He took the box.
When he opened it, a faint glow spilled out.
Inside lay a herb shaped like a lotus flower.
Its petals shimmered with silver and blue.
A gentle energy leaked from it, filling the air with a fresh, sharp scent.
Alex looked at her.
"So… do I just eat it?" he asked as if he did not know how to use it.
"Sit down first. When you eat it, the energy will spread inside your body and strengthen your life force. Don't worry. I'll stay here and guard you in case something goes wrong," she instructed.
Before he could reply, she added quickly,
"I'm only doing this because I don't want you to get injured while consuming something I gave you. There is no other reason. Don't get the wrong idea."
Alex gave a small shrug. "Okay."
He thought to himself, 'She really makes a lot of assumptions. This is the second time she decided what I was thinking before I could even open my mouth.'
Still, he sat cross-legged on the glowing platform and raised the herb to his mouth.
The taste was bitter at first, but then it melted into warmth that spread through his chest.
His whole body began to tingle, and waves of energy pulsed in his veins.
His breathing grew unsteady, but he forced himself to stay calm.
Minutes passed before the heat faded, leaving behind a steady strength.
Alex exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.
He felt healthier than before.
The fatigue that weighed him down earlier had disappeared.
His body felt lighter, sharper, and even his thoughts seemed clearer.
"Your hair is still white," Calista muttered, looking at him.
Alex reached up and touched his hair with a faint grin. "It's fine. White looks way cooler."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Inside, Calista thought,
'There it is again. He's covering his real feelings with a smile.'
'Even back in the exam he was smiling when the Blood Leech mushroom was sucking his life force, even though he must have been scared inside.'
She knew no one would like their appearance changing without consent.
Yet here he was, pretending not to care.
'He must be trying to spare me guilt.'
'He's just… too kind.'
The strange feelings stirred in her heart again. Their intensity was far higher than before.
Alex looked at her.
It was time for her to leave.
However, she didn't move at all.
"Do you want me to help you form a Mana Affinity Rune now?" she asked suddenly.
Alex raised a brow. "You would actually help me form that?"
"Yes."
"Why?" he asked carefully.
The Mana Affinity Rune was important.
With one, he could finally use the Stormrake Swordsmanship he had received as a reward.
"The herb was me returning you what you lost because of me. Helping you carve the rune is something I'm doing because you helped me back then."
Alex blinked.
'Those are… two different things? Not really, right?'
He didn't say it out loud though.
Instead, he nodded.
"Okay. Do we test which affinity I'm best at first?"
"Let's do that."
She walked over to a rune-carved telephone near the door, picked it up, and requested a mana affinity test device from the staff.
In this world, a demigod's raw mana was without form.
By carving an affinity rune into their soul, they could convert that mana into elemental form.
Most students would eventually carve all types of affinity runes by the third year, but they would usually focus on the one that matched their talent.
Trying to use an affinity you had no talent with was possible but wasteful.
It consumed far more mana and gave mediocre results.
The first Mana Affinity rune one engraved on their soul mattered a lot.
One must wait for three months before carving another Mana Affinity Rune on their soul.
So, if you chose a rune that you had no affinity with, your grades would take a huge hit.
Soon, staff delivered a small litmus-paper device.
Calista closed the door again and brought it over to Alex.
"You should be able to control a little mana since you awakened as a demigod. Pour some of it into this paper. The color will show your affinity."
She explained calmly,
"Yellow means Solar. Grey is Lunar. White is Starlight. Blue is Storm. Green is Beast. Brown is Earth. Red is Death. These are the seven affinities in total."
Alex nodded and pressed his fingers to the paper.
Slowly, he channeled mana into it.
The paper glowed faintly, then the glow spread into multiple colors.
Yellow. Grey. White. Blue. Green. Brown. Red.
All seven colors.
"You… how do you have talent in so many affinities?" Calista asked with disbelief.
'He is kind and talented? That's a disaster for the recipe unless you have someone protecting you.'
Her thoughts stalled for a moment.
'…Should I do it?'
'It would be a big loss if someone as talented as him could not grow to his full potential because someone wanted to exploit him.'
Even in legacy clans, someone having talent in all seven affinities was quite rare.
Random demigods almost never had this kind of result.
Calista clenched her fist.
The strange feelings in her heart stirred fiercely.
She felt as though something was awakening within her, something she didn't even know existed.
'Yes, I should protect him. As a demigod from a civilian household, he doesn't have anyone else to depend upon.'
'I am the only one who can protect him.'
She was doing this for his own good.
Alex wasn't surprised by the mana affinity result.
He was Loki's son, after all.
His blood was thick.
Calista inhaled slowly and calmed herself. "You shouldn't tell anyone about this."
"Why not?" Alex asked.
"Because you are…"
She hesitated.
Her words could easily wound him.
"Because I'm Loki's descendant, people might think I'm dangerous if I'm too talented?" Alex spoke instead of her.
She gave a nod. "Yes. For now, don't show talent in more than four affinities unless you reach Ironblood rank. Keep the rest of the affinities hidden."
"Got it," Alex said.
"Which mana affinity rune do you want for your first affinity?" Calista crossed her arms.
"Storm affinity." Alex didn't even hesitate.
Storm Mana was powerful and it suited the Stormrake Swordsmanship best.
"Good choice. With storm mana, you'll eventually be able to summon lightning bolts."
A small spark danced across her hand, and she used it to destroy the litmus-paper device.
"And that's just the beginning."
"That's sounds cool." Alex grinned.
"It is cool." Calista nodded. "Now strip."