Chapter 245 - 244 : Husband and wife
For several long seconds, there was only silence.
The training facility was covered in dust.
Cracks ran across the reinforced floor where the magic circle had once been. The glowing runes embedded in the walls flickered weakly, their light unstable after the explosion. Damaged training equipment lay scattered across the room, while strands of crimson, gold, and pale-blue mana drifted through the air like dying embers.
Arthur’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
The first thing he felt was pain.
A sharp, throbbing ache spread through his back, shoulders, and head.
"Ah... what the hell happened?"
He winced and slowly pushed himself off the ground.
His body protested immediately.
Arthur pressed a hand against his forehead and took a deep breath. His vision was still blurry, and every muscle in his body felt as though it had been torn apart and put back together incorrectly.
Then the memories returned.
Athena’s blood.
The unbearable hunger.
His loss of control.
The ritual circle absorbing both their blood.
And then—
The explosion.
"Oh, right."
Arthur’s eyes widened.
"What happened to Athena?"
He quickly looked around.
Then he saw her.
At the center of the destroyed training facility, where the magic circle had once been, Athena sat motionlessly amid the fading remains of the ritual.
Arthur froze.
Her veil was gone.
It must have been torn away or blown off during the explosion.
For the first time, Arthur saw Athena’s face.
"So this is how she looks without that veil, huh?"
Arthur stared at her for several seconds.
Then a slow, impressed smile appeared on his face.
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
Athena’s beauty was unlike anything Arthur had seen before.
Her face was delicate yet impossibly refined, as though every feature had been carefully crafted by a divine hand. Her skin was smooth and pale, carrying a faint glow that did not belong to an ordinary human. Her golden eyes shone with a mysterious light, like sunlight trapped beneath clear water.
Her long golden hair flowed around her shoulders, standing out against the dark floor and scattered remains of the ritual circle.
She looked ethereal.
Not merely beautiful.
Unreal.
Like someone who had stepped out of an ancient painting or a legend told by priests.
Arthur had no doubt now.
Her mother really had been a high-ranking spirit.
No ordinary human could possess that kind of beauty, mana, and presence.
Arthur was about to call out to her when another sharp pain shot through his body.
"Ah..."
He looked down.
A strange symbol had appeared on his wrist.
It resembled a small sun.
Thin golden lines formed a circular shape, with rays spreading outward from the center. The mark gave off a faint warmth, pulsing gently beneath his skin.
Arthur frowned.
"Now what the hell is this?"
He slowly stood and began walking toward Athena.
But before he could ask her anything, he noticed that she was staring at her own wrist.
Unlike Arthur’s sun-shaped symbol, Athena had a crescent-moon-shaped mark on hers.
Her face had turned pale.
Her lips trembled.
"It cannot be..."
Arthur stopped.
Athena continued staring at the mark.
"It cannot be..."
Her voice grew weaker.
"It cannot be... it cannot be... it cannot be..."
Arthur walked closer.
Then he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, are you alright? What the fuck just happened?"
Athena flinched.
She turned toward Arthur.
For a brief moment, her golden eyes met his crimson ones.
A strange feeling suddenly rose within her.
It was warm.
Unfamiliar.
Deep.
Something within her spiritual core reacted to Arthur’s presence, as though their souls had been connected by an invisible thread.
Athena’s eyes widened.
Then she immediately snapped out of her daze.
She grabbed Arthur’s wrist.
"Show it to me."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Show me your hand."
Her voice was sharp.
Arthur held up his wrist.
Athena stared at the sun-shaped mark.
Her expression became hollow.
"It cannot be."
Arthur’s frown deepened.
Athena released his wrist and took a step back.
"I am screwed."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Mother... what should I do now?"
She clutched her head.
"I messed up. I messed up big time."
Arthur’s patience finally ran out.
"Will you please explain what kind of sorcery you dragged me into, you weirdo?"
Athena glared at him.
"Shut up. You do not need to know."
Arthur’s eyebrow twitched.
"Excuse me?"
Athena suddenly stood.
Then she grabbed Arthur by the collar and pulled him closer.
Her golden eyes were filled with both fury and panic.
"That’s right. It all happened because of you, you blood-sucking bastard."
Arthur stared at her.
"How is that my fault?"
Then he remembered.
He had gone berserk during the ritual.
He had grabbed Athena’s hand.
He had drunk her blood.
His own blood had spilled into the magic circle.
And then the ritual had gone completely out of control.
Arthur’s expression became slightly awkward.
"Well..."
Athena released his collar.
She took a deep breath.
Then another.
"I need to calm down," she murmured. "I need to find a way to undo it."
Arthur watched her carefully.
Now that her veil was gone, every trace of panic on her face was visible.
For the first time, she did not look like the untouchable and confident headmistress of Celestia Academy.
She looked genuinely frightened.
