BXBX NOVEL Chapter 273 The Princess’ Trial I
- POV General -
A week had already passed since the meeting between the strangers from Elysium, the vampires and the three dragon leaders. In the Underground Kingdom everything had been in turmoil ever since, everyone having accepted the presence of the two rulers of the Empire with ease. After all, even though it had taken hours, Lady V, or rather Valérie, had been released still in her child form leaving the statue of a dragon in the great hall.
For some reason, the mirror creature had not been bound to the Fallen Angel completely, preventing it from awakening. As Freya fed her new protege her mana, it didn\'t seem to work on the small dragon that was still frozen and asleep. A solution still had to be found, but the priority was set on the great organization required for the future plans shared by these two newly allied Kingdoms.
Everyone was holding meeting after meeting, time was against them, not to mention Luna and her spies who were already on site. The humans were also preparing themselves as best they could against the threat that made them tremble in the depths of their stone castle that they thought was unreachable. Both Freya and Gaya were caught up in a spiral that took up all their time, making it difficult for them to spend time with their family.
However, they could count on the young rabbit Lia, the Princess\' butler and baby sitter, Angel and the two new stars of the Empire, Tyle and Altaïs. Although Kira was as busy as the Empress and the Queen as the Commander of the special demon unit, Kalaa should not be forgotten. She, who had no defined role, was taking care of her new family to lighten the burden of her little sister\'s responsibilities.
The former Goddess of Time and Wisdom was even now in the visitors\' quarters of the Vampire Kingdom. She was accompanied only by Shiro for a very particular reason that had been decided more than a week before. Indeed, now that the little Princess had awakened her power to heal Angel, she had to learn how to control it and especially to check if her mana was not a danger for her.
As Kalaa had explained to her sister days ago, Shiro had inherited her power and even was born because of it, but it wasn\'t enough to control it, at all. Unlike her and Freya who possessed a copy of Titania\'s elements, the little girl possessed the pure magic of a Goddess. Like a cup too small to hold all the water available, as a hybrid, the mana in her body was therefore far too powerful.
Premature aging, loss of mana, weakening of body and soul, insanity, personality changes and death were some of the risks associated with its use. One of the best solutions would have been for Shiro to never use her element, but how could that be possible when she was desperately trying to learn ? Although fear had set in, it was impossible to ignore the determination that the Princess had shown, it was something to be proud of.
Since her wish had been made, Kalaa had to make sure to protect her throughout the process but she knew that...this test would be difficult, very difficult. Not only did it require near perfect control of divine level mana, but also great mental and physical strength. Shiro was only a 6 year old girl, a hybrid, half Demigod and half wolf which made it even more complicated but everyone had decided to trust.
"Good. Are you ready ?"
The beautiful white-haired woman with piercing violet eyes had finally spoken a few words breaking the surrounding silence. She was standing in the middle of a room where all the furniture had been pushed away, facing her niece, both alone for the first time. After several weeks their relationship was no longer so strained, Shiro having forgotten the fear of her mother being replaced and accepted her aunt as such with genuine love.
"Yes I\'m ready, auntie."
The little Princess was standing in front of Kalaa like a little soldier with a serious look on her face that didn\'t make her cuteness disappear for all that. Like a mirror showing the past and the future, they faced each other, their striking resemblance could amaze anyone. The famous test could finally begin so after taking a deep breath, the former Goddess began her sentence that she did not have time to finish.
"Very well then I-..."
"Wait !"
"Huh ? W-What are you doing ?"
"I\'m putting on my headband of courage ! Yes yes~"
Shiro had suddenly flinched before grabbing a piece of red colored cloth with a small handmade design from her dress pocket. It was a bird drawn in a very rough way by her care and she was very proud of it if you believe her big happy eyes. While tying it around her forehead, the little girl began to explain what she meant by that which unfortunately did not really help her aunt who was still very confused.
"This is huuuuh...a ninja headband, for the will of fire !"
"N-Ninja ? F-Fire will ?"
