It had been roughly 72 hours since Sam had defeated John, and he had been asleep ever since.
The sun was on the horizon, casting a warm glow over Sam's home.
He lay in his bed, still asleep, while a woman watched over him.
The woman had long, dark hair and bright brown eyes that frequently glanced at the two girls sitting timidly on the couch, who seemed afraid of her.
"What do you think happened to your brother, Grace?" Hana asked as she entered the room, her gaze shifting to the dark-haired woman.
"It's quite interesting," Grace replied, placing her hand caringly on her brother's forehead.
"I don't know how he has both holy and dark power within him, but I can tell you why he has been sleeping for three days straight," Grace said with a sigh.
"And what is that?" Hana inquired.
"Let me explain. A normal person cannot contain forces of both positive and negative nature within them because the rules of the universe don't allow it."
"If contained within the same vessel, these opposing forces will clash, leading to chaos and eventual destruction. It will implode the vessel from within," Grace explained.
"Usually, powers like holy power and dark power aren't just simple abilities. They embody the very essence of positivity and negativity."
"These kinds of powers alter the Constitution of their vessel to increase compatibility and eventually affect their nature," Grace continued.
"This is exactly what's happening with our Sam. Instead of clashing, the dark and holy powers were settling inside his body, altering his physiology so that his vessel could contain both powers simultaneously."
"Were?" Hana asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, his alterations were completed two days ago, by the looks of it," Grace said, sighing again.
Even though she had watched Sam grow up and seen him do things that seemed impossible—like wielding magic despite being a hero—she couldn't help but be amazed at her brother's capabilities.
"If the alterations were completed two days ago, then why isn't he waking up?" Hana asked, her worry evident.
"It's because another prominent power is taking its place in his body," Grace replied, giving Hana a strange smile.
"Here, take a look at this," Grace said, gently lifting her brother's eyelids with her thumb.
Instead of blue, his eyes glowed with a crimson light.
"This... is that?" Hana couldn't believe her eyes. "His eyes are just like mine when I use that power."
"Yes, I can't explain it any other way. I don't know how, but he unlocked that power, which means he has awakened your bloodline," Grace said with a small smile.
Hana's eyes welled up with tears as she sat on the bed.
It felt like a long-lost dream come true.
Even though she knew the chances were slim, she had always hoped, in some corner of her heart, that this day would come.
She was the sole survivor of her clan and had always carried the guilt of being alive, alone.
But not anymore.
"He did it. He actually managed to awaken my bloodline," Hana said, smiling as she wiped away her tears.
"How did you know he might awaken your bloodline?" Grace asked, curiosity piqued.
"He had already awakened the bloodlines of the Tatsuya clan and the Brunheart clan before he was even born. If he could do that, I thought maybe there was a chance he could awaken mine too," Hana said, sighing.
"He is becoming so much more handsome," they remarked before their attention shifted back to Sam.
Sam felt as if he were floating in an infinite white space.
It wasn't like floating in the air; it felt more like being suspended on light water.
The temperature was perfect, neither too hot nor too cold, but he wasn't even conscious enough to realize he was in such a state.
It all felt so surreal.
A voice from within disturbed his deep sleep, slowly pulling his consciousness back.
His heavy eyelids fluttered open but quickly shut again as if the brightness was too much to bear.
"Ahh... it's so bright. Why is it so bright? Turn it off," he groaned.
His eyes were extremely sensitive, the brightness causing them to itch and blur, bringing him discomfort.
He heard a familiar voice, though he couldn't place it because the sound was high-pitched and just as uncomfortable as the light.
Panic began to set in.
"He's awake," a voice announced.
"Sam... Sam," the voice called out again.
"Who... who is it?" Sam stammered, his panic rising as his eyes remained blurry and his ears buzzed.
The sensory overload was too much, and he started to thrash until a pair of hands gently but firmly held him, calming him down.
'Is this why they are called his saintesses?' Grace wondered, watching Sam respond to Yuki and Isabelle's touch.
She chose not to comment on it, aware they were keeping the whole prophecy thing from him.
"It's us, Yuki and Isabelle," Isabelle said softly.
"What are you doing here? What's happening?" Sam asked, still unable to open his eyes.
"Sam, it's me, your sister Grace," Grace said, pulling her brother into a comforting embrace.
"Grace? What are you doing here?" Sam asked, beginning to calm down.
It had been months since he last saw his eldest sister, Grace.
"Before that, let me help you with your senses. They are sensitive because you haven't used them for three days, and it seems they have grown stronger too," Grace explained.
She pointed a finger at her brother's face, and a small magic circle appeared, then disappeared after a few seconds.
"There, how do you feel now?" Grace asked, finishing up the spell.
Sam opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times before sighing. "Fine... What happened?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" Grace asked as she helped him sit up.
"Mmm... I remember fighting John. He lost control, and my Infernal Bird Reincarnation Art reached level three. I used it to defeat him... After that, it's all blank," Sam said, shaking his head.
"Your holy power and dark power went out of control, then you fell unconscious and have been sleeping ever since," Hana said, smiling.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"I feel fine... extremely fine. My senses are heightened, and I think I've grown stronger too," Sam said, finally becoming conscious of the changes in his body.
"And..." Sam trailed off as he noticed the particles moving and floating around him, resembling blinking, constantly shifting dots.
These dots that Sam had been seeing were the particles of elements in nature.
It was the result of his new innate ability, the Rune Pulse.
With this ability, he could communicate with the elements and manipulate them at will.
Then he remembered the notification that had been buzzing in his ears before he woke up.
.
.
.
[A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones. And if you absolutely loved it, you can even contribute a Golden Ticket. Your support means a lot to me! Thank you very much! - Arigato! 🙏]