Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1541 Already Knew

”How are you progressing with your Rune Mastery?” Sylas inquired, glancing at his younger sister.

Elara scrunched her face. “Itʼs tedious. I donʼt get why youʼre so obsessed with this Stuff.”

”Since when did you think I was obsessed?” Sylas countered.

”You just keep pushing me toward the things you enjoy. Why canʼt you be interested in something more exciting? I donʼt look like someone eager to jog endless miles. Iʼm a delicate young lady, after all.”

Sylas chuckled softly but shook his head. She was nearly fifteen—perhaps it was natural for her to start speaking this way now. Still, he preferred not to dwell on that thought. “Just give me a straight answer.”

Elara sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. “Itʼs going alright.”

She lifted her hand, and a Rune materialized. Sylas noted the Rune had 50 Foundations and swiftly coalesced into Vitality Mastery. Given how lethargic she seemed, there was clearly more potential untapped.

”How close are you to reaching Spark Mastery?”

Elara gave a lazy shrug. “I could probably get there. But I donʼt like how undefined it feels. Like somethingʼs missing.”

Sylas nodded thoughtfully.

From her words, he understood she had already sensed the threshold of Spark Mastery. Likely, she could have crossed it anytime she chose but preferred to deepen her understanding first.

Her cautious approach reminded Sylas of how he might behave if afforded that luxury. His own days were a constant battle for survival. Ironically, despite facing one of his greatest challenges ahead, this moment was the most tranquility he had enjoyed in ages.

Compared to him, Elara had access to all the knowledge and materials he had passed down. She had methodically built a solid Rune Mastery foundation, while he was often forced to make perilous, solitary leaps into unknown territory.

By the time he reached the Sanctum, even his mentor could no longer guide him, though Sylas would never claim Gralith hadnʼt played a crucial role.

Instead of pressing with a direct question, Sylas shifted gears.

”What would make Rune Mastery enjoyable for you?”

Elara blinked, surprised by his query, then a playful smile tugged at her lips.

”Food!”

She exclaimed as if a brilliant idea had just struck her.

”What do you think? Could I conjure a cake out of thin air?” Her eyes quickly darted to Sylas, silently pleading for him to say yes.

Sylas paused, considering. “Probably. But even I canʼt manage that yet.”

Cake required several organic ingredients. He could easily create inorganic items, but eggs? Milk? Flour? Oil?

At best, he could form some water.

He stood quietly as his thoughts shifted like flickering flames.

Interestingly, Elara seemed lost in her own reflections too, a gentle weave of Aether swirling around them.

Just then, Magnus and Cedric burst into the room, having finally returned.

Magnus, Sylasʼ grandfather, appeared youthful—looking no older than 40 now. His aura radiated power, surpassing everyone in the family, already reaching Level 50. He was on the verge of completing his Foundation and beginning the ascent to Level 51, entering the esteemed E-Grade.

It was said that if not for the unexpected return to origin, Magnus might have already started that progression. Instead, he now faced vast untapped potential that needed to be awakened first.

Magnus was aware that Sylas had instructed all to wait at Level 0, yet he spent his life anticipating the Summoning. Not everyone was content to passively await Sylas raising their levels.

He was a man with pride.

Having lost his wife, protecting his lineage was all that remained to him.

As for Cedric, Sylas noted his robust health. Though his aura wasnʼt as profound as Magnus’, the sharp clarity and resolute determination in his eyes were unmistakable. Sylas didnʼt need any words to understand that if Cedric had to fight, he would do so without hesitation. And that knowledge was a soothing balm.

Cedric opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Magnus, who sensed something was amiss between Sylas and Elara at that moment.

Then Cassaraeʼs parents entered, Geraldene rushing over to embrace her daughter tightly.

The room trembled as the surge of Aether intensified.

Gradually, Sylasʼ own aura dimmed while Elara’s brightened fiercely. Sylas instinctively stepped back, regaining focus as he observed his sisterʼs energy blossom.

Back at the Rune Tower, Sylas had once aided Gwenu in elevating her Rune Mastery to a new echelon. The technique he used bordered on hypnotic influence, though it wasnʼt truly hypnosis.

His unique ability to operate within the fourth dimension allowed him to overlay what felt lie an endless layer of Runes upon the third-dimensional plane.

Technically, this wasnʼt infinite but a superposed condiion—a realm of infinite possibilities condensing into a singular path once observed.

While Gwenu couldnʼt fully grasp the fourth dimension as Sylas did, her vague insights gave her an instinctual sense of direction.

Sylas could easily discern Gwenuʼs chosen path.

But his sisterʼs path was far more intricate.

A form of Rune Mastery rooted in organic origins? Sylas had never encountered one before and had to begin theorizing a potential course himself... until Elara discovered a thread she could comprehend.

Suddenly, Sylasʼ Primus Luminaria Title shimmered violently, making him almost laugh.

It seemed uncertain which of the two it wished to follow.

Sylas already knew the answer.