The Chimeric Ascension of Lyudmila Springfield

Chapter Eighty-Eight: Faraway Hope – Part One

When I asked Sera my request, she nodded and accepted before I could finish—anything to spend time bonding with me.  

We spent two hours near the lavender-colored lake, and I made more progress in that time frame than I had in my whole life as Lyudmila Vredi Springfield.   

Sera had shown me over 150 spells. Of those, only 20 were untranslatable. At that point, Sera said my overall arcane knowledge was lacking, but she said she would help me as much as possible. She was also surprised by my mana reservoir. It wasn’t rare for a High Elf to have a lot, but I had way more than others around my level.    

But Sera was unable to answer my question on why I couldn’t obtain enhancer skills like [Wind Magic] or [Lightning Magic]. They were available for me to purchase, but I wanted to manually acquire them. And I knew it was possible. She theorized it probably had something to do with my flow of mana. She used [Mana Perception] and gasped because she couldn’t see anything.   

That was explained by a ‘masterful’ control to prevent it from leaking, but Tris configured [Status Cloak] to only hide energy related to my chimerism while I cast [Aero Chain].  

“Ah, that’s the issue. Mila, you’re not letting the mana flow throughout your body,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “You gather it around your hands and shoot it out without letting it circulate. Do you feel this?”  Sera used [Icy Finger] and touched my arm.   

I nodded. Sera then slid it to my shoulder and told me to focus on directing the mana towards the cold feeling. “No, you’re trying to bottle it up. Relax, sister, and let it flow like a river. Ease yourself.” I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing.   

There was…something there. I couldn’t realize it before, but I perceived it to be…a feeling of…of a blockade? No wonder my hands felt slightly jittery.   

I just…had…to break…it…down…  

“There!!” I exclaimed. The grass below me parted ways as wind surrounded my body—not just my hands. It flowed like a rollercoaster and collected in my open palms, where a sharp chain made of pure wind shot out from my wrist. It struck the floating plank Sera had set up, and I yanked it back, catching it.   

“Yes! Did you feel it? The chain was thicker. The tip was sharper and pointier! Congratulations, Mila!” Sera jumped up and down while hugging her staff. Her ears fluttered up and down.   

“That was what held me back?” I channeled [Fireball], but the blockade was broken. The flames whooshed that much brighter and burned more intensely than ever. It felt like my whole body was being subtly warmed.   

About a dozen magic enhancer skills were immediately learned and were raised to Lv. 8 because of my prior training and progress with my clones. 

“Please don’t take it to heart. Susize tutored me, and our father trained her. And our mother trained him when they were children. But you… Being devoted enough to cast without speaking is a marvelous accomplishment! It’s astounding you learned it at all. Most wizards go their entire lives without ever obtaining it.”  

“Thanks for making me feel better, sister.”  

Hearing that word made her pep up again. Her ears fluttered up and down when happy—much like Tris’s tail wagged when she felt excited.   

But Sera was also a proficient fighter when it came to melee combat. She used [Stone Sword], a spell from [Elemental Conjuration Magic]-- something I acquired— to craft a weapon made of rock and sparred against the projected Murag she summoned a moment later.   

Their exchange was a ballet of intensity, an intricate weaving of blows and evasions. Sera's every motion was a fluid dance of precision, her strikes harmonizing with her short-range teleportation. The stone sword cut through the air, each strike challenging Murag's spectral presence.  

Yet, the sword bore marks of combat's toll. Fractures snaked across its surface, a testament to its impending dissolution. Its magic waned, and Sera sensed its weakening grip. With a final flourish, she shattered the blade, its fragments dissipating like stardust. Without a moment of hesitation, she beckoned forth twin stone gauntlets, enveloping her hands with a substance stronger than steel. Her punches reminded me of a boxer—they were formidable and carried the weight of a mountain. She lunged forward and met Murag’s form.   

But the Ashen Orc always dodged. He smiled and treated this as training as he effortlessly ducked and jumped back. Sometimes, he’d throw a fist and clash with Sera, but the force would always cause her gauntlets to break.   

The fight progressed for a few more minutes until Murag’s ghostly outline became difficult to see. He wavered like mist and vanished after suddenly wrapping Sera in a hug. Sweat dripped down her face like a waterfall, and she dropped to her knees while fishing for a mana potion hidden in a pouch.   

“That was amazing!” She turned my way and smiled through her exhaustion. Bashfulness overcame her face when I extended an arm.   

