CHAPTER 53: | THE MINIATURE WORLD OF THE FIRST SEGMENT | 9
---
Months passed as I remained seated on the rocking chair while tending to Celeste's condition.
I didn't even bother to hunt outside, for the titans had passed through this swamp just days prior.
Their guttural roars still echoed in my memory, a chilling testament to the destruction they had wrought, leaving behind only bloodied ruins.
The view outside the window was now a landscape of devastation, a grim tableau I watched while waiting for her to recover, to tell more information about this segment.
While awaiting her awakening, I had restlessly adapted to my newfound strength over the past month, well it's exactly 35 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes, and 31 seconds.
That's how long I had been waiting, as I've become more accustomed to my skills during the past few weeks.
I couldnt help but, primarily focused on 'Torrent of Extinction,' Due to the danger that it possesses.
It was a marvel, the way I'd modified its usage, redirecting its mana flow upon activation into my palm, unlike its conventional deployment.
Projecting it from my palm proved safer than forming it from my throat, as the raw power would simply devour my esophagus before it could even begin to coalesce, rendering that method extremely dangerous.
Gazing at my palm, a faint smile stretched upon my lips.
A sphere of compressed darkness pulsed in my palm, swirling with the intensity of a miniature sun.
The sphere emitted an intense, searing heat that slowly devoured my palm at an insane rate.
My palm blistered, then the flesh began to disintegrate, revealing the intricate network of blood vessels and the unsettling wonder of my body's new structure.
Even my new form, which boasted defenses unlike before, proved helpless against its destructive properties.
It was only a matter of time before my palm would entirely disintegrate, even with 'Aureate Sanguine Restoration' providing some support.
It was ironic, almost comical, that this skill had become more destructive than its previous fusion.
Even attempting to replicate the move I'd used against the pack of wolves would be utterly foolish now.
Because I would disintegrate first, before the impact could reach them.
Ingesting it was equally impossible, because its raw energy alone would simply overload my core, shattering its delicate balance and causing it to explode.
A heavy sigh escaped me.
"Truly, my body was weaker than I've expected."
Celeste stirred, and a subtle shift in the king-sized bed was perceptible.
She slowly removed the damp towel from her head as her gaze slowly drifted to my new form.
A gasp escaped her lips, her eyes expanding in shock as she pointed a trembling hand towards me.
"Who are you!"
Her voice was a hoarse whisper, and her eyes began to glow with a faint pink light.
But before she could unleash whatever power was building within her, the old rocking chair let out a long, drawn-out screech.
Creeeeak...
In an instant, the man vanished from the chair, reappearing inches from her, his index finger pressing gently against her lips, silencing her.
Shhh.
A soft, yet firm whisper escaped his lips, his crimson red eyes gleaming with an unsettling familiarity.
Celeste closed her eyes, grabbing a pillow as she rested her stomach against it, as a multitude of questions begun to swirl in the back of her mind.
"Sister, you shouldn't overwork yourself."
His voice, now gentle, echoed softly in the quiet room.
Celeste nodded, then slowly opened her eyes to gaze at the man before her, a soft realization dawning as she muttered.
"I see..."
Celeste recognized him, a faint smile touching her own lips as she realized who this man was based on his comforting tone and familiar movements.
"Thank you... for taking care of me..."
Celeste struggled to speak, her throat sore and her body burning with fever.
She closed her eyes and concentrated, then she began to manipulate her own mana.
As a gust of chilly wind swept through the room, its whispers a stark contrast to the oppressive heat of her fever.
In the very next instant, the fever dissipated entirely, and she breathed deeply, as relief washed over her with the cool breeze.
Her body had now recovered, and she clenched her jaw.
"It took me longer to recover my tangled mana pathways."
She muttered, her voice barely a whisper, as she clenched her jaw, not in anger, but in profound frustration at her own incompetence.
"I am too weak..."
Her voice was hushed, almost lost, as she felt the weight of her younger brother's gaze, the very gaze that had almost killed her, the eyes that brought her to this state.
She was far too weak, she realized it of her weakness, that she was too weak to protect her mother, too weak to protect her siblings.
Tears welled up in her eyes as the bitter truth of her weakness settled upon her.
"Why... just why... just why am I so weak??"
She questioned herself, the words catching in her throat as hot tears began to stream down her face.
Then, a comforting warmth enveloped her as slender, more delicate than the hands of a woman, gently wiped away her tears.
Comforted, she hugged her brother tightly, burying her face in his shoulder and letting the raw torrent of her emotions escape in ragged, painful sobs.
And I remained silent, a steady, comforting presence, even though the raw surge of her emotions felt utterly foreign to me.
I knew how to act, how to offer solace, but truly understanding such deep emotion remained beyond my grasp.
So I whispered like how others comforted their loved one's.
"Sister, don't blame yourself... Mother wouldn't want to see you in pain either."
Celeste cried harder for what felt like hours, until the simple white robe I had found in her wardrobe and wore, was drenched with her tears.
Finally, she pulled back, a faint, innocent smile gracing her tear-streaked face as she pointed at the robe I wore.
"That robe suits you better than expected."
I scratched my scalp, an awkward smile stretching on my lips, as I slowly began to remove the robe and offer it back to her.
"Sister, do you need me to return it? If so, here."
Celeste's face flushed, as red as a ripe beetroot, in embarrassment at my actions.
A shriek tore from her throat.
"You damned bastard! I'm complimenting you! Wear it and stop showing me your... sword!"
I scratched my scalp again as I smiled awkwardly.
"Really? You're giving this to me?"
Celeste nodded vigorously, burying her face in her hands, and shouted.
"Damned! Yes, it's yours, you shameless bastard!"
The robe covered my body as Celeste glared at me like a hawk, then let out a heavy sigh.
"You. So, where were we again?"
I pondered, then slowly shook my head.
Celeste stared at me, then brought a hand to her face.
"Unbelievable. You forgot all of that?"
I simply nodded.
She sighed, then pulled a slim book out of thin air as she passed it to me.
"You know how to read, right?"
Receiving the book from her, I opened it, my gaze sweeping over its contents, and then slowly shook my head.
Celeste groaned with palpable frustration, forcefully pulling the book from my hand, then let out another sigh.
"Then why did you open it?!"
I smiled at her annoyance.
"Well, I thought, that you would read it."
Celest pinched her nose then pulled another book as she tugged my sleeves and made me sit on the bed.
"Let me teach you. Since explaining it one by one would be a hassle."
---
Hours passed like minutes, as Celeste's gentle voice and patient coaching quickly unraveled the intricacies of this world's common tongue and language for me.
In a matter of hours, I've learned all the characters with ease, Celeste smiled enchantingly as she creased her chin.
"Good, you're a fast learner. Now, this sister of yours has some matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving you here."
I nodded, and she walked out of the room, practically skipping with joy, probably overjoyed at my genius.
Opening the book, I glanced at its contents, as a faint smile tugged at my lips.
"Let's see what knowledge she's put in here."