Did I become the Anchor now?" Dorian asked, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"No," Levi replied, his gaze distant as if recalling something from the past. "We must fight for our Domains—not just conquer their gates, but seize the Domain itself."
"You have become an Echo, In the future, you will have the opportunity to become an Anchor."
Turning to Elrya, Levi gestured. "Lady Elrya, please step forward. It's time to awaken your human aura."
Elrya stepped forward, her expression steady.
Levi's voice was calm yet firm. "I will release my aura onto you. Do not resist it with your physical body. Instead, observe it, feel your own aura surrounding you. Let it flow through your being, recognize its presence, and push it outward. Make it respond to mine."
He paused before adding, his tone laced with warning, "And be prepared, the process is painful."
He raised his hand, and a crimson-red aura flared to life around him, merging seamlessly with his body as if it were an extension of his very being. Then, without hesitation, he placed his hand on Elrya 's shoulder and channeled his aura into her.
At that moment, an unfamiliar sensation washed over Elrya. As a mature woman, she had never been touched by a man, not once since birth. The warmth of his hand against her skin sent a rush of heat to her cheeks, filling her with unexpected embarrassment.
"What's wrong with me?" she scolded herself. "He's my benefactor... and probably half my age, more like a little brother. If he were a little younger, he might have been a good match for my little princess." She shook her head forcefully. "No, no. Nobles are all the same, gentle on the surface but wolves underneath."
And yet, as she studied Levi, doubt crept into her mind. "This boy is different. He has become a Sovereign, yet there's not a single trace of pride, arrogance, or excitement on his face. He hasn't boasted, nor has he looked down on anyone. But why help a commoner like me? Is it because he has reached the realm of a Sovereign? Does power truly change one's heart?"
"Aah!" A sharp cry escaped her lips as Levi's aura began forcefully awakening her own, tearing her from her drifting thoughts. She shook her head, forcing herself to stop overthinking. She needed to focus, completely, on one thing: Levi's aura.
But no matter how hard she tried, she felt nothing. Seconds stretched into minutes. The intensity of Levi's aura grew, its heat steadily increasing, pressing against her like an invisible fire. Pain seared through her body, burning from the inside out. And yet… she still couldn't sense the aura around her.
Levi observed her struggle before speaking in a calm yet firm tone. "Lady Elrya, imagine this, what if all five of your senses were stripped away, and you were left suspended in a void? Would you still exist?"
His voice was steady, guiding. "Use your cognition, your inner perception. Search for something within you, something that resides beyond flesh and blood, beyond sight and sound. It is there."
Elrya followed his words, her mind slipping into the void he described. At first, fear gripped her, a primal terror at the thought of losing herself in nothingness. But then, as she focused deeper, something stirred within her.
A presence.
A whisper, yet not a sound.
"I am."
A sudden surge erupted from within, colorless, formless, raw. Her aura. For a fleeting moment, it pulsed, filling her body from the depths of her spirit. She tried to grasp it, to stabilize it… but just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished without a trace.
Levi nodded, his voice calm yet instructive. "Now, you must manifest it. Recognize your aura, synchronize with it, become one with it. Only then will it reveal itself at your will, spreading across your body." Time became meaningless as he guided her through the process. Again and again, Elrya 's aura flickered into existence, only to vanish moments later.
Each time, she struggled to hold onto it, to maintain its presence.
Awaken. Vanish. Awaken. Vanish.
The cycle repeated endlessly until, at last, she managed to sustain it for nearly a full minute. But that was her limit, it refused to extend beyond that threshold. "I'll try with this," She said through gritted teeth, her voice firm with determination.
She couldn't rely on others for everything. She and her sister had survived this long, not because of anyone's pity, but because she had fought for their place in this world. Through hardship and struggle, she had shielded her younger sister, never once realizing that, in doing so, she had slowly let go of the youth that most women cherished.
Time had slipped away, piece by piece, stolen by responsibility. Levi, however, remained unconvinced. "One minute isn't enough," he insisted. "What happens when you need to hold it for two minutes? Five?"
But as he met Elrya 's unwavering eyes, seeing the sheer determination burning in her eyes, he exhaled and relented. "Very well. For now, this will do."
She slowly stepped toward the Shattered Veil. The moment she approached, a surge of crimson-red aura erupted from it, wrapping around her like a living force.Then, in an instant, she was pulled into a dream.
Like those before her, a white halo materialized above her head, a sign of her trial. She found herself submerged in a vast, deep blue ocean. As she took in her surroundings, she realized she was near a massive glacier, its towering ice formations stretching endlessly.
The water was freezing, its bitter cold creeping into her bones, numbing her limbs. But this wasn't the real challenge. Levi's expression darkened as he observed. "This isn't good…" he muttered. "She hasn't even learned the third spirit sense yet, and this trial demands on it.The Shattered Veil has chosen its successor… and in doing so, it has made the trial even more difficult."
As Elrya took in her surroundings, her heart clenched, her little sister was there, struggling in the freezing water. Beside her, another child, a boy around the same age, was also trapped, his small body turning rigid from the cold.
Her sister's desperate cries for help pierced through the silence, sending a sharp pang through her's chest. It's an illusion, she reminded herself. I know it's not real. And yet… it felt real. Too real.
Without hesitation, she awakened her aura, but panic quickly set in. Who do I save? Her sister? The boy? Then, she spotted a floating block of ice nearby, their only chance at survival. Gritting her teeth, she wrapped her left arm around both children, pulling them close. With her right arm and legs, she forced herself forward, swimming toward the ice.
The frigid water clawed at her, stealing her strength with every motion. Then she felt it, the boy had gone limp.
Her breath hitched. No… he's losing consciousness. Panic surged through her. Am I going to fail this trial again?
Her mind raced. If I reach that block, they might not survive. But if I stay here, we'll all sink into the depths… What should I do?
As she struggled through the freezing water, doubt and despair began to consume her. She felt her strength fading, the weight of the two children dragging her down. The block of ice was still too far.
It's meaningless… she thought bitterly. Even if I reach it, will it change anything? A voice inside her mind twisted with frustration, seething at her helplessness. "I hate this world. It has never given me anything, only suffering.Fate chose me, perhaps out of pity, granting me this chance. But maybe I am unworthy of its kindness."
Yet, as hopelessness threatened to drown her, another thought surfaced.
" This is just a trial. But… I still want to protect them. They are just children. The suffering this world has forced upon me has nothing to do with them."
Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed a shift in the water.
Then, she saw it. Her little sister was looking at her, smiling.
A soft, knowing smile.
"What…?" Her 's breath caught. Her body tensed. For a moment, the freezing cold, the fear, the desperation, all of it faded into silence.