Eleanor regained consciousness shortly after she had been brought to the healer’s pavilion. The healer on night duty examined her and found nothing amiss. Her body bore no visible injuries.
Hearing that, Professor Sylpha finally allowed herself a breath of relief, though her voice carried a trace of annoyance.
"I told you not to reach for powers beyond your limit. But you never learn to keep your greed in check. Well then, what happened? Did you receive your item?"
Eleanor managed a faint smile. "Believe , Professor, I wasn’t tempted by power. I chose what seed like a rather ordinary one. But I was sent into a trial with a very difficult riddle. I beca so invested in solving it that I overexerted myself."
The professor regarded her impassively. "Fine, fine. At least you succeeded in receiving your gift. Stay here for the night. The healers will examine you again in the morning, and you’ll go directly to horoom after that."
"Thank you, Professor," Eleanor said sincerely.
Once the professor had left, Eleanor lay back on the bed, her thoughts drifting towards what had happened.
"I didn’t receive a weapon or tool," she mused silently, "but the power I gained might be far more useful. Nora, I rember seeing so kind of system window. Can you bring it up for ?"
"No, Master," Nora replied gently. "It was an information window that appeared only at that mont. I did not see it directly... I found it through your mory. But I can recreate a copy for you. I also examined your third eye. There really is an eye hidden beneath the skin of your forehead. It lacks lashes or any outer features... it is only an eye. But I cannot probe it further; an energy field surrounding it blocks my scan."
Eleanor took the revelation in stride. "Alright, then. Show the window."
A translucent panel shimred into view before her mind’s eye:
[Eye of Wisdom / Odin’s Eye]
Level 1: When opened, it eliminates ignorance, illusion, and desire, leading to complete freedom from worldly attachnt.
Level 2: Locked.
Level 3: Locked.
Level 4: Locked.
Level 5: Locked.
Level 6: Locked.
Level 7: Locked.
Level 8: Locked.
Level 9: Locked.
[To unlock the next level, master the previous one.]
Eleanor read the words carefully. "When opened, it eliminates ignorance, illusion, and desire, leading to complete freedom from worldly attachnt. That’s an incredible power, even for level one. I’m not sure what complete freedom ans yet, but I suppose it must relate to detachnt from desires and illusions. I’ll need practice to truly understand it."
"Yes," Nora agreed. "Only by practice can you master the first level, and only through mastery will the second reveal itself."
Eleanor nodded to herself. "Then I’ll practise in my spare ti. I’m eager to see what awaits at level two. But for now... I need rest. I’m exhausted."
***
Eleanor’s routine settled into a steady rhythm over the next few days. Each morning began with mandatory physical training for the cadets, followed by breakfast. After that ca either Basics of Cultivation or Introduction to Supernatural Ethics & Law... the two subjects alternating every other day. Then she would attend either Fundantals of Psionics or Wilderness Survival, before heading to the School of Mixed Martial Arts for training under Instructor Arrichion until she was utterly exhausted.
Only then was she granted a rare period of rest before mandatory outdoor play, during which she always joined the basketball gas, as Arrichion had advised. After the evening tea session, she would spend ti with her friends, either discussing lessons or gossiping in the dormitory commons. Dinner was compulsory, and only after that could she finally retreat to her room for private study.
Nora, ever efficient, had combed through the academy’s central server and compiled a treasure trove of books. When Eleanor finally examined what her companion had gathered, the sheer scale of it left her dizzy. She had not stumbled upon a re collection of reading materials... she had opened the gates to the entire intellectual heartbeat of the Ascendance Academy of Midgard.
There were thousands of volus, each one a doorway into a power she had barely dared to dream of. The subjects spanned countless disciplines, and she would have been a fool to ignore them. The only drawback was Nora’s limited storage capacity when disconnected from the central server. Eleanor could not simply hoard the texts... she had to absorb them. Fortunately, her eidetic mory ant that once read, a book was hers forever.
The catalogue was staggering. Foundational texts included The Prir on Energy Manipulation and Pathways to Awakening: A Guide for the Uninitiated, alongside dense theoretical works on cultivation such as The Stabilised Core and ditations on the Saint Threshold.
