Chapter 44: The Holy Grail's Burden
Mini Arc: Gasper's Rescue
The darkness beneath the Tepes estate was thick with old blood and older secrets.
Volundr's footsteps were silent as he navigated the hidden crypt passage, cradling Valerie Tepes in his arms. The path was narrow, carved in forgotten times beneath the great hall—a place not even the guards knew existed.
He had uncovered it with Seraphina's scans and a faint recollection from an ancient vampire history text he'd once studied.
Her body was cold. Not like death—no, it was the chill of magical suppression, of being drained and used.
"Just a little longer," he murmured.
But then her body shuddered violently.
The Convulsions Begin
Without warning, a ripple of raw divine power surged from her chest.
Valerie's back arched, her mouth parting in a silent gasp. Gold and silver lights flickered beneath her skin like living veins of magic. Her aura cracked the air, sending tiny sparks skittering along the stone floor.
"Not here. Not now."
Volundr reacted immediately, his eyes narrowing. He gently lowered her onto the crypt floor, his fingers weaving through ancient and personal hand seals. His Limitless Aura wrapped around her like a velvet net—not expanding, but compressing, focusing.
He slowed his breath. Aligned his heartbeat. Entered a controlled trance-like state.
"Anchor the soul. Soften the overload. Let her flame dim but not die."
This technique wasn't Devil magic. It was older—something taught to him in his past life when he studied unstable relics and sacred vessels. Ancient aura compression. Few could do it safely. Even fewer would dare try it with a living soul.
The convulsions slowly eased. Her body slackened.
Her lips trembled. A soft exhale escaped.
Volundr gathered her again and pressed forward through the tunnel. Above, alarms echoed distantly—too far to follow. He'd chosen the right route.
Safe at Last
A circle carved into an unmarked cavern stone flared to life as he poured energy into it.
In a flash of white, he and Valerie vanished—reappearing miles away beneath an abandoned Agares watchtower, long since hidden beneath glamour and snow. Only a handful of trusted agents knew of this place. It had no official ties to House Agares—perfect for healing, and for secrets.
He brought her into the lower chamber, placing her on a padded runic bed. The room was layered in enchantments: soul harmonization, spiritual detoxification, aura shielding. The circle above the bed glowed faintly as it began gently drawing the wildest remnants of her magic into stable flow.
"You'll be okay now," he whispered, brushing a strand of golden hair from her cheek.
Analysis and Secrets
For the next three days, Volundr did not leave her side.
He didn't sleep much. Only meditated. Watched. Studied.
And on the third day, as her aura stabilized enough to safely inspect it more deeply, he confirmed what his instincts had suspected since that first convulsion:
Sephiroth Graal.
The true Holy Grail Sacred Gear. A vessel that could resurrect the dead, alter life's laws, or twist them if corrupted. It was never meant to exist in a Dhampir's body—certainly not in one whose soul had been fractured by years of torture.
He sat back and stared at her as she slept, a small furrow between her brows, as if she were trapped in a dream with no door out.
She should've been protected. Shielded. Not buried and forgotten.
He summoned his journal and a pen formed from magic. His hand moved with firm precision.
Volundr's Private Journal – Entry #182
Name: Valerie Tepes
Condition: Stable, but recovering from sacred gear overcharge.
Sacred Gear: Sephiroth Graal – Holy Grail Type (true classification undisclosed to others)
Notes:
Wielder of a divine-class gear. Dangerous if left untethered.
Soul scars detected—slow healing underway.
Future Bishop Candidate.
Publicly reported as possessing a "Holy Grail-type" Sacred Gear—non-specific.
Warning: Handle with care and compassion, never as a tool. Build trust.
There is more light in her than she knows.
A Gentle Voice in Sleep
Later that evening, he returned to her bedside with a bowl of warm water, dabbing her forehead. Her skin was cool again, her breathing steady.
Suddenly, her fingers twitched.
Then, without opening her eyes, her hand gently reached out, searching the air.
Volundr caught it instinctively.
"I'm here," he said softly, squeezing her fingers.
A moment passed.
Then, in a whisper barely above a breath, she murmured:
"…Thank you… for seeing me…"
Volundr's chest tightened. Not with guilt. Not with pity. But with a resolve deeper than anything he'd carried since arriving in this world.
He stayed there until dawn, her hand still wrapped in his, the future quietly taking shape between heartbeats.