As she reviewed her journal, she came up with three theories. The first was that this came about because of her backlashes. Using World Energy did carry many risks, and she did abuse it a lot in the caves. The damage to her Channels was one thing, except it could have impacted her Magic Perception too. A Magic Perception was more than a sensory ability. It enabled the Arcanist to tame and manipulate Magic Energy. In Elizabeth's case, her Magic Perception could have been crippled without her knowledge, leading to the sudden dissipation of her Magic Energy. This was the most plausible theory.
The second was that she contracted some illness from the Mordrigan Peaks. In the Zino Kingdom, there were no recorded cases of an illness affecting an Arcanist's abilities. That made sense, since an Arcanist's Channels and Core were intangible constructs. Nothing physical could harm them. That said, many things once viewed unthinkable became reality, such as a natural formation, less than two days away by carriage, containing tens of Rank 2 Beast Lords… Therefore, was it outside the realm of possibility that a disease or something similar existed that could impair an Arcanist? That would be despairing. She hoped she was wrong.
The final theory was this was her Bloodline Ability awakening. A Bloodline Ability did not necessarily have to come from an established Bloodline. It had to start from somewhere. For example, Benedict and Shirley were the first in their families to awaken their Bloodline Abilities. Elizabeth could be following in their footsteps. It was funny though. When they were in the Xingyuu Empire, she tried to awaken her Bloodline Ability, much like Benedict and Shirley, yet she failed to. Whether it was due to a lack of time or talent, she did not know. It does beg the question though. If she did awaken it, then what did her Bloodline Ability do? And why did it lead to her Magic Energy disappearing?
She eventually went to sleep or, at least, tried to. Her head burned with numerous questions and ideas. This made her realize… she dipped her hands in too many things. She had to deal with her Royal Ambassador duties, train her Core, develop a combat system, forge new artifacts, collaborate with the Featherwind Sect, research the Arcellius Family, and finally… recover from her injuries. It was a genuine mountain of work! No wonder she had a lot to think about. She pulled the blankets over her head in a silly attempt to shield herself from the nonstop spillage of thoughts. It was bound to be another sleepless night.
In the morning, she rubbed her dry eyes and went about her business. Breakfast was served, as she read the reports. A deep scowl gradually appeared on her face. The scouts from the Mordrigan Peaks returned with mixed news. Since Protector Avin used his True Perception, it scared the weaker beasts off the mountain and into the neighbouring towns. Although the towns and cities could defend themselves, the more remote villages, like the one Elizabeth stayed at, could not. Their houses were trampled and they were forced to flee. Many people lost their lives. The good news was that the stronger beasts stayed to fight over the mountain. This limited the damage. The Celestial Court deliberated on how to handle this, though the consensus seemed to lean towards assembling a large subjugation force. Elizabeth disagreed and proposed sending smaller brigades to reinforce the settlements. It would take some time before everyone came to an agreement.
As she looked through the university's literature, nothing matched her symptoms. This made her think. Assuming it was unrelated to her backlash, then it was either an illness or a Bloodline Ability. An illness sounded scary, so she considered the latter. A Bloodline Ability had certain characteristics that made them stand apart from any magic spell or martial technique. They could not be used by people outside the Bloodline, and their effects were too broad to classify. Freon's Thousand Core Resonance empowered a single spell at the cost of only casting that spell. Benedict's Rain Weaver Arc enabled him to create highly durable threads of Martial Energy. Shirley's Echo Image duplicated any martial technique on sight. Every Bloodline Ability was unique in their own strengths and weaknesses, which made it hard to pinpoint what they did.
For Elizabeth, the only effect she could see was that her Magic Energy disappeared. If that was the cost, then what did she gain? Nothing about her or the room changed… She pondered more before her eyebrows raised. There was something! She had two sleepless nights in a row! Except Elizabeth wanted to cry. That was… a little disappointing to be her Bloodline Ability. Sure, the chances of awakening something as flexible and powerful as Freon's Thousand Core Resonance were miniscule. The Arcellius Family was well regarded for a reason. That said, she did hope for a combat-related Bloodline Ability. It would help with filling in her combat system. A deep sigh escaped her lips. She marked down her potential Bloodline Ability as using Magic Energy to sleep less.
Her friends replied to her in the afternoon. Benedict and Shirley reported no problems with their Martial Energy. Freon said his Magic Energy control was fine too, which eliminated Elizabeth's illness theory. So, the two options were either a backlash or Bloodline Ability. It was easy to test then. Should her Magic Energy disappear, and she had a sleepless night, then it would confirm she had a Bloodline Ability. Night fell, prompting her to yawn. She began circulating her Magic Energy. Despite using her Magic Perception to control it, it slipped out of her control and vanished. The process seemed repeatable. Next came the moment of truth. Elizabeth went to sleep and… failed! Three nights in a row! That was not enough to conclude anything, because there may be other reasons why she failed to sleep. Stress, heat, and even a bad meal could be the cause. Nonetheless, the possibility of a Bloodline Ability went up.
An idea sprung to mind. Maybe it did not reduce her need for sleep. Maybe it actually improved her physical condition! Although they sounded similar, the difference was huge. She could not tell anything changed with her body, but there was one way to check. Martial Energy! Martial Energy meant stamina. Being tired was the same as having low Martial Energy. Conversely, being energetic meant having lots of Martial Energy. The total capacity dictated the body's potential, reflected in the Fundamental, Perception, and Instinct Realms. Elizabeth was unable to sense it before, except that changed in the Mordrigan Peaks. She emptied her mind and focused. Her windows rattled, scaring her. Trying again, a fly kept buzzing around her ears. She swatted it away. The next attempt was thwarted by an itchy leg.
Sighing, she murmured, "It was easier in the caves."
That was unsurprising. The caves presented an ideal location to meditate, being absolutely silent and dark. The added danger only heightened her awareness and urged her full potential out. It was basically a one-in-a-million occurrence! She would have to slowly retrain that feeling before she could consistently sense Martial Energy. Fortunately, she passed the first step already. The first step was always the hardest. Not to mention, her experiencing wielding Magic Energy aided her greatly. Martial and Magic Energy were two sides of the same coin, after all. So, Elizabeth was not worried. It would come to her eventually.
In the subsequent days, aside from her usual duties, she juggled advancing her Core Level and sensing Martial Energy. It was rare that she had this much free time to devote to training, a silver lining in an otherwise bleak situation. She was mindful of how much of her Magic Energy disappeared every day. When it reached a certain point, she would stop her training. If her idea was correct, that she did awaken her Bloodline Ability and it helped her convert Magic Energy to Martial Energy, then it could be dangerous. Just like an Arcanist's Core, a person's body had a maximum capacity on Martial Energy. She was a Fundamental Realm Adept, but her Core was Half-Condensed Drop! Assuming her conversion rate was one-to-one, then she could trivially overfill her body with Martial Energy. What would happen in that case? Either a backlash or a gruesome death! Elizabeth did not want to find out.