Chapter 21 Twenty One
Seren closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of Kael’s handsome face and the distracting heat radiating from his chest. She focused inward, searching for that small, humming pool of silver light she had felt earlier.
Push it, she told herself. Just shove it into him.
She imagined a river bursting a dam. She gritted her teeth, tensed her muscles, and shoved her Divine Magic toward the bond connecting them.
She felt a flicker. A tiny, polite spark.
It felt less like a river bursting a dam and more like a single drop of water falling into a raging volcano.
Kael didn’t move. He didn’t gasp. The room didn’t shake.
In fact, the silence stretched for an agonizing ten seconds.
She had forgotten that she was at Level 1!
Seren cracked one eye open.
Kael was looking at her. His expression wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t even disappointed. It was just… waiting.
“Is that it? Again?” he asked softly.
Seren’s face flushed so hot she thought she might steam. She slumped against his chest, burying her face in the crook of his neck to hide her mortification.
“I told you!” she groaned, her voice muffled against his skin. “I said I was Level 1! I’m basically a magical toddler!”
Kael’s chest vibrated with a low chuckle. He ran a soothing hand down her back.
“I didn’t realize you meant literally Level 1. That was… quaint. It felt like a moth bumping into a lantern.”
Seren pulled back to glare at him. “Stop insulting my magic! It’s trying its best!”
“I’m not insulting it,” Kael said, his amusement fading into seriousness. “But Seren, the Priestess is a Moon-Blessed. Her fake miracles carry the weight of decades of practiced deception. If you try to override her ritual with that,” he gestured vaguely to the air where her spark had fizzled, “she will crush you. My Instinct Magic is a storm. Currently, your light is too weak to even guide me through it, let alone hijack it.”
Seren bit her lip. “So the plan is a bust?”
“No,” Kael said firmly. “The plan is sound. The vessel is just…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “…underdeveloped.”
He looked at her, his eyes narrowing in calculation.
“We have twelve days until the Moon Banquet.”
“So?”
“So,” Kael said, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that made her stomach flip. “You are going to cultivate. Aggressively.”
Seren blinked. “Cultivate? Like… sit under a waterfall and hum?”
“If only it were that simple.” Kael shifted, lifting her off his lap and setting her back on her feet—much to the disappointment of her traitorous body. He stood and walked to the window, looking out at the moonlit grounds.
“Divine Magic grows through harmony and resonance,” he explained, turning back to her. “But you don’t have years to pray in a temple. You have twelve days. We need to force your core to expand.”
He crossed his arms. “You said you have both magics. That means your body is a conduit for both Order and Chaos. To raise your Divine level quickly, we’re going to use Resonance Cultivation.”
Seren frowned. “That sounds… technical. And painful.”
“It involves exposure to high-density Instinct Magic while you actively channel Divine Magic to maintain balance. Essentially, I am going to flood you with my aura, and you are going to use your light to keep from drowning in it.”
Seren stared at him. “You’re going to pressure cook me with your Alpha pheromones?”
Kael smirked, a wicked glint returning to his eyes. “If you want to call it that. It’s the fastest way. It forces your Divine core to fight for survival, causing it to adapt and grow rapidly. But it requires constant contact.”
He stepped closer, looming over her.
“For the next twelve days, you will come here every evening. We will train until your core stabilizes at the Moon-Touched tier. If you can’t reach that, we cancel the plan.”
Seren swallowed. Moon-Touched tier? That was a whole tier above her current Crescent Initiate status. The System had said it usually took years. He wanted her to do it in less than two weeks.
“And if I can’t?” she challenged.
“You will,” Kael said simply. “Because you’re my mate. And because you’re too stubborn to fail.”
He brushed a thumb over her cheek. “Go home, Seren. Rest. Tomorrow night, we begin. And bring comfortable clothes. You’re going to sweat.”
Seren opened her mouth to make a snarky retort about sweating, but the look in his eyes told her he meant actual, grueling work.
“Fine,” she muttered. “But if I die of exhaustion, I’m haunting you.”
“I look forward to it,” he whispered.
The moment Seren stepped out of the Alpha Hall and the heavy oak doors closed behind her, creating distance between her and Kael, a familiar ping echoed in her skull.
\[Connection Re-established.\]
\[System Online.\]
“Oh, now you’re back,” Seren hissed under her breath as she marched toward the waiting Moon Carriage. “Where were you when I was being humiliated by my own weak magic?”
\[Analyzing Host’s mana fluctuations…\]
\[Diagnosis: Pathetic.\]
“Hey!” Seren climbed into the mooncarriage,engrossed in her conversation with the system to acknowledge Darin’s how and slamming the door. “I didn’t ask for a critique!”
\[Host, the Alpha is correct. Your current Divine Cultivation is at the Crescent Initiate - Phase 1. You are essentially a magical battery with 2% charge. Attempting the banquet plan in this state would result in instant burnout and probable death.\]
“Great. Thanks for the optimism,” she grumbled, leaning back against the plush seat as the mooncarriage lifted into the air. “So, this Resonance Cultivation he talked about… is it legit?”
\[Affirmative. It is a high-risk, high-reward method known as Dual Harmonization. Usually performed by bonded mates to synchronize their cores.\]
\[Calculated Success Rate with Alpha Kael: 88%.\]
\[Note: This method is extremely physically and mentally taxing. It will also significantly increase the Attraction Rate due to the merging of auras.\]
Seren groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Of course it will. Why does everything in this world lead back to increasing his attraction to me?”
\[Because you are the Villainess Omega, and he is the Male Lead. It is the law of the genre.\]
“I hate this genre.”
\[New Quest Generated: The 12-Day Boot Camp.\]
\[Objective: Reach Moon-Touched Tier - Phase 1 before the Moon Banquet.\]
\[Time Limit: 12 Days.\]
\[Daily Task: Survive Kael’s… training.\]
\[Reward: Divine Skill: Truth’s Illumination (Essential for the banquet plan).\]
\[Failure Penalty: Public humiliation, Sanctification, and/or Death.\]
Seren stared at the blue box floating in the air.
The reward caught her eye. Truth’s Illumination. That sounded exactly like the spell she needed to turn the water black.
She looked out the window at the passing moonlit forest. The game was on. She had twelve days to turn her flicker into a flame, survive Kael’s intense training without jumping his bones (or letting him jump hers), and prepare to take down the holy family of the pack.
She clenched her fist, a small, determined smile playing on her lips.
“Alright, System. Let’s get to work.”
\[That’s the spirit, Host. Try not to pass out on the first day.\]
Seren rolled her eyes. “Just watch me.”