Chapter 289: The Great Rule.

The next few minutes after Kael’s announcement descended into a kind of chaos that even he struggled to explain.

Lyra stared at him as though she hadn’t properly understood what he had just said. Then, as the meaning finally sank in, her eyes widened, and she immediately bombarded him with questions.

"Really? You found a way? How? What did you find? Is it something that can actually wake them up? Are you sure it’ll work?"

Before Kael could answer one question, she was already asking another. Her excitement only grew as she spoke, and soon, her questions were mixed with expressions of gratitude, disbelief, and more questions that barely gave him room to respond.

"Thank you, Kael! Seriously, thank you! I knew you’d find a way, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon. When can we do it? Can we go now? Do we need to prepare anything?"

Kael sat there, watching her with a slightly helpless expression.

Of course, he understood why she was reacting this way. Their mother had been unconscious for years. All that time, Lyra had watched and waited, hoping that one day things would finally change. Even when she tried to stay strong, the weight of their mother’s condition had never truly left her.

And although Ezra hadn’t been unconscious for nearly as long, her condition had also weighed heavily on Lyra. She cared about her friend, and watching someone else she cherished suffer while being unable to do much about it had only added to her worries.

Now, after all that time, Kael had finally told her that both of them could be healed.

How could she possibly remain calm?

Kael let her excitement run its course for a little longer before finally raising a hand.

"All right, calm down. Take a breath."

Lyra stopped talking and looked at him, though the excitement in her eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

"Finish your food first. I’ll go upstairs and get everything ready."

Lyra opened her mouth immediately, clearly intending to tell him that she wasn’t hungry anymore and would rather go with him right away. However, she stopped herself before the words came out.

She had been waiting for years.

What difference would a few more minutes make?

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to settle down and nodded.

"Okay."

Kael smiled faintly before getting up from his seat.

"Good. I’ll see you upstairs."

With that, he left the kitchen and began making his way up the stairs.

By the time he reached their mother’s room, Varek was already waiting inside. Kael had instructed him to go there while he was still eating, so it wasn’t surprising to find him standing beside the bed.

The moment Kael entered, Varek turned toward him and bowed respectfully.

"Varek greets Master."

Kael nodded in acknowledgment.

He didn’t waste time on unnecessary pleasantries. Instead, he reached into his Inventory and retrieved the transparent vial containing the Spring of Life.

The magical liquid inside shimmered faintly, filling the vial with a gentle radiance that made it look almost unreal. Even through the transparent glass, the dense vitality contained within was unmistakable.

Kael handed it to Varek.

Varek accepted the vial carefully. His eyes remained fixed on its contents for several seconds, and for once, even his usually composed expression revealed a hint of surprise.

"This really is the Spring of Life."

He turned the vial slightly, examining the liquid inside.

"I can’t believe Master actually managed to get his hands on one of these."

Kael nodded.

Of course, he had already confirmed its authenticity before making the purchase. Aurelius wasn’t someone he expected to trick him, especially when there was little reason for such a powerful merchant to do so. Nevertheless, Kael had still used his Eye of Judgment to examine the item, just in case there was anything suspicious about it.

The results had confirmed what Aurelius told him.

It was the real thing.

Kael looked at Varek.

"Do you think this will be enough to wake her up?"

Although he knew how potent the Spring of Life was supposed to be, he couldn’t quite suppress the unease sitting in his chest. He’d spent too many years regretting his inability to save his mother in his previous life, and even now, with the solution seemingly within reach, part of him remained afraid something might still go wrong.

Of everyone who knew about their mother’s condition, Varek understood it best. He’d examined her thoroughly and grasped the extent of the damage far more clearly than Kael did.

Varek looked at the vial once more before answering confidently.

"Of course. Not only will it be enough to wake her up, but I believe it may provide some additional benefits as well."

Kael’s eyebrows rose slightly.

"Additional benefits?"

Varek nodded.

"The Spring of Life contains an extremely high concentration of pure Vitality. Given its potency, I believe it could do more than simply replenish what your mother has lost. There’s a possibility that it could even restore her crippled cultivation."

Kael froze.

"What?"

He stared at Varek, making sure he had heard correctly.

He remembered Varek mentioning that their mother’s cultivation had been crippled when he examined her condition some time ago. At the time, Kael hadn’t paid much attention to it. Varek had explained that restoring it would be difficult, and Kael had been far more concerned with finding a way to treat her condition and wake her from her unconscious state.

Compared to those immediate concerns, her cultivation had seemed like a secondary matter.

But now, Varek was telling him that the Spring of Life might solve both problems.

Not only could it restore the Vitality she had lost and bring her back to consciousness, but it might also repair the damage that had crippled her cultivation.

That was an outcome Kael hadn’t even considered.

He looked at the vial in Varek’s hand, his thoughts moving rapidly.

If it could really accomplish all that, then the price he had paid for it was more than justified.

After a moment, another thought crossed his mind.

"Wait. If it’s that effective, what about you? Would taking it help restore your cultivation too?"

Varek paused.

Then he shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I don’t believe it would be of much use to me."

Kael frowned.

"Why not?"

"Our conditions are different."

Varek lowered his gaze toward the vial before continuing.

"Your mother’s cultivation was crippled by injuries to her mana core and channels. Although the damage is severe, it’s still something that can potentially be repaired."

He paused briefly.

"My condition, however, is different. It is the result of using my ability, Rewrite, to alter my fate after death. In doing so, I forced myself to cross a boundary that should never have been crossed. Returning from death came at a price, and the restrictions placed upon me are far greater than ordinary injuries or damage to my cultivation."

Kael listened silently.

"Even if the Spring of Life possesses enough Vitality to restore my body, that may not be enough to reverse the consequences of what I did. And even if it could somehow accomplish that, I suspect the Great Rule would intervene before the restrictions could be removed."

Kael’s expression grew complicated.

"What a shame."

He couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

If Varek could recover his former cultivation and return to the peak of his strength, Kael’s position would improve considerably. With someone like Varek at his side, he would have far greater confidence in facing the dangers that awaited him, especially when it came to the enemies connected to his parents.

Unfortunately, things weren’t that simple.

Still, Kael wasn’t going to dwell on it.

He would simply have to find another way to help Varek in the future.

For now, there were more immediate matters to deal with.

Kael looked at Varek thoughtfully.

"By the way, Varek, what’s this Great Rule you mentioned?"