Chapter 98: Dragon Breathing and Celestial genesis
It was only then that Vlad noticed a striking mature woman with short blonde hair standing behind Chloe. She wore a long white coat over a formal dress, a stethoscope resting around her neck. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement as she observed the exchange.
She waved her hand at Vlad with an amused smile and said, "I never cured a patient suffering from Mana Backlash and Mana Deviation in the same day, not to mention within a few minutes." Her tone was light and teasing, as if she found the entire situation remarkably entertaining.
With that, she pulled the curtains, closing off the rest of the infirmary from view and leaving Vlad alone with Chloe who clearly seemed like she would give him a third reason to spit out blood.
"Chloe—" Vlad was about to speak when he was abruptly cut off by Chloe.
"Why did you do that!?" Chloe demanded, her fingers tightening around the juice bottle in her hand as she sat beside him on the stool. She pressed her index finger into his cheek and muttered, "do you enjoy it when I am scared?"
Vlad instantly shook his head, his eyes wide with sincerity.
"Or do you enjoy seeing me crying?"
This time the head shake was more aggressive than before, his hair flopping with the motion.
Chloe pressed her finger further, her voice turning low, "then why do you hurt yourself?"
"I was not hurting myself," Vlad tried to clear himself, but it sounded more like an argument to Chloe. "I was only checking out my new po—"
"Think if I fainted twice a day coughing blood?" Chloe asked, only for a slight moment, her brows flickering.
Just the imagination alone instantly terrified Vlad. It was only then that he realized how much worry he was causing her. He rose to a sitting position on the bed and gently grabbed her hand between both of his.
"I am sorry for causing you worry," he said, his tone serious. "But I was really not trying to hurt myself."
He beckoned her to come closer. "What is it?" Chloe asked, seeming still unconvinced.
"Tch," Vlad clicked his tongue and pushed her towards him. The sudden jolt made her head lightly strike into Vlad’s chest. Her lavender hair brushed against his chin, soft and fragrant.
"What are you doin—" Before she could finish, Vlad placed his hand on her head, pinning her face to his chest and said, "Hear my heartbeat."
For a moment Chloe thought that he was messing around again. She had already clenched her fists to teach him a lesson and make sure he would not get up from that bed for the whole day but then she noticed something. Being together for many years, and even sleeping on the same bed with him in her younger years, she was completely aware of Vlad’s heartbeat, to the point that she immediately understood that it was different now.
Her fist slowly loosened as she leaned onto his chest. His heart beat was slow and louder than before, each thump echoing through her ear pressed against his skin. She stayed for a few more seconds to confirm what she was hearing, her breath evening out as the familiarity of his presence calmed her.
"Vlad, your heartbeat..." she murmured, moving back as she looked upward to Vlad’s eyes, her pale lavender gaze filled with confusion.
"I have learned how to use mana as well," Vlad revealed with an excited smile. His voice turned into a whisper, making sure no one but Chloe could hear him as he continued, "Similar to you, I also did not form a mana heart."
As soon as he revealed that, both of their eyes widened in shock. Chloe’s obviously from the sudden revelation that Vlad could also use mana now. As for Vlad, he was wondering if Chloe also had altered her race to use mana without a mana heart. Did she also meet a primordial being when she formed the mana core and learned the method from them? Or what if... the second user of Legacy System was in truth... none other than her?
"Chloe, did you use your real heart as your mana-channeling source?"
"Vlad, did you use your real heart as your mana-channeling source?"
Both of them asked simultaneously, their voices coming out in perfect sync.
Their eyes widened again. Chloe kept her facial expressions neutral except for her eyes, but on Vlad’s face, the shock was as clear as the day.
"Is the method you learned called Art of Dragon Breathing?"
"Is the method you learned called Way to Celestial Genesis?"
Both of them exchanged confused looks. The names were completely foreign to each other, yet the underlying concept appeared strikingly similar.
"Art of Dragon Breathing?" Chloe asked, confused.
"Celestial—what again?" Vlad asked with furrowed brows. "Now I am very confused." He shook his head. "I will explain my method first."
To avoid speaking at the same time and only causing confusion to each other, Vlad decided to speak first. He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "Remember the benefactor I told you about the other day?"
Chloe nodded, her lavender eyes fixed on him with undivided attention.
"They were the one that taught me Art of Dragon Breathing. I can now use the mana-channeling method of dragons."
His words only confused Chloe further. "Did they come when I went to buy juice for you?" She tilted her head, her mind racing to piece together the timeline. It was the only time Vlad was alone. If he had known the method before, he would not have suffered Mana Backlash in the classroom.
"Well, after forming the core, they sometimes come in my dream and teach me a few things," Vlad said, rubbing the back of his head. He decided not to reveal about Ren. If Chloe did not possess the system, he would only sound like a hallucinating madman to her. "Chloe, did you meet someone in your dream when you formed your core?"
"I did..." Chloe replied with a nod. Her eyes turned lower, her face forming a serene smile as she revealed, "I met papa in my dream."
"Dad?" Vlad asked, utterly confused. Edren was the last person he expected that Chloe would see in her dream.
"Not Dad, Stupid Vlad," Chloe lightly facepalmed herself.
This time Vlad’s lips parted in shock. "You mean..."
"Yes, I met my papa in my dream. He taught me the Celestial Genesis method of Mana-channeling."
