While Christopher was standing, holding the white gem, he heard a voice behind him: "What's going on here?"
Melina was standing, looking at the bloodily dismembered corpse of the demonic tiger, her eyes wide in astonishment.
Christopher smiled calmly and waved the white gem, saying, "Oh, Melina! You came at the right time. Look, I found this."
Melina approached the corpse, stood beside Christopher, looked at the gem and then at the tiger, and said: "Is this... the gem of the beast that invaded the place?"
Christopher nodded as he looked contemplatively at the gem: "Yes, I was meditating when I felt it approaching. It seemed to have penetrated the illusion array you placed. I fought it and found this gem in its skull."
Melina frowned and looked around the place with concern, then moved toward a nearby tree, lifted a mud-covered stone, revealing a magical engraving pulsing with a deep purple color. She looked at it carefully then said: "The array's foundation is completely intact... it wasn't breached."
Christopher looked at her with surprise and said: "The array's foundation? What's that?"
Melina stood up and looked at him seriously, answering: "It's the center of the array. If it's destroyed, the array collapses. But it's intact, and that means only one thing... the beast didn't enter from the outside."
Christopher froze for a moment, then muttered: "Was it... inside the array from the beginning?"
Melina shook her head slowly and said: "Either that, or it entered before the array was activated and stayed hidden... or maybe it breached it by mistake."
By mistake? I hope so," Christopher said in a low voice, then waved the white gem and asked: "Right, Melina... how do I absorb this gem?"
Melina approached him and extended her hand toward the gem, contemplated it for a moment before saying: "What you're holding is the gem of a first-rank demonic beast. To absorb it, you need to use your meditation technique."
Then she pointed with her sword toward the tiger's corpse and said: "But it seems this beast hadn't condensed its demonic core yet. So, the gem in your hand won't give you much mana. Most likely, it will give you enough mana for only three days of meditation."
Christopher's eyes widened in astonishment and he said: "It didn't condense the core?"
Then he thought for a moment and added: "Right... I searched its body thoroughly, and I didn't find a demonic core. But if it hadn't formed it yet, how was its aura so strong? I felt it was at least equal to the middle stage of the first rank!"
Melina furrowed her brows in deep thought, then said quietly: "It's possible it ate a second-rank magical herb, which gave it that temporary power. Don't overthink it, that happens sometimes in the forest."
Christopher nodded slowly, but inside he still felt uneasy. "I hope so..." he muttered in a low voice, then looked at the white gem that still pulsed with a faint light between his fingers.
He carefully tucked it into his palm and turned back to the cave. The air inside was warmer, and the fire burning in the corner still flickered faintly. Christopher sat in his usual corner and closed his eyes, placing the gem over his open palm.
He calmly began to regulate his breathing, letting the mana slowly flow from the gem into his body. The mana was soft and cold, flowing like threads of light to his seed, nourishing it very slowly.
Time passed quickly, as if the moments were melting into a sea of stillness.
Every breath Christopher took resembled a gentle tune played on an invisible inner string, and with every exhale, the impurities of fatigue and exhaustion faded from his body.
He began to feel a slight change in his seed; that deeply spiritual core born inside his body since he broke into the seed stage. It was breathing slowly, pulsing with a faint rhythm every moment it absorbed mana.
Long hours passed without him noticing. Melina had sat by the cave entrance, silently watching the forest.
At dawn the next day, Christopher slowly opened his eyes. There was no fatigue, but rather a faint feeling of freshness and calm, as if his cells had been washed from the inside.
He looked at his hand and found the gem had turned into fine dust that evaporated into the air. Christopher smiled slightly and whispered to himself:
"That was the best meditation I've had so far... It seems the pure mana gems of beasts are worth the fight."
Christopher stood up, feeling an unusual lightness in his body. The air around him seemed clearer, as if his senses had been sharpened to an unbelievable degree. He slowly clenched his hand, feeling a raw power lying in wait to be unleashed.
"Hmm... This time, it's really different." Christopher muttered as he looked at his palm, then turned toward the cave entrance.
He saw Melina sitting there, staring at the silent trees.
"Melina." he called in a low voice.
She turned toward him quickly, then stared at him for a moment before saying: "Did... you finish? How was the gem?"
Christopher answered as he approached her: "It was very effective. I feel like ninety percent of my body has recovered."
Melina nodded, her eyes distracted, full of thoughts. "That's good..."
Christopher looked at her face. It was beautiful despite the fatigue on it. The shadows under her eyes, and the anxious glint that hadn't faded, made him speak in a low voice as he looked at the forest: "What's on your mind?"
Melina shook her head and answered in a low voice: "Nothing."
He raised his eyebrow slightly and said seriously: "Nothing? Then why didn't you go to sleep?"
Melina said in a soft voice: "It's really nothing... I just don't feel like sleeping." Her eyes as she spoke were fixed on the forest.
Christopher leaned his back against the cave wall and sat in front of her. He placed his sword between his arms, relaxed his shoulders, then turned toward her and looked into her eyes.
He spoke in a low voice, but it carried a warmth: "Is it... Lux? Are you worried about him?"
Melina was silent for a moment, as if the question had pierced something she was trying to ignore. She didn't answer immediately. She just let out a long sigh and lowered her gaze to the ground in front of her.
She finally said in a barely audible voice: "I feel helpless, Christopher... My uncle was always the father, the wall I leaned on. The man who never backed down, even in the face of death... but seeing him like that, bound, screaming and writhing..."
She paused for another moment, her voice trembling between the words: "That... tears me apart inside."
