Three days.
That was how long remained until the Awakening Ceremony.
Nagisa stood in the middle of the courtyard, staring at the training stone in front of her.
She had been staring at it for almost a minute.
“You planning to destroy it with your eyes?”
Nagisa turned.
Her mother stood behind her with an amused expression.
Nagisa’s ears twitched.
“I was thinking.”
“About the ceremony?”
Nagisa nodded.
Celeste walked over and sat beneath the nearby tree.
“Come here.”
Nagisa walked over and sat beside her.
For a moment, neither said anything.
The morning breeze moved gently through the garden.
It had been a strange few years.
Their parents had been away for most of the children’s childhood, although not continuously.
There had been periods when the family was reunited, stretches when Seraphine took care of them, and long periods where letters were the only connection they had to their father.
Celeste had returned only a week ago.
Seven days.
It wasn’t long.
But to Nagisa, it had already changed the atmosphere of the estate.
Her mother was cooking again.
Her voice could be heard throughout the house.
She corrected the children’s posture during training.
She complained when they left books lying around.
She laughed with them during meals.
It felt like the old days.
Almost.
Because one person was still missing.
Nagisa looked toward the entrance.
“Do you think Father will come back before the ceremony?”
Celeste’s smile became softer.
“I don’t know.”
Nagisa lowered her ears.
“That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”
Celeste placed a hand on her head.
“The Frontline is still unstable. Your father can’t simply leave because the ceremony is approaching.”
“I know.”
Nagisa looked down at her paws.
“I just wanted all of us to be there.”
“So did I.”
Celeste’s voice was quiet.
“But your father knows how important this day is to you.”
Nagisa looked up.
“How?”
“I told him.”
“You did?”
Celeste smiled.
“Several times.”
Nagisa’s tail moved slightly.
“What did he say?”
“He said he was proud of you.”
Nagisa blinked.
“He said that?”
“He also said that you’re probably going to ask a hundred questions the moment your spiritual root appears.”
Nagisa stared at her mother.
“…That’s not true.”
Celeste raised an eyebrow.
“Really?”
Nagisa looked away.
“Maybe fifty.”
Celeste laughed.
The sound of footsteps approached from the training grounds.
Sato appeared first.
“Mother!”
Celeste looked over.
“What happened?”
Sato pointed toward Hirata.
“He cheated.”
Hirata appeared behind him.
“I did not.”
“You did!”
“You weren’t even watching!”
“I was!”
Nagisa sighed.
Some things apparently never changed.
Ren walked behind them, shaking his head.
“You two have been arguing since breakfast.”
Airi followed quietly.
“I think they’re going to argue during the ceremony too.”
Sato crossed his arms.
“I won’t.”
Hirata crossed his arms as well.
“Neither will I.”
Nagisa looked at both of them.
“Good.”
There was a short silence.
Then Sato asked, “What if we get different spiritual roots?”
Hirata looked interested.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… what if one of us gets a really powerful one?”
Nagisa’s expression became thoughtful.
“Then that person will probably have more potential.”
“More than the rest of us?”
“Potential isn’t the same as actual strength.”
Sato frowned.
“How do you know?”
Nagisa smiled.
“I read.”
Hirata groaned.
“Of course you did.”
Celeste watched her children with a smile.
“You’ve all been thinking about the ceremony.”
Five heads turned toward her.
Celeste laughed.
“I expected as much.”
The five children had been studying the Awakening Ceremony for years.
Every child was born with a spiritual root, but its true nature could not be properly revealed until the Awakening.
The spiritual root determined how naturally a person could interact with Elyra.
Some possessed powerful roots.
Some possessed ordinary ones.
Some had affinities toward particular elements.
Others could awaken unusual traits that were difficult to categorize.
The ceremony would reveal the foundation upon which each child’s cultivation journey would be built.
Nagisa knew all of this.
She had read nearly every book available in the estate’s library.
She had asked her father countless questions before he left.
She had even annoyed Seraphine with questions whenever she couldn’t find an answer herself.
Yet none of the books could tell her what her Awakening would be like.
That was the problem.
There was no way to study something that had never happened.
After breakfast, Celeste gathered the five children in the library.
She placed several books on the table.
Nagisa immediately recognized them.
“Awakening records?”
Celeste nodded.
“I thought we could review some of them.”
Sato groaned.
“Do we have to study?”
“Yes.”
He collapsed dramatically against the table.
“But we’re three days away.”
“Exactly.”
“Shouldn’t we be relaxing?”
Celeste smiled.
“You can relax after studying.”
Hirata laughed.
“She’s got you.”
Sato looked betrayed.
Nagisa opened one of the books.
The first section described the different grades of spiritual roots.
Ordinary.
High-grade.
Rare.
Exceptional.
And several classifications that were difficult to define because they occurred so infrequently.
Nagisa carefully read the descriptions.
She had already memorized most of them.
Still, she kept reading.
She wanted to understand everything.
Airi leaned closer.
