**Chapter 12– Roots & Wings**
---
**Saturday, 9:12 a.m.**
**Morau Family Manor – Breakfast Table**
**Sunlight** **poured** through **arched windows** onto **platters of sarmale**, **mămăligă**, **papanash**, and **fresh mititei**.
**Uncle Radu** **piled** my plate like I was a wolf-cousin.
**Mom** **sipped** **kawa** from a **German porcelain cup**.
**Dad** **argued** with **Ana** over the **perfect paprika ratio**.
**Ana (waving fork):**
"**Bunica Elowene said 1:1 smoked to sweet**.
**Obaachan said shichimi to taste**."
**Mom (smiling, Japanese):**
「**バランスが命.**」
*"Balance is life."*
**Remy (mouth full):**
"**Balance is delicious**."
**Seras (sketching on napkin):**
"**I'm mapping the paprika debate**.
**For science**."
**Crown HUD** **pinged** softly in my **vision**—**bloodstone icon** pulsing.
```
Quest Progress: Roots & Wings
Day 1/7 – No magic used
Integrity: 0 → +1 (family breakfast)
Passive Slot Unlocked: 1/3
```
**Dacia (telepathic, amused):**
*"Good.
Now—**down**."*
---
**10:05 a.m. – Salt Mine Descent**
**Ana** **led** us through **hidden passage** behind the **wine cellar**.
**Stone door** **swung** on **silent hinges**.
**Salt air** **bit** my lungs.
**Wolf-cousins** **padded** behind—**motorcycle-sized**, **eyes glowing amber**.
**Ana:**
"**Seven starter treasures**.
**Dacia's vault**.
**No dying required**—**Julian stays topside**."
**Julian (from balcony above, smirking):**
"**I'll guard the sarmale**."
**Tunnel** **spiraled** down into **crystal-lit cavern**.
**Seven pedestals** **glowed**—**each** holding a **legendary artifact**.
1. **Hellebore Mist Blade** – **katana**, **mist-forged**, **47 hellebores** etched along the fuller.
2. **Blackened Silver Shard** – **47 hellebores**, **fractured**, **pulsing shadow**.
3. **Shadow Invisibility Cloak** – **liquid night**, **folded like silk**.
4. **Hellebore Dagger** – **twin to the blade**, **smaller**, **venom-green edge**.
5. **Progenitor Heart #1** – **ruby**, **coyote-shaped**, **beating**.
6. **Progenitor Heart #2** – **amethyst**, **wolf-shaped**, **howling**.
7. **Morua Blood Compass** – **brass**, **spinning**, **pointing nowhere—yet**.
**Ana (reverent):**
"**Dacia's first seven**.
**The other forty are **locked**—**not by time**, but by **strength**.
**You must grow first**.
**This is only the beginning**."
**Celeste (hand on katana):**
"**The blade**."
**Mist blade** **leapt** into my grip—**weightless**, **cold**, **alive**.
**Shard** **flew** from pedestal, **slamming** into the fuller.
**47 hellebores** **merged**—**black silver weaving into mist steel**.
**Progenitor hearts** **orbited**, **pulsing**.
**Ruby heart** **sank** into **hilt**—**Remy's coyote essence**.
**Amethyst heart** **sank** into **guard**—**wolf-cousin bond**.
**Crown HUD** **exploded**:
```
HELLEBORE BLADE 2.0 ACQUIRED
│
├─ Form: Katana / Mistblade
├─ Charge: 100% (spring-water)
├─ Toxin: Hellebore (Active)
└─ Synergy: Blood Crown (+20%)
Weapon Rank: S (Legendary)
Sync Level: 94% (with Celeste)
Durability: ∞ (self-repairing)
Skill Slots Used: 3 / 5
- Crimson Veil (via Crown)
- Vital Surge (via Crown)
- Hellebore Blade Mastery (innate)
```
**Dacia (proud):**
*"**First upgrade**.
**No blood price**.
**Only trust**.
**The rest will come when your **roots** are deep**."*
**Celeste (to Seras):**
"**Cloak's yours**."