I asked her a few questions, and she spent the next ten minutes helping me summon a stone sword, axe, spear, scythe, and hammer. My projections weren’t as strong as hers, but she gleefully clapped at my hasty progress.  

“But let’s return to Orchta, yes? It is late. Tomorrow—no, the morning will soon arrive, and it will be…quite lengthy,” I said when I saw her yawn. 

My lord, I have logged Seraphina’s chants as translated by [Mana Language] and her translations of them. I will begin work on decoding Latin with the information available to us.  

Okay. Good job.  

I’m awaiting your return! 

“That’s a good idea, sister.” She said she needed a moment to regain her mana, but I started singing and grew my wings.  

“I can carry us back. Perhaps not all the way, but most of it.” I told her about [Flight Magic] and [Song Magic]. I almost instinctively pulled out Susize’s flute, but Tris stopped me at the last moment. She already had lyrics ready because she had predicted something like this would happen after we encountered Sera.   

After picking her up in my arms, I flapped my wings and flew towards Orchta.   

Halfway back, I stopped, and we took a projected Aetos the rest of the way.   

---

After landing near the city, we walked the rest of the way until we arrived at Plymoise’s embassy. Sera seemed hesitant to let me go.   

I knew why.  I could work this in my favor.   

Her eyes briefly lit up when I asked if she wanted to share my bed, but she didn’t know if that was okay.  

“We’re sisters, are we not?”  It wasn’t until I grabbed her hand that she relented and thanked me for my generosity. Captain Morgan was asleep in his chair, and Tris was sitting cross-legged on the bed in our room. Surtr laid to her right, and she rubbed his head.     

The two welcomed me back, and Sera introduced herself in a shaky voice. When it came to us being alone, she was getting more confident—more adept, I suppose. Or maybe more like herself. But seeing people I regarded as family—as loved ones, probably made her realize that I resonated more with non-Vredis than Vredis.   

“Would you like to relax in the bath, my lord?” Tris asked, grabbing my hand with both of hers. She looked up at me expectantly.   

“Sure. Sera? Care to join?”   

“Eh? Are you sure? Is it fine?”   

“Yes, it is. Tris wouldn’t mind, would you?” I looked at her, and she shook her head, keeping a perfect smile.    

“Then...thank you. I’ll join you.”   

We walked to the bath, which was more of a hot spring—it was like what I had at the Waterdale Inn, and Tris stripped me nude. Sera began undressing, but her eyes caught on my penis.    

Audibly, she gulped and turned her gaze. Tris and I entered first, and she rested between my legs and let me rub her ears. Sera grabbed a towel from a bag she summoned from somewhere and wrapped her body before dipping a toe in.    

She was almost the same as Susize. From her eyes, hair, nose, and body, only an elf would perceive the differences.   

“Does it feel good?”   

“Mmm... It does...” Tris purred and relaxed against my chest.    

“May I ask where you received your clothing? Did you make them?”  

“No. An elf named Verdant did. The outfit was a gift for me to wear to the Heptarchis. It probably won’t become my regular attire because it’s special. It’s meant for unique occasions. I can’t risk damaging it, or I could never forgive myself.”  

“Umm... I...noticed something. Are you capable of changing your body? Your...” She eyed my chest, and yep... I had unconsciously reverted my breasts to their usual size.  

“I can. It’s something of an innate talent, but altering my size is the most I can do. Verdant never measured me, and it’s not strenuous to change myself to suit her wonderful work.”  

“I can fix that. I have a few cores with the {Resize} enchantment. And an enchanting table within my spacial storage. Please, allow me to do this.”  

“I won’t refuse your kindness, sister. Thank you.”  

Sera smiled, but something was bothering her. No—a thousand things probably troubled her, but she eventually forced out a request.  “Sister, umm... Could...I get to know more about your...family? I...”   

I didn’t mind. If anything, I could use this moment to ease Sera's prejudice against Sekh by ‘hyping her up,’ as Tilde would say, by gushing about how she saved my life—about how I wouldn’t be alive if she hadn’t stepped in to rescue me when I needed help the most.    

And it wasn’t a lie. It was all verifiable truth.    

“Then I met a fairy named Tilde. She taught me what I lacked—what I had failed to understand.”   

