From then on, Vellandelle seemed to remember everything she came across.
Although she still couldn’t cast spells directly, she could perfectly replicate the magic marks of spells.
Vivilian’s eyes sparkled with excitement, feeling as though she had uncovered a prodigy.
“Melo, you’re incredible! You can replicate so many magic marks!”
Even though they were all below Supreme Magic level, memorizing so many at once truly made her a rare genius!
“Teacher… I think this is pretty simple. Isn’t it just memorizing the appearance of the magic marks?”
“No, no, no. That’s because Vellandelle’s Elemental Affinity and Spirit Power are extraordinarily strong. Normally, when someone observes the path of magic marks, they gain knowledge but consume Spirit Power in the process. This consumption weakens their spirit, and even remembering the shape of the marks becomes increasingly difficult.”
Hearing this explanation, Vellandelle pondered.
So normal people consume Spirit Power while viewing these magic marks, but she clearly didn’t feel any such drain.
Vivilian attributed it to her strong elemental affinity, but Vellandelle wasn’t convinced.
After all, the Succubus Clan hadn’t cultivated Magic extensively; historically, their affinity was never particularly high.
“Teacher, then what does it mean if someone looks at these magic marks and feels nothing—no change in Spirit Power at all?”
“Usually, that means you already understand the knowledge contained within the magic marks.”
“Already understand?”
“Yes. Like I said, most people don’t just memorize the appearance of the magic marks—they absorb the knowledge they contain, which consumes Spirit Power. But if you already know that knowledge, there’s nothing left to absorb.”
“Are there exceptions?”
“Yes, there are.”
Vivilian smiled generously, pulling a book off the shelf and flipping to a page.
An image resembling Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man appeared.
Unlike that, the figure in this drawing was clearly not human.
It was a humanoid energy form, translucent, composed of countless runes and magic marks.
“This concept was proposed by magic scholars centuries ago: the ‘Perfected One.’”
“Humans are truly imaginative creatures. Scholars spent countless centuries debating what a being with 100% Elemental Affinity would look like. This depiction is currently the most accepted.”
“The scholars believe these Perfected Ones are composed of infinite elements. But because they gather into a form, they’re not completely fused with the elements. As such, these beings are born knowing all knowledge. They don’t need to absorb anything; they only need to learn how to express it.”
“……”
Vellandelle examined the ‘Perfected One’ image and the accompanying idea up close. Because they were made of elements, they were immortal, eternal.
Being one with the elements of heaven and earth, they were indestructible. Whatever they wished to do, a mere thought sufficed.
Compared to the immortals Vellandelle imagined, these Perfected Ones only lacked the ability to freely traverse past and future.
That certainly had nothing to do with her.
So perhaps she inherently understood the knowledge contained within the magic marks?
But where had she learned it?
Confused, Vellandelle looked to Vivilian, who had just finished explaining.
“Melo, I just noticed your magic power isn’t low. That’s strange—you’ve never cultivated Magic, so how did you manage this? Have you practiced other spells?”
“No, I don’t know either.”
Vellandelle immediately feigned ignorance, and Vivilian nodded thoughtfully.
“It seems ordinary magic poses no problem for you. How about this—I’ll teach you a Supreme Magic spell.”
“Ah, teacher, that’s too…”
“It’s fine. Try it out—I want to see your limits.”
“Okay.”
Vellandelle nodded.
She was truly grateful to Vivilian; she hadn’t expected to get a Supreme Magic lesson for free! She didn’t know if she could learn it, though.
Supreme Magic spells were usually standard for Great Magicians, and she was only a one-star High Mage, which seemed a bit lacking.
“I’m ready. Teacher, please cast the magic array.”
“Alright.”
Vivilian raised her palm, and lines instantly formed in front of her, slowly converging into a magic array.
Supreme Magic and higher no longer relied on magic marks but on fully constructed magic arrays.
This was because the human body could no longer withstand such powerful spells and required arrays formed externally.
