Shadow Over the Heavenly Throne-Chapter 75: First time outside the city walls

The door to Sylphia’s room opened without warning. Veynessa stepped inside in silence.

Sylphia was sitting in an armchair by the window, curled up as if the daylight itself hurt her. Her arms hung limp, and her eyes, devoid of light, stared blankly into the distance.

The door creaked shut, but she didn’t react. Her mother’s footsteps approached slowly.

Veynessa said nothing. She knelt beside her and simply watched her for a moment. Then, without a word, she reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Sylphia’s cheek.

"Pack your things, darling. We’re leaving in an hour."

Her voice was quiet. No pressure. But the tone held quiet resolve.

Sylphia didn’t move. For a moment, Veynessa thought her daughter hadn’t even heard her. But then the girl’s shoulders trembled.

"For what?" she whispered. "To fail again?"

Veynessa sat down on the floor, leaning her back against the chair.

Sylphia clenched her hands on her knees, her nails digging into the fabric. Tears welled in her eyes.

"I just... I just wanted you to be proud of me."

"I am," Veynessa replied immediately, calm and unwavering.

"But... but I’m not like Shion. I don’t have a strong root, no talent, no future!"

Veynessa placed her hand on the back of her daughter’s neck and pulled her into an embrace. Sylphia collapsed into her chest like a child whose broken heart could no longer endure the silence.

A sob broke the stillness—deep, ragged, full of pain. Sylphia’s thoughts spun in chaos: "Is there anything left of me? Am I just a burden now?" She felt as if her entire being was fracturing, every breath a struggle. She was a shadow of herself—filthy with shame, rotting from envy, too weak to admit it.

"You know..." Veynessa said softly, pausing as if the words caught in her throat. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly before continuing. "I’m proud of you, Sylphia. I always have been. And I always will be. As your mother... I don’t care if you become the most powerful woman in the world or just a completely average person with no cultivation root. None of that changes one thing: you are my daughter. And you’ll always be my one and only beloved daughter. No matter what."

Sylphia didn’t answer, only buried herself deeper into her mother’s chest.

"I know you’ve always wanted to be strong. Since you were little, you wanted to cultivate, to surpass everyone. So what happened... it must’ve hit you right in the heart. But this isn’t the end, Sylphia. Where we’re going... there’s a place where your root might be improved. Where there’s still a spark of hope. And if there’s even a sliver of a chance, we’ll find it."

Her daughter’s trembling stopped. When she finally pulled away, her eyes were red, but her breathing had calmed.

"Really...?" she whispered, disbelieving, as if afraid to hear otherwise.

Veynessa didn’t answer right away. Instead, she just smiled, gently wiped away the tears with her thumb, and nodded.

"Start packing, sweetheart. We leave soon."

***

A few hours later, in one of the palace courtyards, Aldrich stood with his hands behind his back, speaking to one of his attendants.

"Get me a list of young men from the top supersects. Especially those who aren’t engaged yet. And make sure the information is current."

The servant bowed and left without a word.

Aldrich looked up at the sky.

"Even with that root... she’s still my daughter. And if someone wants to tighten ties with our clan, they won’t pass on this opportunity."

A shadow of hesitation crossed his eyes—faint but real. As if for just a moment, he wondered whether this was truly what he wanted.

He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders.

"Time to get back to work," he muttered to himself.

The crown on his head felt much heavier today.

***

In Calista’s training chambers, silence reigned. Shion, dressed in a simple training outfit, took a deep breath and looked at Calista.

"I don’t want to talk today. I want to train."

Calista raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue.

"I realized something... that I have a gift others envy. And I don’t want to waste it. I can’t just be ’the lucky one.’ I want to add effort to that talent and rise beyond it."

Her voice was soft but resolute. Determination burned in her eyes.

Calista nodded, with pride and a trace of melancholy.

***

In the lower courtyards, surrounded by guards and prepared carriages, Veynessa and Sylphia stood at the side gates of the palace.

