Grand Healer of Helikan, Lorana Lanya, prepares for the arrival of her guest, ordering the maids to hang decorative banners and replacing the normal carpet with soft Floryn silk carpet. Lanya has always liked the texture of the rare Floryn cocoon silk ever since her mother had gotten her a dress of it for her fifteenth birthday.
She looks at the young black-haired man sitting on the second-floor railing, overlooking the entrance hall. No one would guess that he is over four hundred years old, let alone the most powerful man in the world. His grey eyes carefully examine the work being done.
“From what I can tell, the Runalymo favor decorative work,” He says between bites of Kyr fruit.
“Are you really just going to spy on this meeting? Afraid that I won’t honor my debt?” Lanya asks, annoyed by the presence of Klaman.
“Why do you always have to be so cold toward me, Lanya? I have known you all your life, ever since you were a little girl. Your father would be very proud that at least one of his children is as successful as you.” Klaman stares off in the distance nostalgically.
“It’s almost as if the ‘true Lunaleyan Lineage’ doesn’t guarantee talent; I find it quite ironic how I was the one most successful in ruling despite my brothers’ more legitimate claim,” Lanya taunts the assassin.
Born as the illegitimate child of the First Emperor of Luna, Lanya had a difficult childhood. She barely knew her father, and he almost never visited between his conquests, but he did send his trusted friend to check up on her every now and then. She was lucky to have been born with a life Bond and was able to join the healers, slowly rising through the rank of this society until she reached the top.
“I see that now,” Klaman says, “Blood rots if it is stagnant; it needs fresh stimulus from other families. Both you and I are proof that those with royal blue hair aren’t always the most talented ones, but it is that which ties the emperor to the first Empress. With it, no one can have a greater claim to rule, and that keeps the empire stable.”
“You are an old fool! This country has stood far longer; hair color is not needed for a stable rule,” Lanya rebukes.
“It’s about having a strong claim to rule, and there is no better claim than being descended from the First Empress.”
“One would think that one’s ability to rule is good enough for a claim to rule. Merit is clearly better than what you have now. And don’t you dare disagree! You have effectively removed the current emperor due to incompetence! Should have done so a hundred years ago!”
“And what prevents someone from overthrowing you?” Klaman counters, “Only your ability to heal; what happens when someone more talented than you in healing runs this country into the dirt because they are a poor leader? This is why we need good claims to rule, but it is evident now that those with good claims need to be cultivated and prune the ones unfit to rule.”
“Can you leave now? I’m busy,” Lanya sighs with a dismissive gesture
“I’m just trying to help you,” Klaman defends himself. “From what I gathered, the Runalymo have valuable resources.”
“I can manage well enough on my own! I don’t need your involvement!” Lanya snaps.
“But you are using my advice,” Klaman says with a smug smile, pointing to the decorations.
“Leave! Now!” Lanya demands.
“As you wish,” Klaman vanishes as if the space around him has rejected his existence.
She hates that old man, but there is no denying his usefulness; plus, if the Academy of Healing goes too far in their research again, he will always come to her aid.
Lanya takes a walk through the palace, visiting the Master of Elixirs' office before starting her healing duties.
“Grand Healer” A tall, lanky man bows to her as she enters. His left eye is mutated, the pupil and iris is gone, leaving only amber sclera, an effect of taking mutagenic elixirs. “I have the monthly report ready for you.”
He takes out a bound stack of papers from a drawer and sets them on the desk.
“Thank you, Tsulin” Lanya grabs the papers before turning to leave.
“One more thing!” Tsulin says, stopping her. “A student in the academy has written a thesis on miasma, and its possible uses in elixirs, even explaining how to make that safe.”
Lanya turns with a serious glare. “I have not changed my mind in two hundred years, Tsulin; research into miasma remains forbidden! You have no idea just how devastating even a weak cursed being can be. Reprimand the student and keep watch on them.”
Lanya leaves before Tsulin can get another word in. She walks to the center of the palace where the entrance to the city spire stands. No less than six of the best palace guards are stationed here, standing vigilant; they all know the secret inside after being blessed, and they are eternally grateful. No one else can be more trusted to guard the secret inside than them; they will die a thousand times to protect it if they have to.
“Grand Healer!” The guards salute.
“It’s time for the monthly healing,” Lanya says. She takes out a small knife and cuts her palm, placing a bloodied hand on the door which opens. She and two of the guards step inside and climb up the long spiral flight of stairs up to the top of the grand tower overlooking the city. A large cluster of pure, clear crystals, almost invisibly transparent, sits in the center, glowing softly as if aspiring to be the tower’s source of light. [Analyze] only shows one word:
Healer
She looks out over the city, the people below tiny, going about their day completely oblivious to the important events that will be taking place today. However, on the horizon, a flying ship approaches.
I suppose that’s the Runalymo.
A thought passes through her mind. If one of them came to her for healing, then she might as well wait to catch her in this spell. If this spell can’t heal her, then she doesn’t know what will.
Lanya sits on the edge, admiring the view, watching the ship land in the water before drifting the rest of the distance to the docks. It is a large ship, well decorated with wavy and swirling patterns.
