The Dawn of an Outlier

Morning enveloped Inara in its gentle embrace as she lay in bed, cradling a large pillow against her chest.

A peculiar sensation rippled through her mind and body and she peered blankly at the ceiling, unsure if she was trapped in a dream.

The chandelier above her seemed teasingly close, yet when she tried to touch it, her fingers met only intangible space.

Everything felt different today. As if the world had morphed into a whole different reality. She had encountered a similar situation during her initial awakening. If this was anything like what she faced before, she understood the course of action she needed to take.

Shutting her eyes tightly, she delved into the inner workings of her chakra panel. There, she noticed a surge in her chakra levels, surpassing the usual amount.

It wouldn't be a cause for alarm if that were the end of it but there was an added twist— her heightened chakra also carried an unusual purity. Furthermore, she could sense a foreign, illusory energy in the air. It felt similar to chakra; but held a distinct essence, something beyond mere chakra.

'Could this be... prana?' She wondered, but that shouldn't be possible. As much as the thought intrigued her, she restrained her excitement. She hadn't reached that level yet.

Shaking off those thoughts, she tightened her hold on the pillow, recollecting the events of the previous night. Invel's fight, the power of her Gavel, and the life-threatening situation her brother faced because he tried to protect her.

When the images of Invel punctured by countless jade arrows began filling her mind, she shut her eyes, pushing aside the weighty memories.

With a sigh, she stretched and grabbed her alarm clock, signaling the start of a new day. Invel's inauguration as the capital's governor awaited, stirring a blend of emotions within her.

She was definitely proud of him. Yet, the realization that he had accepted the role solely for her sake left a bitter taste on her tongue.

As she swung her legs off bed, a sharp pain shot through her senses. She winced and massaged her temples, feeling a terrible headache challenging her brain.

Wondering if it was a consequence of using her Gavel, she stumbled towards the closet. It felt like she was wearing someone else's body, someone smarter, stronger, faster. She grabbed her pills from the shelf and headed to the bathroom. There, she filled a cup with water and swallowed the medicine, hoping it would ease her pain.

Next, she turned on her music player and selected her morning playlist. She needed something upbeat and cheerful to lift her mood.

She started to hum along as she brushed her teeth, washed her face, and combed her hair, trying to ignore the strange sensations that lingering in her body.

But unbeknownst to her, her life had just crossed an important turning point.

—

Dressed elegantly, Inara wore a pleated blue dress with a medieval bow tie. Over the dress was an oversized knitted cardigan in the same shade of blue. A pair of matching boots completed her ensemble, with her trademark fingerless gloves adding a rebellious touch to her look.

She smoothed her ivory locks, catching a glimpse of her gleaming hairpin in the elevator's mirror. Its delicate silver design held keys to the two-year gap in her memory as every attempt to trace its origin led her back to the fallen city of Lorianth.

Inara forced a faint smile, trying to dismiss the ringing in her ears. She initially hoped it was a minor problem, but the growing seriousness started to concern her.

She considered the possibility that it might be linked to her Gavel's oblation. Yet, despite the throbbing headache, she knew it was impossible for her oblation to be something as trivial as this.

But as the elevator descended, her vision began to wobble, making her feel dizzy. The mirror distorted, showing her images that couldn't be real.

She witnessed a younger version of herself crying with her tears staining the darkness of a mysterious forest. A stranger emerged, offering a helping hand, but she recoiled with an unexplained animosity, unable to picture the face that sparked such emotions.

Hazy recollections followed, memories of someone fixing the silver hairpin in her hair. The face once again failed to emerge, leaving her feeling uncertain.

As the scenes shifted into a nightmarish vision of flames and destruction, she blinked, trying to dispel the haunting images. Gasping, she wondered if these were genuine fragments of her past or if she was just losing her mind.

DING!

The elevator chimed, announcing its arrival at the ground floor. She took a deep breath and stepped out, hoping to regain composure.

But as soon as she did the mansion's staff began showering her with greetings, praising her beauty, intelligence, and grace.

Good morning, my princess... You look lovely as always— their voices carried genuine warmth. But to her, they sounded like haunting noises, forcing her into a state of panic.

With polite nods, murmured thanks and apologies, she hurried to the exit. It felt like she was walking on a tightrope, balancing between reality and hallucination.

Reaching for the door handles, she hoped to find some relief outside.