Sylphia was packed. Her expression was calmer, though her eyes still held something broken.

"Ready?" Veynessa asked, touching her shoulder.

Sylphia nodded.

Veynessa gave her a soft smile.

The carriage set off, the palace fading behind them, swallowed by the morning mist.

For a while, they rode in silence, rocked gently by the motion of the wheels. Sylphia stared out the dusty window until she finally asked in a whisper:

"Where are we going?"

Veynessa looked at her sideways, paused for a moment, weighing her words.

"To the Sacred Spirit Realm."

Sylphia turned her head, startled.

"That place is real?"

"It is. And it’s not open to just anyone. Only those recognized by the spirits can enter."

A short silence followed. Veynessa raised her hand and looked at the ring on her finger.

"Remember my form during the tournament three years ago?"

Sylphia nodded.

"That was a fused form. A spirit merged with my body... and we became one. That’s where it began. Thanks to that, my root evolved."

She looked at her daughter seriously.

"If you manage to earn the trust and respect of one of the spirits, if you form a true bond... there’s a chance your root might change too. It might mutate. It might awaken in a different way. I can’t promise miracles, but... it’s more than nothing."

Sylphia stared at her mother for a long moment, then nodded.

"But... what if the spirit rejects me?" she asked quietly.

Veynessa sighed softly, looking ahead.

"Those spirits... they don’t think like us. They don’t reason like humans. They act on instinct. They feel presence, resonance... something hard to describe. We can’t bribe them or convince them. All we can do is show up and wait. Hoping that one of them notices us."

Sylphia lowered her gaze, a bit dejected. She was quiet for a moment before whispering:

"Better than nothing..."

She lifted her eyes again, a quiet resolve within them.

"What does that realm look like, Mom?"

"To an ordinary eye... it’s just a meadow. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, peaceful, nearly empty. But that’s just the surface."

Veynessa paused as if reaching deep into memory.

"If a spirit recognizes you... your soul will be taken into their dimension. There, in the spirit realm, the laws of our reality don’t apply. The body becomes a vessel. And the spirit that chooses you... may fuse with you on a soul level."

Sylphia listened wordlessly, her eyes widening with each sentence.

"Through that connection," Veynessa continued, "your body evolves, and your root mutates. It’s a permanent transformation, gaining power that surpasses normal paths of cultivation."

Sylphia lifted her head in wonder.

"What kind of spirit merged with you?"

Veynessa smiled faintly, the memory deeper than pride.

"The Sword Spirit. A being as pure and sharp as the Law itself. It merged with me after recognizing my talent and determination on the sword path. Because of that, my body and root changed irreversibly."

She looked down at her hands.

"Since then, one of my sword forms can cut through time. That’s just one of the eight forms it passed on to me. Unfortunately... I’ve only fully mastered that one so far. But in the past three years, I’ve come close to a second. I feel like I’m very near."

"That’s incredible..." Sylphia whispered, eyes wide with admiration. "You’re really amazing, Mom."

Veynessa looked at her with a gentle smile—this time, not as a warrior, but simply as a mother.

"You’ll be just like that too. You have more inside you than you realize."

Sylphia didn’t reply. She turned toward the window, trying to hide the emotion that shimmered in her eyes.

And then she saw a sight that took her breath away.

Beyond the glass stretched endless fields of green, winding like silver ribbons through river valleys. In the distance, majestic mountains loomed, their snow-capped peaks bathed in the soft morning light. Clouds drifted slowly across the sky, casting shadows on the hills. The air was clear, almost unreal.

"Her first time outside the city walls," Veynessa thought with a smile. She looked at her daughter and said aloud:

"Enjoy it, Sylphia. This view won’t always be this calm. Let it take root inside you—so it can protect you when hard times come."

Sylphia simply nodded, her eyes never leaving the window. She soaked in every detail of the landscape, as if storing it deep inside—captivated by a beauty she’d never known before.

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