Chapter 208: Her First Ritual
Olivia swallowed. she did not even want to ask why a big man like him wanted to be protected!
Rhistel’s eyes held her for a long moment, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, the glint of sincerity in them vanished. He tilted his head and stepped back from the shelves.
"But enough about Oriana," he said, almost too casually. "We were speaking of you."
Olivia’s shoulders tensed. She wasn’t ready, and yet—she was. Her heart had decided long before her mind caught up.
Rhistel’s voice dropped, no longer playful, but heavy with meaning. "Are you prepared to take responsibility for what you are, Olivia?"
Her breath hitched. The air around them had grown colder, or maybe it was her blood that had chilled. But still, she nodded. "Yes," she said softly. "I think I am."
He watched her quietly, searching for any hint of doubt. But though her voice had trembled, her eyes did not waver. That was enough.
With an approving nod, he turned toward a cabinet near the corner of the room. From within a hidden compartment, he retrieved a small, ornate box carved with symbols she didn’t yet recognize. He brought it to her and opened it slowly.
There was a key inside but she did not see the books locked. He placed it gently into her palm.
"This," he said, "opens a door you have to find yourself. I don’t even know where it is."
He stepped back and opened another case. Inside, dozens of vials shimmered with strange substances—herbs, powders, fragments of bone, petals that didn’t belong to any flower she knew.