Chapter 208: Princess Lynessa

It was unusually busy in the Royal Palace. When they arrived, they were told that Tanaka had discovered the killer. However, when Lynessa entered the council room she saw Maelor Sableclaw. He was stood in between the two Wolf Crown guards. She stopped walking. She knew who this boy was. Something about his facial features, eyes and ears gave her an odd sense of knowing him. He noticed that she was looking at him and gave a slight smile. Tanaka watched as Lynessa’s face changed.

“Hey Lynessa.” She looked up at him. “That man is responsible for everything that happened. He was also the one who arranged for you to be sold to Mereth.” Her ears twitched. “What?” Tanaka explained that Maelor had confessed to being his parents adopted son. After she was born with amazing magical potential he was worried he would no longer be heir to the throne so he sealed her mana and killed her parents. He took over the kingdom and eventually sold her to Mereth Raukhan.

Lynessa listened. Her expression changed many times. She was stunned, confused then sad. Finally she looked angry but couldn’t really show it. She had thought for years that she was broken and couldn’t do any basic magic like everyone else. She had been insulted, made a servant and was lonely. She had never known that the person who had done this to her was family.

“Why?” She asked, looking directly at Maelor. “Why did you do that to me?” Maelor replied with a scoff. “Still asking questions, are you? You should be grateful I allowed you to live. If you had remained in the palace, you would have eventually taken everything that belonged to me.” “Everything?” “Your parents were foolish enough to love you more than they loved me. They were preparing to hand the kingdom to an infant simply because she possessed a little talent. I merely ensured that wouldn’t happen.” “You killed them?” “And I would do it again.”

Tanaka looked at Lynessa. She looked torn between crying, screaming or leaving. Everything she had ever known was a lie and the person who had messed it up was standing in front of her with no remorse at all. “Lord Tanaka…” She looked up at him. “What should I do?” He didn’t reply immediately. He transformed into his slime form. He bounced once before stopping in front of her feet.

Lynessa looked down. She slowly knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face into his soft body and her shoulders started to shake. Tears filled her eyes and fell. Tanaka stayed still. A few minutes passed and no one said anything. Sora watched on quietly. Relia kept her head down and Nira looked down. Even Raizen, who usually didn’t get too interested in emotional situations stayed quiet. Tanaka could feel the tears on himself but didn’t move. She had lost her parents, her home, her name and her life. He gently pushed his body against her cheek. “You don’t have to decide anything right now.” She hugged him tighter. For once she didn’t try to hold it together.

“How sweet,” Maelor said. Lynessa looked up slightly. He smiled. “Go ahead and cry, little princess. Even if that seal is removed, what will you accomplish? You’ve spent your entire life as a useless servant. Do you honestly believe a few tears will give you back the kingdom?” Before anyone could answer a spirit formation appeared above him. “Spirit Art: Binding Bloom!” Bright vines appeared from the air and wrapped themselves around Maelor. They tightened and a large amount of spirit mana hit his chest, knocking him back against the wall. Tiny spirits appeared around Nira’s shoulders. “Stop it!” She yelled, something Tanaka rarely heard. “How dare you speak to her that way?” The Wolf Crown guards moved forward but Aldren raised his hand.

Nira realised what she had done. She bowed to the Wolf King. “Your Majesty, I apologize for attacking a prisoner under your custody. I couldn’t tolerate his words.” Aldren looked at Maelor who was still wrapped up in the spirit vines. “Your apology is accepted. However, please refrain from attacking him again.” She nodded. Maelor chuckled. Tanaka looked at Nira. “You had something to say, didn’t you?” She nodded. “About Lynessa’s seal.”

Nira walked over to the Catfolk girl. “During the festival, I noticed how the spirits reacted to you. They weren’t simply attracted to your mana; they seemed to recognize something within you. Now that we know someone deliberately sealed your abilities, I believe there’s a way to remove it.” Lynessa looked up. “Really?” “I can’t guarantee success, but I want to try.” Tanaka raised his eyes. “What do you need?” “Your Unique Skill.” He tilted his body. “Endless Abyss?” “Yes. The seal is deeply embedded in her mana pathways, and removing it carelessly could cause the compressed mana to rush through her body. The spirits can help me identify and loosen its structure, but we’ll need somewhere to contain the excess energy while we work.”

Tanaka understood. His Endless Abyss would create a controlled area to trap the foreign mana threads. He would have to be careful not to confuse the seal with her own mana. He would have to extract the seal whilst not extracting any of her natural mana. It would take some precision but with his improved Mana Sense he should be able to monitor the situation. “All right. Let’s do it.” Aldren looked at them. “Will it be safe?” Nira hesitated. “Safer than attempting to break the seal through brute force. However, I cannot promise there won’t be some discomfort.” Lynessa looked down at her hands. “Please. I want to try.” Tanaka nodded. “Okay let’s get started.”

