Chapter Nineteen
Victoria approached her forge and lifted the wand carved from Yggdrasill wood. She turned to Leegaain and asked with respectful gravity:
"Leegaain—Father of all Dragons, Lord of Wisdom, Guardian of Knowledge—may I have a drop of your blood?"
Leegaain raised an eyebrow. "Why ask me, when two other Guardians stand before you?"
Victoria offered a faint smile. "Because among the Guardians, you are the most curious."
Leegaain chuckled. "You're not wrong."
With a flick of his claw, he sliced his palm. A single drop of shimmering golden blood fell. Victoria caught it gently in a bowl shaped from light, then held it near the wand.
Placing her hand on the Yggdrasill wood, she cast a modified tier-five healing spell. Instantly, the wand began to grow. As the dragon's blood was absorbed, it expanded—stretching, branching—until it towered into a massive white oak, rising between sixty and a hundred feet high.
Salaark shouted, "What the hell was that?!"
Tyris and Leegaain both nodded, equally astonished.
Victoria remained calm. "That was my modified tier-five healing spell: Resurrection Day."
Tyris narrowed her eyes. "How does it work?"
Victoria turned to her, voice steady. "Everything was once alive. Everything holds life force and mana. If you trick something into believing it's alive—and feed it enough life energy—it will grow. But you must never let it touch an active mana flow. If you do… it will truly come alive. And not always in a good way."
Tyris tilted her head. "Trial and error, I assume?"
Victoria nodded. "Let's just say it took more than a few undead experiments to get it right."
Queen Sylpha's gaze shifted to Victoria's forearm, where a strange band extended from her wrist to just below her elbow.
"What's that for?" the queen asked.
Victoria glanced down. "You'll see—once I'm done with the forge."
She turned to Tyris. "Tyris, may I have two bolts of Life Maelstrom?"
Tyris extended her wings, conjuring two radiant bolts of swirling, life-infused energy. Victoria's eyes shifted—her irises turning from gold to deep emerald—as she took hold of the bolts. With practiced ease, she split one into seven fragments, each shaping itself into a distinct arcane array.
Then she conjured twenty pseudo cores—one for each mana crystal. Each core floated above its corresponding crystal, humming with raw, elemental power. The seven arrays moved into orbit, circling the pseudo cores like celestial bodies.
As the ritual began, the pseudo cores began to glow—faintly at first, then fiercely—as the mana from the crystals merged with the molten Adamant within the forge.
Queen Sylpha leaned closer and whispered, "Sri Leegaain, what do those arrays do?"
Leegaain answered in a low, reverent tone:
"The first isolates each pseudo core using a containment field drawn from world energy—to prevent destabilization. The second draws ambient world energy and feeds it to the cores. The third drains excess energy at intervals, then redistributes it evenly. The fourth repairs structural damage inflicted during the process. The fifth amplifies the caster's mana flow to keep the cores stable. The sixth slows the fusion process to ensure control. And the seventh…" He paused, his voice thoughtful. "The seventh gives the caster complete awareness of every rune forming each pseudo core."
As the cores neared fusion, Victoria absorbed the final bolt of Life Maelstrom, striking the forge with it—finalizing the enchantment.
Just then, the maid entered and led three guests into the dining hall.
Victoria turned and introduced them. "This is Alex, and beside her is Stella."
Alex stepped forward, smiling, and gestured to the woman at her side. "And this is Milea, caretaker at the orphanage."
Milea appeared to be in her mid-thirties, standing at 5'9", with long, wavy honey-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a traditional salwar kameez—elegant yet simple.
Alex wore a sky-blue sherwani, while Stella was dressed in a flowing sky-blue day dress, both garments shimmering faintly in the forge's light.
The maid entered quietly and bowed. "My lord, the Headmaster's Council is here."
Orion gave a calm nod. "Bring them in."
High Uniform: A deep blue jacket with golden epaulets, mid-waisted black trousers with a galon—trimmed with two silk stripes to conceal the outer seams—and polished black shoes. A silver brooch clasps the collar of his crisp white shirt.
White Phoenix Academy, Albus Dumbledore. A man in his 30s with silver hair, a silver beard, and brown eyes. He wears the academy's High Uniform in pure white.
Black Phoenix Academy, Annabelle Dumbledore. A woman in her 30s with brown hair and brown eyes. She dons the High Uniform in solid black.
Fire Dragon Academy, Eris Dumbledore. A woman in her 20s with brown hair and brown eyes. Her High Uniform is in dark red.
Water Dragon Academy, Setsuna Dumbledore. A man in his 20s with brown hair and brown eyes. His High Uniform is dark blue
Crystal Griffin Academy, Tanjiro Dumbledore. A man in his 70s, with the same brown hair and eyes, he wears a High Uniform in dark orange.
Lightning Griffon Academy, Nezuko Dumbledore. A woman in her 70s with brown hair and brown eyes. She wears the High Uniform in dark yellow.
Victoria says to Stella and Alex "You too can use my Forge. but I'm tired and I'm going to rest."
Everyone's mouths drop open in shock as they realize that an enchanted item—imprinted to one person—can still be used by someone else. Then, without another word, Victoria leaves the room.