Inara pushed the doors open and stepped out into winter's grasp. The snow fell gently, forming a blanket of white over the expansive estate. Tall evergreen trees decorated with icicles stood tall along the edges, the morning wind rustling through their branches.

In the center, a grand fountain, frozen in time, displayed intricate ice sculptures, capturing water jets that once shot into the air.

Looking further, a sturdy iron gate hinted at a winding path, offering a peek into the gardens that extended beyond the compound.

However, something was wrong. She felt an ethereal sensation in the air, the same subtle vibrations that tingled her senses when she first got up from bed. Now more pronounced as she stepped outside, the invisible energy formed a stronger connection with her in the open air.

Prana. An otherworldly energy flowing through every nook and cranny of the atmosphere. It is widely regarded as the source of chakra and the essence of life itself.

Inara knew of it, every Chakra User did. Sensing it, however, only becomes possible at the pinnacle of B-rank. Utilizing it was an even rarer feat, achievable only by A-rankers and those above.

Yet, she not only sensed prana but also had a gut feeling that she could harness it as well.

A cocktail of awe and uncertainty brewed inside her, but more than anything, curiosity and intrigue overwhelmed the rest of her emotions. She wanted to feel it, manipulate it, and explore the possibilities of what she could do with it.

Excitement threatened to consume her as she descended the ornate doorsteps.

Truth be told, she felt disappointed in herself after last night's events ended. She failed to find any clues about her past, and also failed to complete her mission, complicating her path towards acquiring a pro license.

She had let down Pope Hoover for nothing. He was the closest thing to a guardian she had growing up as a disciple of the ancient church.

Inara initially contemplated how she would face him considering the setback and her future intentions, but now, everything was different. If she could successfully manipulate prana then maybe she could oppose his will with her shoulders raised.

Focusing her mind, will, and desire, she advanced towards the heart of the compound. The fountain was a magnificent sight, its frozen water sparkled under the morning light, reflecting the snowflakes that descended from the sky.

"Fuuu..." She exhaled and extended her arm forward, like a magician about to cast a spell. Feeling the prana pulsing and vibrating in the air, she closed her eyes, allowing its warmth to seep deep into her bones.

Serenity enveloped her, washing away worries she had forgotten she carried. Her breaths shuddered with anticipation as she splayed her fingers, pushing the boundaries of reality.

Suddenly, the frozen fountain responded dramatically as shards of crystalline beauty crackled, cascading to the ground.

Next, Inara coaxed the dormant fountain to life, and in a flash, it obeyed her inaudible command. Water jets exploded in every direction conjuring a mesmerizing dance of expelled liquid.

Each droplet soon froze in mid-air, suspended.

The princess was astonished by her own ability. She watched as the droplets transformed into elegant, sparkling bubbles.

Naturally, she could achieve comparable feats using the chakra within her, but using prana had distinct advantages. It was like using nature's wealth to instantly purchase every item in a luxury store, surpassing her chakra reserve's usual limits.

A kaleidoscope of colors shone through the bubbles, forming an otherworldly scene that would rival even the most vivid of dreams. It was elegant, remarkable and sedative; it was beautiful.

As she infused more prana into the bubbles, the air weighed down, as if reality itself acknowledged her influence. The suspended fluids, once bubbles transformed into lotus petals, drifting gently to the ground.

Crimson, gold, and azure all clashed and harmonized as the rain of lotuses grew in intensity. The snow beneath her feet soon vanished under a multicolored blanket as what should have been an illusion crossed the boundaries of mere imagination.

Inara joyfully skipped forward beneath the torrent of mesmerizing hues. Wearing a radiant smile, she collected the blossoms, weaving them into her hair like fragrant confetti.

"How beautiful!" Her laughter twirled with the pitter-patter of blossoms against the earth.

The sensation of petals brushing at her cheeks and fingertips sent a surge of bliss through her veins. But unbeknownst to her, a figure stood in the distant background, reveling in the harmonious fusion of reality and illusion she had created.

As she watched the lotuses dance in the air, a tearful smile tugged the corners of her lips. This was the first time she ever unleashed her powers so freely. But she knew she could not keep it up forever. She had a busy day ahead of her, and wasn't one to leave a mess behind.

Wiping the corners of her eyes, Inara inhaled softly, her focus unyielding. She wanted the petals to revert to the liquid they once were, counteracting the illusion she had breathed life into.

In theory, it was possible. But her illusions, now extended far beyond the fountain, demanding more precise control.

