MTLNOVEL Chapter 112: Kael loses his powers
Kael found himself sitting on an unfamiliar throne, his body strange and powerful.
Before him, rows upon rows of humanoid creatures with horns, their faces a mixture of beastly and human traits, knelt before him in submission. The air was thick with anticipation.
One of the subordinates, bowing low, addressed him reverently, "Your Majesty, our elite warriors are prepared and ready to be deployed for the war against the gods."
A deep breath escaped him, his gaze turning cold as he looked over the demons who waited for his command.
But before he could respond, everything faded, and his surroundings shifted.
Kael's eyes snapped open.
He was back—back in a bed. Familiar sheets. The room, the surroundings—it was all too familiar. "Hmm? The royal guest room of the imperial palace? His heart raced, confusion clouding his thoughts.
He quickly sat up, scanning his body. Everything felt… normal. But something was off. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was no longer the same.
It was then that a voice spoke softly from his shoulder, breaking the silence. It was the black cat spirit.
"Kael," it said, its voice calm but laced with concern. "You died. Well, I can say, you almost died, too."
Kael's mind spun at the words. The memory of the Monarch of Darkness destroying him with a simple move came to his head. "Then, how come I was alive? Who saved me? Wait a second. What happened to Mia?" A series of questions came to his head, raising his heartbeat abnormally.
"Mia is fine. So, first, relax and listen to me carefully." Cleo continued, explaining what had happened. How Kael's heart was completely crushed in the battle, and he almost died. How the Necromancer had intervened, merging the demon's heart into his body in a desperate attempt to save him.
"The demon's heart is in my body?" Kael was taken aback.
"Yes, but don't worry," the cat spirit reassured him. "You're still you… as long as you don't tap into the demon's heart's power."
Kael clenched his fists, but before he could process everything, the cat spirit dropped another bombshell.
"There was one more thing, Kael. In the process of saving you," Cleo said, "the Necromancer had to destroy your mana core. You no longer have access to your mana."
Kael's heart skipped a beat. "What?" he gasped, rising quickly from the bed. He immediately checked his system, searching for any sign of his former strength, but there was nothing. No mana.
His entire strength of the Supreme realm was gone in the span of a night.
The black cat spirit perched on his shoulder, staying silent and letting him digest all the truth.
Kael sat still for a moment, his mind racing as he tried to comprehend the weight of the words the black cat had just spoken. Mana gone. That was like a death to someone like him.
His hands trembled slightly as they rested on his knees. The realization hit him harder than he expected. His days as an assassin were over. And he has really become the useless son of the Moonstone family that he pretended to be for years.
"Perhaps this is for the best," Kael muttered to himself, trying to find solace in the misfortune. "Atleast, a good thing was that I bought the shipyard and even though I'm now weak, I can atleast concentrate on becoming the merchant I want to be. I no longer have to pretend in front of my wives."
"You still have your tattoo power, though," Cleo purred, its tail flicking lazily. "Remember, just like Nyx and I, you can form contracts with beasts. That will give you strength, Kael. Your path isn't over yet."
Kael sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, you are right. I guess the path of a tamer is now my way forward..." His voice was laced with frustration, and his spirit felt heavy with the sudden change. A tamer. It was an unfamiliar path, one that required patience, understanding, and most importantly, something that Kael had to depend on others to protect him from. Clearly, he wasn't that excited about that thought. After all, he was an assassin for years, taking care of enemies with his daggers. Now, he has to sit back and let he beasts do the job for him? That's depressing and humiliating.
After trying to come to terms with reality, Kael stepped out of the dimly lit room in order to go and see his sister so that he could relax. But there was someone else standing in the corridor, blocking his path.
"Laura?" He blinked in surprise.
She stood there, gazing at him with wide, surprised eyes. For a heartbeat, neither of them moved before she exclaimed, "Kael!" Her voice filled with a mixture of relief and disbelief. In a blur of motion, she rushed toward him, her arms wrapping tightly around him, burying her head into his chest.
Kael was caught off guard, but he didn't resist.
He let her cling to him, feeling the warmth of her body as she pressed herself against him.
"Waaa!"
Her sobs came in quick bursts, each one harder than the last, and he could feel the tears soaking through his clothes.
"I thought I lost you!" she cried, her voice muffled against his chest. "You keep worrying me to death, Kael. I… I couldn't bear it if something happened to you!"
Kael smiled softly, his hand moving to gently caress her hair. The love and concern he feels from Laura could be sometimes suffocating, but it is a kind that he wouldn't want to trade for anything else.
"I'm sorry, Laura. I never meant to worry you," he whispered, feeling the weight of his actions. His hand continued to stroke her hair as she clung to him, desperate to feel his warmth, his presence, as though trying to reassure herself that he was really here.
She pulled back slightly, her face flushed from crying, but she still held onto him, her eyes filled with both relief and frustration. "Lady Searvale found you unconscious with Mia at that place," she said through sniffles. "Everyone else... everyone else was massacred."
Kael stiffened at the mention of the massacre because it was likely done by his energy clone, but since he wasn't supposed to reveal it, he kept silent.
Meanwhile, Laura continued, her voice cracking. "My mother ordered us not to disturb you, but I cannot just sleep in my room. I spent all night standing outside. I couldn't just leave you alone."
Kael felt his heart twist. He hadn't realized how much Laura had been through, how worried she had been.
"I'm sorry, my love," Kael said again in a soft tone. He raised her head to look into her face and added. "And thanks." He then leaned into her face, giving a soft kiss on her lips.
Her cheeks blushed a bit, but she put her hands over his neck and continued to kiss him.
***
An hour later;
Kael walked into the Queen's chamber, falling to one of his knees to greet her. "Your Majesty."
The Queen didn't waste time with pleasantries. Her gaze was steady, her expression serious. "Kael," she began, her voice soft but carrying an undeniable weight. "Tell me the truth. Have you really lost your mana?" She questioned him in response.
Kael nodded, maintaining calmness as he slowly stood to his feet. "Yes, my mana core was destroyed, Your Majesty. There is no way to get it back. I can no longer be the Assassin K."
The Queen studied him carefully, furrowing her brows. "How do you feel, now?"
Kael's gaze drifted toward the window, the light of the setting sun casting long shadows across the room. "To be honest, Your Majesty, it feels… terribly bad," he admitted, his voice a little distant. "Being an assassin was a part of me. To think I can no longer go out there to punish the wrongdoers, no longer be able to fight, or jump over the rooftops. It was such that I wished this entire event to be a nightmare, and that when I woke up, I would actually wake up from this terrible dream. But at the same time," he turned back to face her, "I'm also relieved, Your Majesty. I don't have to live two contrasting lives anymore. I can just be Kael Moonstone from now on."
The Queen sighed, her fingers drumming softly against the armrest of her chair. "This is going to be troublesome. Without K, there's no one to take care of the criminals in the shadows. The balance you kept so far has been broken." She paused, her gaze sharpening. "If I retire and allow Shiera to take the throne, I will no longer have a counterpart to rule the queendom. We've relied on you for so long, suppressing people's thoughts of committing a crime, especially the officials. And if they realize that K is no longer there to punish the criminals that escape the justice of the court, everything might get blown up."
Kael's gaze softened at her words.