บท 12: Manipulating Energy
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
Sebastian's greeting caused Amy to rub her eyes. Then, she blinked thrice and shook her head. He watched her do all those comedic acts with a smile on his face.
All of a sudden, she paused and tears began forming in the corners of her eyes, "Sebastian *hic* you're awake!"
She jumped at him from the side of the bed causing Sebastian to almost fall from his seat but he didn't complain. He had pieced things together and he had definitely been asleep for a few days judging by the number of things in his room that had changed.
And, there was a small basin filled with water and a towel on the floor. He didn't ask but he hoped Amy wasn't the one to wash his body. It took Amy a whole five minutes to calm down.
"Why *sniff* are you wearing a glove?" she asked while looking at his left hand holding a pocketbook.
"Ah... did you not see it?" Sebastian asked vaguely. He couldn't just say "hey Amy, did you see the stigma embedded into the back of my palm?" That would just make her more curious.
"See what?" she asked a question with another question prompting Sebastian to breathe a sigh of relief.
"I've gotten a burn on my left hand... It's quite ugly," Sebastian replied.
"What?!" Amy stood up abruptly—fury burning in her eyes, "Gilbert, I swear I won't rest until you..."
Looking at her reaction made him feel warm inside. Also, it made him feel relieved. It appears that she didn't check his left hand meaning it wasn't her who washed his body.
"Let's get it healed immediately!" Amy jumped off the bed and pulled Sebastian by the arm. "Ah, wait!" he had been asleep for several days, how could he move like he used to?
THUMP
"Kyaa!" Amy's screams could be heard from within the room.
"Amy?!" Sebastian's mother, Clarice burst into the room carrying snacks. They had been taking care of Sebastian the past few days and she was on the way to bring Amy some snacks.
Once she entered the room, her eyes widened. "Oh my..." Clarice muttered while covering her mouth with her hand. She placed down the tray she held on Sebastian's desk under their shocked gazes and quickly left the room.
"..." both Amy and Sebastian were stunned into silence. They looked at each other but their faces became flushed. "I'm sorry, I'll get up now," Sebastian tried to prop himself up but his arm was still weak and he fell on Amy's bosom.
"Mn~!" Amy unintentionally moaned as her face turned into a deeper shade of red. Sebastian's face was only a few inches away from her and they could feel each other's breath.
Once Sebastian heard her moan, he felt as if a fire had been lit inside his heart and he leaned closer. Amy saw his actions and trembled but she eventually closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
Just as the two were about to kiss, they heard the sound of the door open, "Sebastian, just so you know, I'd prefer a girl over a boy but do remember that the two of you are still going to school so having a baby might be a bit difficult. Though, if you really wish to go through with it, I'm fine with caring for my grandchild!"
"Mother!" Sebastian shouted as he couldn't take it anymore but Clarice already left. Sebastian looked at Amy awkwardly and stood up. He helped Amy stand up as well but neither of them could look at the other in the eyes.
"I-I'll go home now. I haven't been home in a few days so my mother must be worried. If there are any problems, come look for me the usual way. Bye!"
Amy ran out of the room feeling flustered and soon enough, Clarice walked in with a smile. "I understand that you couldn't contain your love for Amy but you had just woken up from a coma.
"It isn't good for your physical health to exert yourself immediately," she smiled at Sebastian. The way she had interfered earlier was intentional.
Sebastian smiled wryly. If his mother hadn't interfered, then he would've really lost control and kissed Amy. He wasn't an idiot, he knew that Amy shared his feelings but now wasn't the time.
Expecting a retort, Clarice was dumbfounded at Sebastian's next words, "mother, please set up a meeting with father. I have to talk to him about something."
...
The school had excused Sebastian from school for rehabilitation for three more days. He used that time to send a letter over to the next town addressed to his uncle and headed over as fast as possible.
"Uncle Thomas, Linet, I'm sorry for the sudden visit again so soon. I actually dropped an important item of mine and I couldn't think of any other place," he quickly informed them of the situation.
Thomas looked confused but lead Sebastian to the back of the estate while Linet looked at Sebastian with a dreamy gaze.
"What did you lose? We'll help you look for it," Thomas then looked at the tree.
"No, I couldn't impose on you. Besides, there's no guarantee that I dropped it here," Sebastian responded. He couldn't just disappear inside the tree under his gaze.
Thomas scratched his head. If Sebastian didn't tell him what he lost, then there was little he could do. "Well, alright. I'll make sure Linet doesn't come interrupt you so look to your heart's content. If you need help, then you can ask the servants.
"I'll inform them as soon as I get back to the house. Remember, this place is huge. Finding something small will be difficult. Also, you're my sister's son—my nephew. We're family so don't be shy," leaving those words, Thomas left Sebastian alone.
Once Thomas' back was out of view, Sebastian quickly knocked on the tree. "Balanos, we need to talk."
There was no reply to his words but once he was going to knock a second time, his fist sunk into the tree and dragged his whole body inside.