Standing up, she walks to the crystal and softly places a hand on the massive crystals, feeling mana and healing flow through her. She begins to channel the mana into a powerful spell, one that will cover the entire city and cleanse it, healing the people of their pains and aches. Limbs will regrow, diseases will be eradicated, and life will be invigorated.
At the end of each month, she casts this spell, aided by the Life Crystal. It is an odd thing; it started growing eight hundred years ago, a hundred years after the rise of the healers.
Due to its valuable nature, the tower itself has been made to hide its presence; nothing can see or even scry it from the outside.
She has Klaman to thank for that, his void Bond being the only thing keeping this crystal secret and safe. No one knows what it is, but it’s neither material nor alive. Not even Klaman knows what it is or even what it is capable of; it is a panacea, it heals everything and everyone it touches, it grants life, and it can even revive the dead. The one thing it cannot heal, however, is cursed skills.
Lanya walks down the spire, now that the spell has been cast, and waits for the foreign delegation in the palace audience hall, but to her surprise, she sees Governor Orlan from the Vocana Republic among them.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Apart from him, there are six Runalymo, evident by their larger ears and longer tails. She wonders if them all being women is just a coincidence. Three of them appear to be advanced in age, yet they seem to hold onto their beauty far longer. Two are guards, and the youngest, and by far the most outstanding, is a royal blue, gold-tipped-haired girl with three very long and beautiful tails bowing with all the grace in the world.
So she’s the one.
She doesn’t know if the girl’s eyewraps are because she’s truly blind or if it’s by choice. She’ll have to examine her to know for sure, but it’s dangerous to use [Sense Life] when she doesn’t know if the delegation is defended with retaliation. However, she wonders how the girl, presumably Alysara that Klaman told her about, is seeing things without using her [Sense Mana].
She recognizes a powerful Bond user when she sees one, yet her [Analyze] reveals nothing of her; the Elders are entirely unimpressive, having low Class and Bond levels. Despite her efforts to hide, Lanya can feel a slight Bond presence near the delegation. It can be a spy, but she doubts it; it feels like a beauty Bond which strongly indicates the three-tailed girl; if it’s not, then she can capture the spy once the delegation leaves.
“Greetings, Grand Healer.” Orlan and the Runalymo Elders bow. “In case you forgot, I am Governor, Vanu Runa Orlan of the Vocana Republic. This is Elder Mara, Elder Guklaro, and Elder Tanyo of the Runalymo. With them is their translator, Alysara, who has personal business with you after this”
“We thank you for your hospitality,” Alysara translates for Elder Tanyo, her accent making it a little hard for her to understand a couple of words. “We would like to extend an invitation to meet on neutral grounds to discuss trade where you can also negotiate with the leaders or representatives of other nations. This meeting will take place in two days' time.”
An Invitation, huh?
With their ship, it will be convenient for them to go anywhere they want; it will also give her an excuse to see it up close, assuming they mean to provide means of transportation.
She isn’t worried about this being a trap; one of her guards can easily take on four or five of theirs, and she can fight for herself if she needs to. What does trouble her, however, is Alysara and what she is capable of; if she is as powerful as herself or even Klaman, then there is cause for concern.
“I assume you have or will also invite the Luna Empire to this meeting?” Lanya asks.
“Yes, we will,” Alysara answers.
If that’s the case, then there is nothing to worry about, even at the meeting place. Klaman will surely be there hiding in the shadows, and if anything happens, the perpetrators will be dead before it becomes a problem.
“I see no reason to decline, I’ve been meaning to reach out to Caerym anyway, and this is a good opportunity.”
“Then we will be here again in two days’ time,” Alysara translates. The Elders, their guards, and Orlan leave, but Alysara stays behind.
“What is it that you need healed?” Lanya asks; Klaman never specified, so she doesn’t know what to expect.
“My anima,” Alysara answers.
“Anima?” Lanya questions. Either she ran into an exceedingly dangerous monster, or she sacrificed it.
There are almost no cases of someone having low anima. She has had to heal anima before; it’s actually rather common for the palace craftsmen to sacrifice their anima to make powerful items.
I wonder if she’s the same?
The Runalymo are supposed to be craftsmen, but it would be foolish to sacrifice anima without a sure way to restore it, even if it means the sacrifice is cheapened.
“Well, if that’s the case, I need to examine you,” Lanya continues “I need to see how much I need to restore, over healing can be dangerous as it may feed illnesses or worse. Do you have any retaliation items?”
Alysara shakes her head and, after hesitating for a moment, reveals her true location.
Finally, Lanya is able to see what, presumably, one of the Runalymo’s strongest is capable of.
Three Tailed Mana Immune Runalymo Sage (Major) (Unique), level 298 Distant Summoner (Major), Level 0 Scholar of Many Minds (Grand), Level 1040 beauty Bond
Several ‘tings’ ring in her mind as her [Analyze] gains a new breakthrough and several levels.
Heirloom race?!
Does Klaman know? It might help explain his actions, but given how cautious she is, he might not have had the opportunity.
