Morena sat cross-legged on her bed, her fingers resting lightly on her abdomen as she felt the location the core should be; it wasn't physically there, rather, it existed somewhere between physical and metaphysical.
Her mind was sharp, her emotions steady, but beneath the surface, a lingering tension coiled within her. She knew that to survive in this world, she needed power—much more so than in her last.
"AI, scan my core. Find out everything wrong with it."
[Command acknowledged. Beginning detailed core analysis...]
She closed her eyes, waiting. A strange sensation pulsed through her body, a faint tingle beneath her skin as the AI processed information beyond what the human senses could perceive.
Seconds stretched into moments before the results surfaced, taking no less than a minute to run its course.
[Scan complete. Displaying analysis.]
A stream of data flowed into her mind, the AI breaking down the findings into comprehensible details, and thanks to her education previously, she could understand all of it.
[User's Elemental Core Status: Present, but fractured.]
[Detected Issues: Multiple structural fractures found within the core. Functionality compromised. Elemental leakage detected.]
[Core Instability: Complete Collapse Possible.]
[Cause: External factor detected. Origin unclear.]
Her brows furrowed as she read through all the information.
External factor? Did that mean the damage wasn't something natural?
She exhaled slowly, thinking through the possibilities. Was this caused by her mother's death during childbirth? Or perhaps a result of something that happened during her early years? Or—had someone intentionally done this to her?
The uncertainty gnawed at her, but there was little she could do right now.
"Can you determine how it happened?"
She asked.
[Insufficient data. No exact cause detected.]
That was frustrating, but expected. She needed more information before she could come to any conclusions, and the most important matter at hand wasn't figuring out what happened but rather fixing her core.
"Are there any known methods to repair an elemental core?"
[Searching...]
She waited as the AI sifted through her existing knowledge, but the answer was disappointing.
[No viable solutions found. Insufficient data available on core restoration.]
Of course. There was no reason she would have encountered such knowledge before—not when elemental cores were considered a warrior's greatest asset. If repairing them were possible, it would be highly specialized information, likely hidden or even unknown.
If such information was easy to come across, then her father would have already found it and done everything within his power to heal her. But there wasn't anything such as fixing a broken core.
That meant one thing—she had to make the answer herself.
With the AI, it would be possible to devise a method to fix the core as long as she had enough information about it. The only problem was compiling all the needed data. How much was needed? She didn't know.
"The library."
She murmured to herself after a brief thought. The estate had a large library. While it wasn't anything special compared to the vast and long-lived noble houses, it was much better than the public library in this border city.
"I need to search the library."
She stood without any hesitation, brushing her hair back as she moved to the wardrobe. The early morning light filtered through the curtains, casting soft shadows across the room.
She dressed quickly, opting for a fitted dark tunic and riding pants, a comfortable choice that was still suitable for a noble.
Just as she was fastening her boots, a soft knock echoed against the door.
"Lady Morena?"
It was her maid, causing Morena to sigh, momentarily regretting not leaving sooner.
She opened the door to find a young woman with hazel-brown eyes and blonde hair neatly tied back in a braid. She was around her age, having grown with her as a personal maid since childhood.
The girl was staring at her with mild surprise.
"You're awake early, my lady."
The maid said, tilting her head.
"Would you like me to prepare anything?"
Morena considered her for a brief moment. The previous Morena had considered the girl a friend, even a sister, but she had recently started to mistreat her as a reflection of her own self-hate. But the current Morena was not that person anymore.
The girl was obedient and observant, and while that was useful, it was also inconvenient right now.
"Prepare a meal for me."
She instructed simply.
The maid hesitated, as if sensing something odd about the request, but she nodded.
"Of course, my lady."
Morena didn't wait for further conversation.
She made her way past the maid and walked away, making her way to the library.
The estate was quiet—convenient.
Her father was out patrolling the city due to the recent bandits, her brother was engaged in his morning studies, and her sister was training with the local warrior branch.
It meant she wouldn't be disturbed, save for the servants, but they rarely took the initiative to interact with her recently.
Soon enough, she had reached the entrance to the library. The Ravenscroft estate library was an imposing structure, a place lined with old tomes and records detailing generations of knowledge, all of which had been collected by her father or other family members.
Morena had spent time here before, so it wasn't odd that she would be here, but this time she had a specific purpose in mind.
She stepped inside, the scent of parchment and ink filling the air. The towering shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, filled with books on warfare, history, ge4ography, even myths and legends.
But she wasn't here for that. She didn't hesitate or linger; she knew what she was looking for.
Her fingers trailed along the spines of several books before she started pulling them out—everything related to elemental cores and warrior fundamentals.
She worked methodically, stacking book after book onto a nearby table. Some were broad overviews of warrior cultivation, others were more technical, detailing core formation and elemental energy refinement.
She even went as far as collecting books about myths and tales of warriors, things only believed as fiction. After all, the more information the AI had to work with, the better.
By the time she was finished, she had gathered a sizable collection.
She took a seat, opening the first book.