“Liarte Elheim.”
It rained on her 20th birthday.
The sky, covered with blue light, was unusually similar to the atmosphere of a funeral.
Liarte, sitting on top of the enormous magic circle made of water, slowly raised her head at the call.
“No one in the family will forget your sacrifice.”
The blue-eyed woman stared at her father, the Duke of Elheim.
Heavy handcuffs that crush her wrists and a chain that forcibly tied her feet together prevented her from running away.
It was a punishment for Liarte, Elheim’s only unawakened* sinner.
T/L Note: *Unconcious refers to her unawakened powers
‘You’re going to kill me.’
Someone said that the power of water in the magic circle would drain Liarte’s vitality. Even though no one spoke it out, today, for her, was a ‘death sentence’.
Relatives who considered themselves as her family were waiting for Liarte’s death, who was surrounded by a magic circle.
“Get started.”
In the rain, the young man who was sitting on the highest throne, was her twin brother with the same dark hair and deep ocean-blue eyes.
‘Lian.’
Unlike Liarte, the unconscious, he had the power of water comparable to the first monarch.
An obedient boy loved by everyone in the family.
He was the reason why Liarte had to die.
***
The Duke of Elheim was a family who wielded the power of water. Unlike most other families who lost almost all their powers over the years, Duke Elheim still had strong awakenings of water.
However, unlike what is known to the public, Elheim was gradually losing power.
“Liarte, you still haven’t learned the power of water yet?”
As a child, Liarte had lowered her eyes in front of the Duke of Elheim.
No one was interested in the fact that the tiny body was trembling with fear.
“I couldn’t give up my expectations since you were born on the day the spirit stone shone so brightly, but I should’ve known that you were completely useless.”
The duke clicked his tongue coldly.
As time went by, the direct blood relatives of Elheim also found that their water capacity was weakening.
Then Liarte, who was born in the middle of it, was completely unconscious of her power.
The family regarded Liarte as a disgrace to the family. The more Liarte tried to be loved, the more contempt filled gazes she received.
“Keep in mind. Your existence is only allowed as Lianrius’s shadow.”
The duke in her memory has always been like that. Lianrius, her twin brother, was a child born with everything.
With his mighty water power, a beautiful appearance, and a noble, indifferent personality, everyone at Elheim loved Lianrius.
However, Lianrius had a secret that was known only to those inside the family.
If Liarte, his twin, is not around, he cannot use the power of water. Therefore, the Duke of Elheim raised her as the shadow of the Lianrius. Liarte was always dragged out when Lianrius had to use the power of water.
At first, she only wished to be loved by my family. However, as time passed, Liarte gradually learned to resign. The more affectionate she was, the more the Duke of Elheim and her brother, the Heir of Elheim despised Liarte.
‘Why did they go so far?’
In their eyes, Liarte was just a stupid woman who was begging for love foolishly.
However, Liarte’s feelings were not eternal.
The love that had been consumed unilaterally, had reached the bottom at some point. The resignation was long been cemented by abandonment.
When she started to erase her expectations one by one, this happened.
“Your Excellency, I have finally found out,” the physician found a clue about Lianrius’s ability. Unlike Lianrius, who sat beside the Duke, Liarte was kneeling on the floor.
“Is it the spirit stone?”
She couldn’t hear it properly, but she could only remember the duke’s trembling voice.
“Yes.”
The attending physician was from a family that had only researched about the Awakening of Water clan since the beginning of Elheim.
“You will remember that when the young master was born, the Spirit Stone had shone very brightly.”
On the day the twins were born, the Spirit stone shone on its own.
The spirit stone is a stone with enormous mana asleep inside it, and it was a legacy left behind by the first housekeeper, Juren, with his will.
“Someday, the real owner will appear and awaken the spirit stone and revive the family.”
From generation to generation, all the Dukes of Elheim’s wish was to awaken the spirit Stone. However, there was no sign of awakening the spirit stone for a long time.
“When Lianrius was born, it lit up for a while.”
A real master to wake up the Spirit Stone.
The people of the Duke of Elheim were inwardly convinced that it was Lian.
“Because the young master is a twin, he is not yet complete.”
“Because they are twins?”
The Duke’s unpleasant eyes turned to Liarte, who was still kneeling.
“According to the ancient literature of our ancestors, when the awakening process happens in twins, the power of the awakening may be partially transferred to the other twin.”
Lianrius’s water capacity that cannot be used without Liarte.
The Spiritual stone had shone only on the day of he was born.
“You mean it’s because of Liarte.”
‘All the fault was with the unconscious Liarte.’
Elheim’s immediate blood relatives began to think so.
After that, more time passed.
At his Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Lianrius was able to use his abilities without Liarte.
But for some reason, he wasn’t as powerful as before.
‘That’s when it started.’
After recollecting her hazy memories, Liarte opened her eyes in the pouring rain.
‘The thought of killing me.’
It was now known to the outside world that the water capacity of the Duke of Elheim was decreasing.
The Spirit Stone, which had been expected to shine as Lian alone could use the power of water, did not shine twice.
“You have to kill Liarte.”
Someone said at the time when she hid behind a corner.
She didn’t remember who he was in the family. Even if she remembers it, he meant nothing anymore.
“Without Liarte, Lianrius would be completed as the true owner of the family.”
No one objected to the idea of killing the unconscious one.
Thus, the 20-year-old’s birthday was set in the form of Liarte’s execution.
***
“This is a great thing.”
Her first brother, Aynias, said lowly to Liarte,
“Your death will make Lianrius the real owner.”
The people of the family firmly believed that Lianrius would awaken the spirit stone.
Soon, the huge magic circle of water glowed blue.
There was no reason to live anyway.
Liarte’s blue, watery eyes were numbly dry.
She just thought,
‘I’ve been trying so hard for people who are nothing.’
For Liarte, the family was nothing. Because they were humans who were worse than the others.
The end of abandonment finally turned into her indifference.
Liarte, who had been counting the days she had lived, slowly closed her eyes.
‘If there is a next life…
I will throw them away.
I will get out of Elheim at any cost.
Surely.’
Soon the vitality was drained and her consciousness was blurred.
When the dark battle finally came, Liarte’s body had already collapsed.
It was the death, the awakened people of the Duke of Elheim so longed for, but no one could laugh.
At the same time as Liarte’s death, the spirit stone shone brightly and shattered.
“This, no way…”
With a bloody face, the Duke of Elheim collapsed.
“Nonsense…..”
The broken debris spilled out.
The enormous mana that was sleeping inside the stone was vainly extinguished.
The instinct from the power of water whispered the terrifying truth.
The real owner of Spirit Stone is…
The rain that was falling poured into the world had become heavy rain.
No matter how much the Awakenings of the Water tried to stop it, it did not stop.
The people of the Duke of Elheim regretted bitterly.
But it was already late.
Liarte, who died, did not come back.
Forever.
***
Then,
The Time reversed.
To 3 years ago.
Half a year before the coming of age ceremony, Liarte Elheim slowly opened her eyes.