Chapter 100 - More Than One Talent

Chapter 100: 100 - More Than One Talent

Adrien kept Absolute Mana Sense fixed on the remains of the Ancient Tree for several more seconds. Nothing answered him. The concentrated signature that had filled the chamber was gone, and the roots spread through the walls and ceiling had become inert.

Only then did he relax his grip on Umbral Root and allow the item to demanifest. The dark casting focus dissolved into mana, ending its continuous drain. Adrien also released [Winter’s Reach], and the oppressive cold that had covered the entire chamber finally began to recede.

The aftermath looked worse now that nothing was moving. Ice covered most of the ancient garden, layered across ruined buildings, shattered roots and the bodies of Barklings that had frozen where they stood. Broken sections of the Ancient Tree were scattered across the chamber, while the enormous hole left by Adrien’s final attack exposed the interior of its ruined torso.

Among the splintered wood, the Heartroot Crystals remained intact. Clusters of yellow-brown crystal protruded from the corpse and surrounding roots, their muted golden sheen still visible beneath the frost. Some were partially buried inside the body, while others had grown in thick formations along the network feeding it.

Adrien looked away from them and immediately headed toward Amelia.

Lucien was still unconscious, lying where Amelia had treated him. The blood on his clothes remained, but the wounds themselves had been closed. His chest had returned to its normal shape, and his breathing was deep and steady instead of the shallow, uneven breaths from before.

"How is he?"

Amelia lowered her hands from Lucien’s torso. "He’s alright. He’s exhausted and he’ll probably hurt when he wakes up, but the dangerous injuries are dealt with. He just needs time."

Adrien sat down beside them, the fatigue finally catching up with him now that he no longer needed to maintain several things at once. His arms felt heavy, and the concentration required during the final minutes of the fight had left his head unpleasantly dull.

Amelia studied him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Adrien leaned back against a section of broken stone. "Just exhausted. After doing all of that, I think I’ve earned a few minutes."

Amelia reached for one of their bags and offered him a bottle of water. "Then rest."

Adrien accepted it and drank several long mouthfuls before looking back toward the Ancient Tree. "I don’t think that thing was supposed to be here. Vael didn’t mention anything close to this."

"No." Amelia followed his gaze. "Grandfather wouldn’t forget to mention a monster like that. Especially when he knew we were coming here for the crystals."

"We’ll ask him when we get back." Adrien let Absolute Mana Sense spread through the surrounding ruins once more. There were signatures farther away, but nothing dangerous was approaching their chamber. "For now, we can stay here. I don’t feel anything nearby. We’re safe enough until Lucien wakes up."

Amelia nodded and settled beside him. Silence returned while Adrien rested and the ice around them slowly began to thaw. Small droplets formed along the walls, and water started running between cracks in the stone. Every so often, he caught Amelia looking toward him before turning her attention back to Lucien.

He knew what she was thinking. She had seen everything.

Adrien could have ignored it and waited until she asked, but Amelia didn’t. She seemed to have learned from the mistakes they’d made earlier in their relationship. She didn’t demand an explanation or treat his silence as something she was entitled to break.

After several minutes, Adrien spoke first.

"Can I tell you something?"

Amelia looked toward him, clearly surprised by the sudden question. "What is it?"

Adrien considered the simplest way to explain it. "On the day I awakened, during my evaluation, I don’t think the device could properly contain everything it was trying to read."

Amelia frowned slightly. "What do you mean? That the result was wrong? It didn’t show your Path and talents properly?"

"Not completely." Adrien rested the bottle beside him. "I don’t actually have one SSS talent. I have three. And my Path isn’t a normal Path either. It’s a Unique Path."

For a moment, Amelia didn’t react at all. Then both hands rose toward her mouth as she stared at him.

"Three?"

"Three."

"And a Unique Path?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah. That probably answers a few questions you’ve had."

Amelia lowered her hands slowly. "That’s..."

"Incredible?"

"That’s a good word for it." She was still looking at him as though she needed another moment to process the information. "I’ve never heard of anyone having three SSS talents. And I don’t even know what a Unique Path is supposed to mean in practice."

Her expression changed slightly. "Does my grandfather know?"

"No. You’re the only person I’ve told."

That answer affected her more than the revelation itself. A quiet warmth spread through Amelia’s chest. Adrien had trusted her with something no one else knew, and she understood enough about him to know that the decision mattered. She didn’t try to turn it into anything larger. She simply held onto the feeling for a moment.

Adrien continued. "Although I think my mother, Ariane and probably a few others already suspect something doesn’t add up. It’s difficult not to notice eventually."

He looked toward the destroyed chamber. "Even now, after everything I just used, I feel like I could still fight all-out for maybe another thirty seconds if I absolutely had to. That’s part of why I can handle so many spells, and why using different Affinities and Aspects as a Mage is possible for me."

Amelia slowly nodded. "Yeah... that explains a lot of things I’ve been wondering about."

She looked toward the enormous corpse again, then back at Adrien. There were clearly more questions in her head now than before, but she didn’t ask them, and Adrien appreciated that.

Several minutes passed before movement beside Amelia caught their attention. Lucien’s fingers twitched first, followed by a quiet groan as his eyes slowly opened. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, disoriented, then turned his head toward them.

"What happened?" His voice was rough from exhaustion. He blinked once and added, completely serious, "Did I kill it?"