Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 55 ❆ Problems

The Abbot's voice was steady and calm, reverberating by my ear as I fell into focus. He guided me in the first step of the process—extracting the energy from the crystal and towards me.

The instinct was to pull the energy towards me and integrate it with myself, but the Abbot's constant reminders made me pull back a little. This hesitance caused me to spill the energies I was trying to control. The first thread that I managed to extract from the crystal was instantly scattered.

I wasn't frustrated considering it was the first try, but I paused a bit to contemplate where I went wrong. The Abbot did not pester me too much. He was contented making small reminders and letting me find out my mistakes for myself. Admittedly, there were some things that I could only understand if I tried to comprehend them myself, so I understood why he took a step back when I fell silent.

"Take your time," he continued to say. "You did well on the first try."

I nodded and returned to focus, lest I forget the feeling I had just now. The extraction was very easy. The Abbot did not exaggerate and described things quite accurately when he'd explained them much earlier. In this regard, I felt like I was trying to hold water with the palm of my hands and walking around. I would spill it at casual movements, but if I tried to remain still, I would not be able to circulate it.

This wasn't just the problem here. I felt something was blocking my movements. As though I was being anchored down at the seabed when there was a storm. My movements were very shaky, and I was very embarrassed to even perform in front of the Abbot.

He seemed to notice this, but made no move to point it out. By the end of the hour, I was barely able to hold on to the thread of the energy taken from the crystal before the contents inside it had completely been emptied.

The aura of death was thick inside the room—so much that it had manifested as frost. I had nearly frozen my fingers over from being in contact with the energy. Amber did say I would not be negatively affected like others, but that did not make the process hurt less. I was already told my living body was in conflict with the energy of death.

It wasn't like I could just die, right?

I let out a sigh, waiting a few seconds. "I need to recharge." I took out the wood carving that Maun had given me and warmed up with the life energy injected into it.

This wooden ornament was much like how Maun was—lively and warm.

"I see the state of your body and it seems you cannot use your element for extended durations," the Abbot said, observing my movements. He rubbed his chin as he watched me thoughtfully. "And with understandable causes—death is not in harmony with your living body. It's simply...they cannot coexist. I think we're stumped with the first problem regarding your ability."

I sighed.

"But it's not like you can just...die," he said, echoing my thoughts. "I'll have to reference this to some books before we can proceed. Come back tomorrow. Rest for today. You did a good job."

I stood up and bowed at my master.

"Evyionne," he said, making me pause.

"Yes?"

"I want you to know that you can trust me," he said. "And should you ever come to any problem, feel free to knock on my door and ask for my help."

I smiled lightly. "Thank you, master. I will."

I bowed once more, proceeding to leave the inner halls to return to my residence. Before I got to the next part of my agenda for the day, I decided I would take a bath. I wasn't exactly the freshest considering the work we put in to training this morning.