Chapter 134
The Wound that Never Heals
Illumca was so stunned and bewildered by the reveal that she did not notice a large body running towards her.
Thud!!
Her body rolled a few meters away from the impact. And by the time Illumca finished processing what she saw, the normally cold and collected Dark Elf suddenly burst with rage. Rage that she thought she had forgotten.
Cracks began to appear from her skin. On her face and her limbs. Undying embers seemed to pulsate through them. Breathing. Living.
The female Assassin glanced at her with a look of confusion while she caught her breath.
“ARRYN!!” Illumca howled as she charged forward with her daggers. All manner of techniques were forgotten. Her dagger swished left and right, pressuring her opponent and drawing blood.
Arryn felt her back bumping onto a tree and in desperation held her sword aloft and met her daggers. The heat coming from her daggers turned the steel red and sizzling. Her breathing alone was enough to cause Arryn’s cheek to blister.
But then Leyn caught Illumca between his arms, dragged her back, and slammed her onto the ground.
“Hrrrgh!!”
“Gagh!” The impact forced air out of her lung, discombobulating her. She quickly scrambled to get up, ignoring the pain she was in and tried to chant a Spell. But she was unable to utter a sound. The male Assassin did not get out unscathed from the effort though, as he groaned from the pain of his cursed wound opening, and the burns that he got from handling her without protection.
Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past his ear and sliced a part of his ear lobe. The arrow was shot with such strength that it stuck deep into the tree behind him even after being derailed. If the arrow had not been derailed, he would have lost his life there and then.
“Illumca!!”
The two Assassins glanced at each other and decided instantly to run away, but not before leaving a parting gift of a smoke bomb to cover their retreat.
“Where are they?!” Illumca staggered forward through the smoke. But they were already gone. And with their speed, even with the help of Martell’s tracking skill, they would not be able to catch up.
Illumca’s arms trembled. The knuckles whitening from the force she was putting into her grip.
“AAAAAAH!!! AAAAH!!!!” she roared in anger. A wave of heat came off her body, causing the leaves around where she stood to burn. Then, a deep searing pain filled her chest and soon took over her body.
Within her Dantian, her Dao Symbol shook.
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Meanwhile, back at the mayor’s house, Connie was writing a prescription for the boy with the broken leg. While he was doing so, he was speaking to the boy’s parents with a touch of exasperation.
“I have fixed the bones, sewed his wound, and cleaned it well. Fortunately, the bone break cleanly, otherwise he might really lose the leg.”
The parents nodded at every sentence, thus making Connie slightly suspicious. “…incidentally, do any of you know how to read?”
“Well…”
“Haah…give this to the Herbalist. He’ll know what to do. The ingredients are all common, so it’s going to be cheaper than buying Potions.”
The parents put both hands forward to accept the parchment which would cost them half a month’s salary carefully.
As Connie was handing the prescription, she sensed a great power that disturbed her Energy. It was coming from the sliver of the Will that she planted inside Illumca.
“Thank…” The couple felt a gust of wind and saw the door in beside them was suddenly flung open and broke off from its hinges.
“…you?”
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Connie ran full speed towards the forest. Midway there, she saw a lone pillar of fire rising to the sky. She quickened her pace; her steps were so fast she seemed to float above the ground.
Along the way, she saw Lord Bernie’s people whose eyes were filled with fear and confusion from the sudden appearance of the frightful phenomenon.
“Lady Steelheart!” Lord Bernie called.
“You all return to the town! I’ll handle this!” she said quickly before disappearing into the forest. The people could only watch in stupefaction seeing the speed by which she had done so.
The smell of fire and ash grew stronger as she got nearer to the center. Not long after, she saw the dependable Akula with her Sukheri defending against the incoming fire.
“Mistress!” Martell shouted happily. Behind him were two children. She recognized one of them as Lord Bernie’s son.
“What is happening to her?!” Akula groaned. “We can’t get any closer than this. The heat of the fire is too much!”
Connie flung her gaze towards the source of the destruction. Illumca was standing there, in the middle of scorched earth. Her clothes had been burnt away, revealing naked skin with cracks that burned bright yellow. In Connie’s vision, the phantom of a pair of butterfly wings had appeared on her back. Their colors were the color of dim embers. The scene resembling a butterfly trying to escape from its cocoon.
