Chapter 34: I Want Both

Emily stared down at her legs.

Then she touched her chest, feeling the faint presence of mana inside her newly rebuilt Gnosis container.

For years, her shattered Gnosis and ruined legs had represented everything she had lost. She had spent so long believing she would have to accept one loss if she wanted to keep hoping for the other.

Now, for the first time, she didn’t want to choose.

"I want both."

Reinhard looked at her quietly.

Emily tightened her fingers around his hand.

"I want to feel my power again," she said. "But I want to walk again too."

Reinhard studied her expression for a moment.

"Are you sure?"

Emily nodded.

"I’ve spent two years being told what I couldn’t do. I don’t want to start doing that to myself."

A small smile appeared on Reinhard’s face. "Good." Emily looked at him. "Because I wasn’t planning on letting you."

She stared at him for a moment before laughing softly.

Cassian watched the two of them with a complicated expression.

"You two realize this is much harder than it sounds, right?"

Reinhard looked over. "Probably."

Cassian sighed. "Alright, let me go get the data; give me a second."

Once Cassian turned around headed to the terminals. He glanced to see Emily look down at her hand, slowly flexing her fingers. He watched her for a moment before speaking. "Do you remember the Immortal Emperor technique I told you about?"

Emily looked at him. "The one that lets the body store mana instead of forcing everything into the Gnosis?"

"That’s the one."

Her expression changed as she realized where he was going with this. "You think I should rely on it now?"

Reinhard nodded. "Your Gnosis is rebuilding, but your original ability is still dormant. There’s no reason to sit around waiting for it to come back before you start strengthening yourself."

Emily looked down at her own body, then slowly clenched her hand. "If I can strengthen my body while I’m waiting..."

"Then you’ll have a stronger foundation when your Gnosis ability finally returns. And I have another technique, Mana Sovereign, that should help with your mana control. Combines both of those and–"

Her eyes widened. "That could make a huge difference."

Reinhard smiled. "That’s what I was thinking."

Emily clenched her fist again, her excitement growing but then her expression changed suddenly. "Actually..."

"What?"

She looked toward him. "I think I already felt it."

He frowned slightly. "Felt what?"

"The technique." She touched her chest lightly. "During the treatment. When everything started getting unstable, I felt like I had more energy than I should have. It wasn’t just the treatment. There was something else helping me endure it."

He stared at her. "You’re sure?"

"I’ve been an Awakener for years," she said with a small smile. "I know what my body feels like when it’s running out of strength." She looked down at herself. "Whatever you taught me, I think it helped."

He hadn’t expected that, but after a moment a smile crossed his face. "Then maybe you’re already adapting to it."

Her grin returned. "Even better."

Cassian came back. "Alright, your Gnosis is recovering on its own now. That’s the good news." He gestured toward Emily’s legs. "The problem is that your body hasn’t recovered with it."

Emily looked down. "What would it take?"

Cassian pulled up the information on the nearby display.

"Two things for the physical damage."

Cassian brought up the first item.

Bone Remaker Paste.

"It can rebuild damaged bone and restore its structure."

He brought up the second.

Life Gold Water.

"This helps reconnect the surrounding tissue, nerves, and circulation after the bone has been repaired."

Emily stared at the two names.

"So those could restore my legs?"

"They could give your body what it needs to recover," Cassian said. "If the treatment responds properly, you should eventually be able to stand and walk again."

Emily’s fingers tightened slightly.

That possibility still felt strange.

Not impossible anymore.

"And my Gnosis?" she asked.

Cassian’s expression became more serious. "That’s harder."

He brought up three more names.

Oath Keeper Water.

Lightning Emperor Key.

Lightkeeper Dew.

Reinhard looked over the list. "What do they do?"

"Oath Keeper Water can repair damage that has remained hidden for years. The Lightning Emperor Key can forcibly reopen a person’s Gnosis and restore access to their power. Lightkeeper Dew can push the body toward its peak physical condition."

Cassian paused.

"All three are required for the next stage of your Gnosis recovery."

Emily looked at the five names. "Are they really that rare?"

Cassian gave her a look. "Rare enough that I wouldn’t expect to find all five in one place."

Reinhard leaned back slightly. "How much are we talking?"

"Tens of millions if you somehow find them on the open market."

Lily’s eyes widened. "Tens of millions?"

Reinhard nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds expensive. Then where do you think I could start looking?"

"Marvello."

Cassian explained that Marvello was the commercial heart of Aurileus City, a district built entirely around medicine rather than research. Pharmaceutical companies. Private clinics. Equipment manufacturers.

Rare material dealers, medical auctions, corporate labs, wealthy patients willing to pay almost anything for something that actually worked. If a treatment existed anywhere in the region and money could buy it, Marvello was where it eventually surfaced.

"If those materials are being sold legally anywhere in Aurileus, Marvello is where I’d start," Cassian said.

"And if they’re not?"

"Then you’ll need to find someone who knows where they are."

"Hmm, alright."

Emily looked at him. "You’re taking this surprisingly well."

He glanced at her. "Should I panic?"

"No."

"Then I’m doing great."

Lily laughed.

Cassian rubbed his forehead. "I’m serious."

"So am I."

Reinhard looked back at the list. "Five items."

"Five extremely difficult items."

"Three of them are S-Class."

"Yes."

Reinhard nodded. "Okay. We will get them."

Cassian stared at him. "That’s it?"

Reinhard shrugged. "They’re things my wife needs."

Emily’s expression softened.

Cassian looked between them before letting out a quiet sigh. "I genuinely don’t know whether your confidence is reassuring or terrifying."

Reinhard smiled. "You’ll get used to it."

Emily laughed quietly.

For the first time, the list in front of her didn’t feel like a list of impossible things. It felt like a path.

Reinhard saw a familiar notification appear before his eyes. He was expecting this after hearing about the five items needed.

[New Investment Opportunity Available.]

[Target: Emily Ashcroft.]

[Current Value: B+]

[Objective: Acquire the resources required to restore the target’s legs.]

[Required Resources: 0/2.]

[Difficulty Grade: A.]

[Success Probability: 30%.]

Reinhard’s eyebrows lifted.

A-Rank.

Another notification appeared.

[Investment Opportunity Available.]

[Target: Emily Ashcroft.]

[Current Value: B+]

[Objective: Stage Three: Gnosis Recovery – Acquire the resources required to restore the target’s Gnosis ability.]

[Required Resources: 0/3.]

[Difficulty Grade: S.]

Reinhard stared at the two missions. For the first time, he had two investment opportunities for Emily sitting in front of him at the same time.

One for her legs.

One for her Gnosis.

His smile slowly widened. "This is getting interesting."

Emily looked at him. "What is?"

Reinhard glanced toward her. "Your recovery. Looks like we’ve got work to do."

Emily smiled. "I thought you’d say that."

Reinhard opened the door for her. "Come on, wife."

She laughed as he pushed the wheelchair forward.

"We have five impossible things to find."