Chapter 55: Trauma
Exactly fifteen days after Priam’s battle against Gangrel, all of the clan’s Elders had been fully investigated.
Around ten of them had been involved, at some level, in Elder Ghisen’s actions, seeking to make Gangrel the clan’s sole heir.
On that day, Orlaith gathered everyone who had been imprisoned within the clan. Then, she made the entire matter public.
She listed numerous crimes, including conspiracy with clans from outside the planet, and even with demons from beyond the universe.
People were stunned as they remembered. Throughout the past several years, there had been many strange incidents and deaths involving clan members, where the blame had always fallen on outsiders. Now, they discovered that none of it had been a coincidence.
Everything had been orchestrated to kill and rob whoever was necessary.
All of these actions had been carried out to obtain resources, equipment, knowledge, and anything else possible to make Gangrel appear more outstanding.
As for Gangrel, he had gladly accepted the benefits gained through those actions. Furthermore... he had agreed to and helped plan the ambush and murder of his two younger siblings during the coming-of-age ceremony.
Upon hearing this, Shione and Lumiere’s faces turned pale. Tears soon streamed down their cheeks, completely overwhelmed by pain.
They were not stupid, and after thinking carefully about everything, they had managed to connect the dots. They simply could not bring themselves to believe it before.
To them, Gangrel had been the older brother they always admired. They had never viewed themselves as his rivals and had only ever tried their best to get along with him. This revelation made the two of them feel as though a blade had struck them from behind and pierced straight through their hearts.
After everything had been exposed to the public, the Clan Leader, wearing a completely emotionless expression, delivered the final verdict:
"Everyone involved will be publicly executed for conspiracy and treason against the clan."
The words were harsh and unmistakably clear, making everyone swallow nervously.
As both Clan Leader and Gangrel’s mother, she truly had not placed her personal feelings above the rules and understood the severity of what had happened. If she failed to punish them in the harshest manner possible, the clan would begin to rot from the inside out.
---
Another fifteen days later, everything had already been settled.
Shione and Lumiere were not allowed to witness the execution. And once everything was over, all of the youths from the side branches returned home after receiving their rewards.
The only order the Clan Leader gave her children was to move into the annex where Priam, their mother, and Flaris now lived. From that day forward, her two children would no longer receive special privileges.
Furthermore, Orlaith intended to change several internal rules. Everything regarding the upbringing of the clan’s younger generation needed to be reviewed, as well as the process used to choose the next Clan Leader. Something like what had happened recently could never be allowed to happen again.
...
As the first rays of sunlight appeared, Flaris and Priam were already at the training grounds as usual. But now, they were not the only ones planning to train hard.
Lumiere and Shione woke up early and accompanied them to the training courtyard.
At first, Priam refused.
But it did not take long for him to realize that those two were no longer the same people.
They had matured more during the past month than they had in several years. Their outlook on life and their mindset had changed completely; now, they were fully focused on their goals.
It was maturity born from pain and shock.
"What are your goals?" Priam had already heard a little before, but he asked directly.
"We want to follow in the footsteps of the Ancestral Sage and join a sect in the divine plane," Lumiere said enthusiastically.
He explained that the Ylisse Clan had connections with the sect where that Ancestor had belonged in the past. The sect held recruitment once every twenty years and searched for youths under the age of twenty who possessed at least a minimum level of talent. The selection process was, naturally, incredibly difficult and demanding.
The next recruitment would take place in four years. On that day, Lumiere would be exactly twenty years old, right at the maximum age limit.
Shione looked directly into Priam’s eyes.
"You... want to try as well?"
The two eagerly awaited his answer. However, they had already imagined that someone like Priam would not remain in the clan for long. He seemed ambitious and destined for great things in the future.
"Actually, yes. My cousin and I share the same ambition as you," he said casually.
At that moment, Shione and Lumiere’s eyes lit up.
"Great! We’d make a good team together!" Shione said excitedly.
"All sects in the divine plane are created for the purpose of building armies and carrying out missions assigned by the Sovereigns. Every Mage possesses a class with unique capabilities, so small cohesive groups are formed within those armies. We can go together as an already established group. It’ll be easier for us to be accepted into a good army within a sect."