"Umu ! It is from an ani...ani...mi ? anime ? I\'m not quite sure but Mommy told me about it one day before bed. It\'s a super duper amazing story with ninjas and lots of cool stuff and it even has a big bad fox who becomes super nice later ! Even though I prefer Auntie Kira hihi~"
"W-Well, if you are ready now then we can start"
"Yes I\'m ready. Are you going to teach me how to handle a sword ? Or maybe some super poisonous kunais ?"
A look of surprise and bafflement was drawn on Kalaa\'s face while her violet eyes shone with tenderness at so much innocence. Unfortunately the course of this day was probably not going to be so exciting and even rather complicated to live. Smiling softly, the woman sat down on the floor of the room letting her niece do the same before answering as precisely as possible as to not waste any time.
"No, I\'m going to teach you how to control your mana so you know if it\'s safe to use your element. That said it won\'t be easy, I\'m here to accompany you but you must understand that only you can do it and try to succeed. Do you understand ?"
"M-Mmmh y-yes."
The little smiling Princess\' face showed a natural fear as she answered softly carried away by a natural sudden stress. Yes it was she who had decided to take the first step in asking for help regarding her power but now that the time had come, it was scary. She was shaking slowly, how could she not be shaking ? After all, everything was new, certainly exciting but just as terryfying.
While a flurry of feelings ran through her mind, Shiro still felt brave enough to try and maybe even succeed. This desire to be useful, to be able to follow in her mother\'s footsteps was the source of all her motivation no matter how hard it might be. Hesitating and being afraid was normal but the little girl wasn\'t alone so ignoring the furious beating of her heart, she nodded gently.
"Alright then let\'s get started. Tell me, when you first used your power when you saved Angel, how did you feel ? Do you really know why your element was triggered ? Tell me about that exact moment, I\'m sure you remember it."
Raising her eyes to the ceiling and bringing her small hand to her chin, Shiro then began to think hard not wanting to make any mistakes. What had she felt ? It was quite simple but how to define precisely what had happened in her mind at that very moment ? After a few seconds of silence, the little girl lowered her head again before trying to explain why she had acted so suddenly.
"I-I\'m not sure, I-...I remember wanting to help him, to finally be of use, I-...I didn\'t want to see him die and the only thing I remember is feeling a great sadness, it hurt very very much, here."
Pointing to where her heart was beating in her chest, the snow-white haired Princess was clearly reliving the images of that night. The tears beading on her mother\'s cheeks, the panic of the doctors, this feeling of despair but most of all the distress and suffering of that innocent little boy. Everything was still vivid in her mind and as the sadness was showing on her face, Kalaa raised her voice again to explain what had happened.
"That\'s right Shiro. The source of your power depends a lot on instinct and especially on your most powerful emotions. At that moment, what unlocked your element was simply your deep desire to want to help and save the one who seemed unable to be saved. There are many ways to awaken our mana and use it, but the main strength of your element is your purest, most real feelings.
In this world there were many ways to use one\'s mana varying according to the beings, the element, the power of the host or even the instinct. However, using Time was different, although directly related to feelings such as fear, courage, sadness or anger, manipulating it was quite different. Special, as dangerous as it was powerful, it required perfect mastery of a divine level difficult to achieve at such a young age.
"Now that you have awakened your element, we must make sure that you can use it without any danger to others and especially to your own life. You are strong Shiro, much stronger than you think but this power you inherited from me is not like the others...you are not like the others."
"Does that mean...I can be as strong as Mommy ?"
Again, "Mommy" came out of the young Princess\' mouth which did not go unnoticed by her far-from-stunned aunt. Empress Freya was an example for everyone and especially for her daughter who never ceased to admire her for her strength trying at all costs to resemble her in every way. Yet as genuine as her admiration was, it was not the right thing to do and she could count on the former Goddess of Time to let her know it.
"That my dear I don\'t know yet but what I do know is that you must find your own way without following the example of others. You must learn to resonate with your mana and find its source to voluntarily control it or it could inadvertently destroy you from within. It is very difficult, manipulating Time is not given to everyone and after me you are the only one who can do it if you can pass today\'s trial."