**Shadow cloak** **slithered** over Seras's shoulders—**vanishing** her from sight, then **reappearing** with **maple flames**.
**Seras (grinning):**
"**Invisible fire girl**.
**Approved**."
**Celeste (to Remy):**
"**Dagger's yours**."
**Hellebore dagger** **flipped** into Remy's hand—**coyote claws lengthening** to match.
**Remy (testing edge):**
"**Matches the YZ**."
**Morua Blood Compass** **flew** to the **crown**—**absorbing** into the **bloodstone**.
**HUD updated**:
```
COMPASS INTEGRATED
→ Digital Director: 40/47 Treasures Located (Locked)
→ Status: "Growth Required"
→ Nearest: #8 – "Winterglass Mirror" – 312 km NE (Inactive)
```
**Ana (eyes soft):**
"**Forty left**.
**But not today**.
**Not this year**.
**They wait for the **queen** who **earns** them**."
---
**11:47 a.m. – Manor Courtyard**
**Wolf-cousins** **wrestled** Remy in **human form**—**playful**, **brutal**.
**Seras** **practiced** **invisibility**—**popping** in and out, **stealing** **mititei**.
**Uncle Radu (to Dad, beer in hand):**
"**Elowene's death—real story**.
**2017**.
**She came here**.
**Salt mine**.
**Crown showed her the war coming**.
**She gave her life to **anchor** the spirits—**herself included**.
**Not cancer**.
**Sacrifice**."
**Mom (quiet, Japanese):**
「**おばあちゃんはいつも…**」
*"Obaachan always said… **onmyōji blood** runs quiet.
**She hid it from us**.
**But the maple seed she sent Seras?**
**Shinto ward**.
**Same as Elowene's light**."
**Dad (nodding):**
"**Four rivers**.
**One crown**."
**Crown HUD** **pinged**:
```
Integrity +1 → PASSIVE SLOT UNLOCKED
Passive Skill: "Ancestral Echo" – Hear Elowene/Dacia at will
```
**Elowene (soft):**
*"**Proud of you, cariad**.
**Now eat. Grow. Rest**."*
**Celeste (smiling, sheathing Hellebore Blade 2.0):**
"**One week**.
**No magic**.
**Just family**."
**Remy (tackling a wolf-cousin):**
"**And wrestling**."
**Seras (invisible, stealing Remy's sausage):**
"**And snacks**."
**Ana (laughing):**
"**Welcome home, verişoară**."
**Locket thumped**—**six heartbeats** + **forty-seven hellebores** + **Carpathian dawn**.
---
*Mist-Space Dojo & Jet-Lag Saturday**
---
**Saturday, 7:03 a.m. PST – Celeste's Bedroom**
**Jet-lag** **hit** like a **coyote truck**.
**Remy** **snored** on the **floor mattress**, **dagger** under his pillow.
**Seras** **curled** in the **beanbag**, **cloak** draped like a **blanket**.
**Mom** and **Dad** **passed out** in the **guest room**—**cedar box** on the **nightstand**.
**Crown HUD** **glowed** softly:
```
STATUS: Jet-Lagged
Recovery: 8 hours recommended
Mist-Space Training: Available (Sleep-Only)
```
**Dacia (telepathic, gentle):**
*"**Rest first**.
**Train in the mist**.
**Body sleeps—mind levels**."*
**Elowene (Welsh lilt, warm):**
*"**Cariad, you'll wake refreshed**.
**No bags under your eyes for Monday**."*
**Celeste (yawning):**
"**Deal**.
**But first—**
**I need Remy time**."
---
**7:15 a.m. – Backyard Orchard**
**Winter frost** **crisped** the **grass** under **cedar trunks**.
**Remy** **laced** fingers with mine, **dagger** sheathed at his hip.
**Remy (voice husky):**
"**Missed this**.
**Just us. No crowns. No vaults**."
**Celeste (leaning into him):**
"**One day**.
**Before high school eats us**."
**Locket thumped**—**twin heartbeats**.
**Crown HUD** **pinged**:
```
Mini-Quest: "Remy Day"
Objective: 12 hours, no magic, no pack
Reward: +1 Sync with Hellebore Dagger (Remy) | +1 Integrity
```
**Celeste (grinning):**
"**Accepted**."
