[And it will also be helpful to me,] she added, looking into my eyes. [Since I doubt they will leave you and me alone.]
“Now that we have time, let’s talk. Why do they want your essence?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. There had to be more to this story, something that connected her to the people hunting her.
Vitaliara’s eyes darkened slightly as she settled onto my shoulder, her tail curling around my neck in a way that was oddly comforting. She took a deep breath before beginning her explanation.
[After Gerald and I separated, I didn’t lose hope. Even though I knew he was walking a dangerous path, I believed in him. I wanted to be of use to him, so I sought out a way to grow stronger. In my search, I came across a minor sect in a city called Thornridge. It was known as the Azure Blossom Sect.]
She paused momentarily as if recalling memories from a distant past. [The Azure Blossom Sect was a Unique ranked sect. It wasn’t large or particularly powerful, but it had a reputation for cultivating rare and unusual techniques, and its highest-ranked technique was a Unique-Grade cultivation technique. I allied myself with them, offering my protection in exchange for their resources and knowledge.]
I nodded, understanding her reasoning for a powerful creature like Vitaliara; such an alliance made sense. It would have allowed her to gain strength while also providing the sect with a guardian unlike any other.
[For years, I served as their guardian,] she continued. [The sect prospered under my protection. We grew in influence, and even though we were small, we held our own against the larger sects in the region. Everything seemed stable until about two years ago.]
Her voice grew heavy, and I could sense the pain behind her words. [Two years ago, I suddenly lost my powers. The strength that I had always relied on vanished, leaving me weakened and vulnerable. It was as if a part of me had died.]
I frowned, sensing what she was implying. “That was when…”
It was when Master had left this world…..In the hands of Alexander.
[Yes,] she interrupted, nodding solemnly. [That was when Gerald died. When he left this world, our bond was severed, and with it, the source of much of my strength. I didn’t know it at the time, but his death had a profound effect on me, more than I could have ever imagined.]
‘I see….So at that time, because Master had died, his familiar also got her fair share….It makes sense….’
I thought to myself.
[With my powers gone, the Azure Blossom Sect began to decline. The protection I had provided was no longer there, and without it, we became vulnerable. It wasn’t long before another sect, the Crimson Serpent Sect, saw an opportunity.]
Her eyes narrowed, and I could see the anger and betrayal burning within them. [One night, the Crimson Serpent Sect attacked us. They struck without warning, and in the chaos, I realized that half of the Azure Blossom Sect’s elders had betrayed us. They had been promised positions of power within the Crimson Serpent Sect if they could capture me.]
“They wanted your essence…”
[Yes,] Vitaliara confirmed, her voice tinged with bitterness. [My essence is valuable, a source of immense power. Even in my weakened state, it holds a significant amount of energy that could be harnessed for cultivation or other dark purposes. They betrayed us for the promise of power, selling out their own sect to the enemy.]
“I see….”
It was an understandable choice….After all, with the power of the sect getting lower and lower, there was no reason for the Elders not to make that decision.
From the logical aspect, it was understandable.
‘But understandable does not mean excusable.’
For people to betray their own for just a mere benefit…..It made me churn my stomach.
‘I can understand it.’
At that time, when I was sent to the battlefield without ever being listened to, I felt the same. How unfair it was….
And until I die, I will never forget that feeling.
Vitaliara’s story wasn’t just about betrayal; it was about survival, about clinging to hope even when everything else seemed lost. She continued her tale, her voice steady but laced with the pain of her past.
[After I was betrayed, I knew I couldn’t stay in the sect. They had made their choice, and I couldn’t allow myself to be captured and used by those who only saw me as a tool.] Vitaliara paused, the memories weighing heavily on her. [So, I escaped. I used what little power I had left and fled from Thornridge.
Since it was close to the border of the Lorian Empire, I knew it was better for me to head somewhere beyond the Crimson Serpent Sect’s influence.]
I nodded, understanding her logic. The Crimson Serpent Sect was powerful, but their reach would have been limited once Vitaliara crossed into another territory.
[That’s why I entered the Shadowed Thicket,] she continued. [I thought I could lose them there, that the dangers of the forest would deter them from following me too closely. But… I was unlucky.]
She sighed, her voice tinged with regret. [In the process of escaping, I encountered a powerful monster. It was a creature of immense strength, far beyond anything I had expected to face in my weakened state. The battle left me gravely injured, and I couldn’t move further. I had no choice but to find a place to heal, to recover enough to continue my escape.]
I could imagine the desperation she must have felt, running for her life only to be brought down by the very dangers she had hoped would protect her. But she was resourceful, and even in that dire situation, she found a way to survive.
[Since Gerald’s death, my ability to recover mana has been severely limited,] Vitaliara explained. [Without a contractor, I can’t draw on my powers as easily as before. But I was fortunate enough to find this cave. It provided me with shelter, a place where I could rest and slowly heal myself.]
I looked around the cave, now understanding its significance. It wasn’t just a hiding place; it was a sanctuary for Vitaliara, a place where she had been able to cling to life despite the odds against her.
[For the past two years, I’ve been here, recovering as best as I could,] she said softly. [But it’s been slow. Without my full powers, I couldn’t heal as quickly as I needed to, and the danger of being found always loomed over me.]
I could feel the weight of her words, the exhaustion that came from fighting for survival every single day. She had been through so much, yet she had never given up. She had kept going, kept fighting, even when the odds were stacked against her. freёwebnovel.com
“And now we’re here,” I said quietly, acknowledging the journey that had brought us both to this moment.
[Yes,] she replied, her voice steady once more. [Though I do not…]
Just as she was about to continue, I raised my hand, gently interrupting her.
“There’s no need for that.”
[What?] Vitaliara looked at me, surprised by my sudden interjection.
“You were mostly going to say something along the lines of not wanting to push the responsibility of your own actions onto me because I saved you, right?”
Vitaliara hesitated, her eyes widening slightly, but then she nodded, confirming my words.
[That’s exactly what I was going to say,] she admitted, her voice softer now, as if she wasn’t sure how I would respond.
A small smile crept onto my face as I met her gaze. “Vitaliara, from the moment you made a contract with me and taught me how to control the Fire of Life, our fates became intertwined. We’re in this together now, whether we like it or not.”
She blinked, processing my words, but before she could respond, I continued.
“I’m not someone who would ignore the people I care about when they’re in a difficult situation. I know what it feels like to be helpless, to have no one to rely on when everything is falling apart.”
The memories of my past, of being abandoned and sent to the battlefield without a second thought, flashed through my mind. That feeling of helplessness, of being discarded—it was something I would never forget, and I couldn’t stand if I was the one doing the same thing to another.
Even the thought of that made my stomach churn. The fact that I would be the same as the people I hated the most….
It was disgusting.
“Besides,” I added, my smile growing a bit wider, “you’ve already helped me in more ways than you realize. Without your guidance, I wouldn’t have been able to harness the Fire of Life, and I am sure I will get a lot of help from you in the future as well.”
I slowly brought my hand to her head, slowly patting her. She somehow looked cute with her prideful attitude gone.
“So, if you want something from me, you do not need to keep it to yourself.”
At that, Vitaliara looked at me and purred under my touch.
[Then…..If you don’t mind….Can you possibly save my people from Crimson Serpent Sect?]
“It will be my pleasure.”
*******
As she heard this, Vitaliara could not help but look at Lucavion, who had a smile on his face.
‘You…..really have a knack for making a lady’s heart beat…..’
———————–
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