Christopher remained silent for a while. He didn't rush to speak, but continued staring at the forest and trees, as if listening to the voice of nature, trying to absorb the calmness of the place.
Then he said calmly, without looking at her: "Don't worry, Melina. Someone like Lux won't fall so easily."
Before Melina could reply, the cave was suddenly pierced by a hoarse scream. This time it was louder, clearer, mixed with torn pain, as if a long-suppressed cry had finally erupted.
Christopher's eyes widened immediately, and he rushed with Melina toward the interior.
"Uncle!" Melina shouted, rushing ahead of Christopher toward the depths of the cave.
Lux was there, bound in heavy black chains, screaming with a feral intensity, like a wounded beast in unbearable pain. His body was twisting violently, trying to rip the restraints with all his strength, but the chains and the arrays Melina had drawn suppressed him mercilessly, keeping him bound despite his continuous roaring.
The ground shook beneath his feet as he struck it madly, and his eyes were dark, clouded, staring into nothingness.
Melina quickly pulled out her pendant, her face full of worry, and shouted in a trembling voice: "Heart Array... Blood Echo!"
A deep blue light emitted from the pendant, warm and mysterious at the same time. The pendant began to tremble then slowly cracked, as if sacrificing itself, and as soon as that blue light launched toward Lux's body, the pendant shattered completely, scattering into shards of light that faded into the air.
The blue light engulfed Lux, seeped into his body, and its deep vibrations settled directly in his chest. His screams gradually subsided, and his violent tremors diminished. His eyes blurred for a moment, then slowly began to return to normal, and with each breath he took, his consciousness returned to him little by little.
Lux slowly opened his dazed eyes, trembling as if searching for something lost. His breathing was heavy, and his chest was rising and falling. He slowly looked toward Melina, who was standing near him, her eyes filled with worry, and her features drawn tight like a string stretched to the point of snapping.
In a hoarse voice barely audible, he muttered: "...Melina? Are... you alright?"
Melina moved closer, gently placed her hand on his, and said in a trembling voice: "I'm here, Uncle."
A moment of silence fell, and all that could be heard was the crackling of the fire in the corner and the heavy beating of their hearts. Then, suddenly... Lux laughed.
A wounded laugh, rough, tinged with bitterness and longing.
He raised his head toward her, and in his eyes was the longing of the past. He spoke, smiling lightly:
"You've matured, my little girl... You resemble your mother more and more."
Melina's face trembled. She couldn't hold back the tears, and they suddenly flowed from her eyes without permission.
She murmured, almost whispering:
"...Uncle..."
She paused for a moment, trying to steady herself, but her voice betrayed her. She sighed painfully and continued:
"It was my fault... If I had been stronger, you wouldn't have had to fight so many beasts… and... you wouldn't have had to devour all those jewels to become stronger."
Lux was surprised for a second, then burst into laughter again, this time louder, hoarse, as though the laugh itself was bringing something buried deep within him to the surface:
"Haha... If there's any nobler honor in my life, it's to protect the Princess of the Flareen... the last spark of the promised flame."
He slowly lifted his head, his eyes burning with pride.
Then, in a quieter, warmer voice, he continued:
"As for hunting the beasts... that was my will. It wasn't just for you, but also... to keep my promise."
Lux smiled widely, full of pride and honor:
"I promised your father, didn't I? I've always been loyal to that promise, and I couldn't go back on it. Even if I had to tear myself apart for it."
He then looked at Melina, whose tears were now flowing fiercely, but he showed no regret. He continued in a calmer, stronger tone:
"I always considered you... like my daughter, and you... are the Princess of the Flareen, the last remnants of a flame that will never die. Everything I did, and everything I will do, is because I promised your father that I would protect you, so do not feel regret."
He was silent for a few seconds, then gently placed his giant hand on her head as if trying to calm the girl who had matured before his eyes. Before she could respond, he continued with a voice filled with strength and resilience:
"You are now more than just a little girl in my eyes... You are a princess, and you are the last hope of the heavenly Flareen clan. So do not cry, Melina. This path has always been yours."
Lux fell silent for a moment, then gently pushed Melina away from his body as if something was rising deep within him. He started panting, his chest heaving violently, while his eyes began to redden little by little as if an internal flame had awakened inside him.
The sound of black chains tightening and groaning under the pressure of his giant arms filled the cave, and then... he pulled them forcefully, causing the surrounding rocks to crack as if they were nothing.
Lux stood slowly, his imposing body like that of an ancient warrior, his height reaching the cave's ceiling, and the muscles on his body tensed like iron under the firelight, bearing scars of countless battles.
Then his voice erupted in a deafening roar, deep, as if carved from the heart of the mountains:
"Melina Flareen... Princess of the Flareen Clan, the promised flame!"
Lux paused for a moment, the fire blazing in his eyes, before continuing in his booming voice, which echoed throughout the cave:
"Granddaughter of Dominus Flareen, the Heavenly Hunter of the First Flame... and daughter of Altos Flareen, the Heavenly Hunter of the Great Promised Flame, heir of the iron will..."
He raised his arms to the sky, as though invoking a glory buried for years, and shouted with a mighty, powerful voice:
"You must feel pride! You must feel strength! You must not cry!"
Then, all of a sudden, he collapsed onto one knee before her, placing his massive fist on the ground, while his head slowly lowered toward the cracked floor.
His voice emerged this time softly, but it was charged with emotion that shook the very rocks:
"I, Lux Flareen, the Heavy Hunter, the last follower of the Flareen Clan... swear my loyalty to you again, my princess."