************
Mikael remembered what Taros, the Commander of the Azure Covenant, had once explained to him.
There were only two possibilities.
Either the individual possessed a Divine Elemental Affinity of their own—one acknowledged by the Divine Nine Pantheon…
Or they stood beneath a protection that rivaled such authority.
And neither explanation was simple.
Mikael exhaled inwardly, carefully masking the subtle ripple of unease that passed through him. Outwardly, his expression remained indifferent, composed, and unreadable, as though nothing of interest had crossed his mind.
This is quite troublesome… yet, at the same time, fascinating.
That was the truth of it.
The man calling himself Ryan Wayne had managed to slip past his Aqua Affinity without resistance—no backlash, no distortion, no counterflow. It was as if Mikael's divine perception simply slid past him, unable to latch onto anything tangible.
That alone made him an anomaly.