“Nagisa.”
“Hm?”
“What if mine is weak?”
Nagisa looked at her.
Airi’s expression was unusually serious.
“You’ll still be Airi.”
“But…”
“Your spiritual root doesn’t decide whether you’re my sister.”
Airi stared at her.
Nagisa smiled.
“And it doesn’t decide whether you’re useful to the family.”
Sato nodded.
“Exactly.”
Hirata added, “Besides, if yours is weak, I’ll protect you.”
Airi smiled.
Ren looked at him.
“You might be the one who needs protection.”
Hirata’s face changed.
“What did you say?”
The argument began again.
Celeste laughed.
Nagisa shook her head.
Their mother closed the book.
“That’s enough.”
Everyone became quiet.
Celeste looked at all five children.
“Your spiritual roots are important. I won’t pretend they aren’t.”
Her expression became serious.
“But they are only the beginning.”
She touched the book.
“Your choices afterward matter more.”
Nagisa listened carefully.
“You can have incredible talent and waste it.”
Celeste continued.
“You can have ordinary talent and accomplish something extraordinary.”
She looked toward the window.
“The world has many examples.”
Nagisa nodded.
She understood.
Potential was only potential.
What someone did with it was another matter.
Later that afternoon, Nagisa went outside with Celeste.
Her mother was checking some herbs growing in the garden.
Nagisa watched her carefully.
“Mother?”
“Yes?”
“Can you really heal anything?”
Celeste smiled.
“Not everything.”
“But you’re a Healing Saint.”
“That doesn’t make me all-powerful.”
Nagisa had heard the title many times.
Healing Saint.
It was a position of enormous respect among the allied races.
During the war, Celeste’s abilities had allowed her to treat soldiers who would otherwise have died from their injuries.
She had spent years moving between military camps and field hospitals, using Healing and Light to restore wounded warriors.
Nagisa had once imagined her mother fighting demons directly.
Celeste had been standing among the wounded.
Saving lives.
“How many people have you healed?”
Celeste paused.
“Too many to count.”
Nagisa looked at her.
“Does it ever scare you?”
“Sometimes.”
“Even now?”
“Especially now.”
Nagisa was surprised.
Celeste smiled.
“When someone is hurt, you don’t always know if your power will be enough.”
Nagisa remained silent.
Her mother looked toward the horizon.
“That’s why healers train just as hard as warriors.”
Nagisa nodded.
She had never thought about it that way.
Celeste wasn’t simply the mother waiting at home.
She had been part of the war too.
Just in a different way.
That evening, a messenger arrived.
Nagisa immediately recognized the insignia.
A letter from the Frontline.
Celeste took it.
She read it silently.
Nagisa watched her mother’s expression.
“Is it Father?”
Celeste nodded.
“Yes.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s fine.”
Nagisa relaxed.
Celeste handed her the letter.
Nagisa hesitated before taking it.
“Can I read it?”
“Of course.”
The letter was short.
Asano asked how everyone was doing.
He asked whether the children were preparing for their Awakening.
He mentioned that he wished he could be there.
And at the end, he had written something specifically for Nagisa.
Don’t worry about becoming strong for my sake.
Become strong because there are things you want to protect.
Nagisa read the words twice.
Then a third time.
Her eyes became slightly warm.
She folded the letter carefully.
“I miss him.”
Celeste pulled her into a hug.
“I know.”
Nagisa held onto her.
“Will he really come back?”
Celeste closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
She said it quietly.
But firmly.
“He will.”
Three days.
That was all.
The five children would soon stand before their clan and awaken their spiritual roots.
Nagisa had spent years wondering what would happen.
Now she was finally close enough to find out.
That night, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
Her tail rested beside her.
She thought about her family.
Her mother.
Her father.
Sato.
Hirata.
Ren.
Airi.
Seraphine.
She thought about Elyra.
The world beyond the estate.
The Frontline.
The demons.
The countless races she had yet to meet.
And somewhere beneath all those thoughts was something she couldn’t explain.
A strange feeling.
As if something inside her was waiting.
Waiting for the ceremony.
Waiting for the right moment.
Nagisa closed her eyes.
“Three days.”
She smiled.
“Let’s see what happens.”
Far above the mortal realm, in a place beyond the perception of ordinary beings, Bai Yuexian watched the sleeping fox through a shimmering celestial image.
Her expression was calm.
But her eyes held unmistakable amusement.
“So close.”
She leaned against her throne.
For years, she had watched quietly.
She had seen Nagisa grow from a helpless newborn into a curious young fox.
She had watched her adapt to her new life.
She had watched her form bonds with her family.
And now the moment had finally arrived.
Bai Yuexian smiled.
“The Awakening Ceremony…”
Her gaze lingered on Nagisa.
“I wonder what you’ll think when you finally discover what’s been sleeping inside you.”
The goddess leaned back.
For once, she looked genuinely curious.
“Three days.”
Her smile widened.
“This should be interesting.”