Path to Transcendence

Chapter 689: Unexpected Guests

Julius was honestly surprised by how well the girl seemed to handle herself. She might have worn a brave face, but he could tell that she was in enormous pain. Her aura was stretched thin, as if it were being smushed by a giant lead building.The girl, Lora, was a tad younger than he was. She was a small little thing too, barely standing above five feet, and that was being generous. She didn’t exactly look , like how he expected when he’d heard she was sick. But she was definitely on the smaller side. There were barely any muscles on her skinny frame.

Still, he watched her move and immediately knew she had some form of martial arts training. Her steps were too crisp and too light, as if she were deliberate with each step she took. Her eyes also told a story of their own. They were warm and kind, but a harshness and a steely quality floated just below the surface.

Her father had said her ability to control mana was very good, and, seeing how the mana around her seemed to be under her total command, he was inclined to believe him. It was quite impressive to see someone her age and at Tier 2 handle mana with such confidence.

He was led to a large courtyard, which appeared to be a training area of some kind. Several barriers appeared all around them, and Kaito motioned at him.

“Whenever you are ready,” he said to him.

Julius shrugged and slowly unscrewed the jar's lid. Much like last time, the rush of mana almost overwhelmed him, and he was forced to close his eyes to prevent getting blinded by the light.

But during this time, he noticed that Kaito hadn’t bothered to protect his daughter. On her own, she was able to deflect the mana and remain relatively unaffected. Rather, she tried to get closer, a hopeful and brilliant smile on her face.

As for the spirit, she was trying her best to rein in her mana, and Julius did his best to help her out. His aura helped keep it in check, and after a few moments, it had calmed down, and the little spirit bird settled into the palm of his hand.

It was also at this time that Drasil decided to emerge from his soul, a little orb pulsing brightly over his shoulder, as if to say hello.

“Oh! Is this your spirit?” the girl asked with awe, taking another excited step forward.

Julius nodded proudly. “Yep, this is Drasil. He’s my gluttonous little spirit.”

As if on cue, Drasil floated over to her, spinning around her head, which made her giggle with joy. However, the life spirit suddenly let loose a small burst of life mana, directed toward Lora. Julius spotted Kaito tense up while this happened, but the older man held back.

Julius wasn’t naive; he knew the man was only being extra careful and respectful because he wanted Julius to help his daughter. If the circumstances had been the same, he suspected the man would have treated Julius a little differently.

Lora, on the other hand, seemed confused by what was happening, but she didn’t freak out or make any moves to get away from Drasil. Instead, the little guy infused Lora with life mana. The warm, calming nature of the mana seeped into her pores and penetrated her flesh, easing her fatigue.

Julius could immediately sense the slight shift in her shoulders. As if a great weight had been taken off, her pain was greatly lessened.

Lora was stunned for a few moments, looking down at her hands. Then she suddenly reached up and gently cradled Drasil’s orb form.

“Thank you,” she whispered quietly, her eyes slightly wet.

“What did he do?” Kaito asked softly, stepping closer to examine his daughter.

“He healed her of her fatigue and pain,” he explained.

“He’s a life spirit?”

“Yeah.”

“But how? All of the healing treatments we’ve given her haven’t been this effective. They can dull the pain, but your spirit seemed to heal her more thoroughly than anything we’ve managed to do,” Kaito sounded both grateful and a little dispirited, as if he were to blame or something.

Julius reached over and laid his hand on the man’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault. Drasil is not your average life spirit.”

Kaito nodded, seemingly appreciative of the gesture, and looked toward Drasil with optimistic eyes. “Do you think it’s possible that he can heal my daughter without having to resort to all of this?”

Julius clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I’m not sure. What he did for her was temporary; the pain will accumulate again, and unless he can cure her of that curse, I doubt he can heal her completely. What do you think, buddy?” he asked Drasil, who was playfully spinning around Lora.

Drasil looked up and let out a sad whistle, sending a burst of images to Julius. However, he also sent another set of images and emotions, this time pertaining to the other spirit and Lora.

Julius smiled, “He doesn’t think he’ll be able to do it. But he seems to like your daughter and thinks they might make a good team.”

Kaito let out a sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful.”

Julius nodded and softly petted the spirit bird in his palm. “What about you? What do you think?” he asked while sending out a tendril to connect to her.

She accepted the connection, and he was able to get a feeling for what she was thinking. Although she was a bit nervous standing in front of these two, she seemed to grow more comfortable when she heard Drasil's approval. She let out a small pulse of acceptance, knowing that a successful bond would help her out, too.

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Julius grinned. “It seems like she is willing to try it out. And taking into account your daughter’s superb mana control, I am inclined to think it might work. But the decision is up to you two. As I have already warned, this spirit is very volatile. There is no telling what will happen when they attempt to bond, not to mention what will happen once they actually form a soul bond.”

Kaito clenched his fists together and furrowed his brows, looking toward the ground as if it had the answers. His daughter came up to him and leaned on his shoulder affectionately.

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t try,” she stated.

“But Lora…”

“But nothing. We both know I have a year or two at most before I die anyway. This is probably one of the best chances we’ve had in years. I to do this. Please.”

Her father looked lost while he stared down at his daughter, but before he could answer, he snapped his head up and stared across the courtyard. Then suddenly turned to Julius.

“You need to put Drasil and the other spirit away, right now,” he ordered in a hushed tone.

