《Lillianna of the Silver Eyes》


 Darkness and Rebirth

    Darkness, a deep oppressive darkness envelops me. Leaving me unable to feel or see anything but this deep abyss. My limbs refuse my command, my eyes refuse to open.  I am trapped, helpless to do anything. Memory fails me as I am unable to remember where I am or how I got here.


    The last thing I remember was getting on the bus. There wasn''t anything odd. I had gotten off work late as usual. Maybe I died? I didn¡¯t want to think that. But nothing else came to mind. If I died then how? Though I worked late, I wasn''t unhealthy or overworked. Wait¡­ was that movement? Where am I? I started getting drowsy, it''s becoming hard to focus. It feels like my consciousness is trying to fly away. Is this the end? I''m afraid¡­ I don''t want to die¡­


    *****


    Thankfully I didn''t die. I''m not sure how long I''ve been trapped. But when I finally get out I have one hell of a novel to write. It''s kinda hard to track time when you''re unable to see, or hear anything. I tried counting the seconds but when I got up to the six digits it became too hard to remember and I gave up. Plus it didn''t help that I would go into periods of deep unconsciousness for unknown lengths of time.


    I fended off boredom by creating scenarios in my mind. I''ve become quite adept at it, though I suppose that''s true if you do anything enough. One thing I did notice is there''s an occasionally warm feeling that kind of tickles. It comes in an uneven rhythm however and I''ve only felt it a few times.


    I really hope something changes soon however. This darkness and warmth is oppressive and I fear that if I spend too long here I''ll go mad. I¡¯d rather not lose my sanity, I enjoy it. I laughed to myself at my dumb joke. I feel another bout of unconsciousness coming on, I''ve started to welcome them as they are the only break I''ve had from my thoughts.


    Something different happened today. I was finally able to move a leg. At least I think I did. It felt a little weird, like I was pushing against warm jelly. It made me happy, that means I''m not tied up somewhere. I didn''t notice it at first but my sense of touch was gone for a while. I''m still wondering where I am and what''s happening to me but this is the first different thing to happen. So I couldn''t help but feel excited.


    Captain''s log, I am still in an unfamiliar place. It has been one million six hundred thirty-two thousand seconds since my last log. I am currently in an unknown place, I have lost most of my senses. There is no sign of intelligent life. I hope my crew can locate me soon. Eh¡­ that one wasn''t very fun. It would be nice if I can at least move, aside from involuntary twitching, mostly, I still haven''t been able to move anything. Oh time for another blackout session.


    *****


    ¡°But Mr. Blake, the room was locked, and the windows were barred from the inside. How did the murderer get in?¡± Kelly asked the detective.


    ¡°Simply Ms. Donnavin the killer was in the room the whole time. Because this isn''t a murder. It was a suicide.¡±


    Everyone gasped at his wild revelation. They all began yammering at the same time.


    ¡°As for why. Well, he knew he was sick and would die regardless. He knew his life insurance wouldn¡¯t pay. So he killed himself and made it look like a murder.¡±


    Oh, what was that? Something interrupted my thoughts. A heavy feeling pressed down on me. This feels weird, why am I moving¡­!?! I don''t know what''s happening but suddenly I''m being pressed and pushed. Everything is moving and I''m being squeezed against the wall. It hurts, someone please make it stop.


    This went on for a few hours but now I know exactly what happened to me. I guess I really did die because I was in my mothers, new mothers(?), womb. Someone I assume the doctor was holding me upside down. Knowing what came next I made myself cry, I really didn''t want to be spanked, if they did that. now I¡¯m being held by my mother, I assume it would be weird to give a newborn to someone else. I still can''t open my eyes but I am able to move myself. I say move but it''s mostly twitching, while my brain remembers how to move, apparently my body needs to figure it out.


    I can hear, kinda it''s like a muffled voice coming through a radio. I can make out some of the more clear tones but everything else is unclear. I don''t recognize the words however, so I''m back to square one. Being swaddled is surprisingly comfortable however and I drift off to sleep pretty quickly.


    *****


    It¡¯s been a week since I was reborn. I realized that my eyes were open all along, which means that I was born blind. Though I do hold a faint hope that maybe I¡¯ll start seeing soon. I don''t know what kind of medical care I can expect here. I just hope they don¡¯t let babies like me die, or worse.


    I still don''t know why I kept my memories and consciousness but honestly, I''m glad I did, despite my present situation. I was determined to make the most of this life. It was boring while I was inside my mother''s womb trapped with only my thoughts. However now that I was born i decided to focus on improving my mobility. First, I had to begin to work on my body, you have to crawl before you can walk they say. Though in my case I couldn''t even do that.


    Learning to control my newborn body is providing enough of a distraction, my scientific mind simply couldn''t pass up this chance for a first-hand account of child development. I can still hear thankfully, it would have sucked to be blind and deaf. Something I''ve been immensely curious about is where exactly I am. If I''m on earth then I''m not in the American republic anymore. I could be in another country but I kinda don''t think I am. I heard someone approaching my crib saying the familiar words that I assume are my name and related to eating. Nursing was weird at first but my body instinctively knew what to do and it quickly became part of my routine.


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    This routine lasted for a month, and I finally had full control of my limbs and even could turn my head, I''m pretty sure I''m ahead of development... at least by Earth standards. I''m still far from being able to sit up but thankfully I can look around. Another thing I noticed is that my vision has begun to change. It''s still dark but I am starting to be able to make out shapes. They are hazy splotches of light that move around my vision, but one of them, I have been able to figure out, is my caretaker.


    I have no idea what this is but I have been taking the opportunity to follow her around the room, which seems to be fairly small, with my eyes. Apparently I worry her, as she frequently looks over to me, but it doesn''t feel like she''s afraid. More concerned, which I understand since I''m blind, she wants to make sure that I wont hurt myself. Though my room doesn''t get many visitors. Normally it''s just me and my caretaker, who I think is named Anna, but there''s another woman who comes to hold and cradle me, who I assume to be my mother. She usually sings me to sleep. There''s two kids, my siblings I assume, one is a boy the other is a girl going by their voices. And one older man, who I assume is my father, as he makes funny noises and touches my belly.


    They usually don''t stay for long however, and my siblings are not allowed in without either of my parents present. Maybe my parents are worried my siblings might hurt me? I wish they were let in more and I¡¯ve been trying to make it known. I can''t talk, and even if I could I wouldn''t right now. But I make noises that would be expected of me as a baby. Trying to sound more excited when they were around. I really want to learn to at least understand the language.


    *****


    It''s been just over two months since I was born. Thankfully it seems like my siblings were cleared to visit me more. They brought in a doctor to examine me, I assume he was a doctor at least, that''s when I learned that this world has magic. I think. The doctor waved something over my body, it had some kind of white glow around it, which reached out from the device and wrapped around me. After that, he spoke in a concerned voice to my Mother. I really wish I could learn the language already. I did learn however that whatever this light is is tied to people and their mental states. As when she got the news from the doctor her light became disturbed and changed its pattern, becoming sluggish and darker. Normally it''s bright and flows freely, seeming in fact to spread out from her. Especially when she''s happy and holding me, it''s actually warm and what makes me sleepy.


    My body also has this light, since I am limited by my body¡¯s natural development I began to focus my attention on that. My experimentation taught me many things. First I can move it around my body, speeding it up or slowing it down. Second, I can condense or expand it at will. And third, I can send it out of my body. However, I haven''t been able to do anything with it. If it is magic then there''s probably something I don''t know yet. Like perhaps an incantation or magic symbol, maybe even hand gestures.


    Still, I have nothing else to do so I continued to explore it. I tried sending it all out of my body. This showed that the light, which I should find a better name for though I''m hesitant to call it magic, is tied to my mental state. When I expended nearly all of it I passed out. Being the scientist I am, or rather used to be, I continued to experiment. I would expel the light and try various things. I found I could shape the light and it would hold its form, perhaps that''s how it was supposed to be used. As long as the light was connected to my body¡¯s light, or being touched by me. I could manipulate it, but once it drifted away, seemingly randomly, I lost control of it.


    My next experiment was to see if I could increase the amount of light. For the next two weeks, I began to constantly expel the light. For the first week, I tried just until I started getting tired. Which showed some increase but I had nothing to compare it to yet. The second week I expelled the light until I lost consciousness, in the same way. After the second week, the difference in the increase was significant. It would seem that I need to expel all the light for the capacity to increase significantly.


    I continued to spend my time expelling the light since I didn''t have anything else to do. Anna was a constant presence in my life, always hovering nearby. She started to hold me more, I think because I was fussing about my siblings. Her favorite thing to do was read books while I sat on her lap. She didn¡¯t try to show me knowing already that I couldn''t see. But it helped me start to learn some words. The language was similar to English it seemed, thankfully having something to compare to I was able to start picking up things. The book she read was some sort of child''s book, probably to explain the world because it mentioned things I didn''t understand.


    ¡°Hello Anna, how is Lilliana?¡± My mother asked, as she came into the room. The words I didn''t know I interpreted or ignored for now.


    Anna told her before handing me over. When she took me in her arms she began to expel her light like usual. She didn''t seem to be aware of it. I had been testing touching others with mine, and like everyone else, she didn''t notice it.


    ¡°Hello my ¡­ baby ¡­ mother loves(?) you.¡± She said other things I didn''t understand. Since I only had Anna for the most part I hadn''t been able to verify but with mother here I could verify that my light sight got better. I was now able to make out people''s shapes. Though it lacked any color but white I could see facial features, the outline of their bodies, and even what they were wearing.


    Mother chatted with Anna more before setting me down in my crib and leaving. I don''t know what she did but she seemed to be pretty busy. I saw her every day but only for short periods of time. Things flowed in a pretty similar manner, except now my siblings occasionally visited me and read to me while Anna held me. It was here that I learned their names. My sister was Titalia, and my brother was Andreth. They provided more examples of the language and I picked up a few new words. As well as letting me know I was a girl still.


    ¡°It''s my turn to read her a book, Lia,¡± he said petulantly.


    ¡°No Andi, you read her a book last time, you read the ¡­ of ¡­¡± she replied.


    ¡°Andreth, Titalia is correct you read for her last time,¡± Anna settled the argument.


    ¡°Fine but I want to hold/carry her.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry master Andreth, but she''s still too young/small/weak.¡± It was getting difficult to interpret some words. Hopefully they figure out how to properly teach me, do they have teaching materials for the blind? I don''t know what level of technology exists here. The room seemed to be a consistent temperature, but there was no radio or TV in my room. I had examined every inch of my room and there was a long tube-like object filled with light.


    It was above what I assumed were windows. Magical air conditioning maybe? I wanted something new, my training began to become harder. It took nearly the whole day to expend my light now. I wish there was a more efficient way to expend my energy. Wait, Lilliana, you dummy, I lifted my arm into my field of view. Apparently, Anna thought I was reaching for her as she put her finger in my hand which reflexively gripped it.


    A giggle escaped my lips which made them all light up, their light flowing faster, though not nearly as much as Mother usually does. I began to condense my light, the light grew brighter as I did. Another thing I noticed is I can force all my light to one spot and be fine but if I released it like that I would instantly lose consciousness. I moved the condensed light out of my body, it took a lot more effort but eventually, it was released. I left it attached outside my body, I was slightly tired but I could still feel the energy, and hadn''t lost consciousness yet. With an effort, I constricted the energy and it detached from my body drifting away as I blacked out.

 Excitement and Education

    I never really considered that babies actually have little to do. I am currently struggling with overpowering boredom. well, a normal baby would be crawling around, looking at everything, and putting everything she can in her mouth. I hope that my family doesn''t think that it''s weird that I don''t. I just can¡¯t bring myself to put random things in my mouth no matter how odd it may look not to. That''s probably due to my past as a researcher


    Thankfully I am strong enough to crawl around, that took me just over four months, a bit earlier than normal, maybe. My best estimates place me around six months of Earth time in age. But I grew tired of being immobile, so while no one was around and after much experimentation, I was able to strengthen myself. I''ve been continuing with expelling my light and I''ve noticed a marked increase in its capacity, and as usual, no one can feel it. I have gotten pretty good at shaping it. Since I have been expelling it every day I started making shapes as I did, animals, plants, objects, and letters. I found when they detach from my body they hold their shapes.


    Maybe if I find someone who can see the light too, I can try and communicate with them. Though that doesn''t seem like it will happen anytime soon. My siblings have been allowed to visit every day now. Which made me happier than I thought it would. There seems to be some kind of school or education in place in this world. They always come at around the same time, to the best of my estimate, around late afternoon.


