Chapter 221: Ascendant Talent
No one spoke for a long time after the sixth drop had settled.
It was not because they had nothing to say, but because their minds could not form the words. Every vampire present, from the lowest guard to the Emperor level rulers who sat high above, stared at Cornelia as if she had become something entirely different from what she was just moments ago.
The Moonshade family, who had been mocked and dismissed not long ago, now stood at the center of attention, and yet even they could not fully understand what they were witnessing. Their hearts beat fast, their thoughts scattered, their eyes locked on the young woman who sat calmly upon the palm as if nothing unusual was happening.
"She... she reached that level..."
One of the Emperor level vampires whispered, his voice low and shaken, as if speaking too loudly would break whatever fragile balance existed in the moment.
"An Emperor level talent... from that family..."
Another one followed, his gaze narrowing as he looked at Cornelia with a mixture of greed, awe, and disbelief that refused to settle.
"This is the same Moonshade family we thought were useless just moments ago..."
"They were barely worth attention..."
"And now..."
He did not finish his sentence, but his eyes said everything.
Now, they were no longer something to ignore.
Now, they were something to fight over.
Lord Vord stood there, his chest rising and falling as he tried to steady himself, his earlier pride fading into something far more complicated. He had just stepped into the Ascendant Blood realm and thought himself elevated above many, thought himself worthy of standing among the true pillars of their race, and yet now, before him, was a young woman who had just displayed a talent that could one day stand beside his own.
"...An Emperor level seed..."
He murmured under his breath, his voice carrying both excitement and a trace of unease that he did not bother to hide.
Elder Achilor, who had remained composed through most of the earlier tests, now had his eyes fixed on Cornelia with a seriousness that had not been there before. This was no longer a simple evaluation of an outsider’s potential. This had become something much more important, something that could affect the balance within their entire race.
"Such a thing... appearing from another plane..."
He muttered softly, his tone thoughtful, as if he was already calculating the future implications of what stood before him.
The Moonshade family, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly erupted into voices again, but this time their cheers were not loud out of arrogance. They were loud out of disbelief, out of overwhelming pride that they could not contain.
"That’s our Madam!"
"She surpassed them all!"
"She is stronger than all of us!"
"We knew it!"
Their voices overlapped, their emotions spilling out freely, as if they were trying to make sense of everything by shouting it into existence.
Even the elders who had just shown their own talent stood there with smiles on their faces, their earlier concerns gone, replaced by a deep sense of relief and joy.
Elder Ghurn let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing as he looked at Cornelia.
"She has gone beyond us..."
He said, his voice filled with admiration rather than regret.
"That child... she truly carries something greater..."
But even as the voices rose, even as the shock began to turn into celebration, the palm did not calm.
Instead, something else began to happen.
At first, it was faint.
A gathering of energy above Cornelia’s head, like the beginning of another drop forming.
But this time, the feeling was different.
Heavier.
Deeper.
More suffocating.
"...Wait..."
Achilor’s voice cut through the noise, his eyes narrowing sharply as he focused on the forming shape.
The voices slowly died down again, one by one, as the realization spread.
There was another drop.
It was not stopping at six.
The seventh drop began to form.
And as it did, the entire arena seemed to fall into silence once more.
No one dared to speak.
No one dared to even breathe too loudly.
Because they all understood.
Six had already surpassed the ancestors.
Six had already marked her as something extraordinary.
Then what did seven mean?
"...This... this cannot be..."
One of the Emperor level vampires whispered, his voice trembling despite his power.
"This level... this is not something that appears casually..."
The drop formed slowly, as if it was pulling from something far beyond the limits they understood.
The air pressed down harder.
The ground trembled faintly beneath their feet.
Even the Emperor level vampires felt it, the weight of it, the pressure that came not from strength but from something deeper, something tied to the very essence of blood itself.
Lord Vord’s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat as he stared at the forming drop.
