Lin asked, "Then... What about you and your sister? What kind of blessing do you have?"
Elenius replied calmly, "We inherited our blessing from our parents. It runs through our bloodline."
Lin's curiosity deepened. "So… how exactly does a blessing work?"
Elenius leaned back slightly, thinking. "To be honest, we still don't know the true source of blessings—or how they came to exist in the first place.
"But a blessing… It's like a spiritual fingerprint. It defines the shape of your energy—whether it's mana, aura, or something else—and influences how your power manifests in the world. But emotions... emotions are the real fuel. They can amplify your power—or shatter it.
"A blessing can evolve. It can form a domain called the Soul Mirror—a manifestation of your spirit. Some can even take physical form, becoming an Embodiment. But all of that depends on the user's will, control, and resonance."
He glanced at Lin.
"Blessings can also allow you to fuse techniques together—to create something new."
Lin's eyes narrowed with interest. "What about… inscribing things into the blessing? I heard something about that."
Elenius's tone grew serious. "That's called Forced Inscription. It's a forbidden technique. You engrave powerful abilities directly into the core of your blessing—but at a terrible cost. Each inscription leaves a permanent crack in the core. Over time, those cracks erode its essence."
He looked Lin straight in the eye.
"Eventually, the blessing becomes unstable. It might ignore your commands—or activate on its own. In severe cases, the user enters a state called Blessing Frenzy, losing control completely as the blessing overtakes their body and mind. It's power... but a dangerous kind. Only those prepared to lose everything dare use it."
Lin fell silent for a moment, processing everything. Then he asked,
"Can someone have more than one blessing?"
Elenius shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I've never seen it, but I wouldn't say it's impossible."
A grin tugged at Lin's lips. "You seem to know a lot. How old are you?"
Elenius laughed lightly. "Fifty. Still young, right?"
Lin blinked in shock. "You're kidding."
With a chuckle, Elenius added, "You've asked me a lot of questions… but you haven't told me about your blessing yet."
Lin looked away. "I don't have one."
Elenius placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, brother-in-law. If you work hard, it'll come."
Lin smiled faintly. "Then... can you teach me how to be strong like you, Elenius? I want to impress my wife."
Elenius grinned. "Of course. I'll help you."
Elenius continued, "But how about starting with our clan's techniques? They don't rely on blessings—you can begin learning them now."
He added, "But first, we need to activate your serpent blood. You're not originally from our clan, but you carry the soul of Vasthera the Snake. That's enough."
Elenius calmly drew a sharp breath, then made a small cut across his palm. Blood welled up—deep red and steady. He gathered it in his other hand, channeling mana into it. The energy pulsed softly, swirling until it formed a small glowing sphere above his palm.
"Focus," he told Lin, voice low but firm.
The orb suddenly ignited with a pale white flame. It didn't flicker or scorch—it burned silently, like it existed outside normal fire.
Lin blinked, unsettled. "Is it safe?"
Elenius didn't reply with words. Instead, he turned to one of the nearby maids, created another sphere, and handed it to her. She swallowed it calmly—and remained standing, serene, unchanged.
Only then did Elenius glance back with a faint smirk.
"Still worried?"
Lin swallowed his own. He won't kill me… not if the queen didn't, he thought.
Suddenly, Lin's blood stirred. His muscles tightened, and his eyes began to turn blue.
Elenius said, "Try to control your body. Don't relax until your body gives out from exhaustion."
Lin's face turned red. His eyes glowed an intense blue.
Damn… this thing is burning me from the inside!
The serpent spirit within him flared—its eyes glowing from within his soul.
"I… I can breathe now—"
Elenius suddenly attacked, forcing Lin to dodge.
Elenius observed calmly. "Good. Your eyes are awakened. Now deactivate them—then activate them again."
Lin's eyes shifted—black, then back to blue.
Elenius nodded. "Now we can start the real training. Do you see my hand? Focus your mana into it—your poison will begin to flow from your palm. Watch—this is red poison. Now… I'll shape it into a shield."
He formed a red, glossy shield on his arm, then shifted it into a sharp edge.
"Now turn your hand into a blade—and strike."
Elenius slashed a snow-covered tree. It broke instantly, its trunk blackened with venom.
"Now let me show you what a blessing can do," he added.
His blood turned white-red, then ignited like sacred fire. With a single swing of his hand, white flames erupted—cutting through a hundred trees, burning them to ash in seconds.
Lin's thoughts raced.
Shit. He's too strong… I need to be careful around him.
Elenius gestured to Lin. "Now, try it yourself."
Lin focused, gathering his mana while activating his eye. A dark venom shimmered to life on his palm—black and dense like tar. He slashed forward, and the tree in front of him snapped in two, melting from the inside as poison corroded its trunk.
Elenius raised an eyebrow, then smiled.
"You learned it on the first try? Impressive. You're not just talented—you're elite."
Suddenly, a faint rustle.
Footsteps.
Without hesitation, Elenius turned and sent two blinding slashes of white fire toward the sound.
A figure emerged from the mist—Oriliana. Calm and unreadable, she raised one hand. The slashes vanished on contact, absorbed into her aura like sparks into snow.
Lin instinctively froze, tension stiffening his spine.
Oriliana's voice was cold. "What are you two doing?"
Elenius replied with a relaxed smile. "Training my brother-in-law."
Without another word, Oriliana walked up to Lin, lifted him effortlessly, and placed him over her shoulder.
"Announce the Nivara meeting to the princess," she said to her brother. "And prepare for the trip."
Elenius nodded respectfully.
"Understood, sister."
He waved toward Lin with a smirk.
"Safe trip."
Lin said nothing, forcing his expression to remain neutral.
I can't make a move now… if I act recklessly, Elenius might suspect me.
For now… I'll endure. But one day, your whole clan will pay for what you've done.