Sera remarked my eyes were glowing when I spoke about Irisa. “She just didn’t see me as a High Elf. First and foremost, she saw me as a woman who needed a friend. I didn’t have much. I messed up a lot. I pushed her away when I needed to hug her close. But she forgave me,” I said, leaning back slightly. I found myself smiling. “And mom... I had a mother, but I didn’t have a mom. I didn’t have someone who loved me for who I was, and Ichiha...did that. She taught me how to cook. When I needed advice, she was there. And Kokan was the same. Without him, Niva wouldn’t be alive. His medicine was invaluable in saving her life.”   

“Niva?”   

“Ah, she’s a halfbreed between a Cyclops and a Lizardfolk,” I said, briefly explaining her life. And I had to bring up Primrose. Sera oddly twitched when I brought up Aetos’s name, but she didn’t do anything else.   

I wonder why?   

Didn’t Aello say the last time a High Elf visited Aetos Village was 130 years ago? Surely, Sera didn’t go a century without at least showing up to talk to the eagle.   

But if she did...?   

Why? Did she have an argument? A fight? Sera obviously didn’t want to discuss it, so I passed by the point and brought up Tris.   

“She’s my Fragment of Wisdom,” I said, fluffing her ears.   

“That’s a unique title,” Sera replied.   

“It’s one I bear with great pride,” Tris added. “I’m Lord Springfield’s advisor. While I cannot fight with sword and magic, I am more adept at categorizing information and formulating plans.”   

“Ayroix’s rebellion wouldn’t have been possible without her. I love you, Tris.”   

“And I love you too, my lord...” I kissed her head and continued playing with her ears.    

Sera asked about Surtr, who had curled into a flaming ball of fluffy cuteness a few feet from the bath. He had told me he desired to keep an eye and ear on Sera. Not out of maliciousness but to keep me protected. Whatever he and the other lions experienced would be transmitted to Sekh the second he broke the ice coffin.     

“He’s...Sekh’s spirit.”   

“Why isn’t she with him?”   

“She’s... It’s difficult, but Sekh was injured in the incident at Ria.”   

“You were there?!” Sera exclaimed.   

I nodded and told her Bellerophon planned to kill me after I had told them who I was. “They had verified my identity, yet they said a Vredi’s sacrifice was necessary if it meant a chimera would die.”  

Oh, that made her angry. I’d never seen a scowl like that on anyone’s face. Rippling mana flourished across the water’s surface. She only calmed down after I called her name.   

“I hate them as well. But don’t let it bother you, sister. I’m here. They’re not.”  

“I don’t get it.” 

“Can I trust you?” Sera nodded. She scooted close and put a hand on my shoulder. Most of the details were forged. The Essence of Wrath didn’t appear, so that role was played by some fire lord that went out of control when its summoner died. It used the last of its strengths, but it flew into a rage and was responsible for breaking the barrier around Aetos Village while injuring the eagle.  

Again, Sera visibly shuddered upon hearing his name.   

“Sekh’s in a safe location, but she’s close to death. You could say she’s alive and dead at the same time. I need a powerful healer. Or an elixir. I hoped the magic you taught me would be enough, but…they aren’t.”  

“More than that?! Just how...”  

“It’s bad, Sera. Please, if there’s anything you can do... Do you know someone? Do you know where I can get an elixir? I need... I need to save Sekh.”  

“I... There’s... a way, perhaps.”  

“Then let’s--”  

“Even if we go now, it won’t work. The method I know requires something that needs to be nurtured. Even now, the process is ongoing, and we cannot do anything to hasten it. If we do, it will fail." 

“I don’t understand.”  

“It’s... Umm... Lord...Aetos...”  

“Sounds like there’s history between you two. I recall the eagle was Susize’s greatest ally, yes?”  

“They were inseparable, but...” Sera struggled to explain that after Susize and her spouses died—she refrained from telling the reason, although I knew they used their lives to seal Sekh—she used to make yearly trips to Aetos Village after the eagle had developed it. But he found her use of [Recollection Projection] a heinous mistake. He didn’t like that she kept clinging to the past. Aetos wished for her to move past her sister’s death and grow stronger because that was what Susize wanted.  

And Sera didn’t like it. The two had a falling out approximately 130 years ago, and she’d never been back since. “I’ve tried. I know my dependency on my sister isn’t healthy. But I’m not as strong as her, Mila. I’m not as smart or capable. She’s everything I wish to be.” When she heard of the attack, she figured this could be used to rekindle her relationship with Aetos, but she had second thoughts.  

