Mireth unconsciously took a step back.
She stared at the tip of her foot before slowly raising her gaze at the closed door.
Mireth blankly stared. Her thoughts were chaotic.
Blood?
Why is blood here?
Why… so much of it?
And the most important question…
Mireth's breathing gradually changed from normal to fast and short.
She was about to get a panic attack.
Her lips were uncontrollably trembling.
Cold shivers were going through her body.
Mireth's face was pale.
She was afraid to open the door.
Mireth already imagined what she might see inside and was completely terrified by it.
This was her worst nightmare.
But she needs to open the door to either confirm or deny her guess.
She had to.
Mireth hesitantly extended her trembling hand and slowly pushed the door.
As the door slowly moved, more and more blood became visible in front of Mireth's terrified eyes.
'No… This is not…'
Her chest clenched, but she pushed the door further.
As the door was finally opened, the entire floor stained in red came into her view and the horrendous metallic scent.
Her eyes were trembling, shifting from one spot to another. Breathing disrupted.
Everything on the floor was in blood.
But what was even worse is that she spotted something with her side vision on the table.
Mireth was horrified to look at it as she stared at the floor in terror.
It was a person.
Though Mireth refused to look at it, she already recognised that person's profile, its clothing, hair…
She knew this person very, very well.
It was the person she gave herself to… completely. The man who was her everything.
She gulped. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Mireth's eyes finally shifted upwards towards the table.
The moment her beautiful eyes landed on the unmoving person on the table, her entire world crumbled and then turned dark.
Everything she had done and was planning to do with this man was now irrelevant.
Her future…
She didn't have a future anymore.
Mireth's knees suddenly lost strength and she reached for the doorframe.
Her mind was unable to accept the reality and her eyes rolled back.
She collapsed on the bloody floor.
Her worst nightmare… arrived.
After she fell, the room became completely silent.
Her barely moving body lay in blood.
At this moment, the person's eyes on the table slightly moved and then partially opened.
He calmly looked at the lying woman. Her long silver hair was stained in blood. His blood.
His eyes slowly closed.
In her shock, Mireth failed to notice that all wounds on Vincent were looking odd.
Several minutes passed without a change until it arrived.
The shadow began to appear and grow from the doorway.
Someone came.
It was a gorgeous, barefooted woman with long silver-gold hair.
She indifferently looked at the unconscious Mireth on the bloody floor and bleeding Vincent on the table.
Oddly, neither her foot nor her long hair could be touched by the blood.
It was Immortal Lythaera.
The only High Elf in this elvish community.
She gazed at Vincent before her beautiful eyes shifted towards Mireth.
"Poor girl…"
Lythaera knew everything that was happening with Mireth, yet, she didn't interfere.
She slowly bent down towards her laying body and placed her hand on her forehead.
It lasted for several seconds before she took her hand back.
She sadly exhaled.
It was too late.
Mireth cannot be brought back anymore.
"Her love obsession had gone… too deep."
Lythaera still wasn't feeling regretful that she didn't take measures to prevent Mireth's downfall into madness.
She believed that everything has a reason.
Her eyes then moved towards bleeding Vincent on the table.
"Such… self-inflicted cruelty… just to gain a bit more power…"
Lythaera's expression was tranquil.
She knew what was happening here.
She had studied humans out of curiosity and to better understand the enemy of their race.
Though her knowledge was limited, she learned a lot about them.
If Vincent completes this process, he'll successfully reach the 3rd Stage in Body Tempering, Tempered Blood.
His physical changes will be barely visible on the outside, but inwardly his body would become a nearly inexhaustible machine.
Such a body will not require food for months.
The regeneration will increase several times with a huge stamina on top of that.
And most importantly… this will open paths towards higher stages in Essence Cultivation.
Sadly, this last addition is no longer useful to him.
Lythaera's eyes shifted towards his wounds.
The process of reaching the 3rd stage is very brutal.
To her knowledge, one must bleed his own body to a critical level where death will be just a step away.
Once the blood vessels are nearly empty, the world essence will mystically start to fill the empty gap which would gradually transform them.
'No raw strength… but the benefits were immense, ' she thought.
This entire process requires enormous concentration since the person must be conscious all the time.
If he faints in the middle of it, it's a death sentence.
Lythaera knew that this path was impossible for elves to walk through due to their frail bodies, but it was still worth studying.
At this moment, Vincent sensed that someone was here, but he didn't have strength to do anything as all his will power was used to stay conscious.
This was his gamble.
After Vincent decided on this plan, he was searching for a quiet place where he can reach the 3rd stage without being interrupted.
Unexpectedly, when Vincent was heading towards Mireth's home, tempted for an intimate night, her sister found him.
She was honest and direct. She expressed that his influence is harming her mental state so she told him to leave her and this place altogether.
Though she still expressed her genuine gratitude for rescuing her and Mireth.
But he needs to leave.
Vincent was surprised by her request, but he wasn't angry in the slightest.
He actually found this as an unexpected opportunity and offered a deal.
If she provides a shelter for him in her house for a night and doesn't let anyone enter it, he'll satisfy her request.
He only needs an isolated place to conduct the dangerous process where he needs to maintain top concentration from start to finish, uninterrupted.
But Mireth misunderstood everything which only fueled her delusion further.
…
Lythaera looked at his pale body that almost reached its critical stage.
With just one touch, Vincent would collapse, physically and mentally.
She took a calm breath and waved her hand and tiny roots began to grow under unconscious Mireth until they covered her entire body.
Lythaera gave Vincent one last look and left with Mireth, closing the door behind her.