    While here they read to me, reading time makes me wish I could see. I''m sure there are cool animals here. Judging by what little descriptions I could make out. The kids'' stories Anna reads mention some monsters(?). Lia loves to read books about plants, especially flowers which she seems to love. Andi reads books about adventure and exploration, from him I learned that people will venture into dungeons, of a sort, and kill monsters(most likely) bringing back something that is in their bodies.


    ¡°...and then Marth returned to his family, vowing/promising never to touch random ¡­ again,¡± Andi finished.


    ¡°Thankfully Lilli won''t have to worry about any of that,¡± Lia said, picking and holding me up. ¡°Will you Lilli? No you won¡¯t.¡± She buried her face in my belly and blew air against it. Despite the embarrassing situation I giggled, I mean anyone would giggle too if someone tickled them. The gaps in my language knowledge were beginning to frustrate me to no end. I hope that I can find someone to teach me soon.


    *****


    Things progressed in good time, I can stand up now, I practiced it while the others slept. I can walk, kind of, it''s unsteady and I fall on my butt a lot. But I can walk nonetheless, I can also make proper speaking sounds, but it''s only one-syllable sounds and I can''t make harder noises. The first time I looked up at my mother and said ''Ma'' I thought she was going to explode. She let out an enormous amount of light and hugged me tight. I''m glad it made her so happy, and it gave me a decent opportunity to compare my light to hers. Now that I''ll be able to walk soon, I have been experimenting. I tried to probe my room, which I still can''t believe I hadn''t thought of before, with my light but I''m pretty sure it just passes through physical objects.


    After that i tried to send it through the windows, there was a resistance there, so I began to pour more light into it, eventually having to compress it to apply more force. I managed to break through but the strain was so high that I lost consciousness. When I woke up I was in a different room and people were in a panic. From what I gathered someone penetrated some magical(?) defense and they were looking for them.


    Oops... well I won''t try that again, surprisingly I was being held by my sister. Anna was guarding what I assume was the door. After a few hours someone I''ve never seen before knocked five times, then two, then four times. What I saw made me happy, she was another maid judging by the outfit, she was pretty from what I could tell. What really caught my eyes however were her cat ears and tail. That basically confirmed that I wasn''t on Earth. Well, I suppose it could be some distant future full of genetic engineering. Though I highly doubt that.


    ¡°Lady Mirriam said it''s safe to take the misses and mister back to miss Lilliana¡¯s room,¡± she said softly, her voice tinted with a low purr.


    ¡°What happened Anna?¡± Lia asked her as she held me tight.


    ¡°Nothing, it was just a drill/test/practice is all. Let''s go back to young Lilli¡¯s room.¡± She opened the door and waited for us to walk through it. This is perfect, I¡¯ll get a feel for the size of the house. We walked for a couple of minutes actually, I estimated how far by counting the steps. We traveled for about one hundred feet before traveling up a staircase and traveling another eighty steps. We passed by many servants, I think because they stepped aside and bowed.


    ¡°Anna, come here for a moment.¡± I heard my mother call from behind.


    I couldn''t make out what they were saying but looking at Anna¡¯s light it wasn¡¯t good. She walked back over to us, her face was set in a stoic mask but her energy betrayed her feelings. I am really curious what happened between them. I found myself a little sad that my mother didn''t come over and greet us.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Lilli?¡± Lia asked. Normally I try to hide my emotions as much as possible but I guess I failed this time.


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    ¡°Wu ma oah.¡± I say and hold out my arms toward where our mother went. They looked at me with large smiles. We continued walking, well carried in my case, and by the time we got back to my room Anna¡¯s light was mostly back to normal.


    It took a week for the activity in the manor to fully subside. I didn''t realize that I''d cause so many problems. Something did change with my light however, it seemed to become slightly clearer. Maybe it''s a result of my training, maybe it has to do with something else. It seems like my siblings were on break as they came to my room in the morning and left only to eat.


    Concerning food, I''ve started to be fed mashed fruits. I''m still being breastfed, still weird but I got used to it, I am a growing girl after all. The fruits are pretty sweet with an interesting flavor, a kind of tangy umami. Since I can''t see the spoon, bowl, or food I have to be fed. Usually by Anna, though mother comes and feeds me sometimes as well as Lia. Andi tried to feed me once but it was a disaster that forced me to take a bath.


    I napped too much earlier and now I can''t sleep. I hate being left alone like this, it leaves me with my thoughts. I spent a lot of time wondering why I reincarnated here. Once I started having circular thoughts I stopped thinking about it. Guess I''ll exercise, though I am not even sure if they¡¯ll let me walk around. They usually try to prevent me from crawling too much. Having finished my exercise for the night I laid back down and prepared to expand my light. Just as I released it I saw a small face poke its way through the wall. The small person looked down at me then I blacked out.


    When I woke up the next morning I saw a small girl sitting on my chest. She was watching me with eyes filled with curiosity. I think she might have been waiting to see if I could see her as when I opened my eyes she started making gestures. I smiled at her and she floated up, I followed her with my eyes as she drifted around the room before settling back down on my chest.


    Lifting my hand from my bed I pointed and expelled some of my light. She watched it float away, finally someone else who can see, I almost wept in joy. She opened her mouth and started talking but I couldn''t hear any sounds. I shook my head, pointed to my ears, then shook my head again. This made her frown and closed her eyes looking lost in thought. Then her face brightened as she mimicked my release of energy. But instead of a shapeless mass, she formed it into a series of shapes. They were probably letters but I didn''t recognize them. I created some English letters and she looked at them.


    She frowned and shook her head, it would seem that neither of us can understand the other. But this was the first person who I could communicate with so I wasn''t eager to let a little thing like a language barrier stop me. I wrote my name over my head in English, she smiled at it and copied it. Then made her name over her head, which I memorized and copied. She smiled and nodded when I got it right. We have our names now, granted neither of us can read the others but we can at least get each other''s attention


    When Anna came in she was surprised I was already up. She lifted me from my crib, making the small girl have to float away a bit. After that last scare there was a new device installed in my room. It allowed people to talk to each other, though I don''t know the range. She ordered some of my food to be brought to the room.


    The small girl, spirit(?) I don''t think she''s a fairy because she doesn''t have wings, was flying around the room. She floated above Anna¡¯s head and spelled out a word. That spelled either woman or adult, which I copied and memorized while practicing it a few times. I put it above her head and she giggled and nodded. The sight of which brought a smile to my face.


    A short time later there was a knock and Anna opened the door as a male butler walked in.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you bring it?¡± she asked him.


    "My apologies Miss, I was the only one available, and I didn''t feel it was right to make Madam Lillana wait to eat.¡±


    My spirit friend went over to him and put a word over his head, confirming that what she wrote before was girl/woman. The new word, which I assume meant man, floated over his head so I copied it and she smiled again, nodded, and flew over to sit on my shoulder. Anna fed me, and the girl sitting on my shoulder wrote something over my food which I interpreted as food. I copied it and she nodded


    About an hour later my siblings came into the room. When they did I quickly made the words for woman and man and put them over their heads. She nodded then held up a single finger, flying over to them she wrote words underneath what I wrote, which I assume meant boy and girl. After I copied and memorized them I continued to practice. I was so excited that I wasn''t paying attention to the book. However, she was. When I refocused my attention she wrote something right above his hands which I assumed was the word for book. Into the mental dictionary, you go.


    This isn''t the best way to learn but until I figure out how to hear her it¡¯ll do. We spent the day communicating in our limited way. I drew a few animals and objects from my previous life and she drew things from this world, I assume, while sitting on my shoulder. I was happy and apparently, the others picked up on that. Anna was watching us with a small grin on her face. She stood up and went to order more food for me.


    When it arrived my siblings went off somewhere, probably to get something to eat themselves. After dinner, Anna gives me a bath and lays me down in my bed. She started to read to me sitting in a chair next to my crib. I''m not sure how many books we have but so far she hasn''t read the same one twice. She read for a while then started doing something with her hands, it took me longer than I care to admit for me to realize she was sewing something.


    A few hours later she left the room, finally letting me do my exercises. First I do squats while holding the bars of my crib. It has been getting easier and now I can do multiple reps. Then I practice walking. I walk around the inside of my crib as many times as I can. Finally, it''s time to increase my light capacity. She had been sitting on the edge of my crib watching me exercise with interest. When she saw me start to manipulate my light she flew over and sat on the bed looking at me. I began compressing it, releasing as much at a time as I could.


    I remember when I had barely any light and releasing it left me so exhausted. Now I was releasing what I originally started with and didn''t even break a sweat. I noticed however that my light had once again grown brighter and clearer. Maybe the compression really was doing something. As I released the last bits of my light I felt her poke my chest. She released her own light into me, the sensation felt weird. Like a bolt of lightning running through my body, it gave me goosebumps, but also a kind of warm feeling as I began to lose consciousness again.


    The last thing I saw as my vision went dark was her lying down and smiling at me.

 Friendship

    When I woke up the next morning she was still there. Her eyes closed as she slept. She was actually pretty cute and I watched her for a while before Anna opened the door and came in waking her up. She saw me staring at her with a small smile and smiled as well blushing as she did. Anna picked me up, to my annoyance, and began to start feeding me. Not sure what mashed thing I was eating but it was sweet but also bitter.


    I must have made a face at the taste however because she was laughing while floating in front of my face. I stuck out my tongue at her and she gave me a look of mock outrage before laughing. I giggled and smiled which made her embarrassed. She flew up and sat down on my head. She didn¡¯t weigh a lot but I felt her sitting there, she started floating down things in front of my face. Some shapes, animals and words, the shapes I could verify, since they were familiar to me. But the animals were mostly unfamiliar to me, there were a few I could guess like a dog, cat, chicken. I wrote out each word and she floated down a pair of words that I assumed meant good job.


    ¡°Please bring the ¡­ that was ¡­ for Miss Lillianna to ¡­¡± Anna said to the device.


    ¡°Yes ma''am,¡± replied someone on the other side.


    I didn''t understand some of what she said but thankfully I didn''t have to wait long. There was a knock on the door and Anna picked me up. Putting me in my crib, holding onto the bars, I stood up. My Spirit friend floated over to the door to see what was going on.


    ¡°Here is ¡­ this was ¡­ by Ulbert, we can ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ so that Miss Lilliana can ¡­¡± the man said gesturing behind him.


    ¡°Over here.¡± Those were new words but I guessed what Anna meant when she pointed and the guy and another carried something over there. I wasn''t sure what it was, however, whatever it was had some magical things in them, there were four bar-like objects that each had something in them. I watched the guys set whatever it was, occasionally I looked over at Anna each time however she looked at me, her brow furrowed.


    Does she suspect I can see? A loud noise provides the perfect distraction and I turn my attention to it.


    ¡°Careful.¡± I think Anna says. ¡°That is ¡­ for ¡­ Miss Lilliana to tamak(use?).¡± My spirit friend came back and sat on my shoulder nuzzling my face. I couldn¡¯t help but smile, I felt a strange connection with her. Maybe because we can see each other? Or share the same powers?


    I¡¯m beginning to figure out what they are making. I''m not opposed to having a playpen if it¡¯ll allow me to move around freely. I haven''t shown anyone I can walk yet, albeit with assistance. I''m not exactly sure how long they took but eventually they finished and left. Anna went over and examined the playpen, tugging and pushing things before nodding in satisfaction and picking me up. She carried me over to it, my spirit friend hitching a ride on my shoulder. Anna set me down in the playpen and I began to explore. Anna brought over some toys, many of which were in my crib, but apparently I received some new ones.


    They were all soft toys, probably due to my condition. I spent a little while examining them before I returned my attention to my spirit friend. She was doing something, it looked like holding something, I reached out and felt her holding a small animal of some kind. Anna doesn''t seem to notice, but she''s not paying attention. I turn back to my friend and see her smiling and giggling.


    I wish this magic was a little more useful, what''s the point of seeing it if I can''t do anything with it. I wish I had read more fantasy stuff on earth, maybe I could have gotten some ideas. Closing my eyes I started to wrack my brain, I was more of a sci-fi nerd as opposed to a fantasy nerd. I played some video games but again it was more RTS than RPG. Come on Lilliana, you had a bunch of friends remember something they said.


    My head was starting to hurt but I kept thinking, it was getting harder to hold onto the memories of my previous life. Now that i really thing about it I''m not sure if I''m forgetting or those memories didn''t come with. Please let me remember¡­


    *****


    I woke up in my crib, the moment my eyes open I see my friend sitting on my chest. There was a look of concern on her face, tear tracks ran down her cheeks. When she sees me wake up she smiles and starts to rub her face against my cheek. I reach up and pet her hair. i feel bad that I made her worry. Her energy resumes its normal flow as she continues to hug me. I''m confused, last thing I remember I was sitting in my playpen trying to remember my previous life.