Julius was confused, but the urgent tone made him follow the order swiftly and recall Drasil. Then, he placed the light and wind spirit back into the jar and hid it within his jacket. It was around this same time that he understood why Kaito sounded so urgent; his perception skill sensed two people approaching them.

Observing Kaito and Lora’s increased tension and how Kaito moved himself in front of her protectively, Julius got the sense that these newcomers weren’t exactly welcome.

Julius took this time to examine these people discreetly.

The first person he observed was a man. He was handsome and wore robes denoting his status as part of Clan Yoshu. He also had features similar to Kaito's, though he looked a bit younger.

This led Julius to believe the man could be closely related to Kaito, either a brother or a cousin. However, their appearances were the end of the similarities. Where Kaito put off a refined and polished air, this man didn’t appear to care about it.

With his head tilted upward and his swaggering walk, Julius was immediately reminded of other pompous nobles he’d experienced in the past. The perpetual smirk on his face also cemented the overall look. Furthermore, this man didn’t seem to care about hiding his aura. In fact, he seemed to deliberately spread it out, as if flaunting it to everyone in proximity.

The other person was a woman who couldn’t have looked any more different. It felt like she had just walked out of a portrait. Porcelain white skin, rosy red lips, chestnut hair that was softly curled over her shoulders, and eyes that sparkled like little green emeralds.

Her hair, clothes, makeup, and overall demeanor were perfect. Not a strand of hair or a thread of fabric was out of place. Whereas the man came off as bold, arrogant, and prideful, she came off as graceful and elegant. Her smile was warm and kind, too. Julius couldn’t sense any malice behind it.

Her aura was also different from the guy’s. She was much more subtle in how she managed it, using it in a way Julius often saw among other cultured noblewomen in the Empire. She displayed just enough to appear open and welcoming, but held back enough to be polite.

However, what was more alarming was the strength he sensed from these two. Surprisingly, both of them were Tier 5s. And unlike some of the other Tier 5s he’d met, like the one he’d fought while in the Northern Regions, or people like Walter, they were genuine Tier 5s.

The weight of their auras and presences said as much.

Julius didn’t know what was going on, so he stepped back, shifting to the side and letting Kaito handle these people. He made sure his command over his aura was all in place, not allowing a single speck to extend past his control.

When the two new arrivals finally walked inside the courtyard, the man was the first one to say something.

“Ah, brother! I’ve been looking for you,” he said with a wide smile.

“Oh? What for, Hayden?” Kaito asked evenly, lifting one brow inquisitively.

“I heard that some merchants dropped off a special something that might help my dear niece and wanted to come over to see whether it was true or not,” he said with what was probably supposed to be a kind smile toward Lora, but came off as insincere.

“And who told you this?” Kaito asked.

“A little birdy,” Hayden said with a small smirk.

“Hmm,” Kaito hummed.

Kaito’s brother stepped forward eagerly. “So is it true? Did those merchants drop off something that will help?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Not sure?” Hayden asked with a scoff and levied an inquisitive gaze at Julius. “If so, then who’s the kid?”

Julius knew what men like this were like, and instead of playing into him, he kept his head down and stayed silent. Thankfully, Kaito intervened before his brother could ask him any questions.

“Why are you really here, Hayden?” Kaito asked, a little bit of annoyance seeping through.

“What? I can’t come and check in on my family or my sick niece?”

“You haven’t come by to see her in almost three months. I find it hard to believe that you are here because you were suddenly worried about her. If you were, then you wouldn’t have brought Lady Celestine along with you. The fact you did, makes me believe you have an ulterior motive,” Kaito said in a tired tone and turned to the lady. “No offense, Lady Celestine.”

The woman smiled radiantly in response, not seeming bothered in the least. “None taken, Lord Kaito. I was just about to leave after discussing matters with your brother and your uncle, but I heard that you found an interesting treasure, and Hayden offered to bring me along. You know, women and shiny things, we can’t help ourselves,” she joked.

“I see,” Kaito said flatly.

“But I am curious. Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“Did you happen to find a spirit with dual affinities for young Lady Lora?”

“How did you hear about that?” Kaito asked, staring intensely at her.

She placed a hand over her mouth and giggled. “You know me and my connections. I heard that a rare spirit of both the wind and light affinities was found in the region, and someone influential from Goldmere managed to acquire it. Connecting the rest of the dots was easy.”

Kaito stared at her coldly. “Did you come here because you were worried I wouldn’t be buying any more expensive treasures from you or your family?”

Once again, she remained unfazed. “Of course not, though I wouldn’t mind if you were to continue supporting our business even if it works,” she teased with a light laugh and suddenly turned straight towards Julius. Her green eyes snapped to his jacket and the place where he’d hidden the jar.

He slowly backed up and placed Kaito between them.

The woman continued to stare at him while she spoke. “Though I’ve been told that the spirit is very dangerous. Are you sure you want to risk your daughter’s life on it? I have information about a treasure found in the Empire that could possibly cure her curse altogether, with no need for this,” she offered.

“What kind of treasure?” Kaito sounded slightly interested. To be fair, Julius couldn’t blame him. If there was a way to save his daughter without any risk, he didn’t see a reason why Kaito would deny it.

Though Julius couldn’t help but feel skeptical of all this. Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He also didn’t like the way her aura was slowly extending itself towards him. It hovered over his shoulder and was like a bear watching a piece of salmon floundering on the ground.

He also took note of how even Kaito’s brother deferred to her; he hadn’t interrupted her a single time since she spoke up, and Julius got the impression the man didn’t usually allow this.

He shivered and immediately became more wary of the woman.