Closing her eyes, she splayed her fingers, initiating the reversal. As the process unfolded, she sensed a subtle shift disturbing the tranquility she had crafted.

Her breathing became erratic, and the boundaries of her illusions blurred with alarming clarity. She soon lost contact with the ground, as though an unbridled force dragged her into the depths of a dark abyss. Furthermore, a turbulent intensity assaulted her mind, drowning her senses in a disorienting swirl.

When she opened her eyes, she was horrified to see that she had become submerged in a spectral liquid confinement so vast that it engulfed not only her, but the entire mansion and its surroundings, extending up to the sky.

Panic gripped her chest as the walls of water closed in, relentlessly crushing the air out of her lungs. Her thoughts scrambled in desperate circles, urging her to swim, but the liquid prison defied imagination, proving endless and increasingly dense.

The abundant prana she had harnessed twisted the liquid realm into an inescapable labyrinth, each attempt to escape met with an overwhelming resistance.

Invel, who had witnessed the spectacle in awe and surprise, now found himself submerged in the same water prison. Taking swift action, he shrouded himself in chakra and navigated through the boisterous liquid.

As Inara's strength began waning, a gentle touch on her shoulder snapped her out of her suffocating panic. Startled, she jerked, and in her frantic reaction, the liquid confinement exploded into a massive wave, engulfing the nearby space with a vehement flood.

Gasping for air, she fell from the sky, slicing through the rushing wind as the deluge swept away everything in its path. The mansion's once-sturdy framework gave in, cracks racing along its walls, and its windows splintering into fragments due to the overwhelming aquatic force.

"Hang tight, I've got you!" Invel exclaimed, his voice tense with the speed of their descent. He regained balance and caught the falling princess just in the nick of time.

A supernatural crimson energy surged around him, and in less than a split-second—

He materialized atop the crystal head of the fountain that refracted the feeble sunlight like a kaleidoscope.

"Are you okay?" He asked, relief and concern painting his face.

Soaked, Inara coughed, nodding her head to signal that she was fine.

The mansion staff soon began trooping out from the grand entrance, breathing panic into the air. As their eyes surveyed the flooded landscape and then landed on the pair atop the fountain, confusion wrote itself on their faces.

Several murmurs rose in the background. But among the mix of caretakers and bodyguards that exchanged bewildered glances, only one brave soul found the courage to speak.

"Lord Invel, what happened?" Beatrice asked, her voice laced with anxiety.

A brief silence emerged. Then, with an air of calm contrasting the chaos, Invel gracefully hopped down with Inara still in his protective arms.

"It's nothing to worry about" He stated, deflecting any further questions.

The staff wore bewildered faces, but none dared to probe any further as the prince walked towards the now crumbling mansion.

Moans erupted from the non-dell staff when a massive fragment of the mansion's roof came crashing down. The maids and chefs instinctively huddled together, heads bowed, bracing for the impact.

But amidst the fear-stricken crowd, Beatrice stepped forward. With a gleaming gauntlet on her left hand, she effortlessly intercepted the dropping fragment before it could crush those below.

"Secure the area, ensure everyone is out. I'll hold the building steady for as long as I can" She addressed her fellow bodyguards and they both nodded simultaneously.

However, as they prepared to take control of the situation, Invel confidently stopped them with his voice.

"No, step back. I'll handle it" He gently lowered Inara to her feet.

The princess bit her lower lip. The thought of Invel cleaning up after her again left her feeling pathetic.

She attempted speaking, but couldn't find the right words. But when she dropped her gaze, feeling disheartened, Invel halted briefly and spoke.

"A D-ranker harnessing prana defies the laws binding our world. It has never happened before and is certain to never happen again." He remarked, glancing in her direction.

"So raise your head up, Ina. You've just accomplished the impossible, I'm proud of you." He offered a warm smile and then continued forward.

Inara's complexion instantly brightened, her eyes delightful, then resolute. And the bodyguards and other staff respectfully moved aside, clearing a path for the prince.

Suspense swallowed them as Invel's pupils remarkably transformed into glistening diamonds. And when he halted his steps, the intuitive birds in the sky began retreating, the fluttering of their wings echoing in the silence.

The swaying Magnolia trees in the background also became motionless. And in that frozen moment—

[Gavel of Balance: Nemesis Reversal]

A burst of golden energy resonated through the air, and the crumbling mansion began to rewind its decay. The flooded compound followed suit, the deluge receding to restore the untouched beauty that once graced the estate.

***