Before concluding that meeting, Yorin asks Adonis if he would not perform spiritual recognition of who those present really were, whether they were truly descendants of the kings of Tenai, Adonis' ability would reveal everything, including what powers they may have if they really were.
Adonis looked at Yorin briefly before answering, recognizing the validity of questioning doing the spiritual recognition on the visitors, especially Draka, who seemed eager to learn more about herself. However, he was reluctant to invade the privacy of his new guests without Hadon's direct permission.
"Yorin, I understand your curiosity, but they are Hadon's guests. We must respect the trust he placed in them by inviting them here," Adonis carefully explained, seeking to balance Yorin's curiosity with respect for the guests' privacy.
However, Draka, spurred on by the stories and revelations of the morning, and moved by a deep desire to find any clue that could help in the search for her mother, took the initiative. She gently took Adonis' hand in hers and looked into his eyes with an expression of hope and determination. "Adonis, I really need to know. Please see if I have any special abilities. It could help find my mother," Draka asked politely, her voice trembling with the mix of nerves and anticipation.
Adonis at first refuses, saying it would be rude if he looked inside the spirits of Hadon's guests. Kal, who could no longer access his spiritual sanctuary, thought that perhaps Adonis' ability, which was very similar to the magic Suzannah had taught Tiberius, could bring him answers about what was happening to him after receiving Spartan's blow inside the mausoleum.
Then he stood up, after a long time downcast and pale, Kal expressed a look of courage and determination asking Adonis to use his abilities on him. Seeing Kal's attitude, the others did not oppose testing the spirits of those who had arrived and Adonis could not deny it for long. In the great hall, under the light of an overcast dawn, Adonis finally gave in to Kal's request, moved by the look of determination he had shown. Everyone in the room felt the atmosphere change; Kal's decision to ask for help brought a new energy to the environment.
Adonis, with a sigh of acceptance, looked at Kal and said, "Very well, if this is what you want, I will do it." Meanwhile, Sahara, who until then had been discreetly observing, could not help but notice the change in Kal's expression. She whispered to Adonis, lightly touching his arm, "There is no denying it!" Her soft voice and touch encouraged Adonis to proceed with the spiritual check, recognizing the importance of that moment not just for Kal, but for all of them.
The Leader of the Seed of Kings then invited everyone to gather around as he used his ability on those who had arrived, they all sat in a large circle while Adonis sat in the center, he called the first to be tested, Eron. Eron who clearly was uncomfortable there, sits before Adonis to be tested; he saw all of this as futility, unnecessary work since, even if he had powers, he had no intention of using them, as he wants more than anyone a peaceful, quiet life.
Everyone in the circle watched attentively as Adonis began the revelation about Eron. The green light emitted from Adonis' palm illuminated Eron's serious face, who, despite his initial reluctance, now seemed to accept the process with a resigned calm.
Adonis, after confirming Eron's lack of innate abilities, continued, his voice echoing with an authority that captured everyone's attention: "Eron, son of Lao, your intelligence is latent, but there are no traces of the kings' blood, you do not possess innate abilities..." The revelation, although expected by Eron, brought a thoughtful silence to the group.
Eron merely nodded, a slight smile on his lips. He was not surprised, as he had always considered himself a man of simple aspirations, seeking a quiet, uncomplicated life, far from the conflicts and struggles for power that seemed to follow those with great abilities.
"This does not diminish who you are, Eron. Your contributions to our community, your intelligence and your peaceful perspective are as valuable as any magical power," Adonis consoled, recognizing the value of the young man who remained giving little importance to all of it.
After hearing those words, Arphaxad thought it strange that Eron was not a seed of the kings, since he had encountered him in the dungeons of White Castle where he was captured by Saladon's Duchy's altered soldiers. "So the soldiers must have been mistaken, this means that not all those captured are actually descendants of the kings," thought Arphaxad.
The next would be Obelia, the little girl who had not yet spoken, she sat before Adonis in the middle and followed the same process as before, placing his right hand on the girl's heart and using his ability again: "Ninea, daughter of Keldon, your inventiveness is abnormal, one day you will be great, but there are also no traces of the kings' blood, you too do not possess innate abilities ...". That confirmed Arphaxad's thinking, as he had also found Ninea, whom he called Obelia, in the dungeons.
When Adonis revealed that Ninea, or Obelia as Arphaxad called her, also had no blood of kings or innate abilities, surprise rippled through the circle. Despite her mysterious origins and the context in which she had been found, it seemed the girl was not connected to the legacy of the Arkon, a finding that generated more questions than answers.
