Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1030 1030: Stella to Seraphina

Stella... just like she had once told Aether... was never really good at healing.

She didnʼt have the natural gift, the divine touch that others carried with pride. That much she always knew deep in her heart. Her healing spells took far longer to mend even a single scratch than any of her peers, and the gap only grew wider with time.

It was humiliating.

This lack of ability held her back from advancing in power, status, or recognition. While others were praised and promoted, she remained where she started—just a humble Temple Follower and an Assistant Healer.

Nothing more.

Every night, she cried quietly into her pillow, muffling her sobs so no one could hear. Wounded people passed her by, choosing other healers even when she offered her services for free. She would sit there, hands trembling, smiling gently through the rejection while her stomach twisted in hunger.

Some nights, she didnʼt even have rations to eat.

So many nights... so many lonely, cruel nights spent alone, forgotten.

They teased her—others who were stronger, quicker, more gifted. They laughed, pretending it was all in jest. But for Stella, who craved even a fragment of recognition, who wanted so desperately to be acknowledged... it was unbearable.

Their words felt like knives wrapped in laughter.

ʼYouʼre so slow, Stella.ʼ

ʼDonʼt overwork yourself! We donʼt want you passing out from one scratch.ʼ

They joked. But to her, it wasnʼt funny.

They were belittling her. Mocking her weakness. Laughing at her incompetence. It was like watching a child being scolded for failing to lift something far too heavy for their tiny arms.

Her heart hurt from it—knowing she wasnʼt enough, not in their eyes.

She was like that—ordinary. Among millions.

She wasnʼt unique.

She wasnʼt talented.

She wasnʼt ambitious.

Just a simple girl… a fragile soul who wanted to do her best in a world that never noticed.

Nothing more.

Until the day came—when she was assigned to protect Raven. [For reference Chapter: 480 Raven Noir]

It was strange.

Stella didnʼt fully understand what had happened to that girl. Raven hardly ever spoke. Even when Stella tried to strike up a conversation, it always ended in silence, in the soundless void that made her feel invisible all over again.

The silence between them was unbearable at times... awkward.

But Ravenʼs twin sister was different. Noirix was kind, approachable, even warm. Through her, Stella found moments of genuine conversation, little smiles and soft laughter that made her heart feel a little lighter.

It was through Noirix that Stella found the courage to stay by Ravenʼs side—though Raven never offered much. A slight nod, a glance that lingered a second longer... those were the crumbs of acknowledgement she clung to.

And for Stella, that meant everything.

Few people see her worthiness.

But then... the news came.

Noirix was dead.

And Raven—Raven shattered.

There were no tears. No words. Just silence and sudden, raw devastation.

Stella remembered it vividly—Raven, holding her sisterʼs ashes in a sealed urn, sprinted away without a single word, as if something inside her had snapped and would never heal again.

”Raven, stop!” Stella screamed, her voice breaking in desperation as she ran after her. But no matter how hard she tried, no matter how loudly she cried out, she couldnʼt catch up. Ravenʼs speed was terrifying—driven by pain, by rage, by hopelessness.

”Huff… huff… huff—” Stella panted, her lungs burning, her legs collapsing beneath her. She fell onto the hard earth, scraping her knees, her hands trembling as she tried to stand again.

She watched helplessly as Raven vanished into the darkening distance.

”Oh god... please...” she muttered in a choked voice, her heart pounding in dread. Her eyes widened when she realised where Raven was heading—the edge of the Empire.

Her chest tightened only thing she could think of...

Suicide.

No... no...

Her face turned ghostly pale as her thoughts raced. ”N-No! I wonʼt let her die!” she cried out, forcing her trembling legs to rise again.

She ran.

Even as her knees buckled, even as her feet bled, even when every bone in her body screamed to stop—she ran.

”I wonʼt let you go! I wonʼt let you leave like this!” she sobbed, the wind tearing at her clothes, at her resolve, but she kept going.

Then... she heard it.

”NOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

A broken, guttural cry—Ravenʼs cry.

Stellaʼs ears twitched at the sound, and with panic, she pushed herself forward, faster and faster until she reached the cliffʼs edge—the border of the Empire.

And there...

She saw her.

Raven—collapsed and burned—her skin blackened and cracked, steam rising from her broken form. Her body looked charred, unnatural. She smelled of burnt flesh and ash, and something else... something dark and terrifying.

”R-Raven?” Stella whispered, her voice shaking.

There was no response.

Raven didnʼt move.

Stella dropped to her knees beside her, throat dry, panic setting in like ice crawling up her spine.

Was she too late?

Had she already lost her?

Fear choked her. Her eyes darted over the broken body in front of her, hands hovering in hesitation.

But then—

Crack

She flinched.

Ravenʼs fingers twitched. A horrible cracking noise echoed through the air as if something inside her was breaking loose.

”Sheʼs alive!” Stella gasped and immediately pressed her glowing hands to Ravenʼs skin, channelling every ounce of her magic. Her hands lit up with healing light, soft and gentle, but her heart was pounding violently in fear.

