Sylvie gazed at Leonhardt, her body still icy cold from the atmosphere. Yet she slapped her cheeks and thumped her chest with her fist. 'Move!' she shouted in her mind. 'Don't be scared!' Sylvie wanted power—she wanted to be acknowledged.

Because her bloodline wasn't pure, because she could not see spirits, she and her mother were kicked out of the forest...

A harsh life without enough money or food followed.

Her father was away, fighting to earn a living in foreign lands.

What could a young elf with mediocre mana and lacking physical strength hope for in this world where power, bloodline and authority ruled all?

"Leonhardt..." Her voice hoarse as if she swallowed a thousand blades.

Yet he didn't treat her like Erina or Diamond...

"Take your time, Sylvie. Like I taught you, slowly fill your throat with mana and find the spots that ache or feel painful and apply several layers."

She wanted to ask him what he would do... what exactly he meant by making her stronger. Still, she followed his words, like the moment he touched her and showed her what magic could do. His feeling and taste still lodged within her memory, a mana so sweet and addictive that she wanted more.

'This is it...' Her fingers trembled as she raised them towards her chest where she could still feel his touch.

Leonhardt's mana would always leave a residue that tickled and teased her mind but, most of all, gave her reassurance from the moment she opened her heart and lowered her thick barriers.

"Wow... I've never seen Sylvie look so cute." Asuka chuckled while wrapped around Leonhardt's arm; she looked so comfortable and at ease since they started sharing a bed, something that made Sylvie's chest ache, different from the inflamed flesh in her throat, a metaphorical pain.

"Shut it! I can't concentrate." Sylvie hissed, her face red as she focused on the task at hand, slowly moving the warm mana through the small meridians in her throat and strengthening them, coating them like paint.

Each layer she added reduced the burning pain, and her voice became softer and more beautiful.

"I did it!" Her voice, which sounded hoarse and painful before, became clearer. "I can speak! It doesn't hurt anymore!"

The excitement on her face became apparent, while Leonhardt's gaze shifted to the bottom left, reading the runes beneath Sylvie's information as he frowned.

'Now I see... It's because she is a half-elf. This world is quite cruel on hybrids and those who interbreed...'

Sylvie's struggles were caused because of her being born between a human and an elf. It turned out there was a reason that half-elves and other mixed races were looked down upon.

A Genetic Disorder... one only found in mixed breeds.

'Maybe it's not all, as Asuka's race seems fine... but maybe that's because of her dragon heritage.' At least, that was Leonhardt's hypothesis.

The Genetic disorder, named by Leonhardt himself as Mana Overdose, would cause a build-up of mana throughout the body, which could create blockages, and when the blockages reached a certain level. It would fester and rot the skin, starting with inflammation of the throat, then moving on to the chest and lungs, affecting breathing.

'Is it perhaps an issue with the human body and how they deal with mana?'

Sylvie, before him, looked overjoyed at her achievement.

This wasn't a cure but a temporary stopgap.

'If she can't remove the mana build-up, eventually it will run wild and destroy her from the inside out...'

Leonhardt was already considering his options because Sylvie had become an important chess piece in his conquest. Rather, he enjoyed her subtle show of affection and didn't want her to die.

"Sylvie, will you take my hand? If so, I will make you the strongest ice witch to ever exist."

Despite the magnificent offer, and even when Sylvie's eyes widened in shock. She didn't accept immediately, instead gazing towards Asuka and back to Leonhardt... a tall, mysterious monster, like the demon king in old tales. He offered her the world.

"I..."

'Do I want to become the strongest Ice witch? What if, after that happens, we grow apart? Eh? Who grows where?' Sylvie's mind filled with various questions, confusion and most of all, excitement that she could barely contain.

"I have a question..." A shy, embarrassed voice she barely managed to squeeze from her lips.

"Ask away."

"What happens after I become the strongest... will you still... will we..."

Leonhardt wasn't dumb and knew what she meant, and although it was an issue he didn't think much about, the struggle of this lovely little elf made him chuckle.

"I cannot speak about the future, Sylvie... who knows what may happen? What I can promise is that I will guide you and be with you until the day you wish to leave my side."

"Ah?"

His words were kind, but his face lacked any warmth. It wasn't because he felt nothing towards Sylvie. He just didn't show her any falsity and lies.

"I am not so arrogant as to keep you beside me when you wish to leave, nor will I force you to stay using my gift as an excuse."

"I will stay!" Sylvie shouted, with her mind already made up, as her face turned red.

Leonhardt's smile became wider, his eyes no longer the black void with red pupils as they returned to normal. Although still sharp and intimidating, they lacked that overbearing aura he used to crush Diamond.

'He's so handsome...' Sylvie thought while looking up at Leonhardt's face, 'and his words...'

She grasped his outstretched hand and felt the warmth of his mana flowing into her, like she stood beneath a massive waterfall. It flooded her body, and instantly, the aches and pains she felt throughout her body vanished.

'What is this magic?' Sylvie couldn't understand it, but it felt amazing as the pressure on her joints and muscles vanished.

Her mana started to flow through her mana passageways without being blocked. This wasn't the offer he made, but the first step... his magic devouring the negative effects of her human blood.

"It's a pleasure to have your support, Sylvie."

"It's finally over~ Now, can we get down to business?" Asuka chirped with a smirk.

"What happens now?" Sylvie tilted her head.

Leonhardt didn't answer and instead turned towards Asuka, who looked quite comfortable on his shoulder, before turning back towards the village.

"Let's go, Sylvie. It's time to make you the hero of the village. You're going to help kill the wolves that threaten this village."

"WHAT?!"