Chapter 558
Evaline:
I waited.
Not patiently.
Not calmly.
I waited the way one does when every nerve is stretched tight and the answer they have been chasing feels close enough to taste.
Unfortunately for me, Elion seemed to sense that.
With infuriating composure, he lifted the teapot again and refilled his cup with fresh lotus tea. The steam curled lazily into the air, carrying that soft floral scent that had helped calm me minutes ago and now did absolutely nothing for my frayed nerves.
He took a sip – slow, measured, painfully unhurried.
My fingers curled against my thigh, my nails pressing into fabric as I forced myself not to urge him to speak. I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how desperate I was.
Then he reached for my cup.
I lifted my hand immediately. “No, thank you p>
His gaze flicked up, faint amusement glimmering in his eyes. “You don’t like it anymore p>
“I like it just fine,” I replied evenly. “I just don’t want it right now p>
What I wanted was answers.
He inclined his head, accepting my refusal, and set the teapot aside. He took one last sip from his own cup, then finally placed it down with deliberate care.
Only then did he look at me fully. His eyes met mine, sharp and assessing, as if he were deciding how much weight I could bear.
“The book,” he said at last, his voice calm, steady. “Is called Records of Silver Healing p>
The words echoed in my mind.
Records of Silver Healing.
Something in my chest shifted, a strange mix of anticipation and reverence washing through me. The name alone felt old. Heavy. Like it carried centuries of whispered truths and buried histories.
I repeated it softly, almost to myself, “Records of Silver Healing p>
Elion nodded. “It is not a common text. Nor was it ever meant to be p>
He leaned back slightly, interlacing his fingers as he continued. “The healing power bestowed upon the Silver Wolf bloodline was… exceptional. Not merely an extension of magic, nor comparable to the healing abilities of other healers p>
I stayed silent, listening.
“Because of its rarity and strength,” he went on, “the knowledge surrounding it was kept strictly within the pack. Every Silver Wolf sworn to secrecy. An oath bound not just by words, but by blood and magic p>
My breath slowed.
“Only once every century,” Elion said, “was a Silver Wolf born with that blessing. One healer. One bearer. No more p>
I frowned slightly. “Only one every hundred years p>
“Yes p>
That alone made my skin prickle.
“And because the power was so rare,” he continued, “the second healer to ever manifest it made a decision that changed everything. Rather than allowing the knowledge to die with him, he recorded his experiences. His discoveries. His struggles. His failures p>
He paused for a second. “He wrote it all down. He intended it as guidance, a way to ensure that the next bearer would not walk the same path blindly. That they would understand what the power demanded… and what it would take from them. It’s a record of lives and findings of every Silver Healer to ever exist since the second one p>
A chill slid down my spine as I realized just how much knowledge these Records held.
“That book,” he finished, “was passed from healer to healer. Generation after generation. Until there were no more healers left to pass it to p>
The room felt suddenly smaller.
“What happened to it?” I asked.
Elion let out a soft sigh. “Two decades ago, the book was handed over to the council p>
My heart skipped.
“The council?” I repeated.
“Yes,” he said. “By Marialle p>
I stiffened at the name. My mother had the records?
“Strictly speaking, the book was taken from her by the council,” Elion continued, “under the pretense that it would be preserved. Studied. Digitized. Protected p>
My lips pressed into a thin line. “And was it p>
A faint, humorless smile touched his lips. “That depends on your definition of protection p>
He went on before I could interrupt. “Those two employees who got the book from Marialle did record its arrival at the headquarters. Logged it. Sealed it. And locked it away p>
“Just like that?” I asked.
“Just like that p>
My chest tightened. “And the council p>
“They never followed up,” Elion said flatly. “Never studied it. Never analyzed its contents. Never asked the right questions p>
“That doesn’t make sense,” I said. “If they had a book documenting a rare healing power p>
“They didn’t know,” he interrupted gently.
I stared at him.
“They had the book,” he clarified, “but they didn’t know what it truly contained. The employees who processed it had no idea what they were handling. And those who might have understood… never bothered to look p>
A bitter edge crept into his voice. “The Silver Wolf bloodline was already considered fallen by then. Nearly extinct. A relic of the past p>
Anger stirred in my chest. “So they dismissed it p>
“Yes p>
“And locked the record book away p>
“Yes p>
“Then it must be in the archive,” I said slowly, “probably in the restricted section p>
Elion nodded once. “I did look it up and it’s indeed in the archive hall p>
For a moment, I couldn’t speak.The answers I had been chasing for weeks… months… had been sitting in the same building I now worked in. Behind walls I walked past every day.
Ignored.
Forgotten.
Buried.
“If the council knew about this power,” I said quietly, more to myself than to him, “my life would have been very different p>
Elion didn’t argue. After all, he’s the one who told me just how rare and strong my healing power was. That’s why he knew better than anyone how my fate would have ended up being if anyone from the council ever decided to look through the record book during these past twenty years.
I drew in a slow breath, steadying myself. “So,” I said at last, lifting my gaze to him, “how do I get it p>
I expected him to say he would retrieve it for me,or that I could apply for access.
But p>
He exhaled softly and spoke, “You can ask your mates to get it for you p>
The word landed between us like a blade.
Mates.
Plural.