This time, Vellandelle finally felt the drain on her Spirit Power.
Just memorizing a few lines made her head buzz, as if countless tendrils were stirring chaos inside her mind.
“Damn it.”
Clutching her head and gritting her teeth, Vellandelle forced herself to watch Vivilian’s magic array.
Whispering voices rang ceaselessly in her ears.
“Melo, are you alright?”
“I can still hold on…”
She barely finished speaking before everything went black.
“Oh no, Melo!”
Vivilian’s last shout echoed in her ears…
***
Unknown how much time passed.
“Drip, drip…”
“Water droplets?”
Vellandelle slowly stood up, looking around.
She found herself in complete darkness.
Endless whispers hid within the shadows, as if something was lurking there.
Pairs of eyes seemed invisible yet watching, filling Vellandelle with an overwhelming sense of being observed.
“…”
The whispers grew closer.
Vellandelle cautiously scanned her surroundings.
“Who? What is this?”
“Am I still in Teacher Vivilian’s office?”
Her mind was filled with a profound emptiness, unable to grasp her situation.
A flood of emotions surged inside her.
Fear, anxiety, panic…
As if she were once again trapped in that helpless Rainy Night.
Rainy Night… when in her past life, her parents died in a Car Accident right before her eyes.
This life, her mother had again left her in front of her own eyes—probably not surviving either.
“Huff…”
Vellandelle exhaled deeply, trying to calm herself.
But when she raised her head, countless eyes still stared at her, sending chills down her spine.
“Where… am I?”
Unable to endure the gazes any longer, Vellandelle fled desperately.
She seemed to transform into a young boy, fleeing the Car Accident scene because he couldn’t bear to witness his parents’ death.
Then she seemed to become the Demoness Prince, desperately escaping on a cliff’s edge.
“No, no!”
Vellandelle cried out in terror. Suddenly, all the panic vanished.
Her brows trembled, and her eyes slowly opened.
Someone was holding her—so comforting, as if she no longer needed to worry about anything.
A black veil.
“Mother!”
Vellandelle instinctively clung tightly to the figure, but the person remained silent.
Just when Vellandelle grew confused—
“I am not your mother. But you can give me all your pain, and then you can completely fall…”
The voice was chillingly familiar. That crisp voice—it was her own!
Vellandelle shoved the figure away sharply and looked closely.
The clothes, the body, the height—this was herself, but completely like a Succubus!
“Who are you? Why are you pretending to be me?”
“Me? I am you. But if you want to call me something, just call me Vellanna.”
The figure smiled, eerie enough to match the whispering voices.
Vellanna?
That was a name she had just made up!
Was this some kind of joke?
“Oh? You’re wondering how I could be you when you just made that name up?”
‘Vellanna’ smirked, easily guessing Vellandelle’s thoughts.
Why did she know?
“Why? Didn’t I say? I am you, dear.”
‘Vellanna’ pressed closer, pinning Vellandelle down.
Their bodies almost merged, but Vellandelle only felt an inexplicable panic.
The sky had somehow cleared.
The ground was covered in blooming flowers—white roses stretching endlessly, enclosing them in an eerie sea of petals.
“Let me go.”
“You bastard, let me go! I don’t know you, and don’t pretend to be me.”
Vellandelle struggled, but ‘Vellanna’ grew dark, then frenzied.
She gripped Vellandelle’s shoulders, demanding, “Why! Why won’t you accept me? I’m the one who understands you best. I’m the closest to you! I’m the only one who understands your pain. Give me everything!”
Instinctively, Vellandelle whispered, “No.”
In an instant, countless white roses turned pitch black.
***
Forgotten scattered memories pieced together like shards, plunging Vellandelle into a daze.
She recalled how odd she was as a child, always thinking she had an older sister.
Her mother was kind to her, but loneliness still crept in.
Whenever that happened, the sister would come to keep her company.
Once, she asked the sister her name, but she didn’t know.
Thinking it over, he decided the sister must be called Vellanna.
…