Chapter 185: Let It Happen
Under the soft blue sky, the sunlight bathed everything below in a gentle golden hue. Some of the tree leaves and blades of grass were covered in soft dew drops, showing the early signs of the approaching winter. A cool breeze drifted through from time to time, swaying the trees and leaves in quiet harmony.
"Darling... I have a favor to ask of you."
After finishing his daily push-ups, Kael found himself standing in the training ground. He was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, both of which had been soaked in sweat after the exercise.
Seraphina, who had been swinging her sword fluidly like a graceful dancer until now, paused her movement for a moment. She cast her gaze toward him, drops of sweat trickling down her beautiful face.
After sheathing the practice sword, she asked indifferently, "What kind? Or is this another one of your newly developed tricks or dramas to skip the sprint today? If so, don't even think about it... I will not let you get away even if you beg me this time."
Kael walked toward her, gradually closing the distance between them as he shook his head with a faint smile, "No, no... it's not like that at all. Why would you even think that? I've been working hard lately without slacking off... haven't I?"
Grabbing the hem of his shirt, he lifted it, revealing his sweat-soaked abdomen where faint lines of muscle had begun to take shape.
He chuckled dryly, "Look... I've improved quite a lot. If this keeps up... maybe a month or a couple of weeks will be enough to achieve your desired proportion."
'Eh... that sounds weird...'
Seraphina naturally noticed his choice of words, but she chose to ignore it because her attention had been drawn to his tattoo, or perhaps more accurately, the place where that tattoo was located.
Realizing that she had been staring for a little too long and not wanting to give him any unnecessary ideas, she shifted her gaze back to his face and said, "That's good progress in such a short amount of time. I must say, your body is truly... unique. Besides, the sooner you finish building the required physique, the sooner we can begin your actual training."
Kael stopped in front of her and nodded, "I can't wait to train alongside you."
Seraphina was caught slightly off guard.
When she had first brought up the idea of training him, she had gone out of her way to convince him, or rather force him into accepting it, because he simply could not have cared less otherwise. Yet now, he was looking forward to it himself.
What had caused such a sudden change in his mindset? Had he finally found some motivation to become stronger?
'Hm... is it because of Queen? Because she tried to kiss him, so he feels conflicted about it? Or could it be because he still has those indecent intentions toward me?'
Between the two, she found the former far more reasonable.
Turning to face him, she pushed those thoughts aside and asked directly, "So, what is this favor of yours?"
By then, his shirt had fallen back into its normal position. He let out a quiet sigh, "Well, I've been having a hard time understanding something for quite a while now. I've tried to figure it out through every method I could think of, but none of them led me anywhere. Sometimes, it feels like I've been searching in the wrong direction, or maybe I don't have enough knowledge about it yet. I think I need some guidance. So, I want you to help me grasp it, understand its nature, or perhaps teach it to me. You're the only person I can ask."
Seraphina quietly studied his face, which, for some reason, carried a genuinely troubled expression as though this matter had been bothering him for a long time.
'Only person? What a shameless flatterer!'
Even so, she had no reason to refuse.
After giving it a little thought, she asked, "Tell me in detail what you need help with."
Kael had long thought of an explanation, so he had been waiting for the opportunity to bring it up.
Without wasting another second, he spoke with visible excitement, "Do you remember the time I got struck by an arrow and pulled off that impossible stunt?"
Seraphina frowned, "The one where you used the tattoo as an excuse to convince me that it was what made that move possible?"
Kael nodded, "Yes, that one."
All of a sudden, he felt a pinch in his heart.
'That's not the point here. Why would you even think that was an excuse? So, you never believed me that day, huh? But why, though? I told you the whole truth!'
Suppressing the sting in his chest, he answered without any hesitation, "First of all, you should know that I've experienced it several times before during the battle against the Hollow-Tongue. In fact, that was what kept me alive back then and helped me last so long against it. Although I've always believed it to be one of my old reflexes I had in the past that had been erased from my memory, or perhaps something I had unknowingly possessed all this time... but now, I don't think that's all there is to it anymore. If it were simply muscle memory... then shouldn't I have gradually gotten used to it over time?"
Seraphina was, of course, not that surprised by what he had said at all. From the way he had explained how he had defeated that monster, it had been obvious that he must have fought it at some point. He simply hadn't mentioned that part before.
She paid it no attention for the time being and answered evenly, "Indeed."
Kael extended his hands forward and shook his head, "But that's not what's happening to me at all. It reached the point where, after that night, I couldn't use that move anymore, no matter how hard I tried. It doesn't even activate on its own like it used to whenever I faced a stronger foe either. It was as though it had never existed within me in the first place. It feels so strange, which is why I believe... it's not as simple as I thought at first. Perhaps it isn't muscle memory at all... but something else. Do you have any idea what it might be? Or at least... can you help me uncover its true nature?"
Kael had long since considered mastering this mysterious reflex of his, but since his original body differed from his disguised one, he had assumed it would only work as Kael and not as the masked man, so he had ignored it for a while. However, after giving it some serious thought, he realized that his judgment might have been wrong. Perhaps this reflex, or whatever it was, had nothing to do with the shape of his body at all.
