The Damned Demon - Chapter 843

Rowena stood silently in the quiet clearing, her crimson gaze fixed on Valeria's armored form with a look of subtle astonishment.

The quiet rustle of leaves filled the pause between them before she finally found her voice.

"Valeria?" she whispered softly, her brows subtly drawn in surprise. How had she failed to sense her presence until now? Even with her attention elsewhere, it shouldn't have been so easy for someone to sneak up on her, especially someone clad in heavy armor.

Valeria stepped forward smoothly, her armored boots barely making a sound as they brushed through the grass.

Her gaze, like a burning crimson flame through the narrow slit of her helmet, remained fixed on Rowena. "Rowena," she greeted simply, her voice as flat and emotionless as ever.

Rowena felt an odd sensation within her chest. It was always the same feeling ever since she started addressing her by her name.

She shook it off quickly, her composure returning as her cool gaze steadied.

"Is there another letter?" Rowena asked quietly, her eyes complicated with a swirl of unresolved emotions. The last message she received had troubled her deeply.

She had learned of the true source of his hatred, his pain; how witnessing the death of his mother at the hands of a demon had scarred him deeply.

Yet he blamed neither the demon nor himself now, but the eternal, brutal war that had trapped them all.

However, deep within her heart, she wanted to know which demon made his life miserable to the point he had to go through all that.

But then suddenly, a painful memory from the past...a memory which she thought had been suppressed, resurfaced briefly as an image of a little human boy crying in terror and sadness flashed in her mind.

Did he suffer the same thing as that boy did? Rowena felt her heart clench tightly for some reason.

She couldn't clearly remember everything that happened at that time, but she could still feel the anguish the boy felt at that moment. And even to this day, it clung to her soul, refusing to let go for some reason.

"No," Valeria responded evenly, distracting Rowena from her thoughts. She paused just a moment before adding, "I'm here to help you."

Rowena blinked in mild surprise, curiosity briefly flickering across her features. "Help me? In what way?"

Valeria approached closer, standing now at the clearing's center. Her presence was strong, silent, and utterly calm, "Your father instructed me to teach you certain things when the time was right."

Rowena's gaze darkened instantly at the mention of her father, lips curling slightly with bitterness, "He did? I doubt his concern was genuine. Not after deceiving his family, betraying his kingdom, and bringing ruin upon everything I hold dear."

Valeria regarded her quietly for a moment before responding, voice flat yet resolute, "I cannot speak for your father's actions or intentions. I am not him. So you need not think ill of my intentions."

Rowena drew a slow breath, her fists tightening briefly at her sides as she asked coldly, "So he chose to reveal my bloodline's secrets to you rather than to his own daughter? Even if you were a Bloodborn Guard, such knowledge is sacred—bound by laws he himself once upheld."

Valeria tilted her head slightly, gaze steady as she replied without hesitation, "He claimed you weren't ready. He believed your true potential would only awaken when driven by desperation."

Rowena's jaw tightened subtly, cold anger flickering in her eyes. Yet deep down, she sensed a painful truth in Valeria's words.

Reluctantly, she acknowledged that perhaps desperation had indeed driven her further than mere guidance ever could.

She also could not afford to overthink about this. She needed all the strength she could get.

Finally, after a tense silence, Rowena exhaled slowly, looking Valeria directly in the eye. "Then guide me," she stated quietly yet firmly. "Show me how to fully wield the power in my veins."

Valeria inclined her head solemnly, stepping forward to begin.

—

Days melted seamlessly into one another, each dawn finding Rowena and Valeria within the secluded clearing, training relentlessly beneath the crimson skies.

Rowena, driven by cold determination and relentless resolve, pushed herself far beyond limits she once believed insurmountable.

Under Valeria's calm yet exacting guidance, she delved deep into the dormant power of her bloodline.

The intensity of her training was overwhelming, at times excruciating, yet undeniably exhilarating. With each passing day, she felt herself becoming stronger, her mind sharper, her mana responding with greater precision and force.

Even before she started this training, Rowena felt stronger than before she became pregnant. She didn't know if her being pregnant had anything to do with this.

In the middle of this, she had expressed concerns about whether it was all right to train like this while carrying her child.

Fortunately, Valeria told her that they were only trying to gain enlightenment and wouldn't harm the child.

On a gray afternoon, Rowena stood at the clearing's center, eyes closed, crimson mana flickering powerfully around her slender frame.

"Feel your power," Valeria instructed quietly from the sidelines. "Your bloodline is not merely strength, but control. It is both fury and calm, chaos and serenity."

Rowena's breathing grew measured, steady. She focused inward, following Valeria's words. Her heart thundered in rhythm with her mana, each pulse drawing her closer to a revelation.

"Now, open your hand," Valeria commanded softly. "You have the power to tear apart the veil between spaces."

Rowena's eyes snapped open, blazing crimson in intensity. She raised her hand, fingers stretching outward. Mana surged violently around her palm, swirling into a turbulent vortex. The air in front of her trembled, rippling wildly. Then abruptly, it collapsed.