She didn’t want to stop seeing Susize, Reina, Yaekira, Beccy, or Murag. She loved them as much as they loved each other. But she knew Aetos would try to convince her to move past using them as emotional crutches. That was why she had begged Lord Enele to go in her stead. She had gathered the necessary soil to transplant his spirit core into a new sapling, but he was to deliver.  

Sera often helped Lord Enele with matters concerning Aquanis. It was a professional relationship, though. They were partners and acquaintances, but I wouldn’t consider them close friends. Not necessarily distant, but somewhere in between.    

I didn’t understand it much, but Aetos needed soil and a fragment of crystalized mana from the Spirit Realm. Sera had acquired them 200 years ago in case this day ever came, but if you left it inside the soil for too long, it would lose its effectiveness. Likewise, you couldn’t take it out once you planted it.   

Based on when Sera first received word of Aetos’s injuries, she had 6 days before there was a 7-day window. Aetos needed to be transplanted within that week.  

“And if I do that, then...”  

“Lord Aetos’s healing abilities lie far beyond what I or my sister can do. If there’s anyone to heal Sekh, it will be him—Sister?”  

“Sera!” I grabbed her arm and pulled her close for an embrace. “Thank you!! Thank you so much!”   

“Ahh—you’re welcome, Mila.”  

Sera scooted closer. Her face was much gentler and softer. Perhaps she was happy she helped me so much.  

Or maybe she believed this to be a blessing in disguise. It was already one to her because she met me, but knowing that the new Vredi she welcomed as a sister benefited directly from her preparation done two centuries ago?  

“This Sekh... I wish to meet her. If she’s had this effect on you... She must be great." 

“She is. I love her so much.”  

Sera’s ears twitched. Her face slightly blushed. I told her Sekh, Tris, and Tilde were my lovers. With each name I dropped, her face went redder. “Three women?”  

“That’s right. They mean so much to me.” I turned to Tris and held her hand. She leaned her head against my shoulder. “Picking and choosing? Someone would get hurt. I care too much about them. But they aren’t just my lovers. We’re each other’s support. it perfectly encapsulates the way we love each other.”  

“That’s...not as strange as you might think, Mila.” Sera spoke about Susize and Murag. They were deeply in love, but then they shared feelings for Reina, Yaekira, and Beccy, and while Sera thought it odd, she understood that the five loved each other. Being together was the answer. Even if it was met with criticism because Susize and Beccy were royalty, albeit the latter was the queen of a fallen kingdom, the five pushed ahead and continued to love each other until their final moments. 

That fits in with Susize’s memories. 

“What about you? Do you have someone special?”  

“Me?!” Sera blushed, looked away, and returned her sight to the water. “There was... But... No, there isn’t. Not anymore. I wanted him to be my first, but... After he was taken, I couldn’t...”  

Susize’s memories told me she knew Sera had a crush on Murag. She had even tried to seduce him once or twice in the past before her sister wed him. Susize knew about it but refrained from bringing it up to keep the peace.  

I wondered if she tried that with Murag’s projection? They were physical, after all.   

Sera didn’t want to keep talking about it, so she changed the subject to my lovers. The more we talked about them…  

...the more I found myself missing their comforting embrace.  

My memories told me Sera loved to spy. She often used her magic to watch Murag take baths. But her favorite hobby was to watch him love his wives while hiding inside the closet. Susize knew about it. She kept it a close secret to keep the peace—but Susize secretly hated it. And since I looked so much like her...and I basically had Murag’s penis...  

It seems like everyone I meet has some voyeuristic fetish.   

It was getting late. Sera nodded when I asked if it was time to get out of the bath. We stood, and the water noisily dripped off our bodies. I walked to the bench and sat, and Tris dried my hair and arms.   

My lord, I believe we have overlooked something...  

I listened to Tris and silently cursed. How could I have forgotten that?  

“Sera?” I stood, and Tris worked the towel around my thighs and legs. She was nothing but diligent in her cleanliness.   

“Ye—Yes?!”   

Since I was leaving soon—probably within the next 12 hours… I needed someone to protect Gretchen in my place.    

“Leave it to me, sister! I can do that!”   

But there was more. There was something else. Something that also needed Lord Enele’s assistance. Sera said he would most likely help with whatever I needed. And I hoped that was the case. I’d have to ask in the morning…  

Sera turned around and finished getting dressed. Tris stood and kissed my lips before dressing me, and after she put on her colorful pajamas we had bought, we walked to the bedroom. The sliding doors were totally silent. Sera was behind us in an oversized shirt. I sensed her nervousness.   

