The Bride He Hates

Chapter 131: Maia’s Test

They arrived at Elder Maia’s house exactly at sunset. The door was already open. Maia was sitting inside in the centre of the hall.

"Sit." She said, gesturing to chairs opposite her. "We’ll begin with honesty with no deflection and evasion. If you can’t handle that, leave now."

Azrael and Lyanna looked at each other and took their seats in silence.

"Tell me why do you want a child?" Give me the real reason." Maia asked.

Lyanna spoke before Azrael could.

"Because I want something that’s ours. Something that exists only because we chose to make it."

Maia looked at Azrael.

"And you?"

"I’ve spent four hundred years living without purpose. She gave me purpose and a child would give us a future."

"Acceptable." Maia said.

She stood up and walked to her workbench to gather materials.

"Now, the difficult part. Lyanna, your transformation was traumatic. Silver poisoning, and severe physical damage."

She returned with a silver bowl, several vials of dark liquid, and an old curved knife.

"I need to assess the internal damage. I have to perform a diagnostic ritual. Let me warn you beforehand, it won’t be easy."

"It’s okay. I can manage." Lyanna replied.

"Fine. Give me your hand."

Lyanna extended her hand. Maia turned it over and made a small cut on her skin. Blood began to ooze out immediately. Maia collected her blood in a silver bowl, murmuring something in an ancient language. The blood began to glow faintly, responding to the magic she was channelling.

"This will show me what is damaged and how badly." Maia said, looking at the glowing blood. "But you’ll see the magic inside your body. It’s invasive and uncomfortable."

Lyanna gasped. She gripped the edge of the table tightly with her other hand. Azrael immediately moved beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder to give her support.

The examination seemed to last hours, but was for only a few minutes. When Maia released Lyanna’s hand, the blood had stopped glowing and Lyanna was sweating despite vampires not technically sweating.

"What happened?" Azrael asked.

Maia examined the blood in the bowl for a long time before answering.

"Extensive damage, just as I suspected. The silver burned your multiple organs. Your body prioritized keeping you alive over preserving non-essential functions."

"Reproduction is non-essential?" Lyanna asked, surprised.

"To survive? Yes." Maia put down the bowl. "But the damage can be repaired, which brings us to the ritual test."

Maia led them to a room at the back of her house. It was larger than the others, with symbols carved everywhere.

"This is a testing ground." Maia said. "Magical rituals need power, focus, and will. If you want me to try repairing the damage, you need to know the whole process first."

She gestured to a circle carved into the centre of the floor.

"You’ll stand there and I’ll channel magical energy through your system. You need to maintain control and consciousness as long as you can. When you can’t anymore, you’ll collapse and we’ll measure how far you got."

"What counts as passing?" Lyanna asked.

"Getting further than I expect." Maia replied. "Most vampires can’t handle the level of magical intrusion required for fertility restoration. If you can’t handle this test, you definitely can’t handle the actual ritual."

Azrael looked at Lyanna, worried.

"You don’t have to do this. We can find other options..."

"Let me try." She stepped into the circle.

Maia stood at the circle’s edge with her hands raised and began to chant in the same ancient language. The symbols on the walls began to glow.

The magic flooded through her body, pushing against every internal barrier. She forced herself to stay standing, to breathe and to accept the intrusion without fighting back.

Soon the magic power increased and Lyanna’s vision started to blur. Her legs shook, but she held on.

The magic surged again. Now it felt as if her body from the inside was being torn apart and reconstructed simultaneously.

Blood started running from her nose and she tasted it in her mouth. Her knees buckled slightly but she locked them, refusing to fall.

The magic power increased again and her legs finally gave out. She collapsed to the floor. The last thing she heard before losing consciousness was Azrael screaming her name.

When she woke up, her body ached as if she had been beaten. She was lying on a cot in the hall. Azrael was sitting beside her, holding her hand tightly.

"You’re awake." He said, relief filling his voice. "You’ve been unconscious for three hours. Maia said..."

"I can speak for myself." Maia said, appearing from another room. "How do you feel?"

"Like something tried to tear me apart from the inside."

"An accurate description of what happened." Maia sat down opposite them. "You lasted for forty-seven seconds. That’s impressive, actually. But it’s not enough.

The actual fertility restoration ritual would require you to endure this magical intrusion for at least three minutes continuously and I’m sorry but you’re not capable of that."

The words hit Lyanna harder than the magical examination.

"Could I train?" Lyanna asked. "Build up tolerance, try again..."

"No." Maia replied. "This isn’t about practice or effort. Your body has certain limitations. You did exceptionally well getting as far as you did, but there’s a limit you can’t push past." She looked at both of them.

"I’m sorry. But I can’t attempt a ritual that would kill you or cause more than you already have. The risk isn’t worth the potential benefit."

Silence filled the room.

"Are there other options?" Azrael asked.

"Not that I know of." Maia replied. "If there were alternatives, I’d suggest them." She stood up. "You should rest before travelling back. You’re welcome to stay here tonight, if you want."

She then left them alone.

Lyanna sat up slowly, ignoring Azrael’s protests.

"I’m fine. Just tired."

"Lyanna..."

"I’m fine, seriously. This is disappointing but not devastating. We knew it was a possibility, didn’t we?"

Azrael pulled her into a hug, gently caressing her hair.

"You don’t need to worry about anything. I’ll handle everyone."