The room was quiet.
Moonlight spilled through the window, painting pale silver across the stone floor. Rush lay on his bed with one arm beneath his head, staring at the ceiling. Every muscle in his body still ached from the trials. His fractured core pulsed faintly beneath his sternum — a dull reminder of how far he had pushed himself.
The silence lingered. Only the occasional breeze disturbed the stillness.
Then Beelzebub surfaced.
"Are you still thinking about what she said, child?"
Rush didn't answer immediately.
Yes.
"I believe you should meet her."
If what Rosetta said is true... then it changes everything.
Rush sat up slowly. The ache in his core reminded him why this mattered.
"Tomorrow," he said quietly. "I'll meet her tomorrow."
***
Sleep did not come easily.
Rush lay back down, but his mind refused to settle. The day's events replayed behind his closed eyes — the volcanic arena, Richard's flames, the ice dome, the final exchange with the Aetos twins.
He thought about Richard's taunt. About his father. About the hatred in Richard's eyes.
"Richard was able to get to you,"Beelzebub said quietly. "His words landed."
I know.
"Do not let that linger, child. He fights for what he believes. You must fight for what you believe in. For a purpose."
I will.
Rush opened his eyes. Stared at the ceiling. After a while, another thought surfaced.
"There is something I don't understand."
Beelzebub hummed.
"What about my frost control?"
Rush looked toward his hand.
"When Kurt cast his barrier... it formed inside my dome."
"Yes."
"Why?"
For several seconds, Beelzebub remained silent. That alone surprised Rush.
Usually, it always had an answer.
"I don't know."
Rush raised an eyebrow.
"You... don't?"
"No. I don't know the exact reason," the entity admitted. "But I have a theory."
Rush waited.
"The dome wasn't behaving like the Phantom Sleeper's frost."
Rush frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I analysed that creature's data. It froze. It hunted. And it possessed. But it never interfered with another person's mana."
Rush thought back to the battle.
Kurt's barrier hadn't been destroyed. It hadn't even failed. It had simply... appeared inside the dome.
Rush's eyes narrowed.
"Almost as if the dome had rejected magic itself."
"Exactly, " Beelzebub replied. "Your frost didn't overpower Kurt's spell. It changed the way the spell could manifest. That should not have been possible."
"My frost... is different?"
"I believe so. The Evolution archive always evolves abilities based on the innate ability. But..."
Rush remained quiet.
"But?"
Beelzebub's tone became thoughtful.
"When I first synchronized with you, I analysed you for an innate ability, child."
"And?"
"I found none."
Rush's brow furrowed.
"None?"
"None," Beelzebub confirmed. "And there is only one possible reason — the true nature of the Origin core.
Rush straightened.
"How?"
"You know I don't have access to the information about Origin Core. Not yet. Perhaps every ability you gain becomes your innate ability. That could be the true nature of your innate ability — of the Origin core."
"But your Evolution Archive does the same thing, doesn't it?"
"Yes. But no mana core I know of functions like me. And we still know almost nothing about the Origin Core."
Rush slowly leaned back against the bed.
The more he learned...
The stranger his existence became.
He looked at his hands. Frost gathered at his fingertips without a word.
I need to master this, he thought. If I want answers... If I'm going to survive what's coming next.
He closed his eyes.
What would happen tomorrow? What had Rosetta meant when she said she could help?
***
Morning came too quickly.
Rush dressed and made his way to the meeting place — a quiet courtyard near the Academy's eastern wall. The morning air was cool and still. The sun had barely risen.
Rosetta was already there.
She stood beside the stone fountain with her arms crossed. She looked as though she had been waiting for some time.
Rush approached. She turned to face him.
"You're early," she said.
"So are you."
A faint smile touched her lips before fading.
"You want to know if I really have a way to treat your core."
Rush met her gaze.
"Yes. And how. And..."
He paused.
"If you know a way, why doesn't Headmistress Elyse? She's an elf too. And she's far more respected."
Rosetta held his gaze for a long moment.
"Headmistress knows," she said quietly. "She always has. But she is banned from the Elven kingdom."
Rush's eyes narrowed.
"Banned? Why?"
"That's her story to tell. But it's the reason she couldn't help you directly."
Rosetta stepped closer.
"So, if you want a permanent solution to your fractured core, listen carefully. After the Hexan Crucible, you must come with me. You need to meet the elders of the Royal House of Eldorawich."
For a moment, Rush simply stared at her.
"They possess an ancient remedy for a fractured core — one connected to the heart of our kingdom."
Rush absorbed her words.
"And you convinced them to help me? A Ryanheart?" he asked. "I thought the Ryanheart wasn't well-liked in the Elven Kingdom. And why are you helping me?"
Rosetta's expression shifted. For a moment, her composure cracked.
"Yes, the Ryanhearts are not welcomed in our kingdom. But that doesn't mean we hate them."
She paused.
"And as for why I'm helping you..."
Her voice softened.
"...you are not the first person I've seen with a fractured core."
"What?!"
Rosetta walked to the nearby stone bench and sat down.
"I had a little brother. He died because his core fractured."
She lowered her eyes.
"He was fourteen. The same age as you. And I couldn't save him."
Rush heard the weight in her voice.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"
"Don't worry. It's alright."
Rush walked closer.
"If there was a way to treat the fractured core... why didn't he survive?"
Rosetta looked into his brownish-violet eyes.
"Do you know why almost everyone with a fractured core dies?"
Rush remained silent.
"They don't survive the first mana surge after the facture."
She paused.
"They die instantly. "
Rush silently absorbed her words.
"But you survived."
She paused again.
"That means you can reach the place where the remedy exists."
Her voice became firm.
"And I refuse to let someone else suffer the same fate my brother did."
Rush met her eyes. He saw the weight behind them. The grief she carried.
"That's why you've been watching me."
"Yes."
"That's why you helped me with mana suppression."
"Yes."
She straightened.
"I spoke with the elders and convinced them to help you. Despite your name. Despite everything. But there is one condition."
Rush waited.
"The Hexan Crucible will be held in Elcaster, the capital of the Elven kingdom. After the Crucible, you must meet the elders personally. They want to know if you're worth saving. Only then will they treat you."
Rush considered her words.
"And if I'm not worthy?"
Rosetta looked at him for a long moment.
"That's why we meet them after the Hexan Crucible. They'll be there as well."
She stood from the bench.
"And if they still deem you unworthy... you'll return exactly as you are."
She offered a small smile.
"But at least you'll have tried."
The courtyard fell silent.
Rush looked at his hands. At the silver pattern beneath his sleeve. At the core that had been fractured for so long.
This might be the only chance I'll ever have.
"I'll do it," he said.
Rosetta nodded once.
"I know. I believe in you."
She turned toward the Academy before pausing.
"The Hexan Crucible will be dangerous. More than you know."
She looked at him over her shoulder.
"Use the frost control to its full potential, Rush. You will need it."
She walked away.
Rush remained beside the fountain, watching the morning light climb over the Academy walls.
Elcaster, he thought. That's my path forward.
He touched the silver lines on his wrist.
"Any thoughts?" he murmured.
Beelzebub's voice surfaced, quiet and measured.
"The Elven kingdom is a place of ancient secrets, child. The most advanced spells originated there. And if we continue the way we are now, healing your core will take far to long."
The entity paused.
"So if Elven magic can heal you—then we must reach it."
We will.
Rush turned toward the Academy.
"I will."