Please... please work...

She poured herself into it, focusing her magic, chanting the spells through tears. Slowly, bit by bit, the wounds on Ravenʼs body began to close. The burned flesh began to mend.

But then—

Crack

”A-Ah! Whatʼs going on?!”

The newly healed skin ignited again. Ravenʼs body grew hotter, burning brighter, more violently, and new cracks appeared—deep and glowing—spreading rapidly like a web of fire across her body.

”N-No! Why isnʼt she healing!?” Stella cried, her voice thick with terror.

Something was wrong.

It was like something inside Raven was fighting to escape—tearing her apart from within. Her body wasnʼt just wounded... it was being torn open again and again by something Stella couldnʼt understand.

She stared at the spreading fissures, her own body shaking.

She didnʼt have time.

She couldnʼt take her back to the Main Temple—it was too far. The senior healers there could have fixed her in seconds, but...

There was no time left.

Tears streamed down Stellaʼs cheeks.

Stella clenched her fists tightly.

What should she do?

She couldnʼt just let Raven die… not like this… not after Raven losing her sister.

How could she abandon her now?

”I wonʼt lose her… I wonʼt… not like this...”

Stella took a deep, shaky breath. Her body quivered with fatigue, but she forced her magic to answer once more. Her hands lit up again—this time, the glow was wild and furious, a desperate burst of energy from a soul refusing to give up.

”One more time,” she whispered, lowering her glowing palms onto Ravenʼs broken body.

One more time.

One more time..

One more time...

One.. more time....

One... more... time....

One... mor--

Thud!

”Huff… Huff… Huff…” Stella panted heavily, her chest heaving, every breath scraping against her burning lungs. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, her robes clinging to her like a second skin. Her muscles screamed in agony, her back throbbed, and her arms felt like they were made of stone. Her vision blurred. Her body trembled with the kind of pain that only came after pushing beyond anyoneʼs limits.

She felt like she had run a marathon across an endless desert for days without rest.

How many times had she healed Raven now?

She didnʼt know. She had lost count.

But Ravenʼs body kept breaking.

Again and again—something inside her seemed to be clawing its way out, tearing the girl apart from within, refusing to let her be saved.

Just what… what was happening?

Stella didnʼt have the answer.

And yet... she couldnʼt stop. Her mind screamed at her to rest, but her heart refused.

With her blood-drained face turning pale, her lips cracked and dry, Stella muttered weakly, ”O-One more time…”

Her voice was barely above a breath as she called on her magic again. The light from her hands flickered, faint but still alive, and she forced it into Ravenʼs broken flesh.

She poured everything in.

Cough... cough...

Suddenly, Stella coughed up blood.

Her eyes widened slightly in shock as the metallic taste flooded her mouth.

She knew it.

She had reached her limit.

And even so... even after all her effort... Ravenʼs body kept breaking.

Even with healing, there was no stopping it now. Unless Stella knew what was happening inside Raven—unless she understood the cause—then no magic in the world could save her.

Her heart ached with helplessness.

Her glowing hands trembled, the light starting to fade. She looked down at Raven with soft, tear-glazed eyes as her mind began to swirl with exhaustion.

She knew she was failing.

Her knees buckled.

And then—

Thud!

Stella collapsed beside Raven.

”F-Forgive... m...” her broken voice cracked, the words unfinished. Her vision went dark as unconsciousness took hold.

Her body had gone beyond empty.

She had burned through every drop of energy—drawing so deeply from her essence that even the High Priests would never dare such a feat.

She had given everything.

Crack...

The sound echoed.

Ravenʼs body continued to crack apart—deep lines splitting across her skin.

And now...

Both of them lay there—unmoving.

One was breaking beyond recognition.

The other... was drained of everything.

A poetic, tragic end.

A girl who had died trying to fulfil her sacred duty… who gave her life not in glory, but in silent devotion.

When all hope had vanished...

Just then—

A voice.

A soft, ethereal voice echoed in the silence.

”Your deeds have not gone unseen, nor has the bravery that shines within you.”

The voice flowed into Stellaʼs mind like a warm breeze, carrying light and calm and something infinitely gentle.

”In your selfless struggle, you have moved even the heart of me. With love and pride, I grant you my blessing—may peace cradle your soul, and may your days be touched by grace…”

The voice grew brighter, deeper.

”You shall be reborn... in the name of Seraphina. Protect this world, my child.”

Light.

It began softly—small white flames flickering at Stellaʼs feet.

Then it spread—up her legs, over her waist, along her back and chest, her shoulders and neck. Her body glowed, not with magic, but with divine fire—cleansing, renewing, blessing.

The flames didnʼt burn.

They healed.

They purified.

And then—

Stellaʼs eyes opened.

They burned—pure white, glowing with power...

....

”And there...” Archpriestess whispered in reverence, ”There... where Seraphina was reborn.”

She turned her gaze away from the bed... to Aether.