The Phantom of Thulé. Anna smiled when she heard her title.
— So you know what her power is? The paladin asked, disengaging his attack on Gael. Gael did not complain. Cornered for several minutes, he badly needed this respite. Leaning on his huge hammer, he turned his attention to his archer friend, also shocked by what had just happened.
No one knew Anna's power. Gael thought it was mastery of archery. Esper imagined she erased her presence. Samuel and Yùjīn guessed elemental mana mastery, because the archer had a varied arsenal of arrows with interesting effects. Cristina believed in a physical enhancement. The opposing company shared similar theories. Were they all wrong?
— My guardian told me, Malick finally revealed.
— …Your guardian… Anna murmured, crestfallen.
— During the Selection… I wasn't the Thunderbird's first choice. You were.
Both sides gasped in surprise.
— The Phantom was the first pick? Malick's assassin follower asked.
— She wasn't just the Thunderbird's first choice. Actually, a lot of them wanted her. Because even back on Earth, she was already exceptional.
The mahogany-skinned man took a few steps toward the archer, as she still kneeling.
— Her archery skills, her agility, her speed... she already had all of that. You could say she started with a huge advantage over the rest of us.
Malick's voice softened. It wasn't surprising. They weren't fighting out of hatred. In some way, Malick regretted that it had come to this. If circonstances were different, he might've have tried to befriend her. But this was where the gods' whims had led them. With a sigh, he continued.
— The Thunderbird told me many of them wanted to choose her as their avatar. But… most of them gave up. Because their power… couldn't make up for the fact... she was blind.
The crowd stirred, a rising tide of murmurs and exclamations.
— No! No, no way, Gael said. Anna, you can't be blind.
Samuel remained silent at his side. The puzzle pieces were clicking into place in his mind. The twin mage archers rushed toward Malick, visibly agitated.
— What do you mean, blind? asked Chloé.
— So her power… is to see again? added her sister Zoé.
— Seems like it, Malick confirmed.
The Phantom of Thulé, blind? How could anyone believe it?
Esper, meanwhile, was lost in the weight of that revelation.
'If her power is to see,' she thought, 'then that means… all this time, Anna survived even though she didn't get a proper power!'
Anna sighed again. Even though everyone was misled to believe her power was one of sight when her Gift was in fact not as disadvantagious as they imagined, she could guess what was on everyone's mind.
She'd always known the truth would eventually come out. She was surprised it had stayed hidden for this long.
— So, the Thunderbird wanted me as its avatar? she asked, standing up slowly.
— That's right.
— Did he tell you why?
— Like I said… apparently, you were already different. Even back on Earth.
— That's it?
Anna needed time. She had relied so much on her Gift to perceive the Aether… Yet the true feel of magic was still etched into her bones. After a moment, she could finally sense it around her. Weaker than before, but still there.
— Did he tell you how many wanted me? she asked, her mind elsewhere.
But her face remained impassive, like a mask. In her mind field, she was shaping an arrow. Slowly awakening her dormant control on mana. Once she crafted one, the motion became natural again.
'Magic… is like riding a bike. You never really forget.'
She couldn't use the ambient Aether to form her arrow, Malick would feel it. So she had to do something reckless. She had to shape the weapon inside with her mana.
It wasn't efficient. The energy it cost her was fourteen times higher than drawing from the natural energies. But she pushed herself, draining every drop of magic left inside her body. She would soon reach her limits. After this shot, she'd barely have enough left for a few more.
For now, she just gathered mana without releasing it. The moment she started to manifest the arrow, Malick would sense it. She had to be ready. The arrow would have to be shaped instantly and fired in the same second. That was her only chance.
— He told you he didn't choose me because I was blind? Is that what he said? Do you know who did choose me? Do you know why they chose me? Even though I was blind?
— …Why?
Anna laughed. It had been a long time since she'd used sound archery. But she'd never lost her hearing. Over the past year, she'd done everything to preserve it, even improve it. And it had paid off. Even without her power, she could still hear Malick.
— Your Thunderbird doesn't seem that scary. Because, you see…
The aura from the arrow instantly put Malick on alert. The electromancer raised his guard, to intercept it, but it was too late.
The projectile contained more strength that Anna ever revealed to him and crossed the distance in a fraction of a second. Malick slightly shifted, but couldn't dodge it.
The impact launched him through the lattice walls and into the depth of the Palace.
— Malick! cried Zoé and Chloé at the same time.
Kacper growled and lunged at Anna, determined to finish her off.
— Keep dreaming! snapped Gael, raising his hammer.
Esper and Samuel readed their spells toward him simultaneously . But they did not even have time to launch them. A silent arrow struck his thigh first. Then another!
Anna fired relentlessly, using her last forces to generate weak arrows, but it didn't matter. Kacper didn't have a protective aura like Malick. And Anna could hear him very well. His grunts and the ricochets of her arrows against his armor, she kept tracking and spray him with shafts.
— Who said I need to see! she roared.