    She ends up falling asleep while snuggling me. I watch her for a bit and eventually drift off to sleep myself. I''m woken up to the doctor coming into my room with Anna. I couldn''t see my friend which made me worried for a second, but when I moved my head I saw she was nestled in my hair. She smiled and mouthed something to me. I smiled too and looked at the doctor.


    ¡°She seems to be good now, tell me what you saw(?)¡± The doctor said to Anna.


    She went into an explanation which I surmised was about how I collapsed and slept until now. The doctor examined me pulling out an assortment of different magical devices and pointed them at me and around me. I looked around the room to disguise the fact I was trying to see what he was doing.


    ¡°I am not seeing anything wrong. Keep a(n) eye/watch on her, and tell me if anything happens.¡± I think the doctor says, before he''s escorted from the room by Anna and some other maid. She picks me up and feeds me. I ate carefully as I didn''t want to take a bath right now. When she sets me down in the playpen I sit with my back facing her so she can''t see what I''m about to do.


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    I''m tired of not being able to communicate with my friend, I motion for her to come over, which she does. I tap her finger then tap my ears. She immediately gets what i was trying to say and flies over to sit on my shoulder. She puts her and on my ear and sends some energy into me. I still wasn''t able to hear her but there was a small popping noise, as well as a warm feeling. Looks like were on the right track, I send my energy into her, she does this cute little shiver and smiles but otherwise nothing happens. Her eyes lit up and I saw light gather at her mouth, she began to speak, and i could hear something. It sounded like a radio station that wasn''t quite in range.


    Apparently she saw something in my face because she got a little excited. That gave me an idea however, I began to focus on my power and moved it in my body. Thankfully I had practice moving and condensing it, else this would have been super difficult. As i began to condense energy around my ears the static returned, my hearing became a little more sensitive before there was a pop. Something settled into place, my hearing became even and normal again.


    Occam''s razor, in hindsight it made sense. Thinking that magic was something more special than it was I made it more difficult than it should have. My new hearing was much the same as before but I could hear sounds that I hadn''t been able to. Anna''s breathing, the sound of people walking in other rooms, the clack of something outside, the small rhythmic ticking of a clock(?). But more importantly, and the whole reason for this experimentation. I look down at my friend, hopeful and eager, which I guess was plain on my face. She smiled and floated up hovering in front of my face.


    ¡°Can you hear me now?¡± she said. My eyes went wide and I nodded. I didn''t expect her voice to be so musical and beautiful. ¡°I¡¯m glad. Hello Lilli, my name is Titania. Nice to meet you.¡±


    *****


    It''s been a week since I first heard Tani''s voice, its still as beautiful as ever. She spent much of that time teaching me how to speak, well write since I can''t actually talk yet. I was happy to finally be doing something else. The language was fairly easy to learn, it is spoken much like English from my previous life, though writing it was a little difficult. It was like a mix of some various other languages. While my knowledge still had gaps I could understand the important stuff. My lack of sight made it hard to learn everything, Tani promised to try and help me come up with a solution. As a stopgap measure she drew pictures for me of the animals. so I could at least get a general idea.


    ¡°So you¡¯re from a place called earth?¡±


    Yea I was a researcher there, I was looking for alternative forms of energy. Our planet was beginning to run out of what we were using and countries were preparing to go to war for what little was left.


    ¡°That''s funny, I''m a researcher too. I''m actually looking for someone who can help me with that. It''s actually what drew me here in the first place.¡±


    What are you trying to do?


    ¡°Well, first a bit of an explanation. My people need spirit energy to live and which is declining. We are trying to figure out why the energy is diminishing. But our efforts have come up with nothing.¡±


    How do we get more spirit energy?


    ¡°No one is entirely sure. Hence why I am looking for a research partner, we know there exists a repository of knowledge. But we have been unable to get there. I am fairly certain I know how but the requirements are very specific.¡±


    How did you figure this all out?


    ¡°In the Fae forest, there exists an ancient tablet. It is the doorway to the repository. We were able to translate a passage on it and currently the head researcher is working on deciphering more.¡±


    What''s it say?


    ¡°It says that the master of all magic, with the ensorcelled eyes, will be able to find the entry.¡±


    Ensorcelled eyes?


    ¡°We think it''s a unique pair of magic eyes that makes the bearer master of magic, able to freely shape and control it at will, as well as see and deconstruct magic itself.¡±


    That sounds like my eyes.


    ¡°I suppose that''s a possibility, we won''t know until your powers mature, however.¡±


    How do I do that?


    "Learning magic is a start."


    Just as I was about to ask about magic my siblings came in the door.


    ¡°You two, how many times have I told you to be careful with that door?¡± Anna said in a stern tone.


    ¡°Sorry Anna,¡± they said in unison.


    ¡°I wanted to see Lilli. We finally got back from our journey.¡± Andi walked over to my playpen and stood at the edge of it trying to get my attention but I ignored him. ¡°Lilli, it''s big brother.¡±


    ¡°You might as well go to him, you know he¡¯ll just mope if you don''t,¡± Tani said.


    Yea I know but he''s so rough. With an inward sigh I went over.


    ¡°Buh?¡± I said, and his face broke into a big goofy grin. Try as I might, I can''t be upset with them. He picked me up and rubbed his face against mine. His skin is so rough, it kind of hurts a little. He takes me over to the bookshelf, or at least where the books are kept.


    ¡°Since he was a young boy Leoric wished to be an adventurer. He practiced every day hoping to enroll in the academy. But they told him he was too weak, and to try again in a year. So he spent another year training and went back. They told him again that he needed to be stronger. So he spent another year training, moving on to a real sword. His friends were already challenging dungeons and he wanted to join them. He goes back to the academy, and they tell him he''s almost strong enough to come back in a year. He decides that he is strong enough, he learned to use a sword, and he studied monsters. Thinking he was ready he went to a dungeon, and he wasn¡¯t ever seen again.¡±


    That was kind of a bad story. It was kind of dark for a kid''s story. It''s a pretty simple moral, but I think it could have been done better..


    ¡°Kids don''t really know what''s good or bad at that age. So stories like that are meant to scare them,¡± Tani said. "But you, my little cutie, are special."


    Tani¡­ I felt my face blush. But I forgot where I am. I hear a happy squealing and am snatched up by Lia who starts to cuddle me. Even Anna is struggling to contain herself. I gave Tani a look and she just giggled and cuddled my neck. Surrounded by so much love I giggled and hugged back.


    ¡°Ok, you two it¡¯s getting late she needs to have her afternoon nap now,¡± Anna said after a moment.


    ¡°Awww. Ok,¡± they both said defeated, ¡°bye Lilli we¡¯ll see you tomorrow."


    Anna hurried them out of the room when it became apparent they weren''t gonna leave. Lia put me in my crib before she left, Anna raised the side before she sat down in her chair. I wanted to practice walking but I knew she would just make me lie down. Tani settled herself on my chest I watched her body rise and fall with each breath I took..


    Tani?


    ¡°Yes Lilli?¡±


    Can you teach me magic?

 Fundamentals of Magic

    ¡°So the foundations of magic are what we call Sigils. Sigils are a pattern that creates a spell. Each spell has a unique sigil; complex spells can be made of multiple smaller sigils linked together.¡± Tani said using her power to illustrate what she was saying.


    So how do you learn and use these Sigils?


    ¡°That¡¯s something we¡¯ll work on later, if you jump in without the right knowledge or training you could cause something bad to happen.¡±


    Understood. I nodded to her, I knew very well that. We once had a new hire cause thousands of dollars of damage to some of our lab equipment. She wasn''t too severely punished¡­


    ¡°Lilli?¡± Tani said, waving her hand in front of my face.


    Sorry, you reminded me of something. Please continue. She nodded at me and patted my cheek.


    ¡°Since you''re such a cutie, I''ll forgive you,¡± Tani said which caused me to blush slightly. A random awww coming from my sister.


    You¡¯re embarrassing me¡­


    She giggled and smiled before resuming. ¡°To cast magic most people use magical items. An inscriber will engrave the desired sigil into an item, say they want to make a flaming sword, they''d inscribe the sigil for fire into the blade. However, skill plays a pretty important role, as well as materials.¡±


    What materials? How do they interact with these Sigils? The more she spoke the more it made me want to begin. A whole world of stuff to be discovered, and her explanations got the wheels in my head turning.


    ¡°So eager, it''s adorable,¡± she teased.


    Hmph we''ll see who''s eager when you wanna snuggle up in my hair again. I''m just as capable of teasing her. Though she isn''t wrong. On earth I wasn¡¯t really working towards anything cool. Here however I can learn magic, literally freaking magic. Though I may be a sci-fi nerd, a nerd is still a nerd. I''m just really looking forward to learning magic. I just hope that something exists that can fix my eyes.


    ¡°I''m sorry Lilli but as far as I know such magic doesn''t exist. Though maybe there''s a lost magic that can help.¡±


    Hopefully. Honestly, it''s a little disappointing that it doesn¡¯t exist but maybe I can make something up. So long as my biology isn''t too different I learned some about neuroscience. There was that breakthrough as well, Dr. Edinburg gave a lecture on it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue. The energy you use to write your letters is called Ether. Depending on the Sigil, the Ether is converted into different energies when channeled through it. A caster will have an affinity for a particular type of energy but will be able to use all of them to some extent. The rate at which ether is converted into energy is determined by your affinity.¡±


    So do you have to have the Sigil engraved into something?


    ¡°Usually yes, simple spells can be cast manually, but more complex spells become tedious. Especially in the midst of battle. Therefore, engraved foci are the choice of most mages. Weaker magic can be cast using one''s own ether, usually things like flameless torches and camp stoves. An etheric crystal must be used for higher-powered sigils. There are several sources, the most common being monsters. These are called cores and are refined into Etheric Crystals.¡±


    Do humans have cores?


    ¡°It¡¯s speculated but no one has been able to verify it. The most common theory is that a human''s core is their soul and upon death, it disperses to be reborn.¡±


    The conversation came to a close as Anna chose then to feed and bathe me. She then set me in my crib and sat watching me. I knew what she was waiting for but I didn''t want to take a nap. I knew from experience however that she would just stay there until I did. Tani was floating merrily in front of me smiling and giggling. I scowled up at her and she put on a fake sad face, then floated down and rested on my chest.


    I¡¯ll just close my eyes and pretend to sleep so Tani can get back to teaching me.


    *****


    It was the middle of the night when I woke back up. Well, I assume in the middle of the night because the ever-present Anna wasn''t there. Tani was once again sleeping in my hair, she really liked it there. I decided to continue with my ether practice, I''m so glad that I had a name for it now. I have gotten a lot better at compression but it''s also become necessary to compress my energy even further. I released my ether and passed out once again.


    Something was on my face, small and warm.


    Morning. Tani was rubbing her face against mine.


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    ¡°I''m sorry did I wake you up?¡±


    It¡¯s ok I wanted to get up before Anna got here anyway. We didn''t get to finish what we were doing yesterday. I was eager to keep learning magic.


    ¡°Aww but I wanna just lie here for a little bit.¡±


    Fine¡­ I pretend to be sad. She pretended to be offended and we both ended up giggling. In my previous life I never really had time to meet people. Not that I would have anyway, my few attempts at socializing were pretty disastrous. Thought I might be interested in guys but dating proved that false, I still don¡¯t know what goes through their mind. The other side wasn''t much better, most women ended up being shallow. I eventually tried finding someone in the STEM fields but those people had their own sets of problems. After all that, I decided relationships just weren''t my thing and focused on my career.


    ¡°Hey¡­ hello?¡± Tani said, poking my nose and drawing my attention.


    Hi?


    ¡°Welcome back, where do you go when you get that look?¡±


    Look?


    ¡°Yea like you are looking far away.¡±


    Sorry, I was remembering my previous life. Apparently, she saw something she didn''t like because she frowned and hugged me, as best as she could. Am I that easy to read?


    ¡°Actually no, it''s your ether,¡± she said. Of course, I should have thought that. If I can tell how others feel based on the pattern of their ether, then she would too.


    How are you able to see ether?


    ¡°Ah, it''s because I have something called spirit sight. I can see people''s ether as colors around them. The color represents their affinity, mostly. People''s ether fluctuates with their emotions. I can also tell how much ether they possess by how bright the light is.¡±


    Huh¡­ that''s not what I see. What does mine look like?


    ¡°Really? What do you see? And yours is silver, much like your eyes and hair. And very bright. In fact, if it wasn''t for the barrier around your house it would probably be visible from hundreds of leagues away.¡± Barrier¡­ Wait, that was a barrier I broke? Silver hair¡­ oh right, I don¡¯t know why I didn''t think of that. Tani can see me, maybe I¡¯ve gotten used to being blind?