Arphaxad reflected on the possibility of Saladon's soldiers having captured several people without the real connection, based only on superficial characteristics or perhaps erroneous information. This opened up a new range of possibilities about the functioning and errors of Saladon's methods in his frenzied search to eradicate any possible threat to his rule.
Draka, who had been very agitated by the possibility of discovering in herself a way to find her mother, became a little fearful because the two before her were not actually seeds of kings. That's why she let Kal take her place, as she was terrified of losing all the hope she had gained with the whole story.
Kal for his part approached the center and sat before Adonis, the two before Kal were not in fact seeds of kings, but for all there, Kal's physical characteristics were points that loudly shouted of Kal's descent from the kings of Tenai. They were all very curious to know about him, as none of them gathered all the main characteristics of the lineage of the ancient kings of Tenai.
Adonis looked deeply at Kal, aware of the expectation surrounding that moment. Instead of simply proceeding, he decided to speak, perhaps to ease the tension or simply because he felt it necessary to contextualize the moment. "Kal, your characteristics are notable and align with the stories of the Arkon of old. Let us discover if you carry the legacy your appearance suggests."
With the seriousness adjusted on his face, Adonis placed his hand over Kal's chest and invoked his ability: "Legendary Skill: SpiritBender." A green light emanated from Adonis' hand, and everyone around observed in silence, holding their breath.
Adonis closed his eyes, concentrating as the light enveloped both him and Kal. Moments later, his expression changed, a mixture of surprise and reverence appearing on his face. He slowly withdrew his hand and looked at Kal with a new kind of respect.
Adonis seemed a bit tired. "Are you alright brother?" Aura asked. "I used a lot of mana, I don't know if I'll have more after this!" Adonis replied. Most innate abilities required an absurdly high consumption of mana. Kal remembered Suzannah saying that the magic with the same purpose as Adonis' ability consumed an incredible amount of the user's mana, so if the young man's ability was similar to hers, it would mean that just the fact that he had used it twice would make him very powerful and with a vast amount of mana. Kal thought Adonis was someone who could be much more powerful than he appeared, perhaps close to Suzannah or Tiberius.
Adonis places his right hand on Kal's chest and begins to concentrate his mana to conjure his ability. But before he could conjure it, he heard Kal whisper "Don't overdo it too much, if it gets too heavy, cancel the ability immediately!". Adonis didn't really understand what he meant by that, but continued nonetheless.
Adonis, taking a deep breath to conserve his energy, focused all his attention on Kal, the strange young man with silver hair who seemed to carry the weight of ancient stories in his golden eyes. As the green light emanated from his hand, Adonis felt the connection being established, a smooth flow of information beginning to emanate from Kal's heart to his.
However, upon delving deeper, Adonis realized that something was different. Kal's energy was dense, almost palpable, as if hiding deep secrets or traumas. "Do you see anything, Adonis?" asked Aura anxiously, watching the process attentively.
Adonis, his brow furrowed in concentration, did not respond immediately. The images and sensations flowing from Kal were disjointed and tumultuous, as if reflecting internal and external battles Kal had faced. "There is...a lot here," Adonis finally said, his voice carrying a mix of admiration and concern. "Kal is not just a bearer of ancient kings' physical characteristics. There is power here, ancient power and...something else, something that was recently altered or wounded."
Kal, maintaining a serene posture, observed Adonis with a look that mingled expectation and fear. "What more can you see? Please continue," he encouraged in a low voice, almost a whisper. Adonis hesitated, feeling Kal's energy as a roiling sea that could at any moment transform into a tsunami. "A golden line... crossing infinity... it is separating something much greater...".
Suddenly on that cloudy morning, the small vestige of sun that had brightened the day faded away. Adonis, who had kept his eyes open, closed them as if hiding from something. Everyone in the room was perplexed by Adonis' action, and suddenly a chill ran up everyone's spine. A feeling of fear affected them all in that place and they all felt their bodies tremble uncontrollably and involuntarily, a feeling of desolation and desperation that none of them had ever felt before.
Adonis then looked up and opened his mouth; everyone around could not scream or cry or even move, they couldn't even breathe properly, it was as if the very air was trembling and fearful. Paralyzed, that was how they all were at that moment. But realizing Adonis was going too deep and remembering what happened to Tiberius, before anything could happen to him, Kal firmly grabbed his hand and pulled it from his chest, sending Adonis flying back and falling to the floor unconscious.
In that moment, the silence that followed was deafening. Everyone in the room looked at Kal and Adonis with a mixture of surprise and concern. Kal's abrupt action had been necessary, but the impact of the manifestation of his spirit over everyone had been deep and disturbing.
Kal, still recovering from the effort to interrupt Adonis, looked around. Fear and confusion were etched on everyone's faces. He knew he needed to explain his quick reaction, not only to calm everyone's nerves but also to justify his intervention.
