Ethan's POV
I smiled wryly and was unsure of how to react. Yet, as I held her a peculiar emotion of protectiveness and tenderness stirred within me and this unexpected emotion took me by surprise.
I wrapped my arms around her and gently patted her back. I let her cry out all the pent-up pain she had been carrying for so long inside her but was not able to express or share it with anyone else.
"There, there, little Velcy," I murmured.
"Don't cry. From now on, I'll be here for you. I give you my word that you won't have to face those horrible things again."
My words seemed to soothe her and her sobs gradually subsided. Then, as if she suddenly realized how close we were, Velcy abruptly pulled herself away as her cheeks flushed a bright red.
She stepped back quickly with a startled expression as though she had been struck by lightning. I couldn't help but laugh softly at her reaction, finding it undeniably cute.
Her flushed face at the moment added to her endearing demeanor.
I moved forward and gently grasped her hand and without explaining myself, I led her toward the bed. On the way, Velcy looked at me with a panicked expression as she was clearly unsure of my intentions.
Ignoring her visible confusion, I pushed aside the velvet curtains draping the king-sized bed and took a seat with my back against the headrest. Then, with a firm yet gentle motion, I directly pulled her from the ground onto my lap.
Her body stiffened in embarrassment and nervousness but I simply guided her head to rest against my chest and patted her hair soothingly.
Her heart raced like a frantic drumbeat against my chest but as I continued the comforting gesture, her trembling slowly eased and her erratic heartbeat began to slow.
Seeing that she was ready, I began in a gentle tone.
"Now that you have calmed down, tell me about the circumstances you faced in that family's dungeon. And even though it might be painful for you to describe them I want to understand how you got those scars.
Were they caused by a magical weapon or some kind of curse? I need to know every detail if I am to find a cure. Remember this, nothing is unsolvable in this vast world.
A person just needs determination and an unyielding spirit to achieve their goals."
Velcy, who had been frozen in silence seemed to snap out of her daze at my words. Her expression grew troubled and a mix of hesitation and pain flashed across her face as though what she was about to say was too difficult for her to express.
Sensing her unease, I patted her head again and let my fingers glide through her silvery-gray hair. Her gaze lifted to meet mine, and I saw my reflection mirrored in her pale blue irises.
But just as quickly, she lowered her head and spoke in a low but trembling voice. It was so quiet that I had to strain to hear her words.
"I inflicted these scars on myself," she admitted.
Her confession left me momentarily speechless and my mind reeled as I tried to process the implications of her words.
Before I could respond, she continued in a steady voice despite the weight of her memories.
"In that dungeon, those evil people specifically selected young girls about the age of seven to eight years old with exceptional beauty and kept them apart from the rest.
Many rumors were circulating among us that terrible things used to happen to those girls and that those girls were forced to learn many unspeakable things.
After some time, they would usually vanish without a trace, never to be seen again.
I had observed these disappearances very closely from my first day and instinctively I knew that my time too was coming.
So to protect myself from that terrible fate, I managed to acquire a sharp dagger with great difficulty. And… I carved these scars into my face myself. The plan worked as I had thought it would.
The others including both the guards and the girls began to avoid me from that day and I began to get used to them seeing me as something frightening and repulsive."
Her words cut deeply into my heart but there was something peculiar about her scars that nagged at me.
"Your scars don't seem normal," I said thoughtfully. Gently, I held her chin and tilted her face upward.
I started inspecting the scar marks with a focused gaze. Activating my soul sense, I delved deeper and my eyes turned completely black as I used my dark vision to scrutinize the scars in detail.
What I saw shook me to the core. The scars that once appeared as simple disfigurements now seemed alive as dark, jagged veins writhed beneath her skin like centipedes.
They pulsed and shifted as though an intelligent and malevolent force coursed through them.
Focusing on my magic power, I siphoned energy from my dark dimension and directed it through my mana veins.
I then channeled the concentrated power into my right hand. My right hand soon turned entirely black, resembling a physical manifestation of shadow itself.
Carefully, I touched the scars again. The dark energy within them reacted immediately to my touch and surged into my hand like a flood finding an outlet.
The sudden intrusion was overwhelming, to say the least The moment the dark purple streams entered my veins, a sickly sensation spread through me.
My mana veins withered wherever the energy flowed and it left behind a lifeless void behind its wake.
Gritting my teeth, I redirected my focus and summoned more of my dark power and the frigid energy of the Arctic Sovereign Immortal Body residing in my bones to combat the intrusion of this malicious force.
Beautiful and bright blue vine-like patterns of energy started appearing across my body and the flowing icy blue light within them gathered into my right hand.