Chapter 92 – The Trait
Sadie froze for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh. She knew Gavin, too, had only been a pawn—a victim. In her heart, she offered the young man a silent apology.
She turned to pat Gideon, intending to share her deduction with him, but before she could speak, Zod Cooper stepped forward. With the one who knew the secret now dead, the Cooper heir seemed ready to take Dolbora away.
Gideon blocked his path.
"The exorcism isn't finished. You wouldn't want this young lady to die, would you?"
Since he would be staying in St. Fréyan for some time, Gideon wasn't about to leave behind any hidden dangers.
Zod locked eyes with him for several long seconds. At last, he stepped aside—but the act of being forced to yield to an outsider burned bitterly in his chest.
Turning back, Gideon resumed his chant.
Within the binding circle, Dolbora looked stable—no doubt protected by the fragment of antler she carried. Ophelia and Belen, however, weren't so lucky.
Ophelia's severed leg began to writhe. A moment later, a slick black leech wriggled free.
Belen's ears bulged, shadows leaking out from within.
"Rift Leeches!" Sadie gasped in shock, instantly recognizing them.
She quickly explained as Gideon glanced at her.
"They're monsters that live deep within the Plague Zone. They're weak in attack but can latch onto a host through the split in their backs, then gnaw at the victim's mind until they control it."
As if to prove her words, the leech's back split open, revealing a saw-toothed maw. One of them crawled toward Ophelia's thigh, eager to burrow back inside.
But Gideon gave it no chance.
Channeling holy light, he purged the parasites clinging to Ophelia and Belen, reducing them to nothing but ash.
The two stirred awake.
"They're alive!"
"He exorcised the plague spawn!"
The crowd erupted with disbelief and awe.
"Stranger from afar, the Sun God will bless you!" The High Priest pressed his hands to his chest and bowed deeply.
As the tribe's master of sorcery, he knew better than anyone how extraordinary this feat was. Usually, once a Plague Zone creature had rooted itself inside a human, survival was almost impossible. Even the tribe's own cleansing rites could rarely achieve complete success.
For Rift Leeches, the traditional method was to lure them out drip by drip with fresh blood—a torturous process that many hunters didn't survive.
But this priest had driven them out instantly. That was something no one in the tribe could do.
Zod's expression darkened. He hadn't expected this young priest to be so dangerous.
With him aiding the Allard, their chances of claiming the Trait just grew.
He clenched his jaw. I'll need to find another way.
Meanwhile, Ophelia tried to sit up.
"I... it hurts."
When she glanced down at her legs and saw nothing but bandaged stumps, her eyes went wide.
"Ahhhh!"
Her screams tore through the hall as her emotions collapsed.
Sadie shot Gideon a questioning look. When he nodded, she rushed to her sister's side.
Elsewhere, the Hunters' Association escorted Belen and Barton away. The incident had cost them dearly, and someone would be punished severely. Ophelia, too, was formally charged with theft—but given her condition, she was permitted to return home for treatment.
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Back at the Allard estate, Ophelia lay pale and broken on her bed, her rebellious spark extinguished.
"How could this happen to you!" Skoll Allard, her father, was heartbroken.
Earlier, he had learned the Allard were cleared of blame—and that it was the mysterious priest who had defended their family's honor. For that, his gratitude was boundless.
At first, he had been uneasy about Sadie bringing the priest into the Plague Zone. But after witnessing the man's power, he could only thank the Sun God for such providence.
"Gideon, come with me."
Sadie tugged on Gideon's sleeve and led him to the study.
"Thank you," she said, bowing deeply. "If not for you, I don't know how my family would have survived this."
"It was nothing," Gideon replied with a wave of his hand.
Both of them knew the truth—that the Cooper family had orchestrated the trap.
"Zod never stops until he gets what he wants," Sadie muttered, her expression heavy.
"He'll have more schemes waiting inside the Plague Zone."
With Ophelia crippled, only Sadie could attend the upcoming sealing ritual.
"Do you know what the 'Trait' is?" she asked suddenly.
Gideon shook his head.
Sadie explained:
"The Plague Zone is filled with rare resources. The Trait is one of them—or rather, an ability."
According to her, the Trait was like a cursed seal. Ever since the tribes laid down the Sealing Ritual in St. Fréyan, a single Trait had been born within the Zone every ten years.
And that Trait was indispensable for reforging the seal.
The one who claimed a Trait would awaken a unique ability—an ability that could be passed down through blood.
"Sixty years ago," Sadie said softly, "my ancestor, Elwin Allard, was fortunate enough to obtain a Trait. It was called Darkvision—the power to sense malice in one's surroundings. With that gift, our family quickly rose to prominence and became St. Fréyan's leading supplier of hunter equipment."
She trusted Gideon enough to reveal even this secret.
That power, she explained, only ever passed to a single descendant. By fate or fortune, she was the one who inherited it—marking her as the inevitable successor of the Allard family.
"That's why Ophelia grew distant from me. We used to be inseparable as children, but… the Trait changed everything."
"So there's more than one Trait?" Gideon pressed.
Sadie nodded. "At least seven since the first sealing ritual."
She went on, "I only know for certain that the Cooper family secured one—Endless Vitality. It strengthens the heart beyond normal limits. That's why their hounds are so fearsome."
"Oh?" Gideon arched a brow.
"Yes. Every Cooper hound inherits that trait, which is what makes them relentless."
Gideon leaned back thoughtfully. "Then in recent years, hasn't any new family suddenly risen in power? And wouldn't the Traits be seen during the rituals themselves?"
But Sadie shook her head. "The rituals are never open to outsiders. And as for sudden rises… we've investigated. Only two families are even suspected.
"First, the Benecks—they run hunter infirmaries across the South.
"And second, the Stuarts—descendants of the First Men. They deal in cold steel but rarely show themselves in St. Fréyan."
Gideon rubbed his chin. "And Traits—do they have a cost?"
Sadie's gaze flickered. After a long pause, she answered quietly:
"When a new inheritor awakens, the former bearer dies soon after. That… was how my grandfather passed."
"My apologies," Gideon said softly. "I didn't mean to stir old wounds."
He had once considered trying to seize a Trait for himself. But after hearing this, he silently put the thought aside.
Sadie waved off his concern. "Don't be. It's the destiny of the Allard bloodline. We've long since accepted it."
Gideon then asked why the Allard still sought another Trait, given that they already had one.
Her expression hardened.
"A Trait isn't just power—it's survival. Each one cements a family's dominance in the South. It means wealth, influence, and the right to stand unshaken against rivals. That's why the Allard won't stop. And neither will the Coopers."
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