Chapter 139: Old Memory
The essence of the gem poured into her like a river under the rain—swift, unstoppable. It flooded her body in an instant, spreading through every corner of her being before flowing back toward her core, drawn there as if by gravity.
Élisa gasped softly. The pressure in her limbs eased, the fog clinging to her mind began to lift. Her muscles didn’t exactly feel stronger, but the heaviness that clung to her spirit—especially when she used her psychic abilities—began to dissipate, thread by thread.
There was always a reason Élisa avoided lifting anything too heavy unless absolutely necessary. Psychokinesis demanded more than just will—it devoured her spiritual essence, and the mental fatigue it left behind could crush her focus like wet paper. Every movement of her floating lance, every projectile she hurled with her mind, every subtle tweak of matter came with a price she paid in clarity and control.
But now—absorbing the gem while still Awakened, even though it came from a second-rank beast—it brought tangible relief. The weight behind her eyes lightened. The stiffness in her thoughts softened. For a moment, it felt like her body remembered how to breathe fully again.
A flicker of light danced across her skin, following the intricate lines of her sigil. The glow deepened in color, from ember green to a more stable shade—calmer, grounded. Not blazing. Just steady.
Dylan, watching from his spot by the stump, let out a low whistle. "You’re glowing again," he muttered, almost reverently.
"I’m not pushing it too far," Élisa murmured, her voice barely above a breath. "Just... harmonizing."
She opened her eyes. They were clearer now—less veiled by exhaustion, more focused. The gem in front of her had dulled, its crimson heartbeat stilled. Its essence was spent.
Maggie approached and crouched near her, resting one elbow on her knee. "You alright?"
Élisa nodded, her voice more solid now. "I will be. It’s not like it solved everything... but it feels like I’ve been walking with a twisted ankle for days, and someone finally set the bone right."
They remained like that for a moment—three shadows around a dying fire, in a quiet corner of a hostile world.