Nefira stood there trembling when she heard footsteps. Both turned toward the sound.
It was the heir of Argemenes. He looked, of all things, like a traveler who had simply lost his way. But when he saw them, he didn't falter. He stepped forward, bowing his head briefly as etiquette demanded.
"It is an honor to stand before the ruler of the House of Rameses. I'm Phasnovterich Argemenes but you can call me Phaser, Lord…"
"Selrath," Nefira's father replied. "Selrath Ahmose Rameses."
Phaser nodded. "Lord Selrath."
"For an Argemenes heir, you carry yourself with more potential than I expected."
Nefira froze. The words of her father were never given lightly. Phaser gave a polite smile, bowing his head again.
"Thank you."
But Selrath was not done. His gaze sharpened. His voice lowered.
"Tell me, heir of Argemenes. What happened last night? My daughter bears the marks of Flux Corrosion."
The air itself turned rigid. Nefira's heart stopped. Phaser's eyes widened. For a moment, he looked at Selrath, then turned his gaze sharply to Nefira. She could not see it but she felt it. Her breath caught as she angled her face away from him, heat rising to her cheeks. He cleared his throat. His shoulders straightened.
"It was my fault."
Nefira's lips parted. Her heart slammed against her ribs. What? Why… why was he taking the blame?
"I asked for a duel with Lady Nefira as the celebration ended. I pushed too far. I… lost control. My Flux activated without my intent. I had no idea she would suffer corrosion from it. That is my failing. I apologize, Lord Selrath."
Nefira's chest constricted. He was lying. Why?
"I can remove the corrosion. It was my mistake, and so I will correct it. I ask only for forgiveness."
Selrath's sharp gaze cut toward his daughter.
"Nefira. Is this true?"
Her tongue felt like lead. Panic clawed inside her, but Phaser's bow burned in her mind.
"Yes, Father. He speaks the truth but please, do not punish him. It was I who took things too far. He only reacted. I am the one at fault."
Selrath's jaw tightened. His gaze lingered, measuring her words. He finally exhaled through his nose.
"Very well. Remove it. Prove your words."
Phaser straightened, his lips twitching into the faintest wry smile. He looked to Nefira.
"Show me where the corrosion is."
Her hands shook as she raised them, the long sleeves of her robe falling back to reveal the delicate skin of her wrists. Even healed by her Luminous, the faint black threads of corrosion still lurked beneath her veins. Phaser nodded once, placing his hands gently around her wrists. He called his Flux.
It resisted. His Flux only answered him when his life was threatened but he forced it, biting down on his will, dragging it into reality.
The Thorned Crown appeared above his head. At once, the air grew darker. Inky mist hissed from Nefira's veins, writhing upward like living shadows, flowing into him. Her breath hitched as the weight left her blood. She could feel it being stripped away. Phaser's body trembled. His breath grew ragged. His nose began to drip blood. It also ran over his lips, dripping to his chin. The corrosion he absorbed fought back, tearing at him from within.
Nefira's lips parted, her hands trembling in his grasp. She could smell the blood
"Your blood! You're—"
He cut her off with a strained smile.
"It's fine. After all, I caused this in the first place. So it's only right I bear it."
Her father's eyes narrowed. "Why subject yourself to this excruciating pain, boy?"
Phaser's breath shuddered. He coughed, crimson spilling over his lips, but he lifted his head anyway.
"Because it was my mistake. And mistakes demand payment. Besides, blood has never been an issue for me..."
He collapsed.
His body hit the floor with a dull thud.
Nefira stumbled forward, panic searing her chest. She couldn't see how badly he was hurt. Her heart pounded so fast she thought it might burst. Selrath was already kneeling beside him, his hand against the boy's chest, gauging his pulse. His usually calm face showed concern.
"His body's rejecting the corrosion but he held it long enough to draw it out of you."
Nefira fell to her knees, her hands clutching at her father's sleeve.
"Is he... Is he going to die?"
Selrath looked at his daughter. For once, even the Ruler of House Rameses did not have an immediate answer.
