The white nothingness persisted for a dizzying moment, just long enough for Elias to wonder if Deus had finally found a new, even more boring afterlife for him.
"Well, that was a quick end to the 'prodigy' phase," he thought with a dry, internal chuckle.
"Barely got started on the immortal testing. Typical."
But then, just as abruptly as it had appeared, the blinding white receded, and his vision snapped back into focus.
He blinked, taking in his surroundings. He was still in the manor's courtyard, still standing. Or rather, laying on his back. The powerful energy that had slammed into him was now receding, a faint, almost invisible ring of shimmering force rippling outwards from its source, electricity crackled on the ground all around.
"So I'm not dead huh? Tch. Dang it." Elias thought as he followed the fading ripples with his eyes until they led him to the girl.
The maid girl, stood a few meters away, her small hand slightly raised, as if she had just lowered it from channeling something. Her eyes, were fixed on him. And in them, Elias clearly read a look of utter disdain. Pure, unadulterated contempt. She wasn't just unimpressed; she seemed to actively dislike him.
Before Elias could process this new, bizarre insult, a familiar voice cut through the air, sharp with alarm and anger. "Brother,What are you doing?!"
Elias turned to see Lady Elara striding quickly into the courtyard, her serene composure shattered. Her blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and her elegant dress bore a faint smudge, as if she had rushed back in haste.
"Oh,yeah,that's where I saw the similar features. Wait brother?" Elias sat up, puzzled.
" What the hell is going on?"
Lady Elara's eyes were fixed on the man, blazing with a fury Elias had rarely seen. It was clear she had returned much earlier than expected, perhaps sensing the very Flow disturbance that had just knocked Elias off his feet.
"Nah,that's too far fetched and would fit into this fantasy B.S a bit too well. She probably rushed over here after hearing a crazy person and a killer maid had come to our house. But brother though…?"
Elara's gaze then swept to Elias, and her anger instantly melted into profound relief and concern.
"Elias! My darling, are you alright?!" She rushed to him, falling to her knees and pulling him into a tight embrace, checking him over frantically. Her hands ran over his face, his arms, searching for any sign of injury.
Elias coughed lightly, still a bit winded from the energy blast.
"I'm… I'm fine, Mother," he managed to croak, leaning into her comforting warmth. He was genuinely unharmed, thanks to his infinite Flow, but playing the part of a startled, slightly dazed child felt appropriate. He still couldn't believe what had just happened. This "tutor" had just attacked him. And the maid girl, his classmate perhaps? Whoever the hell she was,had been the one to do it.