Athena turned toward Arthur.
"Listen carefully to what I am about to say."
Arthur crossed his arms.
"Finally. You are willing to explain."
Athena raised her wrist.
The crescent-moon symbol glowed faintly.
Arthur looked at it.
"What is that?"
Athena hesitated.
Her lips parted.
Then closed again.
"These are... symbols."
Arthur waited.
Athena’s voice became quieter.
"When two spirits marry..."
Her voice faded.
Arthur blinked.
"What was that?"
Athena looked away.
"When two spirits marry one another..."
Her voice became quiet again.
Arthur leaned closer.
"I did not hear you. Are you still in shock or something?"
Bam!
Athena punched Arthur directly in the face.
His body flew backward and crashed onto the floor.
"We just married each other, you fucker!" Athena yelled.
"Now you heard it!"
Arthur’s world seemed to stop.
He lay on the floor with one hand pressed against his swollen cheek.
His thoughts crashed into one another.
Married?
To Athena?
A half-spirit headmistress?
Arthur slowly sat up.
’No way in hell am I gonna spend the rest of my life with this violent woman.’
His speech was distorted by the swelling in his face, making him sound like a hamster.
"Yog vitch vhat uave tou donu vo we."
Athena’s eyes narrowed.
"What the hell did you say?"
Arthur quickly pulled a healing potion from his inventory.
He uncorked it and drank it in one hurried gulp.
A warm glow spread through his body.
The swelling vanished.
The pain faded.
Arthur immediately stood up.
"How can that happen?" he yelled. "You bitch, what have you done to me?"
Athena’s expression became furious.
"I do not know, alright?"
She pointed toward the crescent symbol on her wrist.
"A marriage bond like this should only be possible between two high-ranking spirits."
Her eyes shifted toward Arthur.
"And you are just a pathetic half-human and half-vampire."
Athena clutched her head again.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Arthur took a deep breath.
"Let us calm down a little."
Athena looked at him in disbelief.
"You are telling me to calm down?"
"There must be some way out of this," Arthur continued. "Just because we got two weird symbols on our hands doesn’t mean we truly have to become husband and wife, right?"
Athena’s eyes became serious.
"Maybe it means nothing to you."
Her voice was quiet.
But it carried a deep weight.
"For spirits, it means everything."
Arthur fell silent.
"A high-ranking spirit can only marry once in her life," Athena said. "Our purity is everything to us."
She looked away.
"We are not like humans."
Arthur blinked.
"So you cannot get married again?"
Athena nodded.
"Yes."
Arthur tried to remain serious.
He really did.
But then he burst out laughing.
"What are you, some little girl?"
Athena’s fists clenched.
Arthur immediately coughed.
"I am sorry. I am sorry."
He raised both hands.
"But there must be a way to undo it."
Athena slowly exhaled.
"You are right," she said. "I will find a way."
Her golden eyes narrowed at Arthur.
"There is no way I am spending the rest of my life with someone like you."
Arthur’s mouth twitched.
"Yeah, well, the feeling is mutual."
Their eyes met.
Then both looked away at the same time.
"Hmph."
The System’s voice suddenly echoed inside Arthur’s mind.
[Host, I believe I know why this happened even though you are not a spirit.]
Arthur’s eyes widened.
’Explain.’
A notification appeared before him.
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[ BLOODLINE OBTAINED ]
[ Origin Spirit ]
[ Origin: First Spirit ]
[ Type: Primordial ]
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[ Description ]
A bloodline originating from the First Spirit, the source of all spirits.
It grants the bearer a natural connection to the spiritual world and the ability to wield spiritual power.
[ Bloodline Effects ]
◆ Spirit Affinity
Gain affinity with all types of spirits and the ability to perceive and manipulate Spiritual Energy.
◆ Spirit Assimilation
You can devour any type of Spiritual Energy, regardless of its nature, origin, or owner, including energy belonging to other spirits.
◆ Nature’s Beloved
Nature recognizes you as its beloved, greatly increasing your affinity with natural spirits.
◆ Nature’s Will
Spiritual bindings and curses cast by spirits have no effect on you.
◆ Spirit’s Reverence
Spirits will instinctively feel reverence and intimidation toward you.
◆ Spirit Command
You can command spirits weaker than yourself.
◆ Spiritual Resistance
Fifty percent of all damage received from spirits is negated.
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Arthur stared at the notification.
His expression became complicated.
’Fuck.’
His eyes shifted toward Athena.
’So that’s how this happened.’
Arthur glanced down at the sun-shaped mark on his wrist.
’Forced into a marriage by my own ability, huh?’
Athena suddenly looked toward him.
Her golden eyes sharpened.
"Do you know something?"
Arthur hesitated for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"It seems I obtained a spirit bloodline through one of the abilities granted by my System. Which caused all of this."
Athena’s eyes widened.
"What?"