"I apologize for this, but I felt something was very wrong. Adonis' ability is powerful, but what he was accessing seemed too dangerous to let continue. A dear friend of mine almost died when he tried to go too deep into my spirit. I don't understand why this happens, but I think it's something beyond this ability."
Aura was the first to recover from the shock, running to her fallen brother's side to check his condition. She gently lifted Adonis' head, looking for signs that he was alright. With a sigh of relief, she confirmed he was merely unconscious.
Yorin, ever the bard, tried to lighten the tension. "Well, that was more exciting than any song I could compose. But perhaps, Kal, you could tell us more about those warnings Tiberius gave? It may help us understand what we just experienced."
Kal nodded, feeling the weight of responsibility. "When dealing with abilities that explore the spirit, we are accessing something very intimate and powerful. Tiberius taught me that every spirit has barriers that should not be crossed without extreme care. What Adonis saw and felt through his ability may have been one of those barriers, something that was not ready to be faced."
As Adonis began to regain consciousness, the room slowly returned to normal, but the feeling of fear and Adonis' enigmatic words - "A golden line... crossing infinity..." - continued echoing in their minds, promising more mysteries and perhaps dangers ahead.
In the middle of the room, the atmosphere was tense and charged with energy. Aura, with quick, worried movements, helped Adonis regain consciousness, while Arphaxad did the same for Kal. The heavy silence was only broken by the sounds of labored breathing.
Yorion, who had been observing the situation from afar until then, approached cautiously, his expression a mix of concern and admiration. "That was... unbelievable," he murmured, alternately looking at Adonis and Kal, trying to understand exactly what had happened.
Sahara, still on the floor helped up by Markel, looked around; her expression revealed a mix of relief and fear. "I've never felt anything so powerful and threatening... it was as if an ancient and forgotten force had been awakened," she commented to Markel, who still kept an protective arm around her.
As everyone tried to recover, Draka approached Kal, her expression one of concern but also curiosity. She lightly touched Kal's arm, waiting for some sign that he was alright.
Finally, Adonis began to regain consciousness, his breathing still irregular. He opened his eyes slowly and found Aura's worried face. "What... what happened?" he asked, clearly disoriented.
Aura, tears in her eyes relieved to see her brother awake, quickly explained: "You went too far, Adonis. Something about Kal... it's not normal. Did you see something?"
Adonis nodded slowly, still trying to piece together his fragmented memories. "Yes, something about him is different, powerful and ancient. A golden line... it wasn't just a metaphor. It was real, and it crossed infinity in a way I've never seen, it was cut, but that golden line still bound him, it was as if I was before the stars in the sky, I felt like I was dying, but I had no desire to leave that place, it was the best and worst feeling I've ever had in my life."
Everyone listened in silence, processing Adonis' words. The incident left more questions than answers and a palpable sense that they were dealing with forces they barely understood. Arphaxad helped Kal sit up while everyone in the room looked to him, anxiously awaiting any explanation that might shed light on the mysterious events of that morning.
Adonis, still shaken and visibly weak after his intense use of mana, tried to remain conscious as he leaned on Aura. "There's still Draka," he said. The expression of concern on her face reflected the gravity of the situation. "You need to rest now, Adonis," said Aura firmly, helping him lay down on a nearby divan. "What happened was too much for all of us, and especially for you."
Sahara and Yorin observed Kal, now being helped up by Arphaxad. Adonis' revelation about the "golden line" only increased the mystery surrounding Kal, making him even more intriguing in everyone's eyes. "Who is this boy really?" murmured Yorin, without taking his eyes off Kal. Sahara, for her part, had her arms crossed, her face marked by a mixture of curiosity and deep interest.
With Arphaxad's help, Kal managed to sit up, still a little dazed. Adonis' words echoed in his mind, bringing clarity to what Spartan had done to him in the mausoleum. "He almost severed my spiritual connection... but something still resists," Kal spoke softly, touching his chest, feeling the tenuous golden line that still bound him to his spirit.
The room fell silent now, with all eyes turned to Kal, each processing the implications of what this could mean. Draka, next to Kal, looked at Adonis with a mixture of disappointment and relief - disappointment at not having her own abilities verified at that moment, and relief to see that despite the danger, Kal was still with them, even if by a thread.
Seeing her brother breathing with difficulty, Aura turned to the others. "Let's give him the time he needs. What happened here today shows us that we're dealing with forces not even we fully understand."
As everyone agreed, the air of mystery and concern remained, with each pondering the new revelations and Kal's potential role in the future events unfolding from those ancient, mysterious powers.