---
**8:00 a.m. – Hot Springs Café (Winter Edition)**
**Pack** **claimed** the **indoor lounge**—**fireplace roaring**, **bikes parked outside**, **winter slushies** in **thermos mugs**.
**Seras (sipping peppermint-blue-raspberry):**
"**Recovery day**.
**No training. No strigoi**."
**Julian (sipping blood-bag cocoa):**
"**I'll guard the gate**.
**You two—**
**go be teenagers**."
**Remy (pulling Celeste toward the **snow-dusted patio**):**
"**Race you to the cedar swing**."
**Snowball fight**.
**Laughter**.
**First kiss** since **Transylvania**—**pine, peppermint, **coyote**.
---
**Noon – Dam Road (Bikes Off)**
**YZ** and **QUEENS 7** **parked** at the **turnout**, **engines cooling**.
**Board** **leaned** against **guardrail**.
**Remy** **spread** a **blanket**, **picnic** from **Ana's care package**—**sarmale**, **papanash**, **hot cocoa**.
**Remy (feeding Celeste sarmale):**
"**Still better than slushies**."
**Celeste (chewing):**
"**Don't tell Seras**."
**Crown HUD** **silent**—**no pings**, **no quests**.
**Just us**.
---
**3:00 p.m. – Nap Under Cedar**
**Cedar box** **planted** at **swing base**.
**Remy's head** in my **lap**.
**Fingers** in his **hair**.
**Celeste (whisper):**
"**Ready for mist-space?**"
**Remy (eyes closed):**
"**As long as I wake up to you**."
**Sleep** **took us**—**hand in hand**.
---
**MIST-SPACE DOJO – Dreamscape**
**Infinite mist**.
**Cherry blossoms**.
**Salt-crystal floor**.
**Dacia** in **Dacian armor**, **katana glowing**.
**Elowene** in **Lakers hoodie**, **staff of light**.
**Dacia:**
*"**Body rests. Mind trains**.
**Martial forms. Blood spells. Dawn magic**."*
**Elowene:**
*"**No fatigue. No jet-lag**.
**Wake at 100%**."*
**Session 1: Hellebore Forms**
- **Katana flow** → **Crimson Veil parry**
- **Remy's dagger** → **shadow feint** (synced)
- **Seras's cloak** → **flame dodge** (remote)
**Session 2: Blood Runes**
- **Julian's sigils** → **Vital Surge lattice**
- **Morau compass** → **treasure pulse** (inactive)
**Session 3: Dawn Meditation**
- **Light breathing** → **+5% sync daily**
- **Integrity anchor** → **fear immunity**
**HUD** **updated** in **dream**:
```
MIST-SPACE TRAINING COMPLETE
Level: 1 → 2 (70% to 3)
Sync: Hellebore Blade 2.0 → 109%
Passive: "Mist Recovery" – Full restore on sleep
```
**Dacia (bowing):**
*"**Daily. While you sleep**.
**High school by day. Dojo by night**."*
**Elowene (hugging):**
*"**Now wake. Love. Grow**."*
---
**7:00 p.m. – Celeste's Room**
**Sunset** **painted** walls **gold**.
**Remy** **stirred**, **eyes clear**.
**Remy:**
"**Best nap ever**.
**Feel like I could run the dam loop**."
**Celeste (kissing forehead):**
"**You just did—**
**in mist-space**."
**Texts**:
**Seras:** *"Winter slushies = success. Tomorrow: prank Brittany."*
**Ana:** *"Ashes planted. Cedar's happy. Miss you."*
**Mom:** *「**寝なさい.** Dinner at 8."*
**Julian:** *"Blood runes homework assigned. Don't skip."*
**Crown HUD** **final ping**:
```
Mini-Quest Complete: "Remy Day"
Integrity +1 → 8/10
Remy Dagger Sync +1 → 95%
```
**Celeste Valentina Morau**—**14, Level 2, Crown equipped**—
**curled** into **Remy**
**ready for **Monday***
**and every **mist-space night*** after.
---