Priam nodded slightly after hearing that. But internally...
He felt that being part of an army led by some random person was not really his style. He preferred doing things his own way and would hate having to obey orders against his will.
But for now, training together with those two was not a bad idea. And also...
The bright looks they gave him, filled with expectation and excitement, made it very difficult to refuse them.
"Alright. But I won’t go easy on you during training. I don’t want any complaints or regrets. Besides, a cohesive group needs leadership and organization..."
Lumiere immediately spoke up.
"We’ll follow your training. We won’t back down."
"Yes! You’ll be our leader, and we won’t disappoint you!" Shione added.
Beside them, Flaris nodded in satisfaction, wearing a meaningful smile.
That smile sent a chill down Shione and Lumiere’s spines. They were about to train as if they were literally in hell.
Priam was excited as well. Now that he was in the main clan, he would have four years to study and learn everything he possibly could there. In addition, he would have access to teachers and every available resource.
This was a tremendous opportunity for him. Before, with only the little training he had received, he was already capable of easily fighting people stronger than himself. With proper training, he would multiply his abilities many times over.
Flaris, on the other hand, was someone Priam didn’t even need to ask.
She had always possessed great ambitions. She was just as obsessed with training as Priam was, so she would follow him to that sect in the divine plane.
...
By the end of the first day, Shione and Lumiere were absolutely certain that death’s embrace was close at hand. The demonic physical training was absurdly exhausting, the kind that made their muscles beg for mercy.
However, pride is a curious thing.
When they saw Priam and Flaris, even after those excruciating exercises, taking their positions for a technical spar, the two siblings swallowed their exhaustion.
There was no way they could lie around on the ground like sacks of potatoes while those monsters remained standing. Forcing their stiff joints to move, they got back up.
After only a few exchanges, Priam and Flaris turned and looked at the nearby pair.
Flaris took the initiative. With a mockingly wicked smile hidden at the corner of her lips, she pointed at Lumiere.
"You’re my partner now," she declared, practically dragging the young man to the slaughter.
That left Priam training with Shione.
When he found himself standing face-to-face with her, Priam almost hesitated. The girl’s blue eyes shone with the intensity of polished diamonds, filled with determination.
With a graceful yet imposing wave of her hand, an icy and razor-sharp wind appeared out of nowhere. Seconds later, a slender ice sword condensed perfectly in her hand. She was ready to fight.
Priam snorted, trying to maintain the posture of an unshakable master, and moved lightly toward her.
...
...
...
"DAMN IT! That’s not fair!" Lumiere shouted indignantly.
He was sprawled across the ground, looking like an abstract painting made of purple and black bruises. He was completely wrecked, unable to move a single finger.
Meanwhile, his younger sister remained standing firmly, only breathing a little heavily. Not a scratch. Not a single mark.
It wasn’t that Shione was infinitely better than him in combat. It was simply... the glaring difference in treatment their "instructor" gave the two of them.
"Meh! Stop being such a crybaby!" Shione declared, feeling genuine satisfaction at coming out ahead of her brother.
But internally, she was subtly annoyed. After all, she was certain Priam knew she could easily protect herself with ice against heavy damage. So why did he always pull back at the very last millisecond before hitting her?
"Come on!" Shione huffed and charged straight at him.
But this time, she was testing a strategy.
Her ice sword sliced through the air in a horizontal arc.
Suddenly, her aura changed drastically. The water element shifted from solid to liquid in the blink of an eye.
The strike, which had previously been rigid and heavy, suddenly became fluid, swift, and razor-sharp.
It was her most effective surprise technique, specifically designed to catch opponents off guard. The Ether cost was extremely high, but the result was perfect. Even her instructor showered her with praise whenever she executed it.
Even so, as expected of a monster, Priam dodged with ease.
To him, the fluid movement seemed almost slow, as though a child were waving a wand in front of him.
But that was exactly what Shione was counting on.
During that very attack, she deliberately left an opening.
And just as she predicted, Priam took the bait.
Not only did he dodge, but he immediately counterattacked through that opening, extending his fists for a gentle restraining strike. He always did that, stopping his fists long before impact and only using his Ether to push her away.
What he did not expect was Shione’s immediate reaction in the very next millisecond.
