The Broken Halo

Chapter 977 - 976: A Warning

Rowan stood in the bath and raised an arm to examine it. Before he could decide whether anything looked different on his body, a rotten smell caught in his throat.

He gagged, grabbed the rim, and pressed his other hand over his nose.

Celeste and Adrian were watching him without the slightest discomfort.

He looked at them with surprise and disgust on his face.

”Can’t you smell that?”

”We’re using Aether to block it out,” Celeste said.

Rowan looked down at the black residue coating his skin. He nearly retched again.

Celeste covered a laugh with her hand.

”I had the same reaction after my first bath. Go on, the shower’s through that door.”

He didn’t wait to be told twice.

Several minutes later, he returned scrubbed clean and dressed, turning his hands over as he walked. His skin was clearer, but his arms hadn’t grown. He had expected muscles, perhaps broader shoulders, but the change was easier to feel than see.

He bent his knees, straightened, then rolled his shoulders. His body felt light, free of the aches that had followed him through the past few days. Even breathing seemed easier.

The little hole in his chest hadn’t changed.

He felt strong enough to spar much longer now. Twice as strong as before, perhaps even more. There was no way to check, and the bigger students would probably overpower him if they locked swords without him trying to use his techniques and talent.

But he wanted to try.

”You did well, Rowan.”

He stopped examining his hands.

”All that medicine and pain, without getting out once.” Celeste smiled. ”You should be pleased with yourself.”

”I am. Thank you, Saintess.”

”Adrian, would you take him back to his room? Make sure he rests today.”

The guard nodded.

On the stairs, Rowan kept waiting for his legs to grow heavy. They didn’t.

”Don’t forget what she’s done for you,” Adrian suddenly said. ”She insisted on the best ingredients for your treatment.”

”What sort of ingredients?” Rowan asked out of curiosity.

”Hundred-year Blood Ginseng, for one. Most roots are harvested long before they reach that age. There was Jade Marrow Root, which is difficult to grow and even harder to harvest intact. And Snow Lotus petals. You need at least elite C rank Hunters just to reach the places where those grow.”

”All of that was in there?”

”Among other things. Elite families put their names on waiting lists for ingredients of that quality.”

Rowan missed a step and caught the rail.

He had known the bath must cost something. Celeste had spent days preparing it. But people waiting to buy ingredients grown for a hundred years?

He couldn’t understand and didn’t expect this.

”Why is she doing so much for me?”

Adrian studied him before answering.

”I couldn’t tell you for certain. But when she takes this much interest in someone, I suspect the Lord has asked her to.”

”Do you mean the God of Light?”

”No.”

Rowan furrowed his brows in confusion.

”I’ve heard people praying to him since we got here. I thought that was who you meant.”

Adrian shook his head.

”The Saintess and I worship a different God.”

”Who, then?”

The guard smiled and ruffled his hair.

”You’ll find out. Spend enough time with her, and you won’t need me to explain.”

Rowan put his hair back into place. He was curious, but not enough to keep asking when Adrian clearly didn’t intend to answer.

They reached his room.

As the guard turned to leave, Rowan caught his attention.

”Could I ask for something?”

”What is it?”

”A sword. Just a cheap one, for practice. It doesn’t need to be anything special.”

Adrian chuckled.

”I have a feeling Martin’s going to regret letting you into his yard.”

Rowan waited.

”All right. I’ll get you a plain practice sword.”

”Thank you.”

”Thank the Saintess. She’s the reason I can agree to these things.”

He left Rowan alone, and for a while the boy stood in the middle of the room, opening and closing his hands.

———

The following afternoon, Rowan was practising with the sword Adrian had brought him.

It was plain steel with a blunted edge. He had cleared a space between the bed and the chairs, though he had to shorten his steps whenever he turned toward the wardrobe.

That morning’s lesson had given him plenty to work on. Now his legs could keep up for longer, he was finding places where his timing needed correcting.

He had just begun another sequence when someone knocked.

”Come in, Saintess.”

Celeste opened the door and looked at him with raised brows.

”You recognise my knock already?”

”You always leave a little gap before the last one.”

Celeste shook her head with a light curl of her lips.

”Only a few days here, and you’ve learned that too.”

He lowered the sword and he noticed something on the Saintess as she walked closer to him.

There were dark circles beneath her eyes. She looked tired enough that he wondered whether she had slept at all.

”Are you all right?”

”Yes. Don’t worry about me.”

”You look tired.”

”I haven’t been sleeping very well. Thank you for asking, though.”

Rowan put his sword away and offered her a chair.

”Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

”Your lessons. There’s very little time left before your awakening, and Adrian tells me you were keeping up with Martin this morning.”

”When he held back.”

”Yes. Without using his greater strength or Aether, neither of you could get much of an advantage.”

Rowan nodded.

”It was harder when he stopped holding back.”

”I imagine it was.”

She sat, and he took the chair opposite.

”I’ve asked Sir Luke to come and teach you for a day.”

Rowan’s brows jumped with surprise and disbelief.

”Sir Luke? He agreed to teach me?”

”He agreed to a day’s lesson. If you impress him, he’ll consider teaching you until your System awakens.”

Rowan tried to think of something better than the words he had already said so many times.

”Thank you, Saintess. Really. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”

”You can thank me by turning up rested.”

”I will.”

Celeste smiled, but it faded before she spoke again. She folded her hands in her lap and looked at them.

Rowan waited, then asked, ”Is something wrong?”

”There’s something else. I had a dream about you.”

”Me?”

He pointed at himself before lowering his hand.

She nodded.

”I heard the Lord speaking. He told me to give you a warning.”

”What warning?”

”Don’t choose The One. He said you would regret it later.”

A faint golden light passed through the cross at her throat. Rowan was watching her face, and Celeste was waiting for his answer. For some strange reason, neither noticed the faint golden light on Celeste’s cross around her neck.

”The One?” he asked.

”Yes.”

”What is that?”

”I don’t know.”

He looked toward his sword, then back at her.

”Is it something to do with my awakening?”

”I can’t tell you that. I don’t want to guess and give you the wrong idea.”

Her fingers tightened together.

”But I know whose voice I heard. The Lord has never been wrong. It may make sense to you later, even if neither of us understands it now.”

Rowan thought about the name. He couldn’t remember his parents mentioning it, or anyone else in Miresti.

Celeste watched him searching for an answer she didn’t have either.

”If a time comes when you understand what He meant, please remember this conversation and trust me.”

”I do trust you.”

She looked up.

”I’m confused,” he admitted. ”I don’t know what The One is or how I would choose The One. But you brought me back to life. If you’re warning me about something that could hurt me, I’m not going to ignore you.”

”Then you’ll remember?”

He nodded.

”I promise.”

Some of the strain left her face.

”Thank you, Rowan.”

Celeste rose, and he got up with her.

”And save some energy for your lesson with Sir Luke,” she added, glancing at the sword. ”You don’t have to swing the sword till you become exhausted.”

Rowan smiled.

”I’ll try.”

She gave him an amused look before leaving, closing the door behind her.