    Well, I see everyone as white light, the light which makes up the whole of their being. Their details, like eyes, mouths, etc, are black, I can also see what people are wearing. Also the day you showed up why¡¯d you come? Oh, also what do I look like? I was eager to find out. I¡¯ve never been able to see myself, even though I think there''s a mirror in the room. Anna stares at something while putting on makeup.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been able to see yourself¡­ well you¡¯re small, smaller than an average girl your age. You have silver eyes, they seem to sparkle and are very entrancing to watch. Your skin is very delicate, like porcelain almost transparent. It seems to have a glow, that isn''t from my spirit sight. You give off a warm but distant air. You are dressed much like any other noble, save the colors. Your parents seem to have gone with colors that enhance your beauty


    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to hear nobles go to war seeking your hand. It must be one of the reasons for the powerful barriers. I thought it was because this was a noble house but now I''m sure it''s because of you. And yea there are multiple barriers, the day I met you I saw an incredibly bright flash of ether from this house. But it quickly went away so I thought it was some kind of spell. But I found you instead. As for what you can see, I''ve never heard of anyone seeing ether like that. But I''ve also never seen anyone with ether like yours.¡±


    Is that bad? I was starting to get a little scared, if I am imagining it correctly then my looks alone will be enough of a problem. But if I have some crazy cheat skill this could be very bad for me.


    ¡°It isn''t good or bad, it just is. Though we will want to be careful as I teach you magic. For now, I want to teach you some common sense.


    *****


    It¡¯s been a hectic few months, I''ve been mostly stuck here with Anna and my siblings. Mother and Father come by occasionally. Tani has been teaching me everything about this world and I have been teaching her a fair bit about my previous one too. Some things are the same like there is one sun and one moon. Others are different like the seasons being reversed, and there being fourteen, thirty-day months. She was surprised when I told her about some of Earth''s technology. I was surprised to hear that there are similar things here, except made with magic.


    Tani I really wanna learn magic already. Please¡­


    ¡°I''m sorry Lilli. I would like to wait until you turn one at least. I want to know that you¡¯ll be responsible with it. Trust me, I am as eager to teach you as you are to learn. Most kids don¡¯t even learn the basics until they turn ten.¡±


    Come on, I''m a forty-one-year-old woman, I can restrain myself. I say with a pout on my face.


    ¡°You could have fooled me, you don''t look a day over ten months,¡± she said which just made me cross my arms.


    Though I am glad you taught me the fundamentals. Honestly, it kind of sounds like a mix of computing and programming. Though I won''t know for sure until I can actually start learning. I hint giving her a sidelong glance.


    ¡°If you want to know the truth, I want you to be stronger. As you are right now you are strong but not strong enough. As it is, you are probably the strongest in terms of raw Ether capacity, but you don''t have enough to protect yourself should that power become known. And once you start showing magical aptitude people will examine you.¡±


    ¡°Lilli!!!¡± My brother cries when he opens the doors. I hear him rush over to my playpen and he lifts me up.


    ¡°Uwaa,'''' I cry reflexively and shiver. His hands are ice cold. Anna takes me from him and scolds him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lilli,¡± he said walking over to the window and putting his hands up by the temperature controller, warming them. It''s like an air conditioner and heater in one. It keeps the air at a specific temperature using magic.


    Tani, is it cold outside?


    ¡°There''s a lot of snow out there.¡± For some reason hearing her say that makes me want to run around and play in it. I didn''t really care for the snow in my previous life. Lately, I feel like I¡¯ve been changing. And it scares me, I don''t want to turn into a different person.


    Hey Tani, have you noticed me changing at all? Like do I seem different?


    ¡°That''s kind of a vague question. But no you seem like you. Why?¡±


    Well, it just feels like I''m changing. Like I''m regressing.


    ¡°I mean we¡¯re always changing, it isn''t a bad thing.


    Anna hands me back to Andi and he takes me to the bookshelf. I find myself missing this. They were gone for a while and I only had Anna to read to me. But she picks books for babies, which makes sense. Andi starts reading a book about a legendary adventurer, who made a name for himself by slaying a dragon. He was on a quest to find medicine for his wife and daughter.


    Hey Tani?


    ¡°What''s up?¡±


    I have an idea I want to try tomorrow. Can you help me out with it?


    ¡°Sure anything for you cutie.¡±

 Silver Sight

    Morning Tani, did you sleep well? Having fun? She was awake already and was playing with my hair.


    ¡°Morning Lilli. I am having a lot of fun. And I slept well. Technically I don''t really need to sleep but it''s fun to sleep with you.¡± She smiled, her face lighting up with happiness. This spirit girl is so goofy.


    Hey Tani, what is it like where you came from? Do you have any family?


    ¡°Well we don¡¯t really have siblings in the same way as you humans. Our families are more like others we end up getting close to. Normally we consider each other siblings but some of my race will form adult/child bonds. As well as bonds of love, though we are incapable of reproduction.¡±


    So how does your race grow? And what''s the name of it?


    ¡°Well, we''re not really sure, we just kind of form. And we don''t really have a name, but if we go by your old world we would be what you call a sprite. Now what was your idea from last night?¡±


    Well to do it I need to be in my playpen so I need to wait for Anna to come in. Tell me about the Fae forest, why is it called that?


    ¡°Legends say that in the mythic times that forest was the home to many mythical creatures and monsters. Though there''s no one alive who might remember that, and no records survived either. One of the reasons why my people want into the repository, maybe we can find answers there.¡±


    I would like to see this repository. Is there any magic that lets you see your memories?


    ¡°Most magic was lost after the war that ended a mythic era. So there might have been once.¡± Growing tired of lying down I stand up holding onto the bars.


    Tani¡­ teach me magic. Please. I say bouncing and giving my best puppy dog eyes. I can see her heart start melting through her eyes, which strangely makes mine skip a beat. Just as she opened her mouth to respond my door was pushed inwards and I turned to see Mom and Anna standing there.


    ¡°Hi, my special baby girl guess what today is?¡±


    ¡°Buh?¡± I say and tilt my head.


    ¡°That''s right, it''s Mommy''s birthday.¡± She said excitedly as she picked me up. ¡°Today is special too. Because it''s the first party you will attend, my precious Lillianna.¡± She held me up and swung me around. Her joy was also slightly infectious which caused me to smile and giggle. She became a giggly mess and held me tight. I gotta reign myself in. Well, it''s her birthday so I can give her a little gift.


    I guess my test will have to wait. I tell Tani with a small sigh. Well, a party should be fun. I know just what gift to give her too.


    *****


    I absolutely detest noble clothing. I mean I was never a fashion snob, I wore nice things. I am still a girl after all. But these noble clothes feel like I''m drowning in fabric. With Tani¡¯s help, I was able to find something I like. She would signal me if something looked good without being too big. It took a lot of crying and fighting but eventually, Anna relented and put me in a cream-colored floral bell-sleeve lace dress with a poofy underskirt to hide my diaper.


    It still felt like too much but at least I didn''t feel constricted. Plus the bell sleeves made it easy to hide my arms allowing me to talk to Tani still. My outfit changed Anna picked me up and carried me somewhere.


    Where are we?


    ¡°We''re walking down some hallway. There are paintings along the walls. And a few doors leading off somewhere,¡± she flew ahead and through a couple of walls returning pretty quickly. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re heading to a ballroom where a bunch of people are gathered for a party.¡±


    Anna took me to a small door that was apparently connected to the ballroom. She opened it and slipped inside. There was a pretty large group of people here. Some of them turned to look at me. A few nudged others and before long the whole group watched me as Anna handed me off to my mother. She took me in her lap.


    ¡°Welcome everyone, I know we¡¯re here to celebrate my birthday but I would like to introduce my daughter.¡± Huh that''s different, nobles in my world''s past would wait till their kids turned five. The hall was silent until one person started clapping.


    Tani, am I really that strange that they can¡¯t react?


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    ¡°Remember what I said. Your eyes have a strange charm to them. It''s like they encapsulate all they see and trap it in a silvery haze.¡±


    Am I somehow using magic on them?


    ¡°No, it''s more like you have a strong presence. How do I describe it¡­ Ah, that¡¯s it looking at your eyes the color shifts around. Like a constellation of stars moving around your eyes almost hypnotically.¡±


    Finally, it seemed like they broke free of whatever enchantment befell them as they joined in the clapping. Realizing how rude they had been. With my introduction complete the party started in earnest. I didn''t really pay much attention. Though several people approached my mother, most wanting to get a closer look at me. Anna stood just behind her chair, poised and ready should something happen. Her light was sharp and focused, as she took in the party.


    It was strange actually, she was usually so calm and easygoing. But here she was, her energy taught, seeming like a drum about to burst. Thankfully nothing happened, though the atmosphere was tense, even I could feel that. Many people would steal glances at me before turning away when I looked at them. I began to have doubts about the official capacity of my babysitter. .


    ¡°Thank you everyone for receiving my daughter well. As you can see she has the silver eyes of darkness. Though I hope she will live a long and happy life. Though it makes me sad to know she¡¯ll never actually see. But today is a joyous occasion after the gifts. I hope you will enjoy the banquet,¡± she said, sitting back down with me in her lap. I had some reservations about what I''m about to do, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I tug on my mothers shirt and she looks down at me.


    ¡°Yes baby girl?¡±


    ¡°Ma ma, wub ooo,¡± I say, cursing my body in my head. I was going to fake baby talk but having it actually be that way is embarrassing. Tani is looking at me like I poked a hornet''s nest. But this was the only gift I could give.


    ¡°I LOVE YOU TOO MY SPECIAL LITTLE GIRL.¡± She hugged me tight and practically squealed in delight. I smiled and this made her even more mushy. It took Anna fifteen minutes to get Mother back in order. Her light had filled the entirety of the banquet hall. Anna held me while people approached my mother and handed her gifts. After she opened them and gave the proper thanks she handed them something in return.


    What is she giving them?


    ¡°Small boxes that contain a ceremonial coin. It acts as a kind of thank you. And can be traded back to your mother for a favor. Though by custom it''s usually something small.¡±


    After the gift exchange dinner was served, it smelled amazing and made me wish that I could eat solid foods. I was getting tired of fruit and vegetable mush. However, the juice was really nice. Even if I had to drink it from a glass baby bottle. I was put in a high chair next to my mother''s chair, she took the liberty of feeding me. Anna did a good job but it was nothing compared to my mother''s grace.


    Ok despite my earlier misgivings this food tasted really good. Better than usual, maybe to show off?


    Hey, Tani what am I eating?


    ¡°It looks to be a rare type of fruit found in hot ocean climates. If it is that it''s said to be a delicacy as the only way they can be transported is with magic. Which makes them almost prohibitively expensive.¡±


    After everyone had their fill, the tables were taken away by some servants I¡¯d never seen before, each of them had the same mannerisms as Anna. As well as a similar level of preparedness. Once all the tables were cleaned away a small stage rose up from the floor. Mother carried me up to it and began to dance while holding me. She moved gracefully and elegantly despite pretty much just swaying everyone was entranced by her.


    What''s wrong? Tani was looking at me with a slightly upset expression.


    ¡°I was supposed to have your first dance,¡± she said in mock outrage, then started laughing as she took my finger and started twirling along with my mother.


    After the music stopped playing she left the stage and returned to her seat. And began to watch as others danced on the stage. No one however could even come close to my mother¡¯s level of skill.


    Even though Mother was watching the dancers, one look at her energy told me I was her sole focus. She was enraptured by my presence. Truthfully I missed her too, whatever it is she does has been stealing a lot of her time.


    I¡¯m not sure how long we stayed there but I eventually started getting tired. Mother noticed this and gave me a kiss before handing me off to Anna who carried me away. Because of the day''s events, I was pretty tired. At this rate, I might end up napping.


    ¡°Hello, you¡¯re so adorable when you sleep,¡± Tani said the moment my eyes opened up.


    Shush. I write back, I know she can see that I''m embarrassed. It was a short nap but I feel better now, and Anna let me sleep in my playpen which is nice.


    ¡°So what were you trying here?¡±


    You''ll see, maybe. She pesters me to tell her but I ignore her. I look over at Anna and she is once again doing something with her hands. I make my way over to one of the corner pillars. I looked at them before and they were just white rods to me but I had an idea.


    I''m going to use my silver sight to examine them. They looked the same as they did last time. This time however I began to focus my ether to my eyes. The rods shift slightly as the energy contained begins to take shape.


    ¡°Lilli your eyes¡­ whatever you''re doing, stop.¡± Hearing the panic in her voice I released the power.


