When I opened my eyes I was alone lying on the bed inside the barrier and chained, I didn't even remember that I was chained, I felt like a lot of time had passed, it could have been months or even years, I'm not sure, it was so consumed by my emotions that I was out of my mind most of the time.
The nightmares were so real that I'm still not sure if I really got out of that hellhole.
"What do I do now?" (I)
"< Release >" (Caitlyn)
Suddenly I hear my sister's voice, then the chains and the barrier disappear, when I look I see her lying on a floating cloud pillow upside down looking at me, I can't tell when she arrived or if she was always there.
"You surprised me, it only took 20 hours before you broke the curse, I didn't think I could do that." (Caitlyn)
"Wasn't that the point?" (I)
"The goal was for you to last 1 day, 30 hours total." (Caitlyn)
"That would be equivalent to 1 or 2 years in the nightmare world, enough time for you to delve deeply into many emotions you normally avoid." (Caitlyn)
"So what happened?" (I)
"Natasha underestimated you, she said she could but she didn't know how far it would go, you broke the curse." (Caitlyn)
"This curse has many unique characteristics, you will never be affected by this curse again, that's because your heart doesn't have a vulnerability, you are no longer dominated by any emotion." (Caitlyn)
"Until today only 5 people managed to do what you did, two of them are me and Natasha, the other 3 people I won't mention." (Caitlyn)
"What about our older sister I haven't met yet?" (I)
"She was always the most stable one, the curse never had an effect on her from the beginning." (Caitlyn)
I stand up and look at my body, my clothes were in pieces as well as part of the bed, there were bruises in the form of chains on my body, the bed was stained with many things, but the place where my head was lying was very stained with blood and some other liquid.
I run my hand over my face and realize I have dried blood in my eyes, my nose is running too.
I take off what little is left of my clothing and use a potion of liquid soap to thoroughly clean my body by throwing it over my head, then put on another outfit that I took from my item storage.
"Did the others see?" (I)
"No, just me, the barrier blocks the sound and sight of those outside." (Caitlyn)
"It was pretty bad, wasn't it?" (I)
"Yes, but once you start you can't stop." (Caitlyn)
"< Mana Barrier >" (I)
"< Incinerate >" (I)
I float the bed and create a barrier around it before incinerating the bed inside the barrier to dust.
"They don't need to know." (I)
"Don't you hate me?" (Caitlyn)
I look at her, her words are spoken matter-of-factly and show almost no emotion on her innocent face, but I can see the curiosity in her eyes.
"I hated, I don't know how long I hated myself first, then you for doing this to me, then our sister for suggesting I do this." (I)
Sigh
"But in the end, it wasn't anyone's fault, I decided that even with the warning of you two, I may have underestimated all of this, but I knew from the beginning that it would be bad." (I)
I look at my hands, I feel different again, I've had this feeling many times since my rebirth, I've been through so many things, through so many changes.
"I'm glad you understood that, I'm also glad your mind is more intact than I expected, it looks like you haven't changed much." (Caitlyn)
"Looks like you managed to fully awaken your Authority, I think Natasha expected that." (Caitlyn)
"Authority?" (I)
"(This is not the first time I hear about this.)" (I)
"(The notification?)" (I)
I remember hearing the notification sound just before opening my eyes, I open it to take a look.
Ding!
<[ You went through a traumatic event that scarred you deeply ]>
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<[ Your Soul and Aura have been strengthened ]>
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<[ You managed to fully awaken [ Chaotic Blood Authority ] ]>
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<[ Your Soul, Aura, Vitality, Mana, Ki, and Spiritual Energy were greatly strengthened by the awakening Authority ]>
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<[ Your Holy Power has been greatly strengthened ]>
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<[ All of your Awakening, Control, Enslave, and Servitude skills have been buffed ]>
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<[ You are immune to non-Authority blood effects ]>
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<[ All your powers, techniques, spells, Runes, Affinities, and blood-related skills are greatly strengthened ]>
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<[ You can now feel the power of Authority ]>
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<[ Those with strong connection to you can use a fraction of your Authority ]>
"..." (I)
I look back at my hands, and now I'm understanding the changes I'm feeling, I thought this strangeness was because of the changes in my mind and heart, but it seems the changes were bigger than I imagined.
"Looks like you didn't realize it until I told you, didn't you?" (Caitlyn)
"Can you explain to me what this Authority thing is?" (I)
"I can, but I think you should rest first, there are many people in this place worried about you." (Caitlyn)
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After I left the room I was taken for a detailed examination of my daughters Irina and Vanessa, after which I had to explain what happened, but I refused despite everyone's insistence.
I know from Nix and Sakura's expressions that they are the wisest that they know anything, it would be difficult to hide such a volatile emotional state from my Familiars.
That night before going to sleep I had to explain why the bed I slept in disappeared, I invented some vague answer and made a big bed with my lines.
I had a lot of company that night with the girls and my Family members wanting to hang around, who surprised me the most was Layla who hugged my hair and didn't let go even when she fell asleep.
I lay in bed with a smile on my face to see so many happy faces nearby, to finally replace those horrible images with smiles.
To my greatest surprise, I wasn't afraid to sleep or dream that night, I don't remember how I dreamed it, but I woke up the next day feeling refreshed and happy.
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