Rowena gasped softly, disappointment evident in her eyes. But before frustration could claim her, Valeria's voice cut through sharply.

"You hesitate," Valeria said coolly. "You try to dominate your power instead of becoming one with it. The Devourer's bloodline is potent, but true mastery requires harmony with your own nature."

Rowena's eyes flickered with determination. She took another deep breath, refocusing herself. Again and again, she tried, each attempt pulling her deeper into her own being, closer to the edge of her true potential.

Days passed, each session bringing more breakthroughs. Soon, Rowena moved effortlessly, stepping through rifts in space, teleporting gracefully across the clearing, her movements fluid and powerful.

Each success filled her with grim satisfaction, each failure driving her relentlessly onward.

And for some reason she also felt the life force of the child within her getting stronger as well, much to her relief.

Yet subtly, amidst this grueling regimen, Rowena felt herself strangely comforted by Valeria's quiet, emotionless presence.

Though Valeria remained cold and distant, Rowena found herself trusting her guidance more deeply with each passing day.

Never did she ever expect she would be getting guidance from someone who was her protector once.

One evening, resting briefly after an intense session, Rowena found herself studying Valeria thoughtfully. "Your knowledge is beyond anything I've ever encountered," she murmured quietly. "I almost forgot you were a Bloodborn Guard....someone trained to only protect and fight."

Valeria stood silently a moment, her crimson eyes unreadable behind the slit of her helmet. "My master taught me everything I know."

Rowena's eyes narrowed in curiosity, "Who's your master? This is the first time I heard you mention him. I thought Bloodborn Guards were trained by a group of masters who come from a clan that had been serving my bloodline for centuries."

Valeria hesitated just a fraction of a second, her voice as calm and distant as always, "I can't tell you now."

Rowena didn't expect such an answer, wondering why she was being secretive about it unless her master wanted her to keep it a secret.

Yet she nodded silently, feeling that there was more to her than what she showed.

—

One scorching day, after training non-stop for hours, Rowena turned to Valeria and asked, "I know you can't tell me where you and Asher are staying. But...how is he doing?" Rowena asked in a low voice.

She didn't know if she should ask but she hadn't received any letters after so many days and couldn't help but feel a bit unsettled.

She still didn't know how exactly she was feeling about him. But all she wanted to know now was if he was alright.

Valeria answered plainly, "He is alright."

"Did he say...when he will return?" Rowena finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.

Valeria shook her head and said, "No. But he will return when the time is right."

Rowena's eyes grew heavy as she still didn't know just what kind of situation or place he was trapped in.

All she knew was that it could help him become stronger, and she hoped that it wouldn't be at the cost of his own life.

After all, there were things she had left to resolve with him.

—

Couple days later,

The night air stirred her raven hair, her black gown rippling behind her like a tattered banner in the wind.

Before her, a crimson rift bloomed into existence, a swirling oval of spatial energy bending reality like a curtain pulled aside by unseen hands.

Without strain or chant, Rowena opened it—effortlessly. The void twisted gently and then dissipated with a hum of compliance.

She opened another. And another.

Each rift tore space with the ease of a blade sliding through silk, each one cleaner, more refined than the last. The air around her shimmered faintly, heavy with the gravity of awakened blood.

The swell of her belly had consistently increased in size as if the life growing within was quite impatient and didn't want to sit still. However, she was too engrossed in her training to notice the changes in her body clearly.

And behind her, motionless as a carving of shadowed stone, stood Valeria.

She watched silently, arms folded across her armored chest, her crimson cape catching the breeze, her dark greatsword gleaming faintly beneath the moons. Her presence was like that of a stone monolith—quiet, impassive, but unshakable.

After the final rift sealed with a resonant snap, Rowena exhaled softly and turned to face her.

Her voice was calm, but there was a glint of unspoken curiosity in her crimson gaze.

"Valeria," she began, wiping a speck of blood from her fingertips. "I never asked before. But why do you hide your face?"

Valeria's helmet reflected the moonlight. A pause followed.

Then a quiet answer, barely audible beneath the rasp of her voice.

"My identity serves no purpose."She tilted her head slightly. "But more than that, I am not allowed to reveal it."

Rowena narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, "Not allowed to...?" she echoed, her voice trailing into the open sky.

Her eyes sharpened, thoughtful. Was she not allowed by this 'master' she had mentioned earlier?

From spending so much time together with her in the past few days, she began to realize that Valeria was appearing more mysterious and it baffled her how Valeria was able to have such a deep understanding of her bloodline's powers. Even if her father had taught her everything, it would be impossible for someone who was not a Drake to truly grasp it.

But suddenly-

"Ah—!"

A sharp, agonized gasp tore from Rowena's lips.

Her knees trembled as a jolt of pain surged through her abdomen, spreading like wildfire beneath her skin. Her hands flew instinctively to her swollen belly, her eyes wide.

She staggered back a step.

"Ngh—No, not now..." she whispered under her breath, trying to steady herself as she feared if this was really going to happen now.