"There's such an ability?" Vaenyra asked, her voice calm but tinged with awe and curiosity.
Liraeth gave a small nod. "The path I walk is called the Oracle's Path," she explained. "Lumberling walks it too, after absorbing the essence of my previous master."
Aurelya turned to him quickly. "You can see the future as well?"
"I can't," Lumberling answered with a small smile. "But I can glimpse into soone's past. Maybe if my Oracle Path reaches higher stages like Liraeth's, I could do it too."
"Such a path exists?" Thessalia asked, her brows furrowing. "Why haven't we ever heard of it? With an ability like that, those in power would surely seek to control it."
Liraeth answered her, her voice calm yet distant. "Oracles born in this world are rare," she said softly. "They cannot be trained or cultivated like other paths. They are… chosen by fate itself."
Her words silenced everyone at the table. The faint golden glow in her eyes flickered before fading back to green.
Lumberling broke the silence with a small, proud smile. "Anyway, that's the truth. Liraeth here has just awakened her powers as an Oracle." His gaze softened as he looked at her. "Now… tell us. What did you see? Why do you think we should leave this place?"
Liraeth's smile faded. "I can't tell you the specific details," she said after a pause. "But I saw glimpses. Stonehaven… it will be bathed in blood soon. I don't know when, but the fires of fate are already moving."
Lumberling's expression darkened. "Is it Sengolio attacking this ti?"
Liraeth shook her head slowly. "I don't know," she whispered. "But… soone more terrifying than Sigvar is coming."
….
At the far end of the fortress, the air was thick with the sll of blood. The dim torches along the walls flickered weakly across the prison cell where the captured Vikings were kept.
Lumberling, Liraeth, and the three elven won stood silently inside. In front of them, three Vikings lay chained to the stone floor, their bodies weak and barely clinging to life. Blood and golden fire bound their limbs.
"So," Lumberling said, glancing at the elves with a small grin, "who wants to go first?"
Vaenyra stepped forward without hesitation.
"Oh?" Lumberling raised an eyebrow. "Eager to absorb his essence already?"
Her gaze was cold as she looked at Sigvar's unconscious form. "No," she said quietly. "I just want him dead as soon as possible."
Lumberling tilted his head. "What did the poor man do to make you hate him that much?"
She t his eyes. "He wanted to be his wife."
Lumberling blinked, then smirked. "He's got guts, I'll give him that. But unless he's , that was never going to happen."
Vaenyra stared at him but said nothing.
"Alright then," Lumberling said, his grin fading as he raised his spear. "Let's get this over with."
With a single, precise thrust, his spear pierced Sigvar's chest. The Viking's eyes shot open, wide with shock. In that mont, he saw Vaenyra and the others, and the one who struck him, Lumberling. Seeing him beside her, Sigvar realized this must be the man she was with. That thought only deepened his misery.
But his body was too broken to move. Within seconds, his heart was destroyed, and his body went still.
As his Devour ability activated, Lumberling turned toward Vaenyra. She t his gaze and nodded firmly.
"Let's split the essence," she said suddenly.
He frowned slightly. "No, you're the one who defeated him. You absorb it all."
Vaenyra shook her head, standing her ground. "We'll split it."
Lumberling sighed, shaking his head with a faint smile. "Fine. I'll take only a portion. Half would be too much for ."
He focused his mind and extended his hand. Transparent threads of light spread through the air, his Essence Weave. The glowing strands connected to Vaenyra, guiding most of the essence toward her.
Vaenyra closed her eyes as the strands of purple smoke wrapped around her body. The essence poured in like a rushing tide. At first, her breathing stayed steady, but soon her brows furrowed, and veins began to pulse beneath her skin.
The essence was far denser than she had expected. It clawed its way into her core, burning and freezing all at once. Still, she didn't make a sound. Not a single groan escaped her lips.
Lumberling watched closely, his eyes fading into concern. Even with her strong mind, absorbing the essence of soone like Sigvar was more than she could handle alone.
Without hesitation, he reached out and held her arm. "Hold on," he muttered under his breath.
He drew in more of the essence himself, taking part of the violent energy that surged between them. The purple smoke brightened, filling the room with a soft hum.
Both of them trembled as the last of Sigvar's essence flowed through them.
Then ca the mories.
Flashes of a raging battlefield. Screams, burning villages. The roar of a storm above a sea of corpses.
Fragnts of Sigvar's life unfolded before them.
Minutes dragged on, each second stretching like an eternity for Vaenyra. Her body shook under the pressure.
Then, at last, the pain began to fade. The wild essence settled, rging with her own. She drew a long breath, her chest rising and falling slowly as calm returned to her.
When her eyes opened, a faint glow flickered within them. Blue lightning and green wind swirled together in perfect harmony. The elents inside her had grown stronger than before.
A surge of divine energy spread from her body, faintly shaping into a mark of thunder on her skin.
Thor's Blessing.
….
Outside, the skies suddenly darkened. Thick clouds rolled over the Duchy, and heavy rain began to pour. Thunder cracked across the heavens, and the wind howled through the streets.
A guard standing by the gate looked up, shielding his eyes. "What the… when did it start raining?" he muttered in surprise.
Lightning flashed again, its light coming not from the sky, but from within the chamber.
….
Inside, Aurelya and Thessalia stared at Vaenyra, their eyes wide in awe.
"She got stronger again," Thessalia whispered with a smile.
Aurelya crossed her arms, clicking her tongue softly. "At this rate, she could take down a Legate without even touching her trump card."
anwhile, Lumberling smiled, watching Vaenyra. Seeing her grow stronger filled him with quiet satisfaction.
Then his eyes fell on the notifications floating before him.
(Thunder Elent has beco Level 2. Power 120.)
(Thor's Blessing has beco Level 3. Power 144.)
(Beginner Flowing Edge Lv.8 → Low-Level Flowing Edge Lv.1 | Power 3541)
Another skill had reached the True Knight Stage, and he felt the small sprout in his heart bloom even further. A new jade leaf unfurled, glowing softly as it resonated with his Flowing Edge skill.
Now, there were three leaves in his sprout, each representing a mastered skill: Spearmanship, Stealth, and now the newly promoted Swordsmanship.
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