“Uugh…Uuugh! ISTIA! ARRYN!! MERIDA!!! I’LL KILL YOU!! I’LL KILL YOU ALL!!!”
“Cultivation Deviation,” Connie said with a look of alarm. “Something must have happened to shake her foundation so badly. But I have never seen something like this!”
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“What do we do?”
“Akula, you take the children and return to the town with Martell. I will figure something out.”
“But - !”
“No buts. This is something that only I can help her with.”
Akula sighed at her own helplessness and quickly took the children in her arms before dashing away. Martell looked at Connie briefly before following behind her.
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Connie watched Illumca as she fell on her knees, groaning in pain as the fire accumulated within her body was fighting to break through. Her surroundings had turned black as coal and the soil cracked like her skin.
She had to get close enough to strike her acupoints and stop the flow of Energy in her body from running amok. But the wall of fire that surrounded her was so hot that Connie could feel the sweat on her face even though she was 20 meters away.
“Illumca!”
“Hrrgh!!”
“I need to get closer…”
Connie edged closer towards the wall of fire and immediately felt like she was inside a boiling sauna. She tried sending a wisp of Yin Energy infused with sedating venom towards Illumca, but the fire burned it away. “This…is not regular fire. This fire contains her Dao.”
Normally I’d be praising her for the feat, but this just makes it harder for me. I can’t use strong attacks either. Otherwise, it’d harm her cultivation.
“Illumca! Can you hear me? You need to calm down. If you keep this up, you can’t return!”
The Dark Elf trembled and slowly lifted her head up.
“AAAHHH!!!” she let out a wail which sent a blast of flame at Connie.
Chen jumped out of Connie’s sleeves and inflated himself, shielding Connie from the blast of fire that burned her surrounding black.
“You are no longer that girl who was cursed to live in darkness!!” Connie cried out, sweat coursing down her face. “You are Illumca Fir Liban! Is this the limit of your will?! Is this how it will end for you?!”
“AAH! THE PAIN! THE PAIN! THE STENCH OF ROT AND PUS!!”
“Are you going to leave my side?!” she shouted again.
“NO!!” Illumca’s body staggered back. “NO!!!”
“Then don’t lose to despair!!” she shouted when she saw her sending out another blast of fire.
“Chen! Now!!”
Aided by Chen, Connie burst through the wall of fire in one push. The slime’s body sizzled and boiled.
Connie took off her robe in one swift movement and spun it around in front of her, to shield herself from an incoming fire blast. The new Centipede Robe had been reinforced by Planthorne, giving it a resistance to all elements. Add to that the improvement of Yao-Er’s silk, it managed to ward off the Dao-infused fire momentarily.
Blinded by the robe, Illumca could not react when Connie jabbed her vital points in rapid succession, blocking the outburst of Energy. With no more Energy to power her transformation, the butterfly wings faded away and the cracks in her body began to close.
Connie caught her as she fell and circulated her Energy into Illumca’s body to repair the damage done by the Cultivation Deviation.
After a while, Illumca’s breathing grew steadier and she fell deeply asleep.
“Ah, Illumca, you troublesome girl. I don’t know whether to be proud or be annoyed by you.”
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After the incident, the search party returned to the town successfully.
The teenager named Harry was found by one of the Hunters. He was cowering in a hole where he fell into while running away from the stray Iron Wolf. The boy was greeted with a swift punch on the head by his father and was harshly reprimanded. The other parents wanted worse punishment for him, but Lord Bernie did not press the issue and let the father decide. In doing so, showing the magnanimity of the Miller family.
As for the pillar of fire, Martell lied, saying that it was caused by some men in black cloaks. And that Illumca was hurt while trying to protect them.
As for the two boys who saw everything, Martell was quite happy to shut them up with promises of helping them not to get punished too harshly. Lord Bernie and the others were so happy that everything was fine that no one bothered to ask any further questions.
The Miller House was so thankful for Connie and his companions’ help that they wanted to give them a banquet. Connie refused the offer gently as she needed to take care of Illumca.
After two hours of treatment, Illumca’s condition improved. Connie then left the room and searched for Martell who she found was listening to Akula telling stories about her daily life in her tribe by the fireplace. The Miller family was also there, listening with fascination to the entirely different culture.
