The rcury hand shot forward, elongating unnaturally as it reached for Jasmine.
Arthur moved instantly, his spatial aura flaring as he intercepted the guardian's grasp.
"Wait. Calm down. You still haven't heard who she is."
"It doesn't matter—"
"She's Regulus's daughter."
The words hit the rcury like a punch to the face.
The guardian froze mid-motion, its liquid form shuddering as if struck by lightning. In the blink of an eye, it flowed across the space between them, materialising directly in front of Jasmine with movents too quick to follow.
So fast...
"Give your blood," the being commanded, its voice carrying new urgency.
Jasmine instinctively stepped back, but Arthur's presence beside her provided comfort. The guardian's request wasn't threatening—it was verification.
He needs to confirm what Arthur claid.
"Why do you need—"
"To verify your heritage," the guardian interrupted. "The bloodline of Regulus carries specific signatures that I know. Only his true offspring would possess them."
"And if you are lying-" His eyes narrowed as killing intent erupted from his body, looking at Arthur, who was still smiling despite the threat.
Jasmine looked to Arthur, who nodded encouragingly.
This is why he brought here. He knew.
With trembling fingers, she drew a small knife from her inventory—the sa blade she'd used to harvest the Demonic Roc's blood. A quick slice across her palm produced crimson droplets that fell toward the crystalline floor.
The rcury being intercepted the blood before it could land, the droplets dissolving into its liquid body.
For a mont, nothing happened.
Then the guardian began to glow.
Light erupted from its rcury body. The illumination spread outward, causing the runes on the walls to respond in kind.
The entire chamber began to sing.
It's... beautiful.
"Impossible," the guardian whispered, its voice filled with sothing approaching reverence. "The bloodline is pure. Undiluted. She carries his exact signature. She is really...his daughter."
The being turned to Arthur, its expression shifting to what might have been amazent.
"You have brought Regulus's daughter. His true heir. The one he spoke of in his final days."
Father spoke of ? Even at the end?
Tears began flowing down Jasmine's cheeks again, but these were different from before. Not tears of pain or fear, but of connection to a legacy she'd never known existed.
"He left instructions," the guardian continued, its attention now fully focused on her. "Should his daughter ever arrive, she was to be given a choice."
Arthur stepped forward, curiosity burning in his eyes. "What kind of choice?"
The rcury being's form rippled with what might have been a smile.
"The choice between claiming her father's power...to complete his vengeance," The pause stretched dramatically. "Or to live comfortably without worrying about it."
The words echoed through the chamber like distant thunder.
Jasmine stared at the guardian, her golden eyes wide with shock and possibility.
My dad had given the choice to avenge him or to live happily ever after.
Arthur watched her carefully, understanding dawning in his expression. This wasn't just an inheritance chamber—it was a crossroads that would define not just Jasmine's future, but potentially the fate of everyone who had wronged Regulus.
And I'm the one who brought her here.
She turned to Arthur, conflict written across her features. "But you were the potential heir...I would be taking your chance, even if he were my dad—"
Arthur cut her off with a gentle shake of his head.
"I brought you here for a reason."
His voice carried a warmth she'd never heard before—not the commanding tone of Fateless, her boss, but sothing softer.
"When I first discovered this place," he continued, stepping closer, "I knew the power wasn't ant for . I could feel it. Sothing about the inheritance felt... incomplete. Like it was waiting."
"I've been searching for the right person to inherit Regulus's legacy."
"Soone who would understand the power that could co with the legacy, but also the challenge of avenging him. Soone who would honour what he stood for."
Jasmine's breath caught as his words sank in.
He's been protecting my father's inheritance. Waiting for .
"You could have claid it yourself," she whispered. "The power, the knowledge—everything father left behind. You could have taken it all."
Arthur's smile was gentle, genuine.
"Power without purpose is just destruction. But you..."
He reached out, his fingers brushing away a tear she hadn't realised had fallen.
"You carry his blood, purpose, and his heart. His unfinished business."
"I've watched you fight, Jasmine. Not just monsters, but the pain inside you. The way you protect others even when you're breaking inside."
That's not sothing that can be inherited or stolen. That's who you are."
"Your father's power belongs with his daughter. It always did."
Arthur stepped back, giving her space to process.
"I was just the guardian until you were ready to claim it."
Jasmine felt tears streaming down her face—not from sadness this ti, but from sothing deeper.
She was grateful, relieved and overwheld by the suddenness of everything going on. Her power had increased dramatically in the span of hours, and she was about to inherit her father's powers, too.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice breaking.
"For waiting. For believing. For... for bringing ho."
She struggled to find words adequate for what he'd given her.
Arthur's expression ward. "It was yours from the beginning. It's fate."
The irony struck her imdiately.
Here was Fateless—the man who'd nad himself after having no destiny—speaking about fate. The contradiction was so perfect it almost made her laugh despite her tears.
Arthur turned toward the rcury guardian. "Does she need to go through the trials from the beginning?"
The guardian's form rippled, what might have been a head shaking slowly. "She is the true heir of Regulus. His daughter. There is no need for trials to prove her worthiness."
No trials. Just... acceptance.
"Although," the guardian continued, "I would suggest she experience the full inheritance as you did. To see everything. To understand the complete truth of her father's legacy."
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