Chapter - 15
Lirael and Celestine left a while after that, giving me some much-needed time alone to gather my thoughts. The events of the day weighed heavily on my mind, the whirlwind of revelations leaving me with little clarity about what my future held. I decided I couldn't stay cooped up in the room any longer. I needed fresh air to clear my head.
I made my way through the palace, my steps unhurried, until I reached the back of the sprawling estate. The evening air was cool and carried a faint floral scent as I stepped into the palace gardens. The sight before me was breathtaking—a labyrinth of meticulously maintained cobblestone paths winding through lush greenery and beds of vibrantly colored flowers. Fountains trickled softly in the distance, and the occasional birdcall added a tranquil harmony to the scene.
Letting my feet guide me, I walked aimlessly through the gardens, my mind racing with thoughts of everything that had transpired. The binding to Cassandra, the sudden influx of feythar within me, and the undeniable shift in my place within this world—it was all overwhelming. Especially now that the haze of sexual euphoria had left me. By the time I came back to my senses, I found myself standing beneath the canopy of a colossal tree at the very edge of the property. Its ancient branches stretched wide, casting long shadows over the cobblestones.
Turning back, I caught my first real glimpse of the palace in its entirety. It stood in majestic contrast to the deepening hues of twilight, its white marble walls gleaming like a beacon even in the waning light. The domed roofs and spires rose proudly into the sky, a testament to the wealth and power of the Vallore dynasty. It dawned on me how far I had wandered; the palace was now quite a distance away.
The sun dipped lower, painting the skies in shades of amber and crimson, and the gardens began to darken as twilight deepened into early evening. Despite the growing shadows, I lingered, feeling a strange urge to try something before heading back.
Focusing inward, I reached for the faint sensation that had awakened within me when I had bound Cassandra. It was subtle at first, like a faint hum in my veins, a rhythm distinct from my heartbeat but just as vital. This was feythar—my feythar—and it pulsed steadily within me. Closing my eyes, I focused on it, trying to coax it into motion. The sensation was slippery, like trying to catch smoke with bare hands. The more I tried to control it, the more elusive it became.
But then, something clicked. An instinct, primal and unbidden, awakened within me. Rather than forcing control, I shifted my focus to my eyes. I felt an instinctual pull toward the feythar concentrated there, as if it was already attuned to that part of me. With a mental nudge, I directed more of the energy toward my eyes. A sharp, sudden warmth spread across the area around my eyes, and when I opened them, the world around me had transformed.
The dim twilight of the garden now appeared startlingly vivid. Every leaf, every petal, every blade of grass stood out in stunning clarity, as though etched in crystal. I could see the faint ripple of wind brushing against the grass, the minute movements of an insect crawling across a flower, even the soft glimmer of dew forming on distant plants. My pupils adjusted like those of a cat, dilating and contracting rapidly as my enhanced vision calibrated to the darkness. It was disorienting at first; the flood of detail overwhelmed my perception, and for a moment, I felt lightheaded.
But just as quickly as it had come, the sensation faded. My concentration faltered, and the world returned to normal. The dimness of the evening crept back in, and my vision once again felt... human.
Breathing deeply, I steadied myself, my heart still pounding from the experience. That brief moment of clarity left no doubt in my mind: this newfound ability was the result of Cassandra's binding. It wasn't groundbreaking—Cassandra wasn't a particularly powerful monster, after all—but it was something. It confirmed what I had suspected: the stronger the monster bound to me, the greater the abilities I could acquire. The thought sent a thrill through me. What heights of power could I reach if I bound one of the great monsters of legend? A dragon? A thunder wolf?
The possibilities were endless, but so too were the dangers. For now, though, those ambitions would have to wait.
Exhaustion set in, my body feeling heavier with every step as I made my way back toward the palace. Even this small exercise in feythar manipulation had drained me, a stark reminder of how far I had to go. But despite the fatigue, a flicker of excitement stirred within me. This was only the beginning.