Chapter 67: A Small Piece of Freedom

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: A Small Piece of Freedom

The black sphere hovered above Liora’s palm, trembling, twisting, slowly changing shape as Felix watched in silence.

She concentrated harder, and it stretched into a thin black thread extending from her hand, then another, the Darkness starting to respond to what she actually wanted instead of just reacting on its own.

"Good," Felix said.

She opened her eyes. "It listens."

She flexed her fingers, and the thread curled around her wrist before snapping forward into something close to a whip.

"Try something harder," he said.

"What?"

"Shape it into an actual object."

She stared at the mana, and after a few seconds it started reforming: a small blade, imperfect, edges trembling, but holding its shape.

Her eyes widened. "I did it."

She brightened, and then the blade collapsed without warning. "Lost concentration," he said before she could ask.

"Oh."

"Again."

She tried again. And again. Every time the shape fell apart, she went right back to it: a blade, a sphere, a thin spike, a small shield, each attempt lasting a little longer than the one before.

Felix watched closely. He wasn’t just teaching her to make Darkness appear. He was teaching her to command it, and the distinction mattered, her affinity was genuinely powerful, and raw power without control had already cost her everything once. She couldn’t afford a repeat.

"Now," he said, "try reinforcing your body with it."

She blinked. "My body?"

"It already boosts your physical stats on instinct. Instead of letting it overwhelm you, circulate it through your muscles on purpose."

He raised a fist. She closed her eyes, and black mana spread down both arms, muscles tightening under it, the pressure around her climbing.

She opened her eyes. He smiled. "Hit me."

She shook her head immediately. "No."

"I don’t want to hurt you."

"You won’t."

"But—"

"Liora." He held his palm up. "Trust me."

She hesitated, then nodded, stepped in, and threw a punch. He raised his palm to block it.

*BOOM*

His eyebrows went up. "Much stronger."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She attacked again, and again, speed climbing with every strike even if her technique was still rough around the edges. He started correcting her as they went. "Lower your center." She adjusted. "Don’t swing from the arm alone." She shifted. "Use your hips." Her next punch pushed his blocking hand back a visible amount, and he smiled. "Much better."

Her whole expression lit up, and she came at him again.

For the next hour he worked through all of it with her, hand-to-hand fundamentals, mana reinforcement, shaping the Darkness, condensing it, expanding it, pulling it back, moving it through her body without letting it start pulling at her mind in return.

Little by little, she improved, until her breathing finally started going heavy and the black mana around her flickered unsteadily.

"Enough," he said.

"I can keep going."

"No."

"You’re almost empty." She looked down at her own hands, the Darkness barely responding anymore. He stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "You did plenty today."

She nodded reluctantly, and the last trace of black mana faded out, her whole body relaxing at once.

"Tomorrow we keep going," he said.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. And we’re bringing in automated combat dummies."

Her eyes went wide.

"You need to learn how to fight without me standing right here."

She nodded slowly, nervous, but there was something else underneath it, something closer to excitement.

"Okay."

"Good."

---

A little later, Felix made his way to Seraphina’s cell with a book in hand. The guard let him in.

"Here," he said, holding it out.

Her eyes brightened as she took it carefully: a mystery novel, fingers brushing over the cover. "A new one?"

"Yep."

"Thank you."

"Enjoy." He turned for the door. "See you tomorrow."

"Felix." He stopped. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

She looked down at the book, then back up. "Can I buy a smartphone?"

He blinked. "A smartphone?"

She nodded, reached into the small storage compartment in her cell, and pulled out several folded bills. "I have money."

He looked at it, then at her. "Where’d this come from?"

"The Association. My salary came in last week."

"You’ve just been keeping all of it in here?"

"Where else would I keep it?"

He sighed. "You don’t have a bank account?"

"No."

"Why not?"

She looked genuinely confused by the question. "My parents never bothered opening one for me. They said I wouldn’t need it, whatever I needed would just be provided."

His expression darkened slightly. He shook his head. "Come here. We’re fixing that right now."

---

He pulled out his phone and sat at the small table in her cell, Seraphina settling beside him as he opened the Association’s banking app.

"Since you’re an awakened prisoner under active rehab, there’s some extra verification required." She nodded, and he started filling out the application: name, ID number, Association registration, rehabilitation status.

"I need a photo," he said.

She blinked. "A photo?"

"Yeah." She straightened up on reflex, and he raised the phone. "Here."

*Click.*

He attached the photo and handed her the biometric scanner. "Fingerprint." She pressed her finger to it; a soft beep sounded. "Again."

Another beep, and he worked through the rest of the verification, both of them waiting a few minutes until a line flashed across the screen.

*Identity verification complete.*

"You’re all verified," he said.

She leaned closer. "What now?"

"Administrative approval."

"From who?"

"Gideon." He pulled out his phone and called, and it connected after a few rings.

"What is it, Felix?"

"Opening a bank account for Seraphina."

A long pause. "Of course you are."

"She needs approval."

A beat while Gideon checked. "Approved."

"Thanks."

"Don’t thank me. Just don’t make me regret."

"No promises," Felix said, grinning, and the call ended. A notification lit up his screen a moment later.

*Account successfully activated.*

"Congratulations," he said, turning the phone toward her.

She stared at it. "My own account."

"Yep."

She smiled: a small thing, but for someone who’d spent years with every detail of her life decided by other people, it mattered.

He picked up the folded bills from the table. "I’ll deposit all of this for you," he said, counting the cash before standing up. "And I’ll bring you a phone tomorrow."

​Her eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"

​"Really," he said, holding up a finger. "With one catch, since you’re still technically a prisoner, it’s locked down. You can check your account, but you can only call or message a few pre-approved numbers."

​She looked straight at him, completely unbothered by the restrictions. "I can contact you, right?"

​Felix smiled. "Yeah. Your team, the head of security, and me."

​Her expression softened, a quiet warmth settling over her face.

​"Good," he said, turning toward the door. "I’ll bring it by tomorrow. See you then."

​"Thank you, Felix."

​The door clicked shut, leaving her alone in the quiet room. She stayed seated, staring at the empty chair where he had just been sitting.

​The money, the account, the sudden link to the outside world, none of that truly mattered. She didn’t care about reaching the team or checking a balance.

​Getting the phone meant only one thing: she finally had a way to reach him.

---

Felix left Acheron that evening. It had been a long day, Liora’s Darkness training going better, Seraphina with a real bank account now and a phone coming tomorrow, more training waiting for Liora right behind it.

He settled into the Association transport and leaned back, just watching the underground lights slide past the window until he finally made it home.

Another day finished. Another small step taken for both of them.