"...Seven..."
He said under his breath, almost as if he was afraid to say it out loud.
Elder Achilor’s gaze sharpened even further, his calm demeanor finally cracking just enough to reveal the depth of his shock.
"...Ascendant..."
He whispered.
And then—
The drop fell.
The moment it touched Cornelia’s forehead, the reaction was immediate.
A powerful resonance echoed across the entire arena, far louder than before, far deeper, as if something ancient had been awakened and was announcing its presence.
"Seven!"
Achilor’s voice rang out, no longer restrained, no longer composed.
The silence broke instantly.
The entire arena erupted.
"Impossible!"
"Seven drops!"
"That is Ascendant level!"
"An Ascendant talent!"
The voices rose in waves, each louder than the last, each filled with disbelief that refused to settle into acceptance.
Lord Vord staggered slightly, his hand clenching as he stared at Cornelia, his expression a mix of shock and something close to reverence.
"...Another one..."
He said, his voice almost breaking.
"Another Ascendant seed..."
His chest tightened as he realized what this meant.
This was not just an Emperor level talent anymore.
This was someone who could one day stand where he stood.
No, even beyond that.
Someone who could become a pillar of their entire race.
Elder Achilor’s lips trembled slightly before he finally let out a laugh, one that was filled with both disbelief and overwhelming joy.
"Hahahaha...!"
He raised his head, his eyes shining with excitement.
"We are blessed!"
He shouted, his voice echoing across the arena.
"The Blood God has blessed us!"
His laughter continued, no longer restrained, his earlier seriousness replaced with a rare display of emotion.
"To think that such a talent would appear... from another plane..."
He shook his head, still unable to fully believe it, even as he witnessed it with his own eyes.
"This is not just rare... this is something that changes everything..."
The Emperor level vampires around him nodded, their earlier greed now mixed with something closer to respect, because they understood what stood before them.
"An Ascendant talent..."
"One who can reach that realm without question..."
"She will become one of us..."
"No... she will become one of the rulers..."
The Moonshade family stood frozen for a moment before their cheers exploded once again, louder than ever before, filled with pride that shook their very beings.
"Our Madam!"
"She is Ascendant!"
"She will stand above all!"
They shouted without restraint, their earlier fears completely gone, replaced by a confidence that came from witnessing something truly extraordinary.
Cornelia remained seated.
Still.
Calm.
As if none of it affected her.
But deep within, her blood stirred, her heart beating with a rhythm that felt both familiar and new, as if something inside her had finally begun to awaken fully.
Cain, standing among them, watched everything unfold with a gaze that was far more complicated than anyone else present.
His expression remained calm, but his mind was racing.
"...Seven..."
He thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Cornelia.
"As expected... but still..."
Even he had not expected it to reach this point so quickly.
Even he, who had seen countless talents across countless lifetimes, felt a faint sense of surprise.
But beneath that surprise, there was something else.
Concern.
Because the stronger she became...
The deeper their bond would become.
"...Damn it..."
He muttered silently in his head.
"This is getting troublesome..."
Yet even as he thought that, his gaze remained fixed on her, unable to look away.
Because something about this moment felt important.
Important in a way that he could not fully explain.
And then—
Just as the voices reached their peak, just as the excitement threatened to overflow beyond control—
The air changed again.
At first, no one noticed.
Their attention was still on the seventh drop, still on the meaning of it, still on the shock that had yet to settle.
But then—
Another presence began to gather.
Above Cornelia.
Slower than before.
Heavier than before.
"...Wait..."
Achilor’s voice came again, this time softer, but filled with something deeper.
Something closer to disbelief.
The voices slowly died down once more.
One by one.
As all eyes turned upward.
And there—
Forming above her head—
Was another drop.
The eighth.
And in that moment, as the shape of it became clear, as the weight of it pressed down upon the entire arena—
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Because even the thought of what it meant...
Was too much to comprehend.