The soft glow of magical orbs illuminated the Forbidden Library, where Ella stood before a table covered in ancient scrolls.
She had spent the past hour absorbing records of the old Oracles, piecing together the truth of her lineage that had been buried for centuries.
The quiet rustle of parchment was the only sound, save for the faint hum of protective wards that lined the library's stone walls.
She finally set down the scroll she'd been reading and exhaled slowly. All her life, she'd been labeled a broken vessel, her mana conversion rate deemed a fatal flaw.
The seventy percent of her magic that vanished without a trace had been mocked, ignored, and written off as waste.
But the texts told a different story. That missing mana had never been lost.
It had been feeding her soul, building the foundation for psyche power—a force drawn directly from the core of a person's being, not from the ambient mana that mages across Asgard depended on.
The system that awakened within her had not been a random gift. It had been a trigger, unlocking the power that had always belonged to her.
She was not a tool to be drained and discarded.
She was the heir to a line of Oracles that had been all but erased by those who feared what they could not understand.
Leah's so-called holy power, by contrast, was a fraud. The scrolls confirmed the taint Ella had sensed in the council hall.
The Chosen One's magic came from a pact with a Nether Realm entity, a parasitic being that fed on worship and slowly corrupted its host.
The title of Chosen One had been a carefully crafted lie, designed to place a controllable puppet at the head of Asgard, one who would eventually open the realm's defenses to the dark forces beyond.
Leah had not been chosen for her purity. She had been chosen for her greed and her hunger for admiration.
Ella's jaw tightened.
This fight was no longer just about surviving a cruel fate or getting revenge on a bully.
It was about stopping a conspiracy that stretched back generations. Leah was a pawn, and the real enemy lurked in the shadows, biding its time.
A quiet shift in the corner drew her attention. Samuel leaned against a bookshelf, watching her in silence.
He had not left her side since the council hearing, nor had he pressed her to share the secrets of the forbidden texts.
He simply stood guard, a steady, unobtrusive presence.
Once, he would have drawn his sword on her at Leah's command. Now, he stood between her and any who might disturb her.
"I can feel you staring," Ella said, her tone casual, free of drama or pretense.
Samuel pushed away from the shelf and stepped closer, keeping his gaze from the scrolls out of respect. "I'm making certain no one interrupts. Lord Odin gave you this access, and I won't let anyone violate his order."
"Quite the turnaround from the man who tried to subdue me in the hallway," she remarked, a faint, dry smirk on her lips.
His jaw tightened. "I was wrong. I followed a lie because it was all I'd ever known. I don't expect forgiveness, but I intend to make amends."
Ella studied him through her psyche perception, picking up on genuine guilt and quiet resolve. He was not perfect, and he had stood by while others mistreated her.
But he was willing to confront his mistakes, a rarity in a realm that valued tradition and status over truth. For now, that was enough.
Before she could reply, a soft knock sounded at the sealed door.
The wards hummed, and an elderly servant entered, his head bowed in deference—a stark contrast to the indifference servants had shown her for years.
"Lady Ella, Lord Odin requests your presence at the main training grounds. He and the elders wish to observe your psyche power in action, to craft a proper training plan for you."
"I'll be there shortly," Ella said.
The servant bowed and withdrew, leaving the two of them alone again. Samuel fell into step beside her as she headed for the exit.
"The grounds will be packed," he warned.
"Everyone heard what happened in the council hall. They'll all be watching."
"Let them watch," Ella replied without hesitation. "I spent years being watched and mocked. Let them watch and learn better. I'm not there to entertain them. I'm there to show Odin what I can do."
The walk through the academy's hallways was surreal. Disciples who had once sneered or stepped around her now moved aside and bowed their heads.
Whispers followed them, but they were no longer filled with contempt.
They held curiosity, awe, and even a flicker of hope. The social order of Asgard had shifted in a single day, and Ella was no longer the bottom of the heap.
The training grounds were indeed crowded, filled with disciples of all years, elders, and border guards.
At the center stood Lord Odin, his presence imposing, his starlight eyes sharp with anticipation.
Kael was gone, serving his punishment in the lower fields. Leah remained locked in her quarters, her magic restricted, guarded day and night.
Odin turned as Ella approached. "You've come. I've felt the power in your core, but I need to see it in action. Show me what your psyche power can do. No flair, no unnecessary force—just control."
A massive enchanted stone dummy slid forward, built to withstand high-level magic without damage.
Ella stepped into the ring, ignoring the collective hush that fell over the crowd. She did not raise her hands dramatically or gather a glowing aura.
She simply lifted one hand, focused her mind, and released a thin, silvery thread of psyche power.