    What''s wrong? I write looking up at her.


    ¡°¡°They were visibly glowing, you were building a lot of power in them. Here use this pillar,¡± she said flying over to the corner opposite Anna leaving my back facing her. I begin to focus my power again as the same thing happens, the white light begins to shift. A pattern begins to emerge, I condense more ether in my eyes and they start to hurt but the pattern solidifies into a Sigil which seems to have a faint color about it, a brown one. I tried my best to memorize what I saw before the pain forced me to release my ether back into my body.


    That was painful. I write as I rub my eyes. Tani, does this make any sense to you? I ask and recreate the pattern.


    That is a Sigil to make something softer, oh it¡¯s to make your playpen cushioned. Where did you see that?¡±


    When I focused ether to my eyes I saw this Sigil in the pillar, as well as a slight brown color.


    ¡°Brown is the color for earth energy.¡± She looked lost in thought for a while ¡°Lilli I think it''s time to start teaching you magic."

 Memories New and Old

    ¡°So this is the fundamental sigil, it is used to channel Ether into other sigils. It converts it to other forms of energy. The base types are mana, fire, earth, air, and water. There are also some special ones but they are advanced magic.¡±


    How come ether can¡¯t be used directly? It was funny, here I am learning magic from a spirit while my siblings hold me. Reading a book completely unaware of what I am doing.


    ¡°Ether is what we call life energy, it is produced by nearly all living things. It can¡¯t be used to fuel sigils or spells directly. Once someone''s ether is used up they will fall unconscious which most people try to avoid. Though if you are any indication then they should be, but that''s a secret we¡¯ll keep.¡±


    So how does converting it work?


    ¡°Well, sigils can be nested inside each other, within limits. For instance, to make a mage light you would draw this rune,¡± she uses her power to draw a rune, which I copy. ¡°Exactly, if you look here you can see the fundamental sigil. In this case, it''s turning ether into Mana which energizes the sigil and activates the magic.¡±


    What does the sigil mean? I ask though I have a feeling I already know the answer.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I mean the patterns and letters. They are clearly of some importance.


    ¡°I''m not sure, perhaps the Repository would hold the answers should we gain access,¡± she said, shaking her head.


    Do you always need an object inscribed with a sigil to use magic?


    ¡°Not at all, but it''s easier and it makes it harder for someone to prepare a countermeasure. To cast a spell you need to know the sigil and the chant to go with it.¡±


    Can you show me? I am getting excited now. I may have been into science and sci-fi but as a famous person once said ¡®Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." This may be literal magic but there is always an underlying set of rules for the world.


    ¡°Sure I have just the spell, it''s called Fairy Light. It''s an advanced form of mage light that can only be seen with spirit sight.¡± She closed her eyes and began to focus, she held up her right hand and her ether began to flow. In front of her hand appeared a sigil, I can see the fundamental sigil and another sigil. Both contained in the larger symbol, she then spoke the word fairilight. A small orb of light appeared in front of her and then floated above her head.


    Tani, can you please come down so I can see the orb? I needed to satisfy my curiosity. When she floated down I once again put power into my eyes. In the center of the orb floated the same sigil. I took a moment to memorize it before the pain forced me to stop.


    Is there magic that will let me store and retrieve my memories? I think I might have noticed something but I''ll need to be sure. There is definitely a pattern to these sigils. I just need to find it.


    ¡°Not that I am aware of. Such magic would make research an easy affair.¡±


    That''s a shame. Without paper, this will be hard. Well even if I had some paper I probably couldn''t read it anyway. Actually, I remember this one thing, one of my professors talked about it. What was the name¡­


    ¡°Lilli, hello.¡±


    Huh? Tani was waving her hand in front of my face.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t responding.¡±


    Sorry I was trying to remember something.


    ¡°Remember what?¡±


    Ahhhh it''s called the Method of Loci. I smiled slightly which caused everyone to say awww.


    ¡°Lilli is so cute. What is this method of Ioki?¡±


    Well, it''s a system of memory where you put your memories into an accessible format, such as rooms in a house or books on a bookshelf. Though being a world of magic it might work a bit differently. This became my next priority, it could make learning magic easier.


    ¡°Sounds interesting. Maybe I''ll try and figure that out. It would definitely help.¡±


    I figured since I can''t see, I can''t use paper. So maybe I can use that. After all, if it''s in my head sight or not I would be able to see it. And if I could make it magical maybe it could function as more than just a memory tool.


    Tani taught me more throughout the day, I had been so engrossed that I had lost what little track of time I had. Before long I was being picked up by Anna for my evening feeding. For some reason the last few days my gums have been hurting. Maybe I¡¯ve been grinding them in my sleep?


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Lilli is such a good girl, yes you are. You are such a clean eater. Master Andreth got more food on him than in him. Miss Titalia was cleaner but would get distracted and make a mess,¡± Anna said as she fed me. Im not sure what I was eating but it almost tasted like apples.


    Tani? Do you know what I am eating? I was getting curious now.


    ¡°I think it might be a Tamagi, but I''m not entirely sure,¡± she said drawing something that kind of looked like a long apple. She was sitting on my shoulder again.


    I had a thought. How come I can touch you but the others can¡¯t? I realized that I have never seen her be touched by my family, even accidentally.


    ¡°Oh, it''s part of the rules of the world. While nonspirit life can touch us on some fundamental level they never will. In the past, there used to be a number of humans who could see us. But the technique has largely been lost to them. There are ways for us to let people see us. Much like how you can hear me.¡±


    After Anna finished feeding me it was time for bed again. Despite my mind being abuzz with activity my body was getting tired. Not for the first time I cursed being stuck in this childs body. Tani snuggles up in my hair again. I can¡¯t wait until I''m old enough to actually do stuff. But for now, I can at least learn. Being reborn was such a weird disconnect. How did I die? Why did I keep my consciousness and memories? However, this was a good opportunity to study child development. Especially in this world which is fundamentally different than my own. I exhaled my breath and got ready for my night exercises.


    ¡°Everything alright Lilli?¡± Tani asked hearing my sigh.


    Yea I was just thinking about how and why I am here.


    ¡°Ah some heavy thoughts for a baby,¡± she said with a grin.


    Haha. I wrote that as sarcastically as possible. But seriously I mean. I was a middle-aged woman on a different planet working on the energy crisis. And suddenly I¡¯m an infant in a world of magic, and swords(?).


    ¡°I suppose that would be something hard to handle. I can''t imagine I would have handled it nearly as well as you.¡±


    It has been easier with you around. At least we can talk, even if I could form words I would have to act like a child. I don¡¯t want to think about what would happen to me if people found out I came from another world.


    ¡°I''m glad I ran into you. Most of the other spirits aren''t interested in seeking knowledge. They feign interest to try and make me feel better but they aren''t that serious about it. Only my brother is. It''s actually what drew us together. He is pretty research minded like me. However, he chooses to study plants and animals. Mainly why some animal form ether crystals and others don''t.¡±


    That''s something I¡¯d be interested too. After I can get back my sight¡­ hopefully.


    ¡°Well to do that you still need to learn magic so we should go to sleep now.¡±


    But I don¡¯t wanna. I was only half joking. She giggled but didn¡¯t respond. I closed my eyes and began to meditate. I didn¡¯t really believe in the stuff back on Earth. I only meditated once in my life and that was during a company trip to promote ¡®mindfulness¡¯ which was corpo speak for ¡®mental health¡¯. Surprisingly though I did feel my ether begin to settle and flow rhythmically.


    Before I realized it I found myself standing in a pure white void. Though it wasn''t the white of nothingness but rather my ether. It swirls about the space in a circle. A thin mist of ether filled the entire space while off in the distance sheer walls of ether stretched up and down as far as I could see. I sat down and just admired the energy flowing all around me. A thought struck me and I began to manipulate my ether. The ether surrounding me began to react. I had been missing my computer. With its nearly endless font of knowledge and entertainment potential. This world seemed to be lacking in technology, definitely something I¡¯ll have to correct.


    I opened my eyes again, it was still weird to mostly see the same whether they were closed or not. I had learned how to turn off my sight, which I didn¡¯t actually need to do yet. The one time I did terrified me. Thankfully after an hour, I managed to turn it back on. Losing what little sight I possessed was not something I am keen on repeating unless absolutely necessary. With a sigh, mental sigh? I stood back up, and just as I was about to figure out how to leave I noticed the computer.


    When had that appeared? It wasn¡¯t there when I first appeared. I walked over to it, though it was a little weird, it was less like me moving to it but rather it moving to me. It looked like my computer well minus the cables and plugs. It was my keyboard, a Frigate RGB pro. And it was lit up in my color scheme. The mouse was mine too, the Haloid Joan 117 I got at GamePlace. I tapped a key on my keyboard and my desktop appeared. It was my old computer, but some things were different. The OS wasn¡¯t the same but had a very similar feel. Some stuff was missing from my desktop, and there were extra folders. One drew my attention, it was labeled ¡®New World¡¯. Inside was all of my memories as Lilli, split up into months.


    I opened up the last month and saw further folders, one immediately caught my attention. It was labeled sigils. I immediately clicked it and saw a couple of pictures as well as two pieces of audio. The pictures were what I remembered when I copied the sigil. And the audio was Tani explaining them. This would make magic so much easier, and maybe I could even start decoding these symbols. I always liked puzzle games. The struggle of figuring out a problem and the rush of satisfaction I felt when I finally sussed out the answer.


    Well, that would have to wait until I had more pieces of the puzzle. I closed the new world folder and opened the other one, it was labeled earth. So pretty obvious what would be in there. What did surprise me however was the sheer size of the folder. There was no way I¡¯d be able to store all this data on my home PC. To make it worse everything was kind of just jumbled together, TubetoYou videos, random research papers, workdays, and even things as small as what I had eaten. It was honestly shocking that I remembered some of these things. It would take me months to sort through everything. I wish I had a way to tell time, another goal perhaps.


    I began to sort through my Earth memories. For now, I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if I deleted things so I put what was utter trash into its own folder. Thankfully it looked like the memories were sorted from newest to oldest. I looked through my most recent memories but I didn''t find any clues as to what happened to me, the last memory I had was me bidding my work friend farewell.


    I kept sorting until I was distracted by a movie. I wish I could show this to Tani, I wish I could show her a lot of my memories from Earth. My vision started going dark. Looking around I realized the ether around me was nearly gone. I was so distracted by my memories I hadn¡¯t noticed. As the last bit of ether disappeared from this place I fell unconscious.


    I hope this isn¡¯t bad¡­

 Magic and Monsters

    I woke up with a headache. Thankfully I know now spending time in my mind palace won''t harm me though I have to be mindful of my Ether. Tomorrow when it fully recovers I¡¯ll have to test out how long I actually spent there. It still must be early, Tani is sleeping in my hair still. Her face is kinda cute when she''s asleep. I really wish I had some way to tell time. Maybe my Mind Palace? I¡¯ll have to ask Tani how to tell the time when she wakes up. If it weren''t for this headache I¡¯d go back to sleep. Guess I¡¯ll just practice my Sigils.


    ¡°Good Morning Lilli,¡± Anna said as she gently tapped my shoulder. I opened my eyes to look at her. Well I mean I didn''t have to but it felt more natural to do so. Though the pain in my head made me squint. ¡°Please send the doctor,¡± Anna said, tapping the intercom(?). After that, she put the black of her hand on my head. A short time later there was a knock at the door and the usual doctor showed up.


    ¡°Good morning, what seems to be the problem?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s squinting and has a pained look on her face.¡±


    He knelt close to me and began to examine me. He pulled something from his bag and waved it over his hand which activated with a silver glow. Immediately after he stuck a finger from that hand in my mouth. I expected his fingers to taste bad, but they didn''t taste like anything. When he touched my gums the pain flared, and accidentally I let out a cry.


    ¡°It''s nothing to worry about, her teeth have started to come in. However, if she gets any worse or other symptoms show up, call me,¡± he said as he used the thing on his hand again.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Tani said as she settled down on my shoulder.


    I''m teething, it hurts. I wanted to tell her about my Mind Palace but Anna decided it was time to feed me. Thankfully it was still mashed food so I didn''t have to chew but man this pain was starting to get to me. I see why babies cry when teething. Like thirty minutes later? I was fed, but eating was a little more difficult. After a bath and change of clothes, I was sitting in my playpen again. The bath was nice, it¡¯s really gross having to wear diapers. At least I get daily baths, so it could have been worse.


    ¡°Hey, Lilli, what are you thinking about?¡±


    Oh, I was just musing about being a baby. I can¡¯t wait till I''m not anymore. It¡¯ll be nice when I can use the actual restroom. So last night I accidentally discovered something. It''s taxing but I created something. It looks like my old computer but it has all my memories on it. From Earth and here, it even stored the sigils you taught me.


