Knowledge Is Power: The Last Reader

Aria held her breath, pressing herself deeper into the shadows. She could feel Vise’s eyes sweeping over the alley, searching for her.

And then, slowly, he turned away.

She was safe. For now.

But as she crept out of the alley and made her way toward the cave, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t over.

He knows, she thought. Maybe not consciously. Maybe not yet. But he knows I’m here.

And I don’t know how, but I will watch Him die again.

The cave was quiet when Aria finally slipped through the entrance, her heart still racing from the chase. The luminous moss cast its soft blue glow across the walls, and the familiar scent of earth and minerals filled her lungs. She collapsed against the wall, pressing her hand to her chest, trying to slow her breathing.

That was too close, she thought. Way too close.

She waited. Minutes passed. Then more minutes. The silence stretched, and with each passing second, her anxiety grew.

Where is he? she wondered, her eyes darting toward the entrance. He should have been here by now. What if something happened? What if they caught him? What if—

The entrance rustled, and Kelme stumbled through, his face flushed with exertion.

"Sorry," he said, gasping for breath. "Sorry I took so long. My senses are—they’re tuned down now. Everything feels... muted. Like I’m blind in a world I used to see perfectly."

He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. "I can’t even remember how I used to manage at night. Human eyes are so inconvenient. I used to be able to see in complete darkness. Now I can barely make out shapes."

Aria studied him, noting the way his shoulders slumped, the way his hands trembled slightly. "It’ll take time to get used to it," she said gently. "You’ve been a vampire for centuries. Being human again is going to feel strange for a while."

"Strange is an understatement. It feels like I’ve lost a part of myself." He opened his eyes and looked at her, a wry smile playing at his lips. "But I suppose that’s the price I pay for getting my humanity back."

Aria nodded, then a thought struck her. "Speaking of getting things back—you said you’d teach me skills. Something about you mastering many after living for so long."

Kelme’s expression shifted to something more thoughtful. "Ah, yes. I did promise that, didn’t I?"

"You did. And I’m holding you to it."

He chuckled, a warm, genuine sound. "Very well, my dear. Let’s begin."

---

Kelme settled onto the mossy floor, gesturing for Aria to sit across from him. The blue light of the cave cast strange shadows across his face, making him look older, wiser, more like the ancient being he truly was.

"Learning skills is all about domain," he began, his voice taking on the cadence of a teacher. "Think of it like this—your domain is the foundation upon which all your abilities are built. Someone whose domain is blood, or light, or water, is naturally compatible with healing skills. The energy flows through them more easily, more naturally."

He paused, studying her face. "Your domain is light. That’s a good foundation for healing. Light is life, warmth, purification. It’s the opposite of decay, the enemy of death. With light as your domain, healing should come more naturally to you than most."

Aria leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "So what do I need to do?"

"The first skill you’ll learn is Minor Heal." Kelme held up his hand, and a faint, golden glow flickered around his palm. "It’s the most basic healing skill—everyone knows it, but its specialty depends on what your body absorbs and how it functions. Light mana has the advantage of powering up. It’s a boost of sorts."

"Powering up?"

"Your body already knows how to heal. You don’t need to teach it that. What you need to learn is which parts of your body need the boost to heal faster." He let the glow fade, his expression serious. "But there’s a catch. Accelerating your healing builds up heat. A lot of heat. If you don’t redirect it using your mana, you’ll burn yourself from the inside out."

Aria frowned. "So I need to use mana to heal myself, and also use mana to keep from cooking myself?"

"Precisely. It’s a delicate balance. Too little mana, and the healing is slow and ineffective. Too much, and you’ll damage yourself worse than the original wound."

"Great. So I have to walk a tightrope while simultaneously learning how to control a power I’ve barely begun to understand."

Kelme smiled. "That’s the fun part."

---

Kelme drew a small knife from his belt and pressed the blade against his palm, drawing a thin line of blood. Aria winced, but he seemed unfazed.

"Now," he said, holding up the bleeding hand. "I want you to watch. Observe. Notice how my body responds to the wound."

Aria leaned closer, her eyes fixed on the cut. She could see the blood welling up, could see the edges of the wound beginning to close, but it was slow. Painfully slow.