°°°°°°
I woke up with the sensation that someone had driven a spike of molten iron straight into the back of my skull. The first thing that tore out of me was a hiss because the throbbing refused to let me think. I had to clench my fists into the sheets just to keep myself grounded.
"What… the hell…"
The second thing I registered was the smell and footsteps. I turned my head, my eyes widening.
Sitting there, as if she had been waiting for hours, was a woman in a sharp military uniform embedded with silver pauldrons gleaming with the crest of Argemenes.
"Mother?"
It was Anastelle Vecria Argemenes, the Ruler of the House of Argemenes. She's the woman who, in the story of MoDS, barely existed beyond a passing mention. She's the absent mother who never looked back at her children. She valued the House above blood yet here she was, sitting beside my bed.
And she looked too young. She looked like she was in her early twenties, not a woman who should have had heirs nearly my age. It was surreal.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah. I think so."
I wasn't. Every inch of me screamed in agony but lying felt safer under that gaze. She studied me a moment longer, then reached into a side pouch on her uniform. Out came a handful of crystalline shards. They were Fluvehearts, glowing with a faint inner pulse. She held them out to me with the kind of authority that brooked no refusal.
"Eat."
I didn't argue. My hands were trembling but I grabbed the shards, crunching into them one by one. They cracked like hard candy. With every piece that dissolved on my tongue, something inside me unclenched. The pain in my head dulled and the ache in my chest lightened. I let out a slow breath of relief.
"Better."
Her eyes narrowed, but not with suspicion. More like… surprise. That was when the question slipped out before I could stop myself.
"Why are you here?"
Her brows rose slightly, like I just spat at her boots.
"Can a mother not worry about her child?"
I blinked. Then, to my own horror, a weak chuckle escaped me. Worry? Her? The Anastelle of MoDS didn't know the meaning of the word but she was serious. That cold voice didn't waver, not even as she said it. I shoved another Fluveheart into my mouth to buy time. Then she said something that made me freeze.
"Your curse has been broken. You broke into the Second Awakening. That's impossible. How did you do it?"
For a second I debated lying but what was the point? She'd see through it instantly so I told the truth.
"The Frostclave Stag, one of the Ten Fluve Guardians, broke the curse for me."
Her hand tightened into a fist on her knee. The smallest tell of emotion.
"All heirs of the Houses undergo their Second Awakening before they become teenagers because of harsh training. You didn't. Which means the Xana you've accumulated for years has been building inside you without release. Do you know what that does to a body?"
I stayed silent.
"It breaks it down. It destroys from the inside out. If it weren't for the Argemenes regeneration and Fluvehearts, you would already be dead."
Her words hit me like a hammer. And as if that wasn't enough, I had to open my stupid mouth.
"I still have three Fluvehearts. The Frostclave Stag gave them to me. I… put them on my Thorned Crown."
Her head whipped toward me so fast I thought her neck would snap. Her face paled, then hardened again, but the slip was there.
"You what?!"
"I put them on my Fkux," I repeated, quieter this time.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling in frustration.
"Class Ten Fluvehearts on your Flux. Do you understand what you've done? That alone should have incinerated your body. If you weren't an Ennèa... It's a miracle you're alive, Phasnovterich."
I slumped back into the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. Yeah, good job, transmigrator. My brain mocked me. Put high-class divine batteries in your cursed Flux crown. Real smart move.
"Guess that was kind of stupid," I muttered.
Her silence said enough. Finally, she stood up. She adjusted her uniform. She looked down at me one last time.
"I need to speak to Seirath about this. Rest. That is an order."
The door clicked shut behind her.
I was left alone in the quiet, staring at the ceiling. My body still ached, my lips tasted faintly of blood, and my head was buzzing with everything she'd said.
Even though I transmigrated here with all the meta-knowledge of MoDS, this was spiraling way too fast. My mother, who was supposed to be distant, was suddenly present and… terrifying. My Flux had mutated, my Awakening had gone wrong and apparently i cheated death by sheer accident. I sighed, dragging a hand over my face.
This is getting out of hand.