She’s much weaker than I thought, but her Bond is at a much higher level, even beating out most of the strongest people.
The only people she knows herself with equal or higher Bond level are herself and Klaman, but that’s with hundreds of years of training. To be able to achieve this much at such a young age means she will become very powerful in the future.
Lanya focuses her [Sense Life] around Alysara, looking for anima but not seeing any, not until she focuses hard enough to see the faint traces of her anima.
How is it even possible that she is alive?!
Not even she has seen anima so low, it is beyond critical levels. She should be dead unless there’s something she doesn’t know. Regardless she should heal her, but it’s surprising how the spell she cast earlier didn’t heal anima, but it proves that the crystal isn’t capable of everything.
Lanya conjures her Bond, letting it seep deep into Alysara, restoring her lost anima. Slowly her anima returns to normal, much slower than normal.
How much anima can she hold?!
This girl is like an enigma; the more answers she learns, the more questions there are. Lanya takes this chance to study Alysara’s plethora of magical items.
Diadem of the Lonely Princess's Benevolence:
(Heroic)
This Diadem has been crafted to such perfection as to be a magnum opus by a master mana manipulator and one who has twin minds. In order to save her people, this Diadem's creator replaced the missing mind component of her entire civilization, even at the cost of her pain and solitude. When worn grants three additional minds and mind components to its wearer.
Grants the ability to make three semi-real clones made of the wearer's unique mana that can be controlled by one of the minds. Can temporarily pass a mind and mind component to someone else that lasts for a day before dissolving
A powerful item; there are few Heroic tier items around. This one makes sense for a scryer; actually, why get help from a mind mage when she can be one herself? That explains one Class, but she seems to lack a Class for her scrying abilities, which means it’s been absorbed into her race.
What about her other mastered skill?
She doesn’t have a Class for that, nor does it seem it’s in her race. What was it again? [Manipulate Mana]? Isn’t that a Class Skill? It should be part of one of her Classes unless…
She has a cursed skill!
Perhaps that’s why her anima is so low; no one would be dumb enough to sacrifice this much anima, and a rare monster being able to drain this much would have had the chance to kill her; a cursed skill is the simplest explanation.
Alysara's Eye:
(Heroic) (Relic) (Set)
To see the truth, you must be blind to the lies. This Relic has seen what Alysara has seen, it knows what Alysara knows, and it can grant its wearer a fraction of Alysara's sight. This Relic will act as the source of any sensing skills, preventing all forms of retaliation from reaching its wearer. Only by wearing this Relic can the wearer see the truth of Alysara's Library
When worn grants Sense Magic: 765/800, and Sense Soul: 110/110, Truth of the Library, Sensing Proxy, Linked
Lanya stands there, stunned at what this item reveals. [Sense Magic]?! Level seven hundred?! That’s not all; it is clear this is the type of magic item that grows with its wearer, which means Alysara’s skill level is much higher! This doesn’t make sense! What about her mastered skill, [Sense Mana]? Not only is this a heroic tier item it’s also Relic!
There is no way she has other items of equal or greater power, right?
Alysara's Celestial Storm Kyhosa:
(Exalted) (Relic) (Set)
This Relic set: Amulet, left bracelet, right bracelet, is made from Nexus gems and Myrou gold blessed by the goddess of Beauty and Creativity, Myrou herself and filled to the brim with beauty and creativity essence, was given as a Kyhosa to Alysara during her Kyholo. She has learned from an ancient ancestor and even survived storms conjured by a dragon to train her resistance to them. Alysara has proven herself a master of mana, able to conjure the storms that once threatened her village. Her knowledge and mastery of mana have grown so great, no secrets are beyond her reach. This set has followed Alysara through a multitude of trials and tribulations, always helping her when she needs it most. Now blessed under the union of the moons and sun, this Relic can channel all of its stored mana into a single devastating attack, to form a protective barrier or to conjure a whirling storm of the heavens.
When worn, it Enhances Beauty, Creativity, and Elemental spells by 2000% and boosts intelligence and wisdom by 75%. Grants the Skill: Manipulate Mana 550/550, Celestial Spear, Celestial Shield, Celestial Storm, Linked, Battery (300,000).
Exalted tier, she can count on one hand the number that exists on these lands; what’s more, is that it is a powerful one too. Any of these she could ask as payment… but she can’t; Klaman has already made sure of that. Did he know of these? Perhaps, but she doubts it would have changed his action any.
There’s one more item, a hair ornament; surely it can’t be as powerful as these, right?
Hair Ornament of Duality:
(Minor)
Given at a Kyholo, this gift is the combination of two gifts into one, the minor illusion enchantment turning into an innate magical effect. Magical Effect: Produces heatless, coldless flaming snowflakes.
Somehow it’s anti-climactic, but kind of fitting in a way, a sentimental item befitting a young girl her age.
Once Alysara’s anima is finally refilled, Lanya takes a deep refreshing breath.
“You are healed now,” Lanya says.
“What’s your payment?” Alysara asks.
“Someone already covered it; seek out Klaman in the Luna Empire.”