With a calculated movement, she shifted sideways, aligning the trajectory of his fist directly with her chest.
She was wearing her standard outfit, with a thin protective layer of runes covering her body. This runic garment was molded according to her needs. Whenever Shione wanted, it could transform into a dress resembling solid rock, incredibly resistant.
But for training, she kept it as light and elastic as possible, with no defensive capability whatsoever; almost like a skin-tight athletic outfit. If his fist collided there, he would feel absolutely everything.
Priam had mocked her in the past, calling her "flat." But the truth was that there was already something there, and it was clearly growing.
Going into complete panic mode, Priam froze the Ether in his fists using the system. This forced his punches to stop exactly one millimeter away from their target.
"Oh!" Flaris exclaimed from afar, her eyes shining with pure admiration. Psychological tactics and dirty tricks were completely to her liking.
Shione did not hesitate. With a victorious smile, she took an aggressive step forward, forcing the contact.
Priam’s eyes widened as he felt something soft touch his fist. The panic was so genuine that he nearly tripped over his own feet while hastily retreating.
Taking advantage of his imbalance, Shione’s ice sword descended in a perfect slash to capitalize on the opening.
But...
*Woooosh!*
The blade cut nothing but air.
"THAT’S CHEATING!!"
Shione roared furiously when she saw Priam appear several meters away, isolated and surrounded by the wind element.
Priam looked like someone who had just escaped a childhood trauma. He turned his eyes away and let out a heavy sigh while trying to slow his racing heart.
He had seen through the attack. Flaris was truly diabolical for putting him in that situation.
Shione had a predator’s instincts: she had noticed his weakness and weaponized it without the slightest hesitation. It was a painful lesson that he needed to stop being an idiot.
Priam’s fundamental problem had a name, a shape, and a gender: he still had extreme difficulties dealing with women. He had a physical block when it came to touching them.
Even with Flaris, Priam avoided touching her with all his might, despite her belonging in the category of "annoying sister or chaotic entity."
Ever since they were young, during all of their sparring matches, Priam had never touched her directly and always avoided any physical contact with her.
It irritated her deeply. When they were children, there had been nothing like this. Everything started when Priam discovered his talent.
Flaris always worked hard during training, but she could never hit him because of his reflexes and Magical evasive movements.
If it were an enemy asking for a beating or some hideous monster, his survival instincts would take over, and he could be a bit rough. Priam could even fight female enemies, although he still avoided certain areas and excessive physical contact.
As for his mother, she was the only person who had broken through that barrier. Somehow, Priam felt no repulsion toward her at all. He never took the initiative, but when she hugged him, he felt comfortable with it.
But a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl who looked like a doll sculpted from ice?
Priam’s operating system simply crashed at the very idea of touching her.
During that first fight against Shione in the past, she had merely been an annoying child in his eyes. She wasn’t in the category of "woman," and he felt no affection toward her whatsoever. So lightly tapping her with his fingers to defeat her had not been a problem.
Later, when he saved her and carried her on his back during the Trial, he had no choice, and she was weak and defenseless. Besides, he still had no feelings of affection or friendship toward her at the time.
’Damn... I need to fix this problem of mine... or I’m going to lose all my dignity,’ he thought, feeling cold sweat run down his back.
The truth behind that hesitation was painful.
Priam had died at the age of twenty on Earth. Two decades spent bedridden, wasting away in a hospital room, obviously without having much contact with the opposite sex.
But the key to this problem was his second life.
When he was a newborn baby... his mother was the only physical contact he had, nursing and caring for him. Despite retaining his memories, he did not understand much at the time.
Because she was his mother, he gradually formed a bond of affection with her.
But...
Before he was even one year old, he suffered a terrible trauma.
As a result, merely thinking about touching a woman for whom he felt even the slightest amount of affection now filled him with repulsion.
The only exception was his mother in this life. Every other woman had become a monster more terrifying than his enemies.
Because he had been able to talk to girls without stuttering recently, he had genuinely believed he was improving, that he had become a worldly man.
But reality came knocking at his door: talking was one thing; physical contact, or even the forced closeness of training, was an entirely different territory. His situation was far more serious—and pathetic—than he had imagined.
