As soon as the strange black room stopped moving and then disappeared, at this stage its size was closer to a big box than a real room, Wei Lin felt a numbing sensation all over her body. She was at the center of a round cage and the shining bubble with her baby inside was floating near the bars of their prison. She was also floating as if gravity had been nullified in the cage, in contrast to the box created with the nun's magic. The unknown and dreaded temple with its priests, nuns and other servants was nowhere to be seen and Wei Lin felt a little relieved.

Even though she unwillingly got used to the pain, the shame, the bad treatments and abuses she suffered at the hand of her captors, she thirsted for peace and quiet to recompose herself. She was proud of her resolute character, she would never yield or give up that easily, however she was currently too weak to fight. She needed time to strengthen her defense, since the ordeal was incredibly hard and terrifying.

Unfortunately, in this cursed place, nobody was kind enough to grant her wish. She had to endure every little thing. Even though they were in the same cage, her baby in his bubble was out of her reach. She was floating in the center of her round cage but couldn't really move. With no gravity, she couldn't walk. She couldn't touch anything either, not even the bars of the cage, therefore nothing could give her the tiniest impulse.

She didn't know how her filthy novice robe had managed to be intertwined with the bar, she had probably unwillingly shoved it away when the old granny in the other cage startled her. Somehow, this situation made her feel even more useless. At least, if Xian were by her side, she would be able to rely on him. He would help her and even free her and then find a way to bring her and her baby back to the Orchid Palace, safe and sound. Such an unrealistic dream… At least, she should keep her hopes up and regain a sliver of dignity. It was the minimum requirement to maintain her mental sanity, moral strength and fortitude.

Still stark n.a.k.e.d and under the undisguised scrutiny of the old woman, Wei Lin was starting to feel embarrassed. As Zhou Xi's consort, a number of people had already seen her n.a.k.e.d, such as her husband, her maids, even Xian who was a boy, or a few other concubines in the Orchid Palace when using the large and elegant bath together. However, she knew them all and had never bathed with unknown people. Public baths were for commoners.

In the temple as well, the nun had forcefully disrobed her before the ceremony on the magic circle. However, they didn't really see her nudity, they were only interested in her skeleton. Nobody else, especially no unknown and nosy woman, had ever gazed upon her perfect body. Such a disgrace was unbearable, even though she knew it was meaningless to try to hide. She felt fl.u.s.tered, and it helped to distract her from her pain and depressing thoughts. Her ears were red with shame, her cheeks felt flushed and her whole mind was filled with the yearning and urge to grab her robe and cover herself. It was totally irrational but Wei Lin had a hard time resisting the pressure and intensity of the older woman's stare.

The old granny was only wearing a gray and seemingly grimy skirt. She was shrunk, her skin was wrinkled but so white it seemed translucent. However, hideous scars marred her wrists and the inside of her elbows, and her pockmarked face with bulging eyes and toothless mouth was truly disgusting. Unexpectedly, the most offensive part of this rotten body which seemed already half-dead, was the c.h.e.s.t. The veins that could be seen through the skin were purple, almost black. The marble-like skin gave off an unsettling feeling, further enhanced by the shape of the empty, hanging b.r.e.a.s.ts. Time was really cruel for old women and Wei Lin shuddered as she stared at the other's body in return.

However, the old granny didn't seem to feel awkward in any way. Her body began to shake and Wei Lin realized that the strange hag was cackling with glee. The sound felt odd in this magic space, as if a light breeze was blown especially for the purpose of carrying the unnerving laugh. Wei Lin shivered at the unexpected sensation of the wind on her b.a.r.e skin, giving her goosebumps. It was creepy and downright nasty. Wei Lin couldn't bear it any longer. The old woman's presence was so disturbing, she wished she could be by herself, even if the eerie place was frightening in its own way.

Out of desperation, Wei Lin stretched her arms towards her novice robe. It was still out of her reach. She tried to move closer but every gesture was painful and totally in vain. She even attempted some swimming movements and soon stopped when she heard the weird cackling increase. No doubt the other woman was mocking her and enjoying it very much.

At last, the laugh died out and Wei Lin froze when she heard a hoarse and grating voice, carried by yet another breath of air, whispering in her ear.

"What a pretty little chicken", she sneered. "I'm glad I have a new companion. You can relax, don't worry. I won't bully you too much"

Wei Lin's heart sank but she didn't reply. Surely this woman was crazy.