Martell noticed the beckoning of his Mistress and then told her what transpired in the forest in full.
“Dark Elves? What are they doing so far from their kingdom?” Connie pondered. “Hmm…they might be the cause of Illumca’s Deviation. Anything else you remember?”
“…” Martell bit his nail and slowly began. “This might not be important, but for some reason…the two Dark Elves did not use any Skills when fighting us. Even when they were on the verge of defeat,” he hit his hand with the other and spoke. “Oh, and they never spoke. At all.”
“Hmmm. Looks like that there is more to this than what it seems,” Connie sighed. She took some soup and bread for Illumca. But when she returned to her room, the Dark Elf was gone. The window near the bed was wide open.
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Outside, Illumca was sitting on a pile of vaguely square-shaped stones that used to be part of a wall atop the hill overlooking the town. The wind was brisk, and the air was cold inside her lung. She welcomed the cold, as it felt like it soothed the fire that grew inside her stomach.
“May I join you?” Connie's voice came from behind, full of concern.
Illumca did not answer, but she shifted her sitting posture to allow Connie to take a seat beside her.
The ever-present scent of earth and herbs coming from the blonde tickled the Dark Elf’s nose.
They sat there without talking for a good while. Connie too did not take the initiative of starting the talk. She patiently waited until Illumca opened her mouth.
“Martell told you about the Dark Elves?”
"Yes. Do you know them?"
"I know one of them," the girl began to speak. “She was…someone from my past. Someone who I thought was my best friend.”
Connie saw that the one speaking was not the proud Dark Elf that Illumca had become. but the small, scared girl whom she met in the bandit’s cave. The blonde-haired girl turned her body until she was facing her.
“I’ve…never told you about how I ended up in that cave where I met you, have I?”
“No. No, you haven’t,” Connie said. “But I can wait until you are ready.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you…” Illumca hesitated. “It’s just…I fear that once I told you what befell me, all of this…meeting you, reborn into this new body, becoming companions with Martell and Akula…and maybe Nick…would all turn out to be nothing more than a pleasant dream. That I am still in that cage, dreaming all of this out of loneliness and despair.”
Without saying anything, Connie put Illumca’s hands on her cheeks. “I can tell you for sure, that what I am…is not a figment of your dream. You cannot imagine me even in your wildest dream.”
Illumca laughed bitterly when she felt the warmth of her skin against her chilly hands. “Connie…you said before when you taught us the meaning of your sword…that time is the only anodyne to regret and pain of the past. But the wound stays.”
“It is.”
“Then, will you stay and hear the story of my wound?”
What else could she say except...
“Yes.”
Illumca closed her eyes. And the cold of autumn night was gone, replaced by the heat of summer afternoon.
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She was back to that day many years ago, in the hall of the Great Tree. In a forest hidden from the eyes of outsiders.
She wore simple clothes of pure white that day, with a crown of marigold and orchid. her feet were bare, as were many other children of her age. Her every step filled with joy as she touched the cool soil and danced with her cousin, Arryn.
For it was the Day of Blessing. A most sacred day when children were to be presented before the Great Mother Tree. Avatar of Menakis, the Honorable Consort of Hurgul, so that they could be blessed and obtain a Gift of Skill.
She remembered holding hands with Arryn throughout the festival. The Dark Elf girl was beautiful like all Dark Elves were, with adorable dimples and baby fat upon her cheeks. Her father was Duane’s brother. Thus, they had been together ever since they were but babies, sucking on each other’s toes while they slept in the same cot.
She herself was firstborn of the union between the Liban Clan Chief, Duane Linden Liban, and a human woman named Jenna. It was rare for different races to be able to have a child. So, she was an exception.
And then…there was Istia. Istia Alamedes Liban, her half-sister. With cruel eyes and a frown that seemed to be ever-present on her face.
In exchange for allowing him to marry Jenna, The Elders of the Clan forced Duane to take one of the Dark Elves to keep the purity of his bloodline. Reluctantly, Duane agreed and took one of his cousins as his wife. A beautiful and prideful woman named Merida Alamedes Liban. Thus, her half-sister was born.
Despite their differences, Illumca loved her half-sister all the same. And she thought she loved her back.
But that thought would soon be proven false.