If that was the case, then it could become an advantage that would help him grow stronger, or perhaps he could use it in certain battles. Right now, he had no reliable ways of increasing his strength, so he was willing to make use of everything he had, even if it was nothing more than the faintest clue that might lead him forward. That was exactly why he had sought his wife's help in this matter.
'Still, it all comes down to her answer. I hope she has an idea, at least.'
Seraphina touched her chin and fell silent in thought for a moment before answering evenly, "I do."
Kael was at a loss for words, as though he had misheard her. Tilting his head slightly, he asked curiously, "You do? You mean... you can help me figure it out?"
Seraphina gave an imperceptible nod, "Yes... but there's no need to figure anything out. I actually know what you're referring to."
Kael shot her a strange look.
'Huh? You already know? And I've been searching for a whole damn week, reading through countless piles of bullshit... yet I still haven't made any progress at all. What a load of crap!'
Even so, asking her directly had been the right decision.
He swallowed, feeling the lingering excitement of finally finding a way to break through the wall that had kept him weak all this time. After a while, he asked tersely, "So... what is it?"
Seraphina took a moment to recall the details before answering without changing her expression, "There are three different possibilities I came up with, based on what you described. The first is the unique traits or characteristics of one's element. They're qualities that make some people's elements different from others, even though they possess the exact same affinity."
She paused for a moment and sighed, "Take Arwyn, as an example. There are countless people with plant-related elements like hers, but she possesses a unique trait that sets her apart from the rest. And that's the ability to sense the surroundings through her tendrils without needing to be physically close to them. It is not an ability that every plant-element user can develop. Although most mages discover these traits as they ascend, there are often cases where some traits remain dormant for years. Until they reach a certain core or somehow awaken that trait on their own... they may never notice its existence. So, it's possible that something similar applies to you."
Kael kept staring at her with a complicated expression.
Everything she had described sounded logical, but none of it had anything to do with extraordinary reflexes. Besides, he didn't possess an element that specialized in enhancing physical abilities either.
Noticing the dissatisfaction in his expression, Seraphina answered in a colder yet more confident tone, "Second, the Elemental Insight. It's a form of perception that lets you sense everything connected to your corresponding element. If it's your own spell, the effective range depends on the size of the spell and how far it extends, but if it's the natural element itself, it has quite a lot of limitations. Nevertheless, everything ultimately depends on the potency of your mana core."
She paused for a moment before adding, "Since you possess the healing element, you should be familiar with this perception far better than someone like me. It's the ability you use to examine injuries or illnesses deep inside someone's body."
Kael's mouth twitched, but he resisted the urge to say anything.
'You mean other healers, right? Even though I can use it... most of the time, it's not even necessary. Studying someone's wounds is a headache, you know. Besides, why should I bother? I can simply envelop the injury and accelerate the body's natural healing cycle, closing the wound in the process. Or I can just locate the damaged muscles or bones and repair them instantly if I want to, which means I don't even need to examine everything most of the time. It's all thanks to my extraordinary healing element. The only downside is that it drains far more mana than my wind element.'
Although most of Seraphina's explanation was somewhat familiar to him, he had never considered that those strange reflexes might be related to his element at all. It was mostly because he had performed those impossible movements long before he discovered, or perhaps awakened, his wind element. Even if he had possessed that element much earlier in life... judging by the state of his core, it should have remained stable throughout all those years.
When he realized Seraphina had remained silent all this time, patiently waiting for his response instead of interrupting him, Kael shook his head and said, "I don't think either of those matches what I've been experiencing. I don't possess any other element, after all."
However, he inwardly cheered himself up.
'Elemental Insight... yes, that might be a clue to figuring it out. Wait... doesn't she still have one more possibility left?'
Seraphina found his answer acceptable. She also didn't think those two could be the actual possibilities, though they still remained plausible because of his unique element. Besides, knowing how Kael lacked general knowledge, she couldn't help but explain everything to him at once. It was a strange feeling she rarely experienced, perhaps this was what it felt like to teach someone or act as a master to someone.
She sighed without showing any sign of disappointment and said, "The third possibility is a rarely seen occurrence that appears among a handful of fortunate mages. As you know, all of our surrounding environment contains pure mana, even if it's not of the same amplitude everywhere. Similarly, flowlines constantly guide mana throughout our body, while the mana core absorbs mana from outside to replenish itself whenever necessary. In the same way, our flowlines are interwoven throughout our bodies like the strings of a puppeteer, while the mana core is suspected to be deeply connected to our soul somehow."
She paused for a moment before adding, "Healing is a unique and extraordinary element. The way it functions is also rather peculiar. Have you ever wondered how your healing spell exactly repairs someone's damaged muscles or broken bones? What does it do? Does it simply accelerate the body's natural healing capabilities? If so, how does it accomplish such a feat? What happens to the damaged flesh afterward? Or does it create entirely new flesh to replace it while completely erasing the damaged parts instead?"
Kael found himself at a loss for words.
