Chapter 68: The Phoenix’s Shackles
The realisation changed everything. Silas fell silent as he thought about the companions he had left behind at the outpost.
’If that’s true, then I need their help to achieve the first objective.’
That conclusion seemed reasonable enough. Obtaining dragon blood was an absurd task, and relying solely on himself and Cher would make it nearly impossible. With enough people working together, however, even impossible things sometimes became achievable.
Yet another problem immediately surfaced.
’If I call them here, the outpost will be left unattended.’
’Wouldn’t that turn our mission into a failure?’
A frown appeared on his face. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Gaia’s guidance was not merely a piece of advice; it was a choice.
One path focused on his personal growth and the opportunity hidden behind the dragon’s blood. The other protected their mission, their ranking, and their future at the academy.
Neither option was clearly right.
’This isn’t a decision I can make alone.’
After some thought, he decided to let the others choose for themselves. He could not determine which path was better, and forcing his judgment on the entire team felt wrong.
Still, one complication remained.
’Cher will be a problem.’
Something told him that if he asked for her opinion, she would likely become trapped between the two choices and spend hours weighing every possibility without reaching a conclusion. Unfortunately, he had no solution for that problem. He was just as uncertain as she was.
Eventually, Silas shifted his attention to Cher’s Calling.
’Collect a dragon blood droplet.’
’Fear wounds what strength cannot.’
After considering it for a while, he reached the same conclusion as before. The clue was connected to his Fear Effect.
’Gaia really did put me through a test.’
He let out a quiet sigh. Had he ignored Gaia’s guidance and trusted Cher from the beginning, he would never have received this piece of information regarding his neglected power.
Then another thought suddenly surfaced. It started as a simple thought, yet it grew till it changed everything.
’Gaia sent a Calling to Cher and me.’
’Why wouldn’t it send one to Leopard as well?’
A calm smile slowly appeared on his face.
’Both of our Callings follow the same pattern. The first part points toward the dragon blood, while the second provides guidance or a clue.’
’Mine and Cher’s even complement each other.’
’So what did Leopard receive?’
’Did Gaia ask him to try and stop us?’
The answer was impossible to know. Even if Silas walked up to Leopard and asked directly, the man would never reveal something so important.
’Then I’ll have to figure it out myself.’
’I need to watch him and gather clues, see what his actions reveal.’
For some reason, it sounded far more entertaining than he had expected.
After reviewing both Callings several more times and finding nothing new, Silas decided it was time to leave. The moment he emerged from the water, however, he froze.
Cher was standing in the corner of the room, closely watching him.
The instant their eyes met, he immediately sank back down until only his head remained above the bubbles. He did not dare rise even a little higher. Surprisingly, Cher did not look away this time.
The usual embarrassment was gone. Instead, she stared at him with unusual intensity, as though trying to see through him.
"That method of yours," she suddenly said. "It turned your entire body into a statue. Who taught it to you?"
Silas hesitated before pointing toward the door. He wanted her to either leave or at least turn around so he could get dressed first. Having a serious conversation while sitting naked in a bath felt awkward enough already.
Cher, however, did not move. She seemed to know that if he left the water first, he might dodge the question entirely. Seeing how serious she was, Silas eventually sighed in defeat and allowed himself to sink a little deeper into the bath.
"An A-Enhancer named Ramus taught it to me," he said. "He is a Lisan Al-Gaia Enhancer as well."
He paused briefly before adding,
"But why are you asking? Isn’t it a common technique?"
"It isn’t."
Her swift reply caught him off guard.
"At least for Enhancers from humble backgrounds."
The moment the words left her mouth, Cher hesitated, as though she had revealed something she shouldn’t have. Silas, however, understood what she meant and felt no offence.
’It seems Ramus helped me far more than I realised.’
The silence that followed made Cher misread his reaction.
"Well, I’ve been receiving these callings since I was young..."
"What?!"
The revelation was so unexpected that Silas stared at her in disbelief.
"You were an Enhancer as a child? How is that even possible?"
Cher blinked before realising he had misunderstood entirely. Then she chuckled.