"This is how normal healing works," Kelme explained. "Slow. Inefficient. My body has to do all the work itself. But with mana, I can speed up the process. I can boost my body’s natural abilities and heal in minutes instead of days."

He closed his eyes, and Aria felt a faint pulse of energy emanating from him. The wound on his palm began to glow—a soft, golden light that seemed to seep into his skin. The edges of the cut knitted together, the blood stopped flowing, and within moments, the wound was gone.

"See?" he said, opening his eyes. "That’s what we’re aiming for."

"That was incredible," Aria breathed. "How did you do that?"

"Practice. Lots and lots of practice. And a deep understanding of my own body." He held out the healed hand. "Now it’s your turn."

---

Aria took a deep breath and extended her hand. She could feel the light within her, the energy that had been dormant for so long, now awakening under Kelme’s guidance.

"First," he said, "you need to accept the fact that your blood is what repairs your wounds. Your body already knows how to do this. It’s been doing it your entire life. All you have to do is fuel it with your mana."

"How do I do that?"

"Focus. Feel the energy inside you. Let it flow through your veins, mixing with your blood. Let it carry the instructions to your cells, telling them to work faster, harder, more efficiently."

Aria closed her eyes, trying to do as he said. She felt the light inside her, warm and steady, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. She reached for it, tried to guide it, but it slipped through her fingers like water.

"I can’t," she said, frustration creeping into her voice. "I can’t control it. It keeps—it keeps slipping away."

"That’s normal," Kelme said gently. "You’re trying too hard. You’re forcing it. Light isn’t about force—it’s about flow. It’s about letting go and trusting that it will do what it needs to do."

"But how do I—"

"Stop thinking. Stop trying. Just... let it happen."

Aria took a deep breath and let her mind go blank. She stopped trying to control the light, stopped trying to guide it. She just... let it be.

And something shifted.

She felt the light flowing through her veins, warm and soothing. She felt it merging with her blood, carrying instructions to her cells. She felt a warmth spreading through her body—not uncomfortable, not burning, but soothing. Healing.

"Good," Kelme said, his voice carrying a note of approval. "You’re getting it. Now open your eyes."

Aria opened her eyes and gasped.

Her hands were glowing. A soft, golden light was emanating from her skin, pulsing gently in time with her heartbeat. She looked at Kelme, her eyes wide with wonder.

"I’m doing it," she said. "I’m actually doing it."

"Not just doing it," Kelme said, his voice carrying a note of awe. "You’re doing it instantly. That’s—that’s not normal. It usually takes weeks, maybe months, to reach this level."

"But I just started."

"I know. That’s what makes this so extraordinary."

---

Kelme lifted his hand and made a small cut on his own arm, just a shallow scratch. "Heal it," he said. "Use what you’ve just learned."

Aria reached out, placing her hand over the wound. She felt the light flowing out of her, warm and bright, and watched as the wound began to close. The edges knitted together, the blood stopped flowing, and within moments, the scratch was gone.

"You did it," Kelme said, his voice carrying a note of genuine admiration. "You actually did it. You healed a wound without any hesitation or strain."

But that wasn’t the end of it. Aria felt something else—a strange flicker, like a notification from the system that governed this world.

Skill Learned: Minor Heal (Level 1).

Skill Mastered: Minor Heal (Level 10).

Skill Unlocked: Greater Heal.

She blinked, looking at Kelme with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "The system says I’ve already mastered Minor Heal. And it’s unlocked Greater Heal."

Kelme stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "That’s... that’s impossible. No one masters a skill that quickly. It takes months, sometimes years, to reach that level."

"Apparently, I did it in about five minutes."

Kelme shook his head, a disbelieving laugh escaping him. "Well, then. I suppose we’ll have to move on to the next lesson." He paused, his expression shifting to something more thoughtful. "Greater Heal is more powerful, but also more dangerous. It requires more mana, more control, and the heat it generates is significantly higher. If you make a mistake, you could—"

"Burn myself from the inside out," Aria finished. "Yes, I gathered that."

"Then you understand the stakes."

"I do." She met his eyes, her gaze steady and determined. "Teach me."

Kelme studied her for a long moment, something shifting in his expression. He’d seen many students over the centuries, but none like this. She was different. Special. A girl with light in her blood and fire in her heart.

"Alright," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "Let’s see what you can do."

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