Unlike last time, his consciousness wasn't taken away from him and when he opened his eyes, he was at the same spot as last time. Sitting on the throne was Balanos with her ever unchanging expression.
"..." she stared at Sebastian's hand which was covered in a glove with suspicion.
Sebastian knew what she was trying to see and removed the glove. He hadn't gotten a clear look at it because he was afraid somebody would see it but now that he looked at it—a tattoo made of black markings shaped like an arrowhead with five layers.
Once Balanos laid her eyes on the stigma, her eyes widened and she abruptly stood up from her seat. "The Godslaying Arrow!" she exclaimed.
Hearing what she called it, Sebastian frowned. "Godslaying Arrow? You're talking about the same God who bestowed powers to the 『Primogenitors』, right?"
Balanos chose to remain silent. She sat back down on her throne and looked at Sebastian's stigma with an intense gaze. "No, it's not the Godslaying Arrow, it's only an arrowhead..." she muttered to herself. Even though Sebastian strained his ears, he still couldn't hear what she was muttering about.
It appeared as if she calmed herself down as the expression on her face returned to its former blank state.
"My apologies. I had confused it for the founder's stigma. But, it seems that it wasn't the case," Balanos answered Sebastian's question coolly.
"The founder's stigma?" Balanos nodded in response. "Our founder was personally bestowed the stigma unlike you who had relied on a book. His stigma was special, it stretched from his hand to his shoulder in the shape of an arrow.
"The arrowhead is the same as yours. In the days of old, the war between those who bore the stigma and those who bore the mark got to the point where only one of them could live.
"The founder was our trump card. His stigma was powerful, far more powerful than the others. He could create an arrow with his stigma and that arrow could slay anything and everything in its path.
"Unfortunately, the God was too powerful for a single Godslaying Arrow and the founder was slain. It was then that the stigma wielders were wiped out and those who escaped were forced into hiding," she explained.
"I've never heard of a soul being able to manifest even a part of the arrow. You're the first one that it has ever happened to. Perhaps, one day, one of your descendants will manifest the body and the tail of the arrow," Balanos stretched out her hand and a small green light manifested on the tips of her fingers which floated towards Sebastian.
"This is a part of my consciousness. With this, we will be able to communicate from afar. You've only a little bit of time left before your relatives look for you. I will teach you how to use your stigma and once you are outside, I will guide you. In truth, I expected this to happen in a few more years to clear the doubts in your heart, what happened I wonder?"
The green mote of light floated towards Sebastian's stigma and sunk into it.
"Close your eyes," Sebastian complied.
"Focus on the sensation on your left hand," he felt a soft touch on the place his stigma was branded. Sebastian had no idea what could've touched him as Balanos wasn't near him at all.
"Imagine a spark. A spark small but significant enough to light wood on fire. Imagine the flame produced by that spark and grasp it with your left hand."
Sebastian did as he was told. He stretched out his hand in a grasping motion and held it firmly.
"Now, open your eyes and at the same time, your fist."
Sebastian's sight returned and he felt heat around his hand. He turned his gaze towards his hand and sure enough, he held a small flame on his palm.
Sebastian's eyes widened and his breathing became irregular. This is the first time that he ever used energy.
"Although you can do a variety of things with the stigma, focus on improving your control over flames. In the end, you're a son from the House of Sol, manipulating fire isn't strange," although Balanos was instructing him, all of Sebastian's focus was on the flame.
He had mixed emotions running through his head but after just a few seconds, the flame flickered and vanished. Sebastian felt confused but Balanos quickly explained, "you've run out of energy. Unlike 『Inheritors』 and their ancestors, you rely on an outside source.
"Though they may get exhausted upon using their abilities, you do not. At least, not unless you draw upon your own energy reserves but that day won't be anytime soon.
"I've shown you the way to use the stigma. Now, go and train yourself in the outside world," Sebastian's feet started sinking into the wooden floor.
"Wait! When I was branded by the stigma and unconscious, my left hand was revealed, what should I do?!" Sebastian asked in a shout as half of his body was buried.
"No worries. And, no need to raise your voice. We can now communicate with each other in the outside world. While you were being branded with a stigma, your soul was put into a state of rest. During that time, you were forced to sleep while the stigma was being melded with your soul.
"When you regained consciousness, the branding was completed and the stigma manifested on your physical body," Balanos finished her explanation just as Sebastian's head was submerged and he was back in the outside world.
"I can't help but feel that she's always trying to get me out of the tree," Sebastian thought to himself and took out a brooch from his blazer.
"Linet," Sebastian called out to Linet who was sitting on a bench in the front yard.
"Sebastian..." she saw Sebastian approaching and hurried to stand up but Sebastian waved his hands. "No need. Here's what I had left the last time," he handed over a brooch to Linet.
"Eh...? Weren't you searching for an important item?" she asked while looking at the brooch.
"It's a present so of course it's important. I still have classes so I'll be heading off now. Please pass on to uncle my farewell," he walked away after seeing Linet accept the brooch.
Neither did he see Linet giggling at the brooch nor did he see Thomas looking at him from the estate's door with a strange expression.
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