The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 359 - Water Is Mutable, But Creates Changes… Like Gratitude Undammed… Like Dusty Resolve Overflowing
Chapter 359: Chapter 359 - Water Is Mutable, But Creates Changes... Like Gratitude Undammed... Like Dusty Resolve Overflowing
Green eyes opened as the energy from the Frozen Duskblade reached her other hand. Trying to precisely judge what was held was ’difficult’, but as far as her young spirit could tell it was essentially the same after traveling this far. And more importantly, it was still pushing away her own ’foreign’ essence field!
She placed it on the skin that Zyris had already willingly exposed, under her ribs. While she was not a strong combatant, the outfit she wore during Descents was not a common dress. Thankfully, it was something with a split at the midriff that was a little easier to move in.
’Though I would have torn an entire dress right off if I had any more hope than I do that this will work!’
"Now. I’ll need to direct this to the exact location of the contamination to have any real effect. I’m not confident I can do that in one try, or if this little will be enough to do anything."
"Just try your best. Even if you do fail, I won’t feel any differently about you, Nohre."
The teen hadn’t even thought of that! She’d only thought of injuring the other woman, not what telling her this and then not working out would do to their relationship.
"O-okay. You may feel a slight pressure or warmth. Maybe. But I don’t think it should hurt. If it does, don’t stay quiet."
Solemn focus met her as the woman nodded. The moment the energies - Corde’s sheathed in her own - made contact with the Dame Talcres, Nohre felt a resistance. Physical, essence, and weak spiritual energies rallied like they were trying to keep her away.
The remnant - whatever it was - recoiled from the Anti-Essence property and the signatures retreated deeper into the woman’s nervous system. But Nohre had already felt it once, and know about where it went. She adjusted her technique, deciding to surround the contamination rather than attacking it directly.
"It’s... fighting back. Lady Iralev, is it alright if I take a significant amount more? I want-"
"Do it."
A confident response to the murmured voice. The Frozen Duskblade had watched the sweat bead on her forehead as she maintained the delicate balance of energies. She knew that there was no deception there... and what was a little energy accumulation lost to genuine proof?.
With this stronger infusion, Nohre directed it more like a net that collapsed over the area until it located the spot. Where the Anti-Essence propertied energy touched it, the suddenly distinct darkness began to dissolve. The tiny Voidling parasite melting like ice under intense heat.
"I feel something... moving."
"Please stay still. It’s working, but I don’t want to leave any of it to grow back."
The process continued for several minutes, with Nohre carefully directing the dissolving fragments of whatever it was away from vital organs and toward pores where they might sweat out. Her hands trembled from the spiritual effort of maintaining such precise control over the interacting energies.
Finally, when the last traces of vantablack parasite dispersed, Zyris’s essence field stopped bending inward for the first time in her cultivator life. As Nohre carefully withdrew her hands, releasing the connection between the two women she started to fall backwards... but Fusand was already kneeling behind her just in case.
’I’m glad she didn’t fall forward instead.’
Zyris sat perfectly still, breathing labored through nothing more than ’disbelief’. A technique she’d practiced thousands of times with consistently disappointing results now felt so different. She hadn’t even waited a moment to try it, because she could tell her field was behaving differently already.
"It’s staying. The essence I’m gathering. I... I can feel it building."
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked from her husband to Nohre, who lay back in the other teens arms... visibly exhausted from the procedure. The woman slid from her chair and embraced the young healer and boy alike. Voice thickened with such emotion that it rumbled in their ears.
"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."
Fusand awkwardly patted her back in place of his dazed partner as the Talcres Patriarch stood there in a deep bow. He did not get up from it quickly, waiting for the tears that sprung up in his usually reserved demeanor to stop.
"I’m glad it worked."
"We are in your debt. What you’ve done today... there are no words."
The teen knew it would be a significant event if it succeeded, but hearing the older man that had given lectures, advice, and just talked to about the past... with a cracking voice made his hand shake before it gripped tighter on Nohre.
Throughout this exchange, Corde had remained seated, observing their dynamic with sharp attention. While her own spiritual sense was taut around her form and she could not exactly see inside the Talcres woman... she could feel the change in her field.
Whether this was all a ruse, a long plan from the Goltbred heiress, or anything else... it was easier with everything she was seeing to believe it for what it was. A young cultivator with a variant Physique learning to use it. And if she could learn, then others could.
