Chapter 107-End of trial

Chapter 107: 107-End of trial

For thirty minutes, the trial grounds remained trapped beneath the blood-red storm.

It was thirty minutes of thunder, screaming and ancient magic deciding which sins deserved punishment and which could be forgiven.

By the end of it, Maisa no longer knew how she was still conscious. She lay on the cold stone at the center of the trial circle, her white robe soaked and stained, her body trembling with exhaustion. Her fingers curled weakly against the ground as she tried to convince herself that the pain was over. It was.

The blood rain had stopped several minutes ago but her body hadn’t understood that yet.

Every nerve still seemed to remember the burning. Every breath brought back the sensation of the blood touching her skin and the unbearable agony that had followed.

It had felt as though the pain had been magnified a hundred thousand times, leaving no room in her mind for anything else. Even now, when there was nothing touching her, she could almost feel it again.

Maisa squeezed her eyes shut. ’It’s over, Maisa,’ she repeated it silently in her heart. "It’s over."

Above them, the enormous crimson clouds began to unravel. The darkness slowly thinned instantly, the red lightning disappeared and the seven pillars dimmed one after another until the ancient ruins became nothing more than ruins again.

The trial circle lost its glow as the magic was gone. The red veins stopped pulsing and the air around them still led as it was before the trial started.

A strange silence settled over the grounds and Maisa exhaled shakily. "I am free."

The moment she realized that, a tremendous weight seemed to leave her chest.

She had survived. She was still alive and the blood trial had ended. Now, she understood why the mention of the Blood trial had the students and professor in panic. She never wanted to give anyone a reason to sentence her to experience that nightmare ever again.

But before she could even attempt to stand, someone dropped to her side.

"Maisa," Lumi came over.

The blueblood dropped to her knees beside Maisa, concern written plainly across her face. She reached toward her, then hesitated, as though unsure whether touching her was safe.

Her own white robes remained impossibly clean. Not a single crimson stain marred the fabric. They were as white as fresh sheets, untouched despite having stood beneath the same blood rain that had drenched everyone else.

Maisa, however, was a completely different sight. Her robes were saturated with crimson from collar to hem. Her hair and skin were covered in droplets of the strange blood rain, making her look as though she had been painted for her guilt by the trial itself.

She remained frozen, expecting the cold weight of the water to cling to her body but it didn’t.

The moisture began disappearing almost instantly. Her hair, skin and robes dried. Within moments, she was completely dry, as though the blood rain had never soaked her at all except the colour of the blood rain remained as evidence.

The crimson staining her clothes didn’t fade with the water. It had somehow become part of the fabric itself, leaving behind a deep, unmistakable red that refused to disappear.

Lumi stared at it and she slowly looked back at Maisa. Her expression changed, concern became confusion and confusion became unease.

It was because the blood rain had clearly judged them differently earlier before changing it’s mind and whatever verdict it had written across Maisa’s clothes, it had chosen not to explain itself.

"How did this happen?"

She didn’t hesitate before she raised her wrist, made a small cut and allowed a single drop of blue blood to form against her skin.

"Drink."

Maisa barely had the strength to argue. She was tired and drained of every bit of energy.

Lumi gently brought her wrist toward Maisa’s lips. "Drink," she whispered.

Maisa’s eyes fixed on the offered wrist. Her throat tightened as the familiar instinct awakened inside her, but this time there was no fear behind it. Lumi was giving her permission. She was choosing to help her.

Maisa slowly wrapped both hands around Lumi’s wrist. Her fingers were still trembling from the trial. She lifted her gaze to Lumi one last time.

Lumi nodded at her to go ahead.

Maisa opened her lips, revealing the sharp points of her fangs. She hesitated for a heartbeat before leaning closer and carefully sinking them into Lumi’s wrist.

The moment she tasted the blood, everything changed. Warmth rushed through her throat and the strength of blue blood rushed through her body.

It wasn’t merely the satisfaction of feeding. Lumi’s blood seemed to carry a deeper and strange familiarity that resonated through the zing between them. It spread from Maisa’s mouth through her veins, chasing away the cold exhaustion left behind by the trial.

Maisa’s eyes fluttered shut. Her grip on Lumi’s wrist tightened slightly as she drank, each swallow restoring another fragment of the strength she had lost.

The trembling in her muscles gradually eased. The heaviness in her limbs began disappearing, and the horrible emptiness inside her slowly filled with warmth.

For several seconds, Maisa simply remained there, drawing strength from the blood Lumi had willingly offered.

Then she slowly withdrew her fangs. She immediately looked at Lumi’s wrist, guilt flashing across her face.

"I’m sorry. I drank more than I should have."

Lumi shook her head. "Don’t be. I am the one who offered and plus, a little draw won’t kill me."

Maisa stared at her. The warmth from Lumi’s blood still coursed through her, but now there was another sensation beneath it. It was the quiet realization that Lumi had trusted her enough to let her feed.

After everything that had happened in the trial, that small act of trust felt enormous.

Maisa lowered Lumi’s hand gently. Her breathing had steadied, her strength was returning and she no longer felt like she was barely holding herself together.

She breathed deeply. "Thank you. You are a lifesaver."

Lumi smiled faintly at her. "Don’t thank me. Just stay conscious."

Across the circle, Kriza, Sophia, and Jane weren’t nearly as fortunate.

They remained sprawled across the stone, their white robes stained dark by the blood rain. They had endured the entire trial without anyone offering them blood afterward, and their bodies had been pushed to their limits.

Several students from the alchemy department hurried into the circle the moment the trial ended.

"Careful!"

"Get them onto their backs."

"Check their pulse."

"Bring the restorative draughts!"

The students surrounded the three girls, administering first aid while professors supervised.

The atmosphere was chaotic, but Maisa barely noticed. Her eyes remained on the ground beneath her.

The trial had been initiated by Varitreya as princess, but it had not received the full royal authorization of the Blood Council and palace. Because of that, its magic had not been allowed to continue indefinitely.

Once the circle deactivated, the accusations tied to the Dark Forest incident were immediately dismissed.

The official crime had been judged and Maisa had survived it. She should have felt victorious but instead, she felt hollow inside.

She slowly pushed herself upright. "Can we leave now, Lumi?"

Lumi nodded. "Yes, of course. We can go back, I’ll walk you to the bus and stay with you until we reach the hotel."