"Brother, we need to talk," I said, already foreseeing how the next few weeks, if not months, were about to go.
Bernar looked at me with utter bewilderment, but lowered his sword when I gave him a nod of confirmation that it was fine to do so. "What the hell kind of sword is that, anyway? I didn't even hear you draw it," he glanced downward at my wrist as the kataki reformed into the bracelet.
"Like I said, this is Lady Kalia. She was my mentor during my time in the Underworld. She was also the one who gave me the blade," I said again, stepping aside with a wide grin to allow two of my favorite people in the Realm to interact properly this time. "Ah, well, I guess I should have asked before charging in like that," Bernar chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"It's alright, Bernar. Thoma might not have known it, but he's all but warned me this could happen after years of hearing his stories about you," Kalia shrugged with an upturned lip, causing his eyes to widen. "Years? It's not even been a full month since you've been gone," he said without hiding the confusion rattling his mind, but that's when I stepped in.
"We were training inside a dome that used the density of dark mana to manipulate the flow of time even more than what the Underworld already does," I explained as loosely as I could, but it didn't seem to help. After a few pensive moments, he relented and let out a heavy sigh. "You're gonna have to explain that to me again later, but I have another question to ask: why are your eyes red like Ren's?" he leaned in to scrutinize me further.
Before I could answer, however, Ren stepped in and smacked him upside the head, surprising everyone present. "You didn't drink the vial I gave you either?" he asked frustratedly, but Bernar could only offer him a look of brief confusion, which quickly shifted back into realization. "Oh, hold on a minute. I think I know what you're talking about," he said, dashing over to his horse and pulling something from one of his satchels.
A few moments of frantic searching later, and some mild confusion from Leona, he returned with the flask Ren had given the two of us before we first came to Caegwen. "You mean this one? You never said what it was for, so I didn't bother to drink it," he shrugged as he held it in front of him. My mother and the others began moving toward us in the wake of the confusion he'd left behind, and I could already tell what was about to happen.
"I thought I told you two to drink it when you got here in the first place," Ren sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in a show of frustration I'd never seen come from him. In fact, it was rare to see him show any emotions at all. "You might have, sure, but with my mother's reunion with Thoma, it slipped my mind," Bernar chuckled nervously, while Leona and the group continued moving toward us.
"What's going on? Why did you suddenly atta-... wait, who is this?" Leona asked, halting her movement forward. "That's Lady Kalia, the one I just told you about," my mother stepped in. "Oh, I see. Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I apologize for his behavior," she said, jutting an elbow firmly into Bernar's side.
"It's an honor to meet you as well, Your Majesty," Kalia said with a bow, surprising Leona. "H-How did you…?" she stammered, but Kalia held up a hand. "Thoma filled me in as soon as you began to speak," she said plaintively, as if it were common knowledge that she and I could communicate non-verbally.
"But when could he have done that? It hasn't even been a minute since I laid eyes on you," Leona asked, regarding me curiously.
Shit. Ren, do you want to explain this to her? I sent him mentally, but he shook his head. No, because I'm curious to hear your explanation. Also, she scares me, he answered briefly, returning to his old ways more quickly than I'd expected. Fine, I'll do it, I gave a relenting sigh amid a mental chuckle.
"Leona, before anything else, I think we need to explain what this is," I accented the word as I snatched the vial out of my brother's hand and began to walk over to the small group that followed her. There were two new faces I didn't recognize immediately, but if they were here with her, I knew she trusted them with whatever took place.
Wait, did Erumon mention anything about revealing the Wraith realm to either of you? I sent Ysevel and Kalia before I began, but they both shook their heads. He never mentioned it, but I don't know if it's a good idea to explain everything about it, Kalia cautioned, which I took seriously. Knowing at least some of her past told me enough to know we had to be careful with what we revealed.