    ¡°Really?¡± she said with a shocked expression. ¡°I''ve never heard of something like that before.¡± She put her hand on her chin thoughtfully.


    The only thing is that it takes a lot of Ether. It actually made me pass it out. So if I''m going to use it for extended periods I need to increase my capacity, but it''s gotten so much harder. And I don''t know if the mind palace counts.


    ¡°Lilli¡­¡±


    Sorry, I was thinking.


    ¡°Your face is so cute when you think like that,¡± she said with a giggle. ¡°Anyways let''s continue with the sigils.¡±


    Tani spent the rest of the day teaching me more sigils. My room was pretty active, Mom showed up. Even big bro and big sis seemed excited by something. Another birthday perhaps? Couldn¡¯t be mine though it''s still a month and a half away. At least according to what Tani said and what I gathered by my estimation. Mom stayed most of the day which was a change. She''s usually so busy that she only spends a few minutes. It was strangely nice.


    ¡°My precious Lilli, if I could I¡¯d drop all my work and spend everyday with you,¡± Mom said as she held me in her lap. For what felt like the fiftieth time today there was a knock at the door. This time however Anna called Mom over, they spoke to someone in hushed tones before Mom turned around.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lilli Mommy has to take care of something,¡± she said sadly. She picked me up and started kissing me all over my face.


    ¡°Ma, buh,¡± I said to myself. She smiled happily and hugged me tighter. From behind her, Anna made a squee noise. Mom handed me off to her and left the room. Being fawned over like this was embarrassing, but I have to admit it was kind of nice.


    ¡°That was really cute. And sweet,¡± Tani said with a mischievous grin. ¡°You really love your family don''t you?¡±


    In my old life, my parents were pretty absent. Mother was a high-profile businesswoman and Father was a famous fashion designer. I was raised by a nanny.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of like that now isn''t it?¡±


    No, despite the similarities it''s much different. For one, that nanny didn¡¯t care about me at all. Anna loves me like I was her own kid. I also didn''t have any siblings. But the most different are my parents. My old Mother and Father, when they were around, treated me like an object. They gave me a good education, tutors, the best schools, and the latest equipment. But to them, I was merely something to increase their status. It was awful, being paraded around at social events and after-school events. I was never even allowed to make my own choices, always forced to wear what made them look the best.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°It sounds like you had it rough,¡± Tani said, hugging my cheek.


    It''s ok, it''s what made me, well me. My education, My upbringing, it¡¯s what shaped me into who I am now. My only regret is I didn''t make my first true friend until I was twenty.


    ¡°Tell me about them.¡±


    Well, she was my senior at the company I was working for. She was famous for creating the VitaChambers. They were a marvel of modern medicine, in fact, they were used in the first colony ship. They could heal nearly any injuries. And could prolong someone''s life, however, they couldn¡¯t reverse aging.


    ¡°That sounds powerful. How did you two become friends?¡± she asked excitedly.


    Well, she was in the biological division, she was researching the cure for aging. And it was the company Christmas party. She was forced to come by one of her friends. I was there for the free food, and because I didn''t want to spend ANOTHER Christmas alone. I began to tell her when she interrupted.


    ¡°What''s Christmas?¡±


    Oh, it was an old holiday that was based on the birth or death of the son of one of the religion''s gods.


    ¡°Your old world had gods too?¡±


    Maybe? There was never any proof.


    ¡°So your gods don''t give out blessings?¡±


    Not that I''m aware, if any god is in that world then they are silent. But that''s neither here nor there. I happened to run into her at the party, she hung out by the food. I was there getting my first Christmas dinner that wasn¡¯t theater. She was talking to a few people and made a reference to an anime show. It went lost on everyone but me, she got a little embarrassed and excused herself.


    ¡°What¡¯s anime?¡±


    It''s a form of entertainment but would be too long to explain right now. I made my way to her and complimented her reference, I made one in return and we ended up talking about anime all night. After that, it became a regular thing for us to hang out and watch anime. I''m pretty sure I was in love with her, but I never got to confess my feelings. I wonder. Did she cry for me? If so she''d probably be the only one. After I graduated from university mother and father dropped all pretense, not that there was much there in the first place. Maybe I¡¯ll delete those memories? Actually on second thought no, they shaped me into the person I am now. As painful as they are, I''d rather keep them.


    ¡°Lilli,¡± Tani said with a smile, poking my face. ¡°It sounds like you had a hard life. But this one seems to be much better for you.


    They are definitely more caring. Mom is so caring when she has the time to spend with me. And my father works hard to support us. I kind of miss him, hopefully, he comes back soon.


    ¡°Well he''s subjugating a dungeon, they are usually pretty regularly cleaned so it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem.¡±


    Dungeon? Times like this made me wish I watched more fantasy isekai anime.


    ¡°A dungeon is a place where wild mana gathers. We aren''t exactly sure why, however. It attracts animals to it, but no one is exactly sure how though. The animals will become mana tainted. And will become monsters, in humans dungeons cause mana sickness if you stay in them too long. After a certain amount of time has passed the monsters will exit the dungeon and cause problems. This is called a dungeon surge, it''s the job of the subjugation teams to prevent these. Every so often either a request will be made to the union, or a kingdom will send a team.¡±


    Besides preventing surges is there any other reason for them to be cleared? I¡¯m sure there was an anime or manga like this. Though, there is something exciting about starting from nothing. I¡¯m getting a little excited, sure it''s magic but what is magic but a form of science? Who knows what kind of possibilities exist?


    ¡°Well besides some materials from the monsters you have the cores. The bigger and stronger the monster the better the core it has, which means higher quality crystals. The country you live in has a central crystal that was taken from an ancient dragon.¡±


    A dragon? Also, what are the crystals used for?


    Tani went to explain when there was a loud knock at the door. Anna jumped up and stared at it for a second before going to answer. A large man was standing in the doorway. He said something to Anna in a quiet voice but he was speaking quickly. She simply nodded and then closed the door. She went to the intercom and tapped it twice. After speaking a couple of words I couldn¡¯t make out the whole room began to fill with ether, it changed colors to a deep blue and settled along what I assume was the walls.


    A line of ether ran around the perimeter of the room at was I presume were the ceiling and floor. Between the lines of ether, it formed into a solid wall as well as the floor and ceiling. Anna picked me up and held me close to her. She was calm but I could tell she was worried, though she wasn''t frightened she was more¡­ anxious?


    Tani, what''s happening?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I can find out though give me a moment and I¡¯ll be right back.¡± she floated away, momentarily getting stuck by the barrier before passing through. Anna made a gentle cooing noise, probably to calm me down. I was starting to get worried a little. Anna held me for a while before there was another knock at the door.


    ¡°The full silver moon has risen,¡± came a voice from the other side of the door. Anna went to it and put her hand on the knob, she said a few more words, and the barrier opened around the door. Immediately after it opened my brother and sister were gently but forcibly pushed into the room as the door was swiftly pulled shut. The wall of energy closing again, I took advantage of the distraction to look at the energy on the floor more closely and saw a sigil, I memorized it just before I was picked up by Lia.


    ¡°Anna, what''s happening?¡± Lia asked.


    ¡°Nothing, just have an important visitor coming so we have to clean.¡± That was an obvious lie, the maids kept the house very clean. But they bought it so Anna looked relieved. Something was going on here hopefully, Tani would be back soon with info after what felt like an hour she returned


    What did you find? I asked though the look on her face said it wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°Some men broke in, they were looking for you.¡± My heart dropped when she said that. The others noticed and started worrying about me.

 Love and Loss

    What do you mean here for me? Anna and my siblings began to fuss over me but I ignored them.


    ¡°Apparently your parents were summoned to the capitol. These men were supposed to take advantage of the decrease in guards to break in and abduct you.¡±


    Why? I am just a baby, I haven¡¯t done anything to betray that fact. Plus I''ve never even met anyone outside of my family. Did someone see Tani?


    ¡°The staff is trying to figure that out. They captured several of the intruders. Someone gave them the blueprints for the mansion but they got a little lost,¡± she said with a mischievous grin.


    What did you do? I knew that look. I¡¯ll have to talk with her more later but she probably saved my life.


    ¡°I just added something to the existing defenses. It was a confusion spell that flipped their left and right sense of direction.¡± What she said got me thinking. My thoughts were broken when Anna handed me to Lia. She stood and went to the door, Tani following her over. After a hushed conversation through the still-closed door, she sat back down on her chair.


    ¡°Anna, what''s happening?¡± Lia asked in a soft quavering voice.


    ¡°We¡¯re having a sleepover in Lilli¡¯s room,¡± Anna said in a calm even tone. Lilli and Andi seemed a little doubtful but took her words in stride. Their light became disrupted by worry.


    ¡°Anna I''m scared,¡± Lia said


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll protect you girls,¡± Andi said thumping himself on the chest.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about kids. We are just going to spend the night with Lilli,¡± she said trying to reassure them. ¡°Look at Lilli. She is all alone in her pen.¡± Anna, you traitor!!!


    ¡°Awww look she''s so cute,¡± Lia said in the tone used to describe animals and small kids. ¡°Lilli? Do you want to dress up?¡± Great, I''m going to be turned into a dress-up doll. Thanks Anna¡­


    "Bah,¡± I say excitedly. Though it kills me a little inside. A baby wouldn¡¯t really understand her anyway. This is my fate, I should be glad I''m at least still me, even if that ¡®me¡¯ is stuck inside a baby. Anna opens a door that I didn¡¯t even know existed and we went into an attached room. It was also covered in a barrier. My two siblings looked around the room and Lia¡¯s face began to light up. Definitely not a good sign of things to come for me.


    ¡°There''s so many,¡± Lia said excitedly.


    ¡°Girls and their clothes,¡± Andi said though I could tell he was also excited.


    Not you too¡­ Tani also had a mischievous grin.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be so adorable,¡± she said. Her voice tinged with joy. I facepalmed, which apparently the others thought was cute. After another squee session from my family and Tani, I was stripped of my sleeper. Thus my personal hell began. They spent hours, HOURS, dressing me up. And Tani wasn''t helping at all, she essentially joined in. Although I could see the clothes people were wearing it took time for my sight to adjust.


    They were changing my outfits faster than I could actually see. After I told Tani about that she started drawing what I looked like. And I¡¯ll admit if I was not the baby in this situation I would have joined in. I was a pretty adorable baby, I just wish I was an adult. At some point, my baby body decided it was time to sleep. I was in my mind palace again. So with nothing else to do and having not done my exercises, I worked in there until it went dark and I lost consciousness.


    *****


    I woke up the next morning a little late. Anna was sleeping in her chair which couldn¡¯t have been comfortable. Lia and Andi were still in my room and were sleeping on the floor. Tani however was nowhere to be seen. That made me a little worried, but the barrier was still active. As usual, I woke up messy, another thing I hated about being a baby. Normally I wouldn''t act my age but without Tani by my side, I didn¡¯t want to deal with it. I started to cry, waking everyone up.


    ¡°Lilli what''s wrong!!¡± Lia said jumping up. Her light was disordered with fear, sorry Lia. seeing me in my crib still she smiled and her light settled into its normal flow.


    ¡°It would appear she needs a change,¡± Anna said picking me up. She took me to the changing station and got me cleaned up. She handed me off to Lia who began to feed me. Before too long there was another coded knock at the door and Anna went to answer. The exchange was brief and she quickly returned to us.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Let''s go get breakfast,¡± Anna said to my siblings. She tapped the intercom controller thing and the barrier disappeared. Lia handed me to Anna then the four of us began to walk the halls. The moment we left my room a few people went inside carrying something magical. Anna kept a vigilant watch her light was sharp and focused.


    We were being shadowed by a few men who were dressed as butlers. Probably a security detail. Tani still hadn¡¯t appeared which was beginning to worry me. We went into a large room. I didn''t know exactly what was in there but it appeared to be a dining room as there were a few people seated at what was probably a table.


    Anna put me into a sort of baby chair and fastened a small strap across my waist. It was far from comfortable, but it wasn¡¯t really uncomfortable. I was really beginning to miss Tani, she still hadn¡¯t returned. I guess something showed because Anna picked me back up after she ate and started trying to soothe me. But I was already not feeling well, and now Tani was missing.


    I may have acted like a baby. Which I guess I was after all. For the first time in my life, well this life at least, I cried and fussed. Somehow it really did make me feel better. Though crying for so long made me really tired so I ended up napping. I don¡¯t know how long I napped but when I woke up Lia and Andi were talking with Anna. Tani was still missing, it had to be at least a few hours now as they were talking about having dinner soon. To try and distract myself I practiced my sigils. I couldn¡¯t cast any magic because Tani hasn¡¯t told me exactly how yet.