We slipped into bed, with me in the middle. Tris embraced me from behind and tightly wrapped her arms around my stomach.   

“You two sleep like that?” Sera asked, pulling the covers over as she snuggled against the pillow.    

“We are always connected,” Tris explained. “We keep each other warm.”  

I stared at Sera, whose face went through an overabundant barrel of emotions, ending with her crying.   

“You’re a Vredi I thought had died. I’d never thought I’d meet you… I thought we were all that were left. Mila, I…still wish to talk with you. I don’t want to go to sleep,” she whispered, whining like a little girl refusing to accept her bedtime.    

It took a while for reality to set in.  

Another memory of the past struck me like a speeding train. In it, Sera had something similar to her sister when they were younger. She had just returned from a diplomatic trip, and Sera didn’t want to go to bed.   

“I once believed my sister and I would have never separated... Mila, I miss our family... I miss our forest... I... I miss it all. Time is supposed to heal wounds, but it’s never enough. There’s not enough time to make me...”  

“Sera...” She wiped her eyes and apologized, but I held her hands gently against my heart. “Don’t hide your emotions. If you’re sad? Then be sad. Cry if you wish to.”  

Were my words ironic? Coming from someone who was a lie?   

I was a phantom of the past. My body was 100% High Elf. A DNA test would prove that, but my soul was still human.   

Yes, I knew the culture from the Susize within me. And I knew how my actions were interpreted by someone—especially if that person was Seraphina Vredi—someone who had almost no one left. She had never even thought about taking a lover during the last 1,000 years. She was a stranger in romance and passion. For some people, an ounce of kindness was enough to last a lifetime.   

But I didn’t feel any genuine chemistry between us.   

The thing I wanted most out of Sera was a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing closer. Nothing farther.   

But I pitied the elf. Sera really hadn't anything to deserve my ire.   

If I could continue to foster this friendship, I could get more out of it. The Vredis had worldly connections. I wanted those to help me take revenge against Meruria. Nurturing this friendship benefited my goal.  

“Mila... I’m...so glad you’re alive... I’m...happy I didn’t kill myself,” Sera admitted. “After Susize passed, I... It was hard. I’ve never endured anything more difficult in my life. Living in a changed world... One where she isn’t here.”  

I touched my head to hers. “I’m glad, too. I’m happy I met you, Sister...”  

“Mila...” Sera’s face scrunched. It was dark, but I saw it as clear as if the sun was out. I held my arms out, and she scooted closer until we hugged. For as strong as she was physically and magically?  

She was weak in her mind. I held her until she fell asleep. Her quiet breathing reinvigorated the Susize within me.   

“Was I…wrong? In my response to Lord Enele, I mean?” Tris’s voice was meek.   

“What do you mean?”   

“Surtr and I spoke. He said I was too sharp with my words. He said Lord Enele didn’t mean disrespect, but I still inferred that way. I don’t want anyone to imply that I’m theirs. My lord, I only wish to be yours. Forever and always, for now and for the future. The mere thought of serving someone else sickens me. I know that we are equals, but it... In my mind... I only wish to serve as your equal. I don’t wish to be someone else’s equal...”  

I figured that was it.   

“But… If Lord Enele hadn’t shrugged off my disrespect….or if he was someone else, I could’ve caused problems for you. My crass behavior reflects more on you, my lord. I cannot cause you any discomfort. It simply cannot happen, and yet... I’m sorry, my lord. Please, forgive me.”   

“There’s nothing to forgive because you’ve done no wrong.” I formed a second face on the backside of my head and met Tris’s eyes.  “You will never disappoint me. But I also won’t be mad if you learn from this. We aren’t perfect. As much as you think me to be, I have room to grow. And…let’s grow together, okay? We’ll apologize to Lord Enele tomorrow morning.”   

“Okay.”   

“But don’t take that to mean you must always be pleasant. Some do not deserve any respect.”   

Indiko was one of them. If we were here alone, I wouldn’t mince my words. But Gretchen’s and Ayroix’s reputation was on the line.  

“My lord?”   

“Yes?”   

Tris snuggled closer. I felt her soft breath tickle my neck as I canceled my transfiguration. “Thank you for speaking with me.”   

“Any time, Tris. I love you.”   

“I love you too. Sweet dreams, my lord… I hope your slumber is restful…” I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.