The thread struck the dummy's center. A clean, sharp crack echoed through the grounds. The stone figure split perfectly in two, falling to the ground with a heavy thud.
No explosion, no fanfare—only precise, unbreakable force.
A stunned murmur rippled through the onlookers. Even the elders leaned forward in surprise. Odin nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful.
"That is soul force. Not mana, not elemental magic. I haven't seen this power in five hundred years, not since the last true Oracle." He stepped closer, lowering his voice so only she and Samuel could hear. "Leah is not the end of the threat.
The entity behind her still lives, still grows stronger. You are the only one who can oppose it. But you are not yet strong enough."
Ella did not argue.
She knew her limits. Her power was raw, unrefined, awakened by instinct rather than training. She could defend herself and expose a liar, but she could not fight a dark being from the Nether Realm.
"What do you recommend?" she asked.
"North of Asgard's borders lies Blackspine Valley. It is filled with high-rank magical beasts, dangerous and unforgiving. Many disciples have died there in training trials. But survival there will forge your power faster than any lesson. Spend three days in the valley, fight the beasts that hunt you, and you will grow in ways the classroom cannot teach."
Samuel stepped forward at once, his voice tight with urgency. "It's too soon. She only just awakened her power. She has no formal combat training against beasts. She'll be killed within hours."
"You may accompany her as her guard," Odin said. "You know the valley, its dangers, its patterns. But you cannot fight her battles for her. If she cannot survive on her own, she will never be ready for the war ahead. The choice is hers."
All eyes turned to Ella. She thought of the scrolls, of the Nether parasite, of the fate that had once been written for her: drained, discarded, sacrificed in the dark. She thought of the weak, scared girl she had been, and the person she had become.
She was no longer a victim.
"I'll go," she said firmly. "At dawn."
Odin's lips twitched into a faint, approving smile. "The academy will provide rations, healing salves, and basic supplies.
No enchanted weapons, no special protections. Once you cross the border, you are on your own, save for your guard."
[DING!]
[New Main Quest Activated: Trial of the Blackspine Valley]
[Objective: Survive three full days in Blackspine Valley.]
[Objective: Defeat at least three high-rank magical beasts.]
[Objective: Do not rely on Samuel to win every fight.]
[Reward: Psyche Power Level 3, Psyche Pierce Skill, Permanent Soul and Physical Resilience Boost]
The crowd slowly dispersed as word of the trial spread. Ella ignored the stares and whispers as she and Samuel left the grounds.
They spent the rest of the afternoon gathering supplies. The provision hall gave her dried food, clean water, healing ointments, and a warm cloak for the cold mountain nights.
Samuel sharpened his sword, checked his armor, and drew a detailed map of the valley, marking safe zones and high-risk areas where shadow wolves and vine serpents hunted.
Ella did not waste time. She returned to the Forbidden Library as soon as preparations were done, studying every text on Blackspine Valley's wildlife.
She memorized the weak points of the valley's most dangerous inhabitants, their hunting habits, and the times of day when they were most active. She did not believe in luck. She believed in preparation.
By the time she returned to her small quarters, the moon hung high in the sky. The room was quiet, peaceful, a space she could finally call her own without fear of harassment or mockery.
For the first time since she'd woken up in this world, she felt truly safe within its walls.
She sat on the edge of her bed and summoned a small wisp of silvery psyche power, watching it flicker above her palm.
It was calm, steady, a reminder of the strength she now possessed. Tomorrow, she would leave the safety of Asgard behind.
Tomorrow, she would face real monsters, real pain, and real risk. Tomorrow, she would either grow stronger or die trying.
She felt no fear. Fear had been burned away months ago, when she'd first decided to stop accepting the cruelty thrown at her.
She had been afraid of being weak, of being useless, of the dark future that awaited her. That fear was gone now, replaced with cold, clear determination.
Leah was still locked away, plotting her revenge. The Nether entity was still gathering strength in the shadows.
Allies and enemies still moved through the academy, their loyalties hidden, their plans unknown. But none of that mattered in this moment.
Ella closed her hand, snuffing out the wisp of power. She lay back on her bed and closed her eyes, letting her body rest, letting her mind focus on the trial ahead.
She did not pray for miracles. She did not waste time worrying about what might go wrong. She simply rested, ready for the dawn.
She was the Oracle Vessel, the heir to a forgotten power.
She was the girl who had unmasked a false saint and rewritten her own fate. She was no longer anyone's battery, no one's villain, no one's sacrifice.
Dawn would come soon.
When it did, she would step into Blackspine Valley ready to fight, ready to win, ready to claim the strength that had always been hers. The trial would be brutal. It would be unforgiving.
But it would be the next step in her rise.
And she intended to take it without hesitation.