    There was definitely some order or language to them. I hadn¡¯t quite begun to try and decipher them yet, however. I was hoping to learn more Sigils before I started working on that. Anna noticed I was awake and had Andi feed me. Once I had finished Lia took me into the bathroom and gave me a bath. I had forgotten how boring and lonely this was. Tani had given me an escape from being trapped as an infant. Goddess how I missed her. I really hoped nothing bad had happened.


    I started crying again, I am such a mess. I should be able to handle this better. Lia finished my bath and dressed me back up. Then she put me in my crib and I fell asleep again. I tried to distract myself again by sorting my life in my Mind Palace. It helped a little, but sorting through my memories made me sad.


    I had spent so much of my life dedicated to my work. Don''t get me wrong I really did enjoy it but it wasn''t my choice. I mean I chose my field of study but that was it. And even then I was limited by my parents. They told me I had to choose between S.T.E.M or business. I always enjoyed learning so I picked research.


    Once I did my future was planned until I turned eighteen. And even then I wasn¡¯t truly free of my family. My workplace was decided for me, my parents tried to arrange a marriage. Like seriously who even does that any more? I''m not even sure that I like men, I sure as hell never had time for anything more than a childish crush. Sorting was fine until I came to my tenth birthday, these memories really aren''t in any kind of order are they?


    Goddess, I hated that birthday. That was the day I stopped loving my Father. My cursor hovered over the bad memories folder when I decided to play the video.


    ¡°Happy birthday to me,¡± I said blowing out my candle.


    ¡°Happy birthday Miss,¡± said Stephan my personal butler.


    ¡°Thank you Stephan,¡± I said. I liked him, he was present at all my birthdays and was more of a dad than my father.


    My Father walked into the room, which was already unusual. But behind him was a pair of police officers.


    ¡°Father, what brings you here today?¡± I asked giving him a curtsy. Goddess, I hated having to do that.


    ¡°This is the man, please escort him from the premises,¡± Father said. The police officers nodded and asked Stephan to accompany them.


    ¡°Father, what is going on?¡± I asked though I already knew he would ignore me.


    ¡°It is ok Clarissa, I knew this was going to come eventually. Take care my precious little Clarissa,¡± he said stroking my cheek before being escorted away.


    ¡°Father, why is Stephan going away?¡± I ask, pulling his pants. My eyes were filled with tears.


    He gave me a dismissive wave, but when I wouldn¡¯t let go he shook me off and said. ¡°That man was stealing from me. He¡¯s lucky there¡¯s not enough credible evidence else he¡¯d never see the light of day again. Forget him, we¡¯ll get you a new servant,¡± He said then walked away. There¡¯s no way Stephan would have done that.


    The video ended with me crying again. I later found out that Stephan was framed by someone else. She was jealous of his position, he stayed with me in the mansion while she was relegated to the servant''s quarters. Why is it dark in here already? I guess watching videos of my past life uses more Ether than normal. I sorted as much as I could until my ether fully drained. Right before I passed out I wished I could tell time somehow.


    *****


    I was miserable, and everyone knew it. Tani was still missing, it''s been a week and she hasn''t returned. I had been throwing myself into my Mind Palace any time I was asleep. When I am woken up while in there I don''t just snap awake thankfully. But I do hear whoever is trying to wake me. I do feel bad for my family, and I love them a lot but Tani has a special place in my heart. I was probably in love with her though I wouldn¡¯t tell her that. I''m not ready for the teasing.


    It was morning, today was Lia¡¯s birthday. Then in a week, it was Andi¡¯s, then fourteen days after that was mine. It was going to be a busy month. I found a tooth, my first one. Which explained the occasional soreness. That soreness was now actual pain. I hated it, I understood why babies cried about it. Anna spotted the tooth a day ago and had gotten me something to teeth on, which actually helped. Though pacifiers didn''t exist yet, I might have to introduce them.


    I had just finished eating and was put into my pen when something made my heart skip a beat.


    ¡°Hello, my precious little Lilli I missed you,¡± Tani said as she threw herself against my face in a hug.

 Family and Future

    TANI WHERE WERE YOU? I nuzzled her, maybe a little less carefully than I usually did.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had¡­ business to take care of,¡± she said in an odd tone.


    What business?


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say you will be safe for a while,¡± she answered. I asked her for more details but she refused to say anything further. I didn''t press that hard though I was just glad to have her back.


    I''m glad you¡¯re back, I missed you so much.


    ¡°I could tell, the servants have been talking about your sudden foul mood,¡± she teased. I felt my cheeks grow warm.


    Mom came back a couple of days ago. She spent the whole day with me. When I first saw her light she was absolutely furious. Also, today is Lia¡¯s birthday. My cheeks were starting to hurt from how much I was smiling.


    ¡°Look¡¯s like someone is happy,¡± Anna said with a smile. ¡°Let''s get you ready for the party.¡± She picked me up and carried me into the closet.


    Please don''t leave again, or at least tell me when you are. I was really worried about you.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I made you worry. I was just so upset,¡± she said continuing to hug my face despite the fact Anna removed my clothing. She put several different outfits on me, but I was wholly focused on Tani. I told her about what happened during the week she was gone.


    ¡°I feel bad for the people around you,¡± she said with a giggle.


    Whose fault is that? She laughed again when I pouted at her. I ended up giggling too. Im so happy that you¡¯re back, never leave again!!


    ¡°I promise,¡± she said.


    *****


    The birthday party was small, only family was allowed because of the break-in. Lia was positively beaming all throughout. There was plenty of food, for everyone else. Unlike moms birthday which was in the grand hall, Lia¡¯s was in the formal dining room. At least that¡¯s what Tani told me, one place looked like another to me. Mom''s birthday was large with several hundred people in it. Lia had just shy of fifty.


    I was my sister''s living doll, though because I had Tani back I didn¡¯t mind. She drew me pictures of the food they didn''t look too different from what was on Earth. After dinner, it was time for Lia to open her presents. She received some pretty nice-looking clothes, though a little too ornate for my liking. Someone gave her an enchanted staff. apparently, she''s going to be starting magic studies soon. Imagine if she knew her baby sister beat her to it. I accidentally giggled at that. She received a lot of jewelry. Some of which were enchanted as well.


    Once all the gifts were open she gave out small coins. Sort of how Mom did, but unlike with Mom this was more symbolic and held no actual meaning beyond established traditions. After she gave one to everyone I looked up at her and decided to give her my gift.


    ¡°Si si haa buu daa,¡± I said, still unable to make more complicated sounds. This elected a lot of squealing, cheek-pinching, and tickles. I knew it would happen but the smile that lit up Lia¡¯s face was more than worth it.


    There was some mingling and a lot of talking but no dancing like at Mom¡¯s birthday. Lia carried me around and introduced me to a bunch of different family members. I made sure to memorize their names, though Lia was mostly introducing me to them. Most of the family seemed to be here just as a sense of obligation. Their light showed that they didn¡¯t really care, some actively hated it.


    ¡°So this is Lillianna,¡± said a woman who had nearly as much light as Mom.


    ¡°Aunt Jean!¡± Lia said excitedly. ¡°Is Uncle Francis with you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s around somewhere. What''s the matter with her eyes?¡±


    ¡°Lilli has the cloudy eyes. The doctor says she can''t see.¡± So they think I can''t see at all.


    ¡°Oh poor baby, will she get better? And she seems to be able to follow people.¡±


    ¡°The doctor says no, he also says that she¡¯s probably using sound to follow us. Sometimes it seems like she can see us though.¡±


    It''s really annoying having people talk about me in front of me¡­


    ¡°Most babies wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Tani said with a smile. ¡°You are entirely unique in that.¡± She gave me a hug which made me reluctantly smile.


    ¡°There are my precious daughters,¡± Mom said as she walked over to us. ¡°Ah, Jean you¡¯re here too.¡±


    ¡°Hello Mirri, how''s my favorite sister doing?¡±


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    ¡°More like only sister,¡± she replied with a snort then asked, ¡°and I am well how about yourself?¡±


    ¡°I am well. Preparations for the move are well underway. Francis and I are honored to be allowed here. Especially after¡­¡± she was interrupted by Mom.


    ¡°Jean would you please come with me,¡± Mom said then looked down at us. ¡°Lia take Lilli and go introduce her to your family members.


    ¡°Ok mommy,¡± she replied and carried me off.


    Tani, please? I wanted to know what Mom and Jean were talking about.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± she said immediately picking up on what I wanted.


    We walked around the party, well carried in my case. And met more family, I definitely knew who to avoid. Although they were all polite and cordial, their facade was easily pierced by my sight. I made extra sure to memorize their names though I''m sure they would be stored in my Mind Palace. We also met Uncle Francis, he was too busy to talk but he seemed nice enough.


    Mom''s conversation with her sister must have been a long one because Tani didn''t return to me till the party was just about over. She shook her head at my question and just said later. Mom and Lia called everyone¡¯s attention and thanked them for coming and gave them well wishes.


    Anna came over and escorted Lia, who was still carrying me, back to my room. They changed me, I was wearing something more casual since it wasn¡¯t a noble affair. But it was still stifling. Lia carried me back to my room and sat us down before she started to read to me.


    So what happened? Maybe I was adapting to my new body but I found my patience was starting to wane easier now. Tani didn¡¯t start talking immediately however instead choosing to cling to my neck.


    "Your aunt is going to be moving in. They discovered who was behind your attempted kidnapping. But they have no concrete evidence, so she will be moving in to provide extra security.¡±


    When? I kind of figured that might have been what was happening. She seemed really nice and her light was just as warm and inviting as the rest of my family. Uncle Francis seemed to be good too. His light was friendly and cheerful.


    ¡°They are going to try and move in before your birthday. It is going to be your formal introduction and they want to make sure you are safe apparently they reinforced the barrier around your room as well.¡±


    Yea, I saw them bringing in something recently. Lia finished the book and decided it was time for a tickle session which left me giggling and wet. I''m really growing tired of that. After a change, I was sitting with Lia again. She started telling me about what she was learning at school as well as her worries about the magic academy.


    Apparently, she would have to move into a dorm for that. I guess my emotions showed as she started reassuring me. Lia continued to talk and held me tight. Her presence was more comforting now. I really was going to miss her when she moved. I have to make sure I get as much time with her as I can. Well, I don¡¯t want to cut into my Tani time.


    ¡°I guess you should spend a lot of time with her,¡± she said as if reading my mind.


    Yea, though when she isn¡¯t here my time is all yours. I smiled as she blushed, damn was she cute. So who was behind it?


    ¡°Didn''t, I say?¡± she asked, I shook my head in response. ¡°Sorry, it was a noble who has a grudge against your family. Apparently, your father stopped an operation of his. He was implicated in a smuggling trade but the evidence was destroyed before he could be brought up in trial.¡±


    I see¡­ I hope that he doesn¡¯t try that again. I¡¯ve already died once I¡¯d rather not repeat it any time soon.


    ¡°Do you¡­?¡±


    Remember how?


    ¡°Yes, if it isn¡¯t too painful to recount.¡±


    Honestly. I don¡¯t know. My last memory, even the one in my memory palace, is me leaving the lab after a long day and boarding the bus home.


    ¡°Not really much to go on,¡± she said as she rubbed my face.


    No, but my death isn''t important. Plus it brought us together. I smiled at her which made her blush.


    ¡°Well I may have something that will help you,¡± she remarked. A huge grin spread across her face. No matter what I tried she refused to tell me what she was plotting. The only thing she said was that I¡¯ll see what soon. Neither of us wanted to do anything but snuggle, so that¡¯s what we did.


    I must have fallen asleep in my pen, I was so glad to have her back, because I woke up in my mind palace. I sorted my old memories some more. I had been making pretty good progress I had gotten three full years already sorted. I still haven¡¯t decided how far back I''m going to sort. Those memories were sorted already by when they were last remembered. At least in my old lifes time.


    I didn''t spend my entire time sorting old memories. I had isolated all the parts of the Sigil I could identify. The runes have to be some kind of language because I''m already seeing similarities. The patterns must also serve some function, I have a few hypotheses but I can''t put them into effect until I can actually start using the damn things.


    I sigh and once again wish I could tell the time in here. Though that probably wouldn''t work too well because I''m fairly certain time works weirdly here. Oh, and there goes the lights again, definitely getting better at staying in here. I can instinctively tell that I have been in here longer and longer. Well, time to wake up I suppose. I resume sorting now until the darkness wraps itself around me and drags me into unconsciousness.