The largest section was dedicated to elental abilities. Scrolls and manuals for every conceivable force of nature drifted through her reach... Fire Weaving: From Ember to Inferno, The Fluid Mind: Advanced Hydromancy, Speaking to the Stone: Earth Affinity for Beginners... alongside treatises on shadow-walking, light-forging, and the perilous art of lightning channelling.
Another vast category was practical crafts. There were intricate alchemical guides, like The Celestial Pill: Formulas for Core Purification and Venom & Antidote: The Naga’s Apothecary. Next ca shelves of works on artifice, from Tempering Spiritual-Alloys to Rune Engraving for Sentient Weaponry.
Combat manuals abounded as well, each tailored for different races and body types: The Whirling Spear: A rfolk’s Guide, Claw and Fang: Close-Quarters Combat for Shifters, and Sonic Disruption: Banshee Battle Cantos.
Then there were the hidden files. Nora, persistent as ever, had cracked several layers of encryption to reveal them. The titles alone chilled Eleanor’s blood: Project Chira: Hybrid Core Viability, The Culling: Efficiency trics, and one ominously sparse entry nad simply The Celestial Mandate.
Ti was short, and Eleanor knew she could not count on always having access to the academy’s server. So, she abandoned all distractions. She stopped joining her peers on excursions around the campus, skipped opportunities to socialise, and even forsook trips to the library itself. Every spare mont was dedicated to study, entire Fridays... official rest days at the academy included.
She had already read the books directly connected to her chosen courses for the term. Now, her restless mind wandered into other fields, hungering for more.
***
Fifteen days passed in this manner. Eleanor followed her routine diligently, and all her professors and instructors were pleased with her progress. She had studied her courses thoroughly and could even shatter an iron dummy with a single strike.
On her sixteenth day at the academy, as Instructor Arrichion had foretold, the cadets were scheduled to visit the Bloodline Institute. They were summoned according to their cadet numbers, ten at a ti, while the others remained in the dormitories.
When Eleanor’s turn ca, she was led into a small room furnished with a dical bed. It resembled a modern hospital cabin, complete with softly beeping machines and gleaming equipnt. A white-robed official, a fairy woman, awaited her inside.
After scanning her device, the woman spoke, "Cadet 659, according to our records, your Mind Reaver bloodline has fully awakened naturally. As for your dormant Thunderbolt bloodline, you are eligible to choose. The academy will provide you with one potion. You may either awaken your Thunderbolt bloodline or advance your Mind Reaver bloodline to level two. What is your choice?"
Eleanor had been prepared for this question. Instructor Arrichion had already briefed her.
"I have commissioned a bloodline enhancent potion from the Faculty of Arcane Herbalism and Potioncraft... specifically from Professor Charles Scott Sherrington. I haven’t had ti to ask about its progress. Could you check if I am still eligible for that potion?"
"Wait a mont," the woman replied, tapping swiftly on her tab. After a pause, she said, "Your potion has already been delivered to the Bloodline Institute by the professor. However, the institute is holding it for now. You should be aware... once a cadet consus a bloodline potion, they must wait at least one month before another can be administered. As today’s session was scheduled in advance, the institute has decided to give you the academy’s potion first, and your commissioned potion afterwards."
Eleanor understood imdiately. So, it had not been negligence on the professor’s part. She nodded. "In that case, I will awaken my dormant bloodline now, and enhance it later."
"Good choice. But rember... sotis having multiple bloodlines creates conflict if you cannot control them properly. One strong bloodline is better than several weak ones."
"I understand," Eleanor replied with confidence. "But I still wish to awaken it."
"Very well. Lie down on the bed," said the woman.
Eleanor obeyed. As she lay back, straps secured her wrists and ankles to the bed. The sudden restraint made her feel vulnerable, yet she held her tongue, allowing the official to proceed.
The woman drew a cord from one of the machines and fixed it to Eleanor’s wrist. It pierced her artery with a sharp sting. She then took a syringe, drew a vial of Eleanor’s blood, and stored it in another machine.
Finally, she lifted a helt from the side table and fitted it over Eleanor’s head. Wires linked it to another apparatus, which humd faintly with power.
Monts later, a soothing substance began flowing into Eleanor’s veins through the tube at her wrist. Relief turned quickly to pain. First, her arm seed to be burning from the inside. Then the sensation spread throughout her body, intensifying until it felt as though countless needles were piercing every inch of her body.
She scread despite controlling herself... and then the world went dark.
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