"B-But how ?"
"That\'s why I\'m here, so please...close your eyes, my dear~"
Complying without question, Shiro closed her small purple eyes waiting with the utmost patience for the instructions to follow. This was new for her and although she was ready, apprehension made her heart beat faster and faster giving her the impression that it could burst out of her chest. No sound could be heard, no breathing, no whispering as Kalaa placed her hand tenderly on her little head.
"Now that you remember the emotions your heart felt that night, try to remember what your own body felt. Mana is like a stream that keeps us alive, flowing through every part of our being to vibrate with the nature around us. Forget where we are, forget even your name if you have to, but remember that overflow of mana that flowed into you for the first time."
The Empress\' older sister knew it, it was the first step, the simplest but also one of the most important. Being able to understand how mana worked within her was essential and while easy, it required a significant amount of physical memory. The little girl had to physically remember what she had experienced while completely disregarding any thoughts related to what her heart had felt powerfully.
"Our mana runs through every fiber of our being, as important as the blood in our veins, it is what allows us to move, walk, talk or simply exist. All beings that inhabit this world and even beyond are subject to the same rule but what makes the difference is our ability to be one with it."
Finishing her sentence, Kalaa then infused a tiny amount of her own mana into her niece\'s body to help her remember. Having kept a tiny bit of her old power, only she could do this, taking care not to interfere with her concentration and own stream. A heavy silence had invaded the room, time seemed to have been suspended in its course leaving behind only two motionless beings, similar and yet so different.
Seconds passed and then minutes and as the silent woman was about to speak again, something finally happened. The young Princess had neither moved nor spoken but suddenly a faint white aura had begun to emanate from her small body enveloping her in a special warmth. It was barely noticeable but Kalaa could feel it vibrating with her own mana which was not so different from hers.
"A-Auntie, I-...I think I remember now."
Raising her head and slowly opening her eyes, Shiro revealed two beautiful irises as bright as gold, far from the piercing purple that characterized the Nightshade family. Speechless, plunging her eyes into hers, the former Goddess of Time could not help but see her own reflection from the past. The first step had been successful, but it was only the beginning of a trial that would be much harder for the Princess, who had not yet grasped to what extent.
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FULL STATUS
Names : Freya / Lucifer Nightshade
Age : 0 year old / Mentally : 25 years old
Sex : Female
Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult
Race : Imperial Demon
Titles :
- Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 35%.
- Wrathful Lucifer (7th Sin) - Master of the uniques Sins Demons (to unlock it, please gather the other 6 - 3/6 - (locked)
- Dragon tamer
- Ruthless slayer
Level : 47/70
Exp needed for next level: 7 000 / 48 000
HP : 170 000 / 170 000 MP : 85 000 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100
Strength: 660
Defense : 660
Agility : 666
Endurance: 663
Speed : 662
Intelligence: 660
Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)
Attribute points to allocate : 1 600
Married to : Gaya Nightshade
Daughter : Shiro Nightshade
Twins (son & daughter) : Tyle & Altaïs Nightshade
Little sister : Kira Nightshade (Greedy Fox)
Big sister : Kalaa Nightshade
Empire (menu)
Subordinates: 10 801(keep growing)
Humans killed: 153
Souls: 0/3
Elements: Ice / Chaos (Freya) - Blood / Death (Lucifer)
Skills (all):
Attacks :
- Demon Claws (Lvl 5)
- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)
- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)
- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)
- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)
- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 7)
Défense :
- Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)
- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)
- Pain Resistance (lvl 6)
Attack/Defense :
- Domain of the Ice Empress "Frozen Wrath" (lvl 4)
- Death Gaze (lvl 1)
Others :
- Humanoid form
- Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 20%.
- Ice creation (Lvl 6)
- Detection and control of mana (lvl 6)
- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)
- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)
- Master of Souls (lvl 3)
- Lucifer\'s Threads of Blood (lvl 3)
- Healing Blood (lvl 3)
- Reminiscence (lvl 2)
- Analysis
- Telepathy
Passives :
- Commander (lvl max)
- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]