"There is much more to being Wraithborn than fighting. My mentor, Sabura, who is considered what I believe you call a sage here in this realm, doesn't use it for combat. Rather, he uses it to see and understand things others can't, and has helped me grow into who I am today for a longer time than I care to admit," she continued with a light chuckle.
Leona was taken aback by the response, but Aurae, having learned about the odoruki technique from Ysevel, appeared beside her in a flash of movement. "It's alright to take it, Leona," she said in a soft, amicable tone that lessened the fright her sudden appearance gave Leona. "Queen Aurae," Leona said after taking a brief moment to compose herself.
"Oh, please. We do not need to use titles among friends," Aurae smiled brightly and gave a dismissive gesture, causing even the two newcomers to relax a little after having snapped to attention.
"In any case, what Kalia said is true, and I'd be more than willing to help guide you through the process of learning how it can be used to serve your people better," she continued light-heartedly as she placed a hand on Leona's shoulder, while Ysevel looked on proudly.
As she did so, I noticed Ren and Kalia had exchanged a glance before Kalia turned back to face Leona. "There is one thing that we must discuss before we give this to her," Kalia began with an air of caution, making everyone give her their undivided attention.
"Elves and hegraphenes are less affected by Wraith mana, given their naturally long lifespans. However, since she is purely human, wielding Wraith mana will extend her lifespan far beyond the capabilities of a normal human, though it will not make her impervious to all attacks," Kalia explained, getting a nod of understanding from Leona as she seemingly understood the gravity of what she was about to undertake.
The air hung heavily between us all as we waited for her reply. Leona was an intelligent woman I knew had studied many different cultures and concepts during her time in royal courts, but this decision was also one I knew she couldn't make lightly.
Any species that lived for more than a century knew the weight of living a long life, though it was more of an unspoken matter, as many painful memories were often borne of speaking about it. Having to watch friends and loved ones die, empires rise and fall, as well as the general passing of the world before your eyes, wasn't an easy price to pay, as some might have imagined.
Now that I think about it, not even I knew the true meaning of that yet.
Did you know? Bernar sent me as we all awaited her response. Yes, but if I know her as well as I think I do, she'll make the choice that's best for her, I sent back with a nod before he turned to look at Kalia and Ysevel, who also gave him the same. We remained silent for a few moments before she suddenly gave a sharp nod and a curt grunt as if to steel her will.
"I accept the offer, but I would like to spend some time here with Aurae to understand it better," she said in a much more sheepish tone than I'd ever heard her use. Surprisingly, I felt a sense of confidence coming from Kalia, who often talked about how much she hated what Nexis had become due to his greed.
"Wait, what about Coltend?" I asked, realizing that if she spent more time here, that meant more time away, leaving the rule over the city we'd fought so hard to protect unattended. "On the way back from Harut, we met with Gorm, whom I offered to be the vassal ruler in my stead since I knew we'd be spending a good amount of time here," Leona said with no small amount of pride in herself.
"Gorm? Wasn't he the guy who chased King Bash-...?" I began to ask, but after noticing the subtle shake of my brother's head, I gave up and dismissed my own question. "Yes, that Gorm. He's one I trust almost as much as Thorsen and Gwili," she nodded back toward them, who had flushed with her high praise as everyone burst into a fit of laughter after Bernar called Gwili out.
You can tell, too, can't you? I asked Kalia with a wry smile. If it hadn't been for the information you've already given me about her, I might have objected, but she seems to have a passable presence of mind. Although I wonder what Erumon will have to say about all of this, Kalia sent back in a similar tone.
"It's settled, then," Mom chirped, presenting the vial to Leona in a borderline sarcastic ceremony. Leona glanced at my brother, then to me and the others, before taking the vial in her delicate hands and drinking the remainder of its contents. Everyone seemed to hold their breath expectantly as we waited for the tincture to take effect.
"Is it working on her?" the one with the close-cut hair asked quietly. "Shut up, Neko," Gwili and Wyrran chided him simultaneously with an abrupt and unified smack upside the head, immediately reminding me of Irun and Athar, who were off training in the forest a reasonable distance from where we were.
In the moment that followed, however, Leona closed her eyes just before scarlet mana erupted from her petite frame, creating what I knew to be a decently large dome for someone who hadn't spent their life training with mana. "Not bad," I grinned, nudging Kalia with my elbow. "Not bad at all," Ysevel chimed in with a similar look in her eye.
As the mana dissipated, Leona immediately reopened her eyes in shock. "I don't like to use this language, but to quote Bernar: What the fuck was in that, Ren?" she asked, prompting my mother to burst out in a cackle. "I never thought I'd see the day when a queen swore in front of me. Ah, they grow up so fast, don't they, Aurae?" she said as she wiped away a joyful tear.
Aurae didn't verbally respond, but gave a soft chuckle and shook her head. "Well, then. Now that that's over with, I have another proposition to make, though I'd rather wait for the other two to be here for it," I said, butting into the situation, noticing the confused looks from everyone else. "What other two?" the red-haired woman asked.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I never got your name," I said as politely as I could. "It's Marte, and you're not being rude, unlike someone I knew when we first met," she scowled at the one I assumed was called Neko. "Pleasure to meet you," I said with a nod. "And by the other two, I mean Irun and Athar," I said, almost forgetting that Bernar used to know Irun well.
Ah, shit, I thought, realising I hadn't explained that part, nor anything regarding Ardrin to him yet.