"This vial allows whoever drinks it access to a different kind of power," I said, avoiding using its real name. "A different kind of power? What do you mean?" she asked with unbridled curiosity. "Let's just say it lets you do something like this," I said as I produced a small scarlet dagger, which made everyone stare at me with widened eyes.
"I don't know how much detail I can go into right now, but if Lady Kalia and Ren deem it appropriate, I'll explain what I can," I said, turning to glance at them to get a nod of approval. I've already given some to Siraye, so there's no real point in hiding it much more, Ren sent as he nodded.
After acknowledging his words, I turned to look at Leona and the others, who were visibly struck with the same curiosity I had when I first met Kalia. "This vial allows one access to the Wraith realm. It's a different kind of mana that resides in the fine line between life and death," I began, getting a shocked look from the two newcomers more than anyone else.
"Those who drink the tincture Ren has developed and begin to wield the mana from the Wraith realm are known as Wraithborn; a much larger part of a whole, let's say. The abilities you can gain from wielding the mana can vary from person to person, but there are a few fundamentals that remain the same across the board," I explained as briefly as I could, though I was only met with confused stares.
Was I too brief? I sent Ren, but he gave me an approving gesture, likely noting that it was sufficient.
"Then what about you? Did you drink it while you were down there in the Underworld?" Bernar raised an eyebrow at me, as if he already knew I was hiding information. "I did, but I shared mine with Ysevel, who drank the other half in hopes of understanding exactly what had happened to me," I shrugged, causing Bernar to glance over at her, mimicking my movement as well.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked curiously. "Well, drink half and see for yourself," I grinned, handing the vial back to him. He took it with a somewhat doubtful look on his face, but after a few silent urges from my mother and Ren, he did as I told him.
"Oh, you two might want to brace yourselves for this," I said, gesturing to a tall red-haired woman and a shorter man about my age with closely cut hair who were still blatantly staring at Kalia.
Snapping them out of their daze might have been a good call, Ysevel chuckled, bringing a slight smile to my face before I turned to look at my brother's reaction.
"Okay, that was half, but I don't feel any different," he said with a blank look on his face, but my mother held an expectant smile. "Juuuust give it a minute," she grinned wolfishly as she gingerly took the vial from his hand.
As if the realm had heard her words, a massive burst of the Wraith realm's scarlet mana permeated the air, creating a dome much larger than I thought mine had and making everyone flinch.
Well, almost everyone.
"Wh-what the…? Ren, what the fuck was in that?" he asked as the density of scarlet mana began to dissipate. The others recovered from their guarded positions and stared at him cautiously in case of another blast. "Call it an informal introduction to being a Wraithborn," Ren said with what I could have sworn was a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Informal introduction? When do I get the real one?" Bernar asked bluntly. "Not yet, but we'll explain that later. You still have another half to give to someone," I noted as I gave Leona a knowing look, catching her by surprise. "Me? You want me to take the other half?" she asked breathlessly. "Well, you already understand Ethereal mana, so I don't see how understanding Wraith mana wouldn't be beneficial to you," I noted plainly, but whatever I'd said had nearly sent her into a state of shock that caused my brother to raise yet another eyebrow at me.
"Wh-what? Was it something I said?" I asked defensively. "How did you know she could use it? She's never said anything about it," the red-haired woman asked, taken aback, which made me chuckle. "Bernar just told me," I smiled, making him giggle and shake his head. "I never said anything," he shook his head with widened eyes. "You didn't have to," I smirked, knowing that the connection I had to his core was something he was yet to recognize.
After a few, silent heartbeats went by, I shifted my gaze back to Leona, who was seemingly lost in thought. "Well, it's no matter. I knew you would tell him sooner or later. But while I respect your suggestion, Thoma, I don't know what I would do with this power if I gained it," she admitted after a brief scowl at Bernar. However, I wasn't the one to answer her unasked question, as Kalia sent me a quick note that she wanted to help.
"Your Majesty, if I may," Kalia stepped out beside me, causing Leona to blink a handful of times, likely still getting used to a hegraphene being present.