what happened. All I did was mentally reach out toward the strange box."

"It seemed to see that you are something akin to a Celestial?" Serena pressed, and he fell silent in contemplation. Celestials, especially the members of the higher caste, were nigh god-like by their mere birth and right to power. In many of the worlds, her kindred were hailed as deities in their own right by default.

"Perhaps," Ravana mused aloud. "Though I believe it will take some time and effort to fully comprehend this."

Serena's smile became strained at hearing the confidence and pride coloring his words. She had no idea what to make of this. She shook her head as the screen faded away once more.

A door stood open halfway down the hall.

As she walked closer to the doorway, the sounds grew clearer and stronger. There was a deep gurgling of breath and wheezing from somewhere nearby. As she drew nearer, she saw a woman lying on the ground in front of the door, her face bloody and gasping for breath.

Her elongated ears had been cut off at the middle, though it was an old injury. A line of crimson spilled from her throat, showing a jagged line of a claw or perhaps a dagger of some kind as the possible reason for her bleeding out. Through her teeth, Serena saw that her tongue had largely been removed. Likewise, it seemed to be an old wound.

Something about this scene made Serena feel uneasy as if there was more going on here than what she initially suspected. Something wasn't quite adding up.

"What will you do?" Ravana questioned. "You could try to save her and let her resume a tortured life, or you could kill her and allow her to rest."

"Well…" Serena pondered carefully. This situation felt very much like a trap. It would seem too easy to just help the poor creature. If they allowed her to live, however…

"Kill her," Serena said decisively after a few moments.

The woman didn't move. Her breathing slowed only slightly, which told Serena that either she'd lost consciousness due to shock or pain, or worse still—she might already be dead.

Serena took a step forward, and then another, until finally standing above the body. The woman's eyes were dyed with pain and the slightest hint of hope.

Ravana's dark voice continued to whisper insidiously. "How will you kill her? Will you boil her blood within her veins? Fry her organs? Or perhaps you will cause the blood vessels and the heart to rupture?"

Serena stared at the woman for several seconds before saying, "You won't be in pain any longer."

Much to her horror, the woman smiled at her words and closed her eyes.