On Elias side:-( 1 month ago)
After following the solution from book, Elias blindfolded himself, stripping himself of any light or interaction through eyes—the main source.
Blindfolded, Elias could see nothing—but he felt everything.
His mind was calm now, his body no longer writhing with the unbearable pain that had tormented him for nearly a year.
Instead, the pain was fading away,
replaced by a strange comfort that unsettled him, yet comforted him at the same time....
The void around him stretched endlessly—silent, empty, dark.
He could sense the despair of the blind.....
Slowly, Elias began to rise, hands brushing the floor, then the wall, using it for support.
Since he couldn't see a thing, he flinched and dodged imaginary threats, instinctively reacting to dangers that weren't even there.
He slowly peeled his hand off the wall like it was the only thing keeping him alive.
Then, like a half-blind cat, he waved it around—palming the air for invisible danger.
One foot hovered awkwardly mid-step.
He didn't trust the ground anymore.
What if there was a trap? A hole? A knife just casually lying in wait?
He dragged his foot forward an inch.
Then another.
Sole scraping the floor like a lazy broom, just in case some ancient curse decided today was the day.
---
"Seriously, who designed this place, giants?"Elias complained still dragging his feet and waving his hand in air....
He turned slightly—
" Oh come on, Elias!! It's better than being in pai—"
then froze.
Bonk.
Elias sentence was cut in half after his pinky finger met the edge of bed, like they were long lost lovers.
"AAAAAHH!! MOM! DAD! GRANDMA! THE DOG I NEVER HAD!! THE FISH I FLUSHED IN THE POT!!!HELPPPPPP!!"
He collapsed onto the bed, clutching his pinky toe like it had been shot in war.
With tears glistening in his lashes, Elias leaned down to heroically blow on the wounded toe—
—and missed.
Twice.
He blew onto his knee, then his palm.
" Wait.. that's not it" Elias whined.
Sigh.
"…I used to be a prodigy."
A pause.
"Now I can't even aim at my own toe."
He slumped dramatically, flopping like a broken doll, his pride leaking out like steam from a kettle.
"Tch. Back when I had aura, I could feel everything in the dark—even sneaky swords. Now? I lose to furniture. At this point, I should just apologize to the bed."
----
And somewhere—just beyond the lamplight, behind the thick curtains that whispered with the night breeze—
someone watched.
Not malicious. Not threatening.
Just quiet.
Curious.
Their presence almost melted into the shadows, but not quite.
A pair of eyes observed the boy's theatrical suffering, and for the first time in many years…
They smiled.
A real smile.
Subtle, warm.
Like seeing something you didn't know you missed.
The boy was ridiculous.
Loud. Dramatic.
Funny.
But also strangely… pure.
----
From a Hidden Corner…
Hidden behind the curtains, barely breathing, the girl watched with quiet intensity.
Her training told her to remain detached, focused. Observe. Report.
Yet her lips twitched when Elias stubbed his toe and muttered curses at the bed like it had personally betrayed him.
And then—
He bent down, clutching his foot dramatically, eyes squeezed shut,
—and instead of blowing on his poor pinky, accidentally puffed air on his knee.
A long pause.
Elias blinked.
"Wait... that's not it."
She muffled a laugh.
Even without his aura… still so human.
In the past, he'd sensed shadows like hers from across a battlefield.
Now… he was fumbling in his own room.
And yet—something about that made her heart tighten.
How could someone like him fall so far… and still shine like that?
She shook her head.
No… don't get attached.
But she stayed a little longer anyway.
She watched with the stillness of a well-trained hawk—but her eyes shimmered with amusement.
Her fingers trembled faintly around the edge of the wooden beam.
A small smile tugged at her lips—brief, warm, and fleeting.
> I'll keep you safe... even if you never know I'm here
----
In Elias room:-
Elias hands moved toward the cloth tied around his eyes, wanting to remove it and breath freely no longer scared,but he didn't remove it.
He wouldn't—not yet.
This was nothing compared to what he had endured. The sickness had started at twenty-one and haunted him for almost a year. He was twenty-two now. And this time...… he had seen a flicker of hope.
If he failed now, then perhaps he really was a pathetic excuse of a man.
Since his sight was sealed, his other senses had sharpened. He could hear better, smell more keenly, feel the slightest vibration. Even his aura—though lost may return soon, he could feel it.The pain had become tolerable.
---
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Elias slowly lay down.
His hand slid along the mattress, mapping its surface, steadying himself.
It wasn't comfort he sought—it was clarity. His body could rest, but his mind and heart had no such luxury.
This time, he wasn't forming a core.
His original core had fractured, damaged by the disease. According to ancient scripture, he had to let go of what once was. Not remake it. Not force it into old molds.
The power must be reborn, not rebuilt.
And so, he gathered energy. Not into his heart alone—but from his limbs, from the very pathways of his body. From his damaged meridians and beyond. He didn't rush. Lying down helped—less strain, more control.
Holy power had failed him before, its light too heavy, its purity too harsh. He had to rely on himself. This was his path. His battle.
"It's going to be alright," Elias whispered to the silence. "Slow… but better than never."
Outside, the butler walked back and forth across the hallway, refusing to rest. The servants remained still, haunted by the stillness in the master's room. They didn't dare disturb him—yet their hearts clawed at their ribs in worry.
He had not spoken since yesterday.
They had heard the soft groans. The breaking of breath. The mana pressure trembling through the walls.
But nothing more.
The butler—old, steadfast—stood like a shadow, staring at the sealed door with the eyes of a father watching a son suffer.
They could only wait.
---
And then—
A bell rang.
----