Chapter 15 - The Dark Secret of Hokuto's Birth

Close to the conclusion of the initial completion of the , Hokuto had already become very aware of her new living arrangements. For reasons unknown to her, her room had been secured more tightly, since the [Rose Sword Saint] still refused to stay close to the castle during times when Hokuto was not being trained. During these tumultuous times, Hokuto's curiosity about the Leyline Geysers was rapidly increasing.

She really wanted to see one up close despite knowing the dangers.

"You are really crazy," Queen Tyris reprimanded her the moment Hokuto expressed her desires. "I know you have been training hard and have the confidence to see the Leyline Geyser up close without fear of injury. However, the force can't be underestimated. I don't want anything bad happening to you!"

Truth to be told, there was something that Hokuto was born with that for safety reasons, King Ren and Queen Tyris didn't explain yet to her as they were told at her birth that her condition wouldn't be realized short of a freak accident. Even though she has no magic circuits, Queen Tyris who married into the North Blossom Kingdom's Royal Family possessed the bloodline of an Infernal Wyvern, which was a high class demonic creature.

Queen Tyris was the result of some... particularly strange circumstances which are better off not being described. Regardless, due to her demonic beast bloodline, Hokuto also inherited a non-negligible amount of it. Unfortunately, due to her being the result of a typical union between man and woman, this resulted in Hokuto being born with something that could be triggered by excess exposure to worldly energy.

This type of phenomenon had no formal name, at least, it was something that hadn't been written in medical records at any point in history. The presence of this condition totally crippled Hokuto's chances at magical practice - the Infernal Wyvern bloodline residing in her body made sure of that, however her physical aptitudes and her senses were all heightened. Unfortunately, this had the added side effect of making Hokuto more susceptible to dark corruption - by nature, the Infernal Wyvern was evil.

King Ren was aware of this, which was why the moment he had suspicions about the resurgence of the Abyss Temple, he had Hokuto placed under surveillance. Hokuto no longer enjoyed freedom even in the comforts of her own castle. If the Abyss Temple or any of their zealots got their hands on her, they would have the ultimate vessel for Absalom.

If Hokuto were to get slammed by the eruption of a Leyline Geyser, Hokuto would most likely unlock the full power of her bloodline... and thus make her that much more vulnerable to dark suggestion. How could Queen Tyris or King Ren explain any of this to Hokuto? If they wanted to, how could they break the news to her? It was too complex and Hokuto might be too young to handle the news. Not even the [Rose Sword Saint] knew about this.

"There must be a reason why you and father are keeping me away. Won't you tell me?"

Queen Tyris frowned.

King Ren walked into the chambers around this time, having heard Hokuto talk about her intentions to try and see a Leyline Geyser up close. "Out of the question, this matter concerns your health and well-being. Even if you won't physically get hurt, there may be some unforeseen incidents."

King Ren was hinting to Queen Tyris about the possibility of Hokuto's dormant Infernal Wyvern bloodline awakening due to the influence of the Leyline Geyser. "And don't think about sneaking out at night, either. We've got guards all over the castle keeping the place on lock down. If even one of those Abyss Temple bastards try to get their hands on you, I'll kill them myself!" King Ren scowled.

Hokuto felt somewhat warmed by that, even though a different part of her felt incredibly stifled. She was used to having free reign around the castle. Plus, her training was going very well. As she was approaching initial completion of the , her body was growing at an accelerated speed.

Queen Tyris had already seen the changes on Hokuto's body - her lithe form was becoming more and more toned, and her physique could match a thin male athlete's body. Hokuto was no longer having any problems cycling through the exercises and she herself could feel her skin being able to feel the breeze of the worldly energy brushing along it. It was at this point that her skepticism towards the was beginning to lessen.

However, Hokuto was still perplexed about one thing - why had it been so easy for her to feel these changes? Surely if others had this amazing Body Art they could replicate the same results as her? And how did Astraea succeed in it where hundreds and thousands of people failed? It made no sense. Unbeknownst to Hokuto though, the circumstances of her hidden bloodline and the origins of her mother were the reason why her body was naturally enhanced to the extent the actually helped more than it helped Astraea.

If the [Rose Sword Saint] were to learn about this, she would no longer be surprised that Hokuto was adjusting to the 's set of exercises so well.

"I am going to rest, then." Hokuto sighed and shrugged as she left the chambers and ran off to her own room.

King Ren and Queen Tyris simply looked at each other in silence. They both understood - sooner or later, Hokuto would find out the dark secret behind her birth.