Chapter 26
"Pa...pa..."
"E-Eyya wan' to twain too." The declaration echoed through the corridor, small but firm despite her trembling voice. A heavy silence followed, settling over the space like a weight no one immediately dared to break.
Damnern stared at his daughter, thinking for a moment that he must have misheard her. Training? Elyra had never shown any interest in training before, not even once. Slowly, he crouched down until he was at eye level with her.
"Why do you want to train, Elyra?"
"Because Eyya wants to pwotect Mama and Eden."
The answer came instantly, without hesitation or doubt, as if it had always been waiting there to be spoken.
The smile on Damnern's face froze, something painfully tight pulling in his chest. His daughter wanted to become stronger, not because she admired him or dreamed of being a warrior, but because she felt the need to protect the people she loved.
Have I failed to make her feel safe?
Before he could say anything—
"No!"
Eldern immediately stepped forward, cutting through the tension without hesitation. "Eldern should be the one protecting Elyra!" he declared, puffing out his chest proudly as if that settled everything. "Because Eldern is the big brother!"
You still need another hundred years before you can protect me, kid.
Elyra nodded with a sigh. "Otay."
Eldern's chest swelled even further with pride.
Meanwhile, Damnern felt strangely left out.
"Elyra..."
"Y-Yes?!"
She answered so quickly that everyone turned to look at her.
Damnern wore a genuinely hurt expression.
"What about Papa?"
"...Huh?"
"If Elyra is protecting Mama and Eldern..."
His expression became increasingly pitiful.
"Then who will protect Papa?"
Elyra blinked once, then twice, her expression slowly shifting into complete confusion as she tried to process what she had just heard.
"But Pa...pa is already stwong."
She tilted her head.
"Why would Eyya need to pwotect Pa...pa?"
Each time she had to say "Papa," it felt like the hardest thing in the world for her, something she had to force herself to do every single time.
Her face clearly asked a different question.
Why do you want me to protect you?
What a strange old man...
Critical damage.
Damnern froze.
Elina immediately covered her mouth to hide her laughter.
After a moment, Damnern scratched his head and let out a dramatic sigh, his shoulders slumping in defeat as if he had completely lost this battle without even realizing when it started.
"Fine."
He gently patted Elyra's head.
"If Elyra truly wants to train..."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Then come meet Papa in the backyard tomorrow afternoon."
Elyra's eyes sparkled.
"Really?!"
"Really."
That night, Elyra went to bed feeling unusually excited. For the first time since her rebirth, she was finally taking a step toward becoming stronger.
The next day, shortly after waking up, Elyra was greeted by an unusually energetic Eldern.
"Elyra!"
Before she could even fully wake up, he grabbed her hand.
"Come with me!"
Curious, Elyra followed him.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the family library.
The library was enormous, with towering bookshelves stretching from floor to ceiling and packed with countless books. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, illuminating the polished wooden floor and the dust drifting lazily through the air. The scent of old parchment and leather filled the room, creating a calm atmosphere that Elyra immediately loved.
Since Elyra loved reading, there was no way she could refuse. Eldern quickly pulled a thick book from one of the shelves, the title reading Introduction to Fue and Sigils.
He placed it on a table and opened it proudly.
"Since Elyra wants to start training, Eldern will teach Elyra what Fue and Sigils are."
"What is Fue?" Elyra asked.
In her previous life, nobody had ever called it that.
Eldern immediately flipped to a page showing a diagram of the human body.
"Every human is born with something called a Fue."
He pointed to an area near the heart.
"It's located here. The Fue constantly produces Fue Energy and circulates it throughout the body, kind of like how the heart pumps blood."
Elyra narrowed her eyes.
Could it be the same thing as the Energy Stone?
A distant memory surfaced—a young girl with long brown hair and black eyes standing before ten children, including Ryudien. She looked no older than nine, the only girl who had survived Ferwel Noxes's brutal selection.
"You all need to remember this," she had said.
"There is an Energy Stone inside your body. Nobody will teach you how to use it. You'll have to learn on your own."
Then, before the training began, she smiled sadly.
"Promise me you'll all come back alive."
The memory faded.
Eldern's voice pulled her back to the present.
"Fue Energy is what allows humans to control the natural elements."
As he spoke, a tiny flame appeared above his palm.
"Fire, water, ice, earth, wind, lightning, light, darkness... all of them can be controlled through Fue."
The small flame danced gently before disappearing.
"Fue can also strengthen the body."
Eldern looked proud of himself for knowing so much.
"People who train it properly can become much stronger, faster, and tougher than normal humans."
"That's why warriors train their Fue every day."
Elyra listened attentively.
"Fue can even be used for healing."
Eldern turned another page.
"Most skilled warriors can stop bleeding or speed up recovery from injuries. But completely healing serious wounds requires incredible control."
"Only a handful of people in the kingdom can do it."
He pointed at a name in the book.
"One of them is the First Strongest Warrior, Matthias Crae."
Then he flipped to the next page.
"But sometimes something unusual happens."
"What kind of unyooal ting?" Elyra asked.
"Mutation."
Eldern's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Very rarely, a person's Fue changes and evolves into something unique called a Sigil."
"Unlike normal elemental powers, Sigils can break the usual rules."
"Like Pa...pa's Semi-Angel abiwity?" Elyra asked.
"Exactly!"
Eldern nodded enthusiastically.
Including my Clone Manifestation ability that disappeared when I was reborn...
A trace of longing surfaced in Elyra's heart.
She missed the power she once possessed.
"Most Sigils are believed to be inherited through bloodlines," Eldern continued.
"That's why Papa thinks one of us might inherit his Sigil someday."
He puffed out his chest confidently.
"Maybe it'll be me."
Elyra ignored him.
"Even though Sigils are special, they still use Fue Energy."
"In the end, both Fue and Sigils rely on the same energy flowing through the body."
He closed the book dramatically.
"So in simple terms..."
"Fue is the source of power."
"And Sigils are rare abilities born from that source."
Elyra nodded slowly, the realization settling in. Now she understood—it was a different name, but the same concept. The Energy Stone she knew in her previous life was likely what the people of this world called Fue.
After that, Eldern kept coming back with more books, placing each one carefully on the table as if he was preparing something important. Elyra sat quietly beside him, watching with curious eyes, but she didn't touch the books much.
So Eldern began to read them aloud for her.
He would read each line patiently, then pause to explain the meaning in simpler words whenever Elyra tilted her head in confusion. Sometimes he even reread a sentence twice just to make sure she understood.
Elyra listened closely the entire time, her small hands resting on the edge of the table as she followed his voice instead of the words on the page.
As the afternoon passed, the library grew quieter, filled only with the sound of Eldern's steady reading and the soft turning of pages. Sunlight slowly faded through the tall windows, casting long golden shadows over the scattered books.
One by one, the books piled up around them, forgotten in the warmth of the moment.
By evening, Eldern's voice had grown softer, his reading slowing without him realizing it. Elyra had already drifted off first, her head resting gently on the table.
Not long after, Eldern also fell asleep, still sitting upright, surrounded by open books and the fading light of day.
"Eldern... Elyra..."
A familiar voice gently called out, and both children slowly opened their eyes. Standing before them was Damnern, smiling softly as he looked at them.
"Didn't you say you wanted to train?"
The sleepiness instantly vanished from Elyra's eyes.
Training time had finally arrived.
End of Chapter 26