"You're so weak, poor thing! The priests must really be at the end of their rope to try their spell on you. You're so wretched, pitiful and totally useless."

The woman, however, wasn't paying her any mind at this moment. She seemed to be focused on something, content that she'd said her piece. Then, ever so slowly, she moved her own round cage and sent the novice robe to Wei Lin, using the light wind once more.

"Here, you seemed to want some clothes. Ah, but it's such a pity! It's not every day that a young and pretty girl come by. Our bloodline is running dry. You're not even a real Absolute Source per se. Not that I am one either, but at least I had a magic core when they caught me."

Wei Lin slipped into the robe and open her mouth to speak but no sound came out of her throat. She immediately started to panic. It felt suffocating, like an anxiety attack. Tears began to well from her eyes, her willpower was wearing thin.

"Calm down. If you're here, it means that your body can convert enough magic elements for you to live on magic power only. See the shape of our cages, it is crafted so that the maximum concentration of magic elements is at the center.

I'll show you how to use wind magic to speak and move. Ah, but you'll need a magic core before! I can do it for you in the meanwhile. Just raise your hand when you want to say something."

Wei Lin felt relieved. This ugly old hag didn't seem too bad, in the end. She raised her hand but the other woman ignored her altogether.

"It's been such a long time since we last saw a new face. Oh, by the way, my name is Eilen Aliora. Come with me, I'll introduce you to the others..."

But Wei Lin wasn't listening anymore. She was in shock and barely noticed that the old Eilen Aliora was moving both cages while talking non-stop. The one-sided monologue was full of loneliness and madness. Just how many centuries had she spent in this empty, dark and bleak space? It was so pitiful and sorrowful.

Just hearing the horrible grating voice near her ear made Wei Lin's heart bleed. How long would she spend in this prison with this mad woman before she turned crazy as well?

More than ever, Wei Lin felt a strong resolve to escape this place. However, if a strong mage such as Eilen Aliora had been unable to flee for centuries, just what were the odds for her pathetic self? Wei Lin shook her head in denial. It was far too soon to give up. She might not be as stubborn as Soon-Yi or Xian, but she still was pretty bad at admitting defeat.

However, the dozen or so other prisoners were little more than corpses. She could understand why Eilen Aliora was so lonely and full of despair.

At last, the introductions were done. Wei Lin was feeling a little dizzy by the movements. She didn't know how long they had been traveling in this strange space but she had managed to pick a handful of useful details from the torrent of words.

There were no living Absolute Source in this prison, only artificial ones, made from relatives of the true direct bloodline. In a way, they were all her and Xian's distant relatives.

Every one of them had to endure the ritual to modify their body, however, it heavily depended on the power of the subject. For instance, Eilen Aliora only had thread-like antennas and she could even control them with magic. That was how she could move her cage and interact with the others, while staying at the center of her cell. Moreover, the absorption of magic elements and conversion in her core were so efficient that she had some to spare and could still use a bit of magic. The other ones weren't so lucky and had fallen into despair much sooner. The future seemed very bleak.

Wei Lin had also learned that the priests of the temple of the Dragon God that had captured them were using spell books from Ancient Aliker to try and create a new bloodline of Absolute Sources. In the prison space, they kept the few surviving guinea pigs and used them to supply power for the new experiments and to nurture the dragon eggs they happened to come upon. The sarcasm was not lost on Wei Lin. Obviously, these eggs had been stolen from somewhere or bought from smuggling.

However, what saddened Wei Lin was that Eilen's mind had been completely broken, or maybe she had been brainwashed. The young princess couldn't guess how long it took but the former celebrated mage truly believed that her life as a slave was useful and meaningful with regards to a greater good. She was helping the Dragon God and dedicating her life to Him, because He was the only one who could repel darkness, command the dragon race and slay the demons.

In Wei Lin's opinion, this was utter madness or at least, it was no concern of hers. What mattered to her was to take back her life and her child. Unfortunately, she needed power and strength, and the key factor was to obtain her magic core. Thus, she gritted her teeth and strengthened her resolve when the black box appeared to bring her to the temple where she endured, once again, the excruciatingly painful ritual. She just hoped that she could be done with it as fast as possible, before the priests could decide to launch an assault in order to "reclaim in the name of the Dragon God" the dragons' nests in Lysania and in the Infinite Forest.