"Hello, brother. How are you?" Elena asked brightly through the phone, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "I am doing fine, and soon they trust me enough to operate on patients by myself, so things are becoming much more interesting." She paused for only a moment before continuing, clearly excited about everything she had learned. "Did you know that their new breathing method should allow us to use mana to heal patients?"
There was none of the trauma one might have expected from a young girl who had been treated so poorly by the world. The Bingen were exceptionally skilled at treating the mind as well as the body, and Elena had benefited greatly from their care. Her own naturally positive outlook had also helped her recover, allowing her to approach each new day with remarkable enthusiasm. For Henning, seeing his little sister so cheerful was more important than almost anything else.
Before Henning could answer, Elena suddenly leaned closer to the phone with an excited expression. "Oh, and who is this friend of yours? She sounds nice, so you must be really good friends!" she said, puffing out her cheeks slightly. "Is she willing to talk to me?" Her curiosity was so obvious that Henning could only sigh.
"Yes, I am friends with your brother," Mya replied, smiling at Elena through the screen. "You look beautiful, by the way." Elena's appearance was almost doll-like, with delicate features that made her look like a porcelain figure brought to life. Even through a phone screen, Mya could tell that Elena was strikingly pretty, which made her immediately worry about how much attention the girl might receive.
"Thank you, but I would honestly rather do without it," Elena replied with a small groan. "It gets in the way when I am trying to treat patients." She explained that her physique was unusually powerful and had made her skin almost unnaturally clear. "The Bingen even assigned me two bodyguards because they are worried someone might try to kidnap me once I start working in their hospitals."
The expression on Elena's face promised violence if anyone actually attempted such a thing, which would have been intimidating if she did not look so adorable. Henning could not help smiling at the sight of his sister. "It is good to see you again, Elena. I am glad you are in such a good mood." His voice carried the relief of someone who had spent years worrying about her.
"I heard you talking about the breathing technique, and does it work with your physique?" Henning continued. "Your body is rather special, after all." He was particularly glad to hear that the Bingen were taking Elena's safety seriously. Knowing that she had people watching over her made it much easier for him to relax.
"Yes, they have several magic circles that filter mana," Elena explained with a proud smile. "One of them deals with the cold, allowing me to absorb the mana I need while keeping my physique under control." She clearly enjoyed talking about her new life and the opportunities she had been given. "They even granted me permission to develop a breathing method that is better suited to my physique."
Mya immediately looked interested, while Henning raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage to get something like that?" he asked. "I only received the normal breathing method available to my faction." His curiosity was understandable, especially because access to customized cultivation techniques was extremely valuable.
"I won a special contest," Elena explained proudly. "They tested our knowledge, and first place received permission to design a personal breathing technique." She then explained that the mana circles were also connected to the Bingen's environment. "They need to grow plants in the cold that are valuable for medicine and cultivation aids, so they have invested heavily in controlling the mana around their territory."
"You have no idea how much money they make here," Elena added with a laugh. "Honestly, it is not healthy how much wealth they have." She was clearly joking, but there was a hint of disbelief behind her words. The Bingen's resources had impressed her almost as much as their medical knowledge.
"Can you tell us anything about the breathing technique from your faction?" Elena asked, turning her attention back to Henning. "I want to know what makes yours different." Her expression made it clear that she was genuinely curious rather than simply making conversation.
"Apparently, nothing important," Henning replied with a sigh. "The only thing I can really say is that it was modeled after a special physique." He had expected that the information would be restricted; knowing how protective powerful factions were of their cultivation techniques made the answer unsurprising.
"That makes sense," Elena said immediately. "We are not allowed to share everything about ours either." She shrugged before adding that the Bingen treated their best potions and rare ingredients in exactly the same way. "The really valuable things stay inside the faction, especially when they take years to produce."
Then Elena's eyes returned to Mya, and her expression became mischievous. "Now tell me more about this lovely lady," she demanded. "Who is she, and how did you two meet?" She sounded determined to interrogate her brother, despite being only fourteen years old herself.
Henning immediately recognized what his sister was doing. Elena had apparently decided that her brother needed some assistance in his social life, despite the fact that she was far too young to be giving anyone romantic advice. "You really are impossible," Henning muttered, though there was a smile on his face. Elena merely laughed, clearly pleased that she had successfully changed the subject.
While the three young people continued their conversation, none of them realized how much the world was about to change around them. The coming days would bring an overwhelming amount of news, with events unfolding faster than most governments could properly process. The United States was already heading toward upheaval, while the Vatican was preparing an announcement that could fundamentally alter the relationship between religion and politics. At the same time, Europe and China were racing toward another technological milestone.
That technological competition came in the form of a new steam train. Both Europe and China had apparently reached the same breakthrough around the same time, and neither side was willing to allow the other to claim the honor of being first. Their governments were already preparing demonstrations and announcements. For the ordinary population, however, the race itself was less important than the fact that steam technology was advancing at an astonishing speed.
The number of breathing techniques being released to the public was also increasing rapidly. Countries around the world were experimenting with methods that could be safely distributed among their populations. Some were crude, while others were surprisingly effective, but all of them represented another step toward humanity learning how to use mana properly. Every new technique also provided researchers with more information about how cultivation worked.
Above all of those developments, however, the Proving Grounds were finally approaching completion. The critical infrastructure had been connected, allowing the facility to begin operating its most important systems. The remaining construction could be completed later, as the essential foundation was now in place. After weeks of preparation, humanity was finally approaching the point where the Proving Grounds could become accessible.
The news organizations were already preparing for the coming flood of announcements. Their reporters had learned to expect major developments almost every day, and many networks had established dedicated teams to follow the changes caused by mana. However, one particular announcement had attracted far more attention than the others. The Pope had personally asked everyone to watch the evening news.
That request alone was enough to cause speculation throughout Rome. The Vatican had refused to explain what Pope Urban IX intended to announce, leaving journalists to guess at the possibilities. Every major news organization in the city had therefore been instructed to send a crew to cover the event. By the time evening arrived, the streets around the Vatican were filled with reporters, cameras, and increasingly nervous speculation.
Inside the Vatican, preparations were already underway. Pope Urban IX had spent much of the day reviewing the information Gaia had given him and preparing the message he intended to deliver to the world. He knew that his announcement would challenge everything humanity thought it understood about religion. More importantly, he knew that once he spoke, there would be no way to take his words back.
The Pope's advisors were equally nervous. They had helped prepare the broadcast, but even they did not know the full truth behind what Urban intended to reveal. All they knew was that their leader had ordered the announcement to be treated as an event of the highest importance. The Vatican's communication network was prepared, and every major broadcaster had received the same instruction.
Across the world, people began gathering around their televisions and other devices. Some expected a political statement, while others believed the Pope would address the growing instability in the United States. A few religious scholars even speculated that the Vatican had discovered something connected to the recent appearance of mana. None of them came close to guessing the truth.
Meanwhile, Elena and Henning continued talking as if the world outside their conversation did not exist. Their discussion remained focused on breathing techniques, medicine, cultivation, and Mya's growing curiosity about Elena's life. For those few hours, they were simply three young people enjoying each other's company. They had no idea that by the time their conversation ended, the entire world would be waiting to hear what Pope Urban IX had to say.
And somewhere far away, Gaia was watching the clock. She already knew that the announcement would change the balance between religion, governments, and humanity. She also knew that the Pope was about to reveal only a carefully prepared version of the truth. The full reality was far more complicated, but for now, humanity was not ready to hear everything.
The evening news was about to begin.