"It isn’t unusual for callings to appear at a young age." She paused, suddenly aware that she might be speaking about something Silas had never had the chance to even hear about. "It’s generally considered a sign. Children who receive callings are expected to become remarkable Enhancers in the future."
Her thoughts drifted to old memories, memories she would rather forget. For most people, receiving a calling at a young age could change their lives for the better. For her, it had changed everything for the worse.
Silas did not dwell on the revelation. It was useful information, but his mind was occupied by matters he considered far more important. An uncomfortable silence settled between them and lingered for several minutes. Eventually, Cher felt compelled to break it.
"I found an oven," she suddenly said. "It’s ancient and runs on coal, but the good news is that it still works."
She gestured toward the faucets above the bathtub.
"You can try them now."
Silas did, and hot water immediately began flowing through the pipes. Relieved, he started filling the bathtub. At the same time, he decided to wait in the tub till the desired warmth was achieved. Asking Cher to turn around again would be far more embarrassing than waiting.
"We need to talk about something."
As he waited for the water to warm to a comfortable temperature, he finally voiced the concern weighing on his mind.
"We need to gather the others, explain Gaia’s objective, and let them choose."
Cher frowned slightly. She had shared her calling because the situation naturally led to it. The two of them were Lisan Al-Gaia after all. However, the others were not.
Even though she felt some connection to the team, and even though Lara was an old friend, she remained reluctant to reveal something so significant. However, as Silas slowly explained his reasoning, understanding dawned on her.
And with it came a dilemma.
For Cher, achieving a high team ranking wasn’t merely an objective. It was a deeply personal goal, one she had pursued for reasons she never shared.
Yet she knew Silas was right. Under the current circumstances, they could not pursue both objectives at once. If they tried, they would likely fail both.
The situation became even more complicated after he told her about Leopard’s involvement. The moment she realised such a powerful and ambitious competitor was also pursuing the dragon’s blood, her determination to secure it only grew stronger.
Unlike them, Leopard had lots of teams supporting him, so he could easily aim for both goals simultaneously. However, they didn’t have such a luxury. At the same time, she didn’t want to lose to Leopard, Rachel, or anyone else in the ranking competition.
A choice had to be made. But she couldn’t bring herself to make it.
Seeing the conflicted expression on her face made Silas sigh inwardly. He had suspected she would struggle with the decision, and now that suspicion had been confirmed.
For some reason, watching her wrestle with the burden bothered him more than he expected. She reminded him of a magnificent phoenix trapped inside a cage, weighed down by chains and old scars.
Until this moment, he hadn’t realised how much he wanted to see her live happily. He wanted to see her free of those shackles; he wanted to see her soar.
And such a realisation helped him make the choice.
"Why don’t we start with the others first?"
His voice was calm.
"Let them decide for themselves. If they don’t care about the current mission, then we’ll commit entirely to obtaining the dragon’s blood."
"But..."
Cher looked up. For the first time, she realised he wasn’t merely offering a suggestion. There was a quiet determination in his eyes.
"You already told me how valuable that dragon blood is," he said carefully. "Since we’ll need everyone’s help, they’ll naturally share the rewards."
Cher remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"A team of ordinary D-Enhancers is one thing. A team of C-Enhancers with evolved abilities and unique powers is something entirely different. Ranking missions will come again sooner or later."
He paused before adding:
"But this opportunity? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance."
Hearing his final words made her more conflicted than at ease.
’You just don’t know...’
’The team ranking at the end of the first year will decide everything for my future.’
She had lots at stake, but she also knew about the more chances and upcoming missions to enhance their team’s ranking. And doing so with a far stronger team than everyone was the wisest choice.
And so, she made up her mind.
’Then I’ll stake everything on getting the dragon blood.’
"I choose Gaia’s quest."
She faintly said these words, yet her voice carried more determination the more she spoke.
"Even if someone hesitates," she said as she walked away, "I’ll make sure they change their mind."
A faint smile appeared on her face, putting an end to her internal dilemma.
"You focus on whatever preparations you need to make. I’ll contact the others and let them come here with the shuttle."
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