Truth be told, he had never delved into this matter before. Although what he did often resembled accelerating the healing process, it had always felt rather odd because there were times when it seemed as though muscles were being created out of nowhere, while at other times, it simply felt as if the damaged parts had been repaired.
He couldn't really tell the difference at all.
'Who cares anyway? All that matters is whether the wound closes or not... so why should it matter how it actually works? Besides, we humans still lack a deep understanding of mana as well as all the mysteries surrounding it to begin with. It's no surprise that some things simply can't be explained through logic alone.'
Kael shook his head in resignation and raised both hands helplessly, "Why are you asking me? I don't have a clue."
Seraphina's brow furrowed slightly, though it disappeared almost as quickly as she said, "All of that is possible because of mana, Kael. Like every other element, healing is also a manifestation of mana shaped by the user's imagination and the traits granted by the mana core. However, it's suspected to be closer to a form of pure mana than any other element... because it possesses the most distinctive characteristics while having no connection to the natural elements at all."
'Why does that last part sound like something you just made up?' Kael couldn't help but lampoon.
'Still, those guesses are pretty fair, I guess.'
Seraphina, however, continued on her own, "Because of that, if a healer is able to master their element perfectly and nurture an exceptionally potent mana core over the years, some users occasionally become capable of sensing the flow of mana drifting around them, though the sensation is extremely vague and illusory. Most never realize what they're experiencing, or simply dismiss it as a random hallucination."
She narrowed her eyes and said, "However, when a sudden disturbance appears in that flow, the surrounding mana shifts or parts aside or perhaps scatters, causing their flowlines and mana core connected to both their body and soul to instinctively perceive the approaching danger. Though it's an extremely rare phenomenon, so it doesn't happen consistently either. Granted, it was unknown what exactly could disrupt the flow of mana, but it had to be either some extraordinary spell or an attack delivered with frightening speed."
Phew!
'So that's how it is. Since I've been a healer for a long time, one might even say that I'm a true healer rather than a secondary one. So, my mana core must have become extremely potent, or perhaps it has reached its pinnacle in its current stage. Besides, she never mentioned anything about needing to saturate the mana core first either.
Considering how quickly and effortlessly I can heal almost any wound, I highly doubt even high-ranking healers could achieve the same results. Isn't it safe to assume that I've attained complete mastery over my element? In fact, I've probably had it for a long time. Based on her explanation, everything matches perfectly... so that must be it...
'Wait... something still doesn't add up. If I've always had complete mastery over healing, then why did it only begin to manifest after encountering the Hollow-Tongue? Shouldn't I have discovered it long ago? Why didn't I?'
Kael found himself somewhat puzzled.
'Besides, even if I've realised the existence of the wind element inside me only two weeks ago... what are the chances that I haven't mustered it in the past? No, it's obvious from how oblivious I was all this time. If I had really mustered it before, I should've been able to feel some noticeable changes or find something amiss in my core... which I didn't. Then... what exactly had triggered these reflexes back then?'
He wrapped his fingers around his jaw.
'Silent River. Back then, I was so close to it. So, that had to be it.'
Previously, he had assumed that the Silent River had only made him notice that some of his memories were disappearing little by little, and he had accused the headache of being responsible for this. But he didn't know what kind of headache that was supposed to be... or what it was actually capable of... apart from the fact that it appeared randomly, and his healing magic had no effect on it. Because of that, he had assumed it was something terrifying, since it was the only abnormality he had.
'But what if... this headache is not only able to steal my memories, but is also capable of suppressing my element, or perhaps my power to some extent? If that's the case, it might explain why I've become so weak. It also explains why I was able to perform that reflex after encountering that bizarre river. Or it might also be possible that it's capable of making me unaware of everything related to wind element? Perhaps both of these hypotheses can be true. After all, the origin of this headache is still unknown to me. So, I shouldn't limit myself when it comes to making deductions.'
But for now, he was going to assume the former, since it solved some of the problems he had been unable to explain.
Kael finally took a deep breath and asked, "Do you think it's possible to muster this skill in any way?"
While he was lost in thought, Seraphina had kept staring at his face all this time, watching his expressions change, sometimes puzzled, sometimes happy.
She could read him like an open book.
'What am I supposed to do with him?'
Expecting such a question, she tilted her head and said, "No... it's impossible. No matter how hard you try... you will never be able to sense pure mana on your own, not even if you saturate your core someday."
Kael shot her a strange expression, unable to understand her certainty, before asking, "Why, though? Do I lack the talent for that?"
A trace of wistfulness appeared on Seraphina's face as she answered in a voice that seemed strangely unlike her own, "It's not about having the necessary talent. It's simply something that we humans cannot learn. It's beyond our capabilities. Worse still, it carries an incomprehensible risk of unknown origin. So, don't even think about practicing it secretly either. If it happens on its own, then let it happen, or try to ignore it if you can. Consider this a warning. Besides, an instinct that depends on specific attacks or the density of mana in your surroundings is highly unreliable. So, learning it would only be a waste of effort anyway."
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(Chapter Ended)
To be continued...