’I will have to provide a report. Spiritualists will need to try and codify the Physique and retest any who had been given the same results as her. But...’
For tonight, she would let things be. It would take time to pen the report, anyway - and currently she was slated to attend a meeting for a different purpose. Handing it in tomorrow morning... or later, if her Guild sent her away too quickly, was the best she could do for the orphan, with her set of morals.
"And your contribution was equally vital, Lady Iralev. As I understand it, without your Anti-Essence Physique... without your willing participation, this wouldn’t have been possible."
Zyris turned to the swordswoman without bothering to get up. Her idol had been part of saving her, but somehow... that changed something in her just as much as being healed. Whether it was the different, more grounded kind of respect she held for her after this event... or...
’Because the brave young girl in my arms is a thousand times more my hero than even a famed swordswoman, perhaps.’
"I did very little. The... healer did the real work."
A small smile was on her face, even though she deflected the praise. Meyran finally recovered enough to kneel down and try and pry his wife off of the teens. They exchanged a long look into each other’s eyes filled with so much meaning that it couldn’t really be put into words.
Decades of limitation since before their marriage had suddenly been lifted. Opening and rekindling possibilities like they’d never abandoned them at all. Even knowing it would not be immediate, it still meant to both that a new life could be born between them.
"I can finally have your child. I finally don’t feel like your stubborn love was wasting-"
"No moment was a waste."
Zyris was interrupted with a gentle hand on her cheek and she wrapped her arms around Meyran’s neck. Kissing in front of others like they were renewing their vows, the intimacy of the moment made the fully conscious but quite tired Nohre look away... feeling like an intruder on the intense joy.
’It feels just like watching Master Qatrand and Elua up on the silver dais...’
However, the way she was held meant the only direction to look was right at Fusand - and that made it so much worse! He caught her quivering gaze, his expression deeply thoughtful despite knowing how and why she was starting to squirm. What she’d done had changed their lives.
’All of ours, not just theirs. Is this what Elua meant by balancing fears of risks with what there is to gain?’
⟠ ⟠ ⟠
As evening approached, the household and what remained of its workers remained in a state of quiet celebration. Zyris er Talcres had spent the last hour in focused meditation within the confines of the estates best cultivation room. The reality of her new potential settled in deeper as she edged from Late Initial toward First Echelon Enchanter.
’A while still to go, but quicker than I might be ready for. How fast everything moves... I feel like I’m as young as they are again!’
She passed by the garden and saw Fusand in a quiet corner of it with Nohre. The young healer had recovered somewhat from her exertion but still showed signs of fatigue. So like any good mentor who had invited two young people into her home, she eavesdropped.
"She saved us from unstable living situations. Gave us jobs and protection without demanding servitude in return. It’s not strange that we’d be grateful enough to keep quiet."
"Do you think our master will be upset?"
The green eyed girl held his bare hand over top of his knee, feeling like she did the right thing, but also just really wanting him to reassure her. He’d been getting really good at that lately.
"I don’t think so. She’s been preparing you to use your abilities, not just understand them. It wouldn’t surprise me if Elua knew all along you’d be able to figure out how to help her."
"But she said to be careful about who I trust."
"And you trusted people who have shown us nothing but kindness. And Corde... well, that was unavoidable."
The sandy haired teen hesitated, then awkwardly clasped his other hand over the one holding him already. Dark hair then leaned against his shoulder, showing the softness she’d always felt for him in a more tangible way. She used to doze against him a lot when they were very young...
’But I grew hesitant to do it at some point. I don’t want to go back to being like that.’
"What happens after the Descent? I never thought much beyond getting through each day until..."
"I know. But I’ve thought of it."
The fear lacing his voice was a bit uncharacteristic as he pressed her hand tightly and settled his cheek on top of her hair. A soft set of footfalls alerted them to another presence, though Fusand had already felt her closing in. He wasn’t sure quite how much had been heard, but it didn’t matter.
"I hope I’m not interrupting."
Her tone suggested she had every intention of joining them for a bit, regardless of whether that was true or not. Nohre straightened, but *slowly* and without jerking away from her companion - though not without a self-conscious adjustment of her braid.
’How are Elua and Qatrand so calm when caught?’
Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on freew(e)bnove(l).𝓬𝓸𝓶
