Inside the spacious orbital, Alaric guided Selene to a private compartment, ensuring she was seated comfortably but alone. Emma remained in the main cabin—the restrictive conditions Samuel had imposed on their blood pact meant that even her trusted presence would violate the secrecy requirements.
"Focus entirely on learning the techniques, every single second matters now. Damn that old man—deliberately destroying such a valuable Spirit Art manual is equivalent to eliminating a potential Ascender's advancement path entirely."
Selene nodded before immediately opening the manual and beginning her attempt to comprehend its contents.
But as minutes passed and she delved deeper into the complex techniques and theoretical frameworks contained within, her expression grew increasingly more troubled, then distressed.
The deeper she read, the more her face contorted with difficulty and growing despair.
