'Arthur!' Luna's voice echoed in my mind, her presence surging forward to stabilize our connection as my consciousness wavered. 'Stay with !'
I tried to stand, to show that I could continue, but my body refused to respond. The room spun around , Valen's figure blurring as I struggled to maintain focus.
"Eight," Valen counted, approaching with asured steps. "And that's where your limits lie."
The bitter taste of failure flooded my mouth along with the copper tang of blood. Once again, just like during the Crown Challenge, I'd reached for Resonance and found only emptiness. That elusive harmony between wielder and weapon remained beyond my grasp when I needed it most.
'Don't give up,' Luna urged, her voice the only clarity in a world growing increasingly distant.
With monuntal effort, I pushed against the encroaching darkness, focusing on Luna's presence as an anchor. My vision cleared montarily to find Valen kneeling beside , his ancient eyes examining with clinical detachnt.
"Impressive willpower," he observed. "But willpower alone cannot overco physical limitations."
"I can... continue," I managed, each word a struggle against the blood filling my mouth.
Valen shook his head. "No, you cannot."
I wanted to argue, to demand he continue, but the truth of his words was evident in my broken body. He hadn't even unleashed his ninth attack, and already I lay defeated.
As if reading my thoughts, Valen's expression shifted. "You wish to continue? Very well. Consider this... rcy."
He summoned another dagger, this one a masterpiece of necromantic craftsmanship. Darker than night, with edges that seed to cut reality itself, it hovered before him, thrumming with power that made the air vibrate.
"Nine," he said simply, and released it.
I summoned the last dregs of my strength, channeling it into God Flash - my most powerful Purelight technique. Brilliant light erupted from my palm, streaking toward the incoming dagger in a concentrated beam of pure energy. For a heartbeat, I thought I'd succeeded—the light connected, montarily slowing the dagger's advance.
But my attack was weakened by blood loss and exhaustion. The dagger cut through my God Flash like it was nothing more than a candle fla, dispersing the Purelight and continuing its deadly trajectory unimpeded.
The impact shattered what remained of my defenses. Bone Armour disintegrated, Mythic Body faltered, and Deepdark dispersed like smoke in a gale. The dagger struck my chest with surgical precision, the force driving into the stone floor with enough impact to crater it beneath .
The last thing I saw was Valen's face, his expression not of disappointnt but of sothing more complex—a mix of confirmation and expectation, as if my failure had proven sothing important.
Darkness claid completely.
________________________________________________
"...should be awake by now. The doctors did everything they could."
My father's voice penetrated the fog of unconsciousness. I tried to respond, but my body felt impossibly heavy.
'Arthur?' Luna's presence brushed against my mind. 'You're back.'
I forced my eyes open, vision swimming into focus. The royal infirmary ceiling ca into view first, followed by my family's worried faces. My mother's eyes were rimd with red, my father's brow creased with concern. Even Aria looked shaken.
"He's awake!" my mother exclaid, grasping my hand tightly.
"Thank the gods," my father breathed, relief washing over his features.
Aria moved closer, her usual composure fractured by genuine concern. "You idiot," she whispered, voice cracking slightly. "We thought we'd lost you."
"About ti," ca Kali's voice from the corner. She stood with arms crossed, though I caught the relief hidden beneath her scowl. "Your family has been insufferable with worry."
"How long?" My voice erged as a rasp.
"Two days," my father answered. "The King's ninth strike... the doctors said it was a miracle you survived."
"What were you thinking?" my mother asked, her voice tight with barely contained emotion. "Agreeing to face a Radiant-ranker in combat? Even with restrictions—"
"He did what he felt was necessary, Elaine," my father interjected gently.
"Necessary?" My mother's voice rose slightly. "Our son nearly died for a contract, Richard. A contract!"
"Not just a contract," I managed to say. "An opportunity."
I tried to sit up, only to be forced back by sharp pain.
"Don't move," Kali ordered. "The dagger missed your heart by milliters."
"You're lucky to be alive," Aria added, her expression unusually solemn. "When they brought you in... there was so much blood."
Frustration welled up inside . I'd failed—not just the test, but myself. The Aspect wall had denied again, keeping Resonance beyond my reach.
"The contract," I managed, though I already knew the answer.
"Will have to wait," ca Valen's voice as he entered the infirmary, his tall figure commanding attention.
My father straightened imdiately, placing himself slightly in front of my bed—a subtle protective gesture that surprised .
"Your Majesty," he acknowledged with formal respect, though I detected an undercurrent of restrained anger. "I trust you're satisfied with the results of your... test."
Valen's gaze shifted montarily to my father, acknowledging the unspoken accusation with a slight nod. "The test served its purpose, Lord Nightingale. Your son perford admirably."
"He nearly died," my mother said, her usual deference to royalty overshadowed by maternal concern.
"Yes," Valen agreed simply. "A risk he accepted willingly." His attention returned to . "Until you achieve what you lack."
His words cut deeper than his daggers. I'd reached for Resonance and found only emptiness—just as during the Crown Challenge, that brief flicker of transcendence proving impossible to recapture.
"Most wouldn't have survived the fifth strike," Valen continued. "You endured eight and remained conscious through the ninth. That speaks to potential worth nurturing."
"He'll achieve nothing if he's dead," Aria remarked coldly.
Valen's lips curved slightly. "A valid observation, young lady. Yet sotis the greatest growth cos from confronting our limitations."
"I'll pass your test," I said, determination hardening my voice despite my weakness.
"I know," Valen replied. "The contract will wait for you, Arthur Nightingale. Break through your Aspect wall. Return when you've achieved true Resonance."
He departed as suddenly as he'd arrived, leaving weighted silence.
My father exhaled slowly, tension visibly draining from his shoulders. "That man... even limited by formality, his presence is overwhelming."
"I don't care who he is," my mother said, adjusting my blankets with nervous energy. "He nearly killed my son."
"I agreed to it, Mother," I reminded her gently.
She fixed with a stern look that belied her worried eyes. "That doesn't make it acceptable. What would we have told Cecilia if you'd died? Or Seraphina? Or Rachel and Rose?"
The thought of my four partners receiving news of my death sent an uncomfortable chill through .
"We're returning to Avalon tomorrow," my father said finally. "The doctors say you'll be strong enough to travel."
"Good," Aria said firmly. "I've had enough of the Western continent to last a lifeti."
I nodded, mind already racing beyond recovery. The contract represented more than just political advantage—it was validation, proof that I could stand among the elite of this world. Valen had given a clear path: master Resonance, transcend the Aspect wall.
"You're planning to co back, aren't you?" Kali asked quietly after my family had stepped away to speak with the doctors.
I t her gaze steadily. "You know I am."
She sighed, shaking her head. "You Nightingales... too stubborn for your own good."
"It's not stubbornness," I replied. "It's necessity."
Kali's expression softened marginally. "Just make sure you're actually ready next ti. I have no desire to explain to your harem why their boyfriend got himself killed proving a point."
I managed a weak smile despite everything. "Duly noted."
The path forward was clear, if difficult. I would return to Avalon, recover, and find a way past the Aspect wall that had frustrated for so long. And when I'd mastered Resonance, I would return to face Valen's test once more.
Next ti, I would survive all ten strikes.
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