Tanaka transformed back into his human form and stood next to Lynessa. Nira stood opposite them and raised her hands. Tiny spirits appeared around her. The surrounding mages stepped back. Tanaka activated his Mana Sense and looked at the large amount of compressed mana in Lynessa. He could see several complex layers wrapped around her mana pathways. Nira closed her eyes. “Spirits of the ancient flow, those who wander between the living and the unseen, hear my call. Reveal the threads that bind what should be free.” A magic circle appeared beneath Lynessa. The spirits responded. Tiny lights appeared around her body and travelled down the invisible pathways the seal had been placed on. Nira watched them and located where the mana had been attached. Every time she located one Tanaka would extend a thin thread of Endless Abyss and gently remove the foreign mana.

The first layer had been removed. Lynessa winced. “Does it hurt?” “A little.” “Tell us if it becomes unbearable.” She nodded. They continued. The second layer proved to be much harder. It had been designed to look like natural mana restrictions. Some of the threads were hard to tell apart from the actual pathways. Nira had to use the spirits to find the differences. They slowly started to unseal it. It was taking much longer than expected. Nira was sweating on her forehead and Tanaka concentrated. He would have to be careful with the flow of mana into his Unique Skill. Suddenly a sudden burst of mana shot out from one of the broken layers. Fortunately Tanaka’s Endless Abyss caught it so it didn’t overwhelm Lynessa. Nira quickly adapted her formation and the spirits surrounded the rest of the seal.

The last layer started to loosen. “Now Tanaka!” He raised both his hands. The Endless Abyss opened. Nira screamed and the last seal broke. A large amount of concentrated mana shot into Tanaka’s skill. As soon as the seal was broken a massive amount of energy shot out from Lynessa. The room shook. A large amount of mana shot out from her. The spirits around her danced around excitedly. Her black hair lifted and her amber eyes glowed. For a short time a complex magical pattern appeared in her eyes. The mana increased. It was massive. Several elders took a step back. Nira looked surprised and Tanaka’s expression changed.

Lynessa slowly opened her eyes. She raised her hand and a tiny light spirit landed on her fingertip. Another appeared near her shoulder. Several tiny spirits appeared and danced around her. For the first time in her life she could feel them. She could feel her own mana. Tears filled her eyes again but this time for a different reason. “I can feel it…” She looked at her hands. “I can actually feel it!” Nira smiled. “Welcome back to magic, Lynessa.” Lynessa turned to Tanaka. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Lord Tanaka!” She bowed several times but almost lost her balance. Tanaka grabbed her shoulder. “Careful. You don’t need to bow that much.” “But…” “Just take your time. You have a lot to learn.” She smiled through her tears. For the first time she didn’t feel like something was missing.

The Eldoris representatives celebrated. However The Wolf Crown and remaining rulers discussed how to punish the Catfolk conspirators. Aldren made it clear that they would not punish an entire race for the actions of a few. The Catfolk were a small insignificant Beastfolk race. They had little power compared to the main kingdoms. Most wouldn’t even know what Maelor had done. Many would have believed the former royal family had died naturally. If they were punished it would create another generation of resentment. Only Maelor and those directly involved would be punished. The royal court would be investigated and the fake succession would be reversed. The Catfolk race would be given a chance to elect a true ruler once the investigation was complete. The Foxfolk conspirators would be punished. Aldren agreed to oversee the situation. It was time to rebuild Bravelm rather than create another enemy.

Aurelith had said nothing but suddenly his expression changed. A low growl came from his throat. His golden eyes looked off into the distance and the mana around him became much heavier. “You are sending your people here, Faraniel.” He paused for a few moments. His eyes landed on Tanaka who was still talking to Lynessa. “I’m sure he can sort it.” The Kirin’s expression returned to normal. He stood up. “Tanaka.” The slime turned. “Yes?” “For what you have done, Eldoris is officially accepted into Bravelm’s community of nations. Your sovereignty will remain untouched, but from now on, Eldoris and the Beastfolk lands will stand together under the new pact.” Tanaka smiled. “That’s good to hear.” Aurelith raised a finger. “But keep your promise.” Tanaka forced a smile. “Yes. Malachiel.” “Exactly.”

Tanaka opened his Dominion Nexus. He reached out through the spiritual network and contacted Malachiel who was currently somewhere in the rebuilt dungeon. “Malachiel.” “Have you finally finished playing with the Beastfolk?” He ignored him. “Aurelith wants to acknowledge the mutual protection pact between Eldoris and the Beastfolk and wants you to bless their lands.” A pause. “Wow, that old Kirin actually asked you to arrange that?” “Yes.” “Hahaha! How cute. Alright I will.” Tanaka relaxed slightly. “Really?” “Yes. But I will when I want to, not because that old fool told me to.” Tanaka sighed. “I’ll let him know.” “Oh and Tanaka.” “Yes?” “Get back here quickly.” “Why?” “I have made the dungeon amazing. You have got to see it.” Tanaka looked off into the distance. He could already imagine what he meant by amazing. “I’ll be back eventually.” “Eventually? Not too long!” The connection was cut. Tanaka turned back to the others.

Far away from Varghelm in one of the forests surrounding Bravelm the trees stood silently. The mana in the forest changed. A small creature hiding under a fallen tree scurried away as an unknown presence spread through the undergrowth. Two bright red eyes opened. They stared in the direction of Varghelm. Something stirred in the forest.