I had endured more than enough, and by now, I was reaching the very edge of my limit.
My body was broken, my mind was barely holding on, and somewhere deep inside me, a quiet part just wanted it all to end.
After everything I had gone through in a couple of minutes, I felt like dying wouldn't be so bad, maybe even a relief.
The pain had faded a little, just enough for me to catch a breath, just enough to think it was over.
But then, like a sudden jolt of lightning rushing through my body, my eyes shot open on their own.
At first, everything was a blur as I couldn't see anything clearly.
I could only see shapes and shadows swimming in a haze, but then, slowly, the world around me began to sharpen.
My vision started to return little by little but at the same time, I could feel the weight of exhaustion crashing down on me again... and this time, it felt like fatigue would finally win.
Just as that my strength left my body and I began to close my eyes.
The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was a pair of beautiful emerald green eyes... and a glowing black screen filled with lines of text.
But I didn't care about them, I just wanted to rest.
[SYSTEM SYNCHRONISATION: BEGINS]
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[IDENTIFYING HOST]
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[ERROR....]
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[HOST IDENTIFIED: PARTIALLY]
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[ALTERNATIVE]
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[SUCCESS]
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[SYNCHRONISATION: COMPLETED]
********
Inside a grand mansion, resting quietly on the very top floor, was a luxurious room that reflected a taste for both elegance and simplicity.
The walls held a modern finish as it was smooth and refined, yet carried intricate patterns that curved like flowing rivers across their surface, adding depth to the otherwise clean design.
A large desk stood near the window, papers and books scattered across its polished surface, hinting at work left undone.
Then, out of thin air, a figure appeared in the middle of the room, the same mysterious woman who had helped Lucien awaken.
Her emerald eyes pulsed with a strange and overwhelming energy, sending out shockwaves that cracked the air and shattered the room's windows with a sharp, echoing blast.
She stumbled back, exhausted, leaning heavily against the wall as thick blood poured from her mouth in harsh coughs.
The energy she had touched was something unknown, something beyond what even she had witnessed before.
Yet, it was similar to.....
Because of the soul bond, a fraction of that terrifying power was inside her, and she could feel its weight pressing deep within her being.
Without wasting time, she called on her divine element and used its sacred flow to suppress the pain and heal the damage done.
Her body began to recover slowly due to the healing spell of the divine element, then warmth began to return to her limbs as the sharp sting of injury faded away bit by bit.
However, even after severe pain she didn't even flinch.
She had experienced far painful sensations than injuries.
It wasn't that she couldn't withstand that power… no, her strength was more than enough.
But the truth was, she hadn't been in her best state when she received it.
Right before meeting Lucien, she had used one of her strongest abilities—Frozen Time.
A forbidden technique drawn from the depths of the time element, it had allowed her to halt the flow of time itself across the entire colosseum.
And that act had cost her more than she expected.
If the Duke hadn't been there, casting the spell would've been far easier for her.
As the Duke was someone whose very presence twisted the air with pressure and so to freeze the time for that individual required immense willpower, a massive reservoir of mana, and above all, complete mastery over the element of time.
It wasn't a simple spell by any means.
Therefore, freezing someone as capable as Duke for that much time was a little difficult for her.
Still, despite all of it, she had managed to do exactly what she wanted.
That was enough for her.
The rest didn't matter.
Her divine element moved through her body like a calm tide and mended every torn thread of energy as it wiped away the fatigue.
Slowly but surely, her strength returned as her constitution became stable.
Then with a small wave of her hand, the bloodstains that marked her robes and splattered across the room disappeared without a trace as if they had never existed.
She stepped forward and pulled out the luxurious chair near the desk, still keeping the hood over her head.
Without a word, she sat down with a fluid movement.
Her eyes fell upon the globe resting on the table. It was an intricate artifact that glowed with smooth light.
She reached out and placed her fingers on its surface, and gave it a slow spin as her gaze never left it.
Lost in thought, she stared at the rotating lands without any expression on her face but no one could see her face with that hood.
Suddenly, a soft knock echoed against the wooden door, catching her attention.
She didn't need to ask who it was, as she already knew.
Then she spoke.
"Come in."
Her voice, which was gentle and calm like silk brushing across skin, reached outside the room. It carried with it an elegance that could melt even the coldest hearts.
The door creaked open, and a figure stepped inside.
She was dressed in a sleek black outfit tailored to perfection. Her clothes were tight-fitting yet flexible which were made from a high-grade material that shimmered faintly under the light, hinting at hidden enchantments.
She immediately bowed her head and spoke in a respectful tone,
"Greetings, my lady."
The green-eyed woman, whose eyes still pulsed with a vibrant glow, looked at the assassin standing before her.
"Hm."
She offered a soft hum in response, acknowledging the greeting with little more than a glance.
The assassin who was well aware of her quiet nature, didn't waste time.
"My lady, the Great Lord has requested your presence at the next council meeting. He also mentioned that he's come across some information… something he believes may be of interest to you."
The hooded figure said nothing in return. She simply turned her attention back to the globe, spinning it slowly beneath her fingertips, before lifting her hand in a silent gesture...dismissing the visitor.
Understanding the command, the assassin gave a final bow and began to vanish.
But just before her form faded from sight, she hesitated and then added softly,
"…And my lady, the Great Lord also asked that you take care of yourself and don't think about the mission all the time."
With that, she disappeared into thin air as she vanished with the faint shimmer of an artifact.
Hearing the assassin's words, the hooded figure's hand paused for a brief moment over the globe…
Then resumed its slow rotation.
*********
The room was buried in darkness, it was not the kind that simply blocked out light, but the kind that felt alive and heavy and yet within it, soft lines of subtle light ran like veins along the walls and floor, giving just enough to see but not enough to feel safe.
At the heart of the room stood a stone statue which was tall and unmoving, its form shrouded in the shadows and hidden so completely that only a fraction of its figure was barely visible.
The lights were arranged in a manner that almost felt sacred, like a shrine built for a forgotten god whose name had long been erased.
It resembled a place where his faithful might kneel and pray to him.
This place had not known movement for centuries as only the cold patience of stone and silence remained.
Then, without warning, for the first time in five hundred years there was a change on the figure.
A faint glow, which was almost too weak to notice shimmered over the statue.
It wasn't bright or pure but instead, it was a dark pulsing crimson, like old blood catching a glint of dying firelight.
From deep within the statue's eyes, the glow spread like a slow heartbeat, and with a single pulse, the darkness seemed to flinch… and then it faded again as if nothing had happened.
But something had happened.