    Everything falls back into the same routine, well mostly the same. Lia has been spending every day in my room now. Andi comes by every couple of days, he''s apparently being tutored during the break by a martial arts instructor. Tani resumed teaching me Sigils and I''ve been working on deciphering them. I kind of wish I took my linguistics minor seriously now.


    The whole mansion is abuzz with activity currently. It''s a couple of days until Andi¡¯s birthday. He¡¯s apparently old enough now for his engagement to be made. Unlike on earth, however, both parties need to agree after a trial period, so kind of like dating as more than friends but not quite lovers. I¡¯ll need to find a way to avoid that myself, I don''t want to be tied down to some noble. Maybe I can use my blindness as an excuse? Well, that is still many years off.


    ¡°Lilli?¡± Tani said tickling my cheek. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    The future, my brother''s birthday, his engagement. Stuff like that.


    ¡°Sounds pretty weighty. And something a baby like you shouldn''t need to think about.


    I mean I''m not really, I may look like a baby but I definitely don''t think like one.


    ¡°You act like one sometimes,¡± she said with a laugh. Laughing harder when I pouted at her. I started laughing too, which made Lia tickle me.


    ¡°Sop,¡± I said the word slipping out of me. This elicited a series of squees and fawning. Io really should say more things to get them to stop doing this. Though I don''t know what I would say to them.


    ¡°Anyways Lilli, I was thinking of teaching you to actually use magic soon.¡±


    When? I may have been a little excited at this. Fantasy nerd, I was not but still, it''s magic.


    ¡°After your birthday. So we need to drill the basics into you before then.¡±

 The First Year

    ¡°Happy birthday!¡± my family said happily when Anna brought me to the small dining room. Everyone was here Mommy was standing at the center, a big smile on her face. Daddy was standing on her left side. Sissy and Brother were standing in front of them. Aunty was here too, she stood at Mommy''s right side. Mommy was holding something, probably for their sake rather than mine. If they have similar traditions then it''s probably a cake or maybe a dessert of some type.


    ¡°You have a good family,¡± Tani said from where she sat on my shoulder. Her voice was dripping with mirth. Anna dressed me up in a bundle of fabric that was supposed to be a dress. Despite my protests, she didn¡¯t take it off so I stopped fussing. They finished singing a song for me, to which I responded by giggling happily.


    ¡°Is my baby girl excited for her first birthday?¡± Mommy asked as she took me from Anna. I burbled in response and inwardly cringed. I was prepared, at least I thought I was. I knew that I would be everyone''s sole focus today.


    ¡°Lilli that was adorable,¡± Tani teased. She poked my face and giggled.


    I¡¯ll get you back, just wait. I stuck my tongue out at her, this was a mistake. Everyone started squealing and making baby talk at me.


    ¡°She¡¯s simply radiant,¡± Aunt Jean said. ¡°Miri, mind if I hold my niece?¡±


    ¡°Not at all Jean,¡± she replied, but her light betrayed her words. She handed me to my Aunt, her light was denser than Mommy''s and clearer.


    ¡°Hi, my precious niece, I''m your Aunt Jean,¡± she said in a sing-song tone and poked my nose. I inadvertently giggled which made her smile.


    ¡°Now let''s celebrate our little Lilli,¡± Mommy said. A connecting door opened and a half dozen people came in. Auntie held me while the others filed in. Mommy did her duty as party host and greeted them. As I was being held I could feel my Auntie become more tense and focused. I knew she was here to help protect me. But I didn''t expect her to be wary of our own family members.


    After Mommy greeted everyone she took me and sat down at the head of the table, Auntie took the seat on her right, and Daddy sat at her left side. I sat in her lap facing the family, Mommy radiated light and happiness. Daddy was also happy, his face was set in a wide grin. I found myself smiling too. Surrounded by love as it were, of course, Tani was included in this.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming, I wish my daughter''s first birthday would have been a grander affair. But because of her condition, we felt that a smaller family gathering would be the safest. When she was first born the doctor said that we shouldn¡¯t hold out hope of her surviving. And though she is smaller than other kids her age she has not only survived but thrived. She is full of energy and a determined spirit. Her will to live is strong and she has an inquisitive mind,¡± Mommy began to sing my praises.


    ¡°Many times we see her exploring as much as she is able. Though the doctor assures us that she will never see. We know that she is still exploring in her own way. Though her eyes are clouded there is recognition behind them. And when she looks at us, her eyes shine with love. Her sight may be dark, but we can all tell her future will be bright,¡± Mom¡¯s words left me feeling emotional.


    ¡°They really do love you,¡± Tani said with a sniffle.


    And I love them. I struggled to fight back the tears. Forcing myself to maintain my composure was not easy. Tani?


    ¡°Yes, my precious Lilli?¡± She said, making me blush.


    You said you got me something?


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll see it later¡­ hopefully.¡°


    Conversations broke out all around the table a couple of family members came up to meet me, some family that didn''t make it to Lia¡¯s or Andi¡¯s birthday. His birthday was much like Lia¡¯s, though slightly larger as he was preparing to enroll in the royal academy and his birthday was also a celebration of that. He and Lia would be moving into the dorms. My days were going to become much colder, I found myself missing them already.


    ¡°So Miri, how¡¯s the dungeon?¡± Auntie asked.


    ¡°It''s going well, output has been steady,¡± she replied.


    ¡°That''s good, I heard some others have been decreasing in their output. It¡¯s bad enough in some dungeons that the kingdom has ordered an official investigation.¡±


    ¡°That bad?¡± Mommy asked. To which Auntie just nodded. ¡°This could be a problem.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s money to be made.¡±


    ¡°We have more than enough money. I¡¯m worried that the kingdom might step in. Ethereum crystals are essential to everything. The kingdom would decidedly hoard them if they thought the supply might dry up. Wars have been fought over dungeons in the best of times.¡±


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    ¡°There''s more¡­¡± Auntie began in an even more hushed tone. In times like this, I''m glad that I¡¯m a baby and people aren''t afraid to talk around me.


    ¡°All bad I assume.¡±


    ¡°Extremely,¡± she said her tone dire as she leaned in closer. ¡°The kingdom''s mages have been declining ins strength. Not so much the established ones but the academy students. I general they are weaker than the last generation.¡±


    ¡°Does the kingdom have any ideas?¡± Mommy asked her light becoming disturbed.


    ¡°Nothing provable, they think some kind of spell or enchantment by one of our enemies. But I happen to know that other nations are facing similar problems. It won''t be long before the situation deteriorates. Already some of the smaller nations have begun to stockpile Ethereum. So far no one has been too rash but I wouldn¡¯t expect the peace to last forever.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Mommy asked worriedly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working these last couple of weeks, while we won''t entirely escape should something happen. At least the kingdom won''t just seize our Dungeon. Though we may end up nearly exclusively supplying them.¡±


    Mommy sighed and her light began to darken. ¡°Why did this have to happen now? I just want my children to grow up happy and healthy but now war appears to be in their future. My only consolation is that Lilli won¡¯t be able to participate in it.¡± She held on to me tighter, then shook her head. ¡°Let''s be done with the dark topics for now, this is supposed to be a celebration after all.¡±


    She passed me to Daddy who started and held me securely before standing up and speaking. ¡°Well, now that everyone is settled let''s have our lunch. It''s a light lunch to tide us off until dinner. Then we will adjourn to the den next door to open her gifts,¡± Mommy said, her change in demeanor almost frightening. She rang a bell and a pair of doors opened as servants began to wheel carts of food out.


    They placed dishes in front of everyone, I obviously couldn''t see what they were but they smelled good. As mom sat back down she took me from Daddy. The conversations resumed albeit at a lower volume. The dining room was filled with the clink of silverware on dishes. Several dishes were set in front of Mom, she alternated between her food and feeding me.


    I got to eat my first solid food since being reborn. It was still fruit and vegetables mostly but it wasn¡¯t mashed into a paste. I also got small pieces of meat, they were delicious. Soft and tender and oh so flavourful. I was worried because I knew that cooking wasn''t the most well developed in the past on earth. But they apparently did understand the importance of proper seasoning here. I savored the flavor of the meat over the other things.


    ¡°Lilli your face is funny,¡± Tani said with a giggled.


    What?


    ¡°You have this look of bliss on your face,¡± she said her shoulders shaking in a silent laugh.


    What!? It''s my first solid food in a year. And it''s very delicious.


    She picked up a small piece of meat and popped it into her mouth. ¡°It does taste pretty good,¡± she remarked.


    I didn¡¯t know you could eat¡­ I looked at her in confusion.


    ¡°Yea though I don¡¯t need to normally. Same thing with sleeping. I get my energy in other ways but food can be one of them,¡± she said with a shrug. I was relieved, worried that I was making her skip food since she was always with me.


    Lunch was indeed light as everyone quickly finished eating and we went to the connecting room. Mommy passed me off to Auntie who took the seat of honor since I couldn¡¯t on my own. Tani told me that Mom went over to a small table that was stacked with presents. I knew hers was there when she smiled and her light positively beamed.


    ¡°Thank you all on behalf of my daughter for your presence. We will now begin the giving ceremony.¡±


    She began removing boxes from the pile and bringing them to me, she let me feel the box and directed me on opening the ones that needed to be opened. Then she would have me feel the presents. Many were clothes, some were toys, and others were books to be read to me. I''m sure the toys would find their way into my playpen. Finally, Mom got to the smallest box, which I was sure belonged to Tani.


    As she carried it over she spoke. ¡°And lastly we have a gift from the esteemed royal academy Headmaster and grand mage Acerious,¡± she opened the box and a small necklace lay inside. I didn¡¯t need Tani to tell me this was her present. The small necklace absolutely brimmed with energy. So much so that I was shocked something could contain so much power.


    ¡°Happy birthday my precious flower,¡± Tani said. ¡°I made this for you.¡±


    Was this during the week you were gone?


    ¡°Yes. I''m sorry that I worried you then but I didn¡¯t want to lose you and this had to be made in the most Ether-dense place. It is my finest work,¡± she said her light thrumming. ¡°It has many enchantments, which I will describe later. But the best one is the protective enchantment. It will defend you from even the strongest magic that could be used against you.¡±


    Thank you so much. I replied I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t really speak as my throat was tight with emotion. Directing my attention back to the room I spoke. ¡°Fan kuu.¡± Then I did my best impression of a child imitating what she saw before realizing my mistake. I slightly bowed as my brother and sister had.


    My Aunts light wavered slightly as everyone squealed in delight. I messed up, I really messed up. Thankfully only my Aunt noticed but now I could feel her eyes on me.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Lilli,¡± Tani said rubbing my cheek, my new necklace hanging from my neck.


    Mom began to hand out the small coins for me. And after each guest received one I began to nod off. Today had been a long one and I was already past my nap time. The cursed naptime that I always tried my hardest to escape but never could.


    ¡°Looks like the party girl needs her nap,¡± Auntie said. ¡°I¡¯ll put her down to bed,¡± she added as she stood up and took me out of the hall. Anna motioned to follow but Auntie raised her hand and shook her head and Anna stayed behind. Though I could tell she was displeased. Auntie strode confidently down the halls toward my room. As she opened the door she looked around and when she saw no one she slid inside and closed the door behind us before locking it.


    She set me down on my changing table and changed and cleaned me. Before picking me back up and placing me standing in my crib. Then she kneeled down to my eye level and began to examine me.


    ¡°Lilli? Do you understand what I''m saying? If you do, please nod your head,¡± she asked. Her light was calm and even but inquisitive. I gave Tani a questioning look and she shrugged.


    ¡°If you want to tell her I can assure you she''s safe and would be a great ally.¡±


    I looked at my Aunt and nodded my head.


    She smiled and said. ¡°Let''s talk then.¡±

 Ally

    I was wide awake now, thankfully Auntie hadn¡¯t done anything worrying. She just stood there looking at me. Her light was calm and measured, I don¡¯t know if it was intentional but it prodded me. Was it a spell? Or perhaps a talent of some kind. Tani didn¡¯t seem to notice it, however. Her continued silence made me uncomfortable and I found myself sucking on my thumb.


    ¡°It''s ok cutie,¡± Auntie said breaking the awkward, for me at least, silence. ¡°First. Are you really my niece?¡± She asked her tone becoming dark and suspicious. I felt a shiver run up my spine as I nodded. Her face broke into a smile again and she picked me up. Her earlier demeanor vanished almost as soon as it appeared.


    ¡°Ahti?¡± I had to think fast. I don¡¯t want to reveal too much accidentally. How would she react if she knew I was actually a forty-two-year-old woman from another world? Would I be taken away and studied? Exploited? KILLED!?!?


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Riri bad?¡±


    ¡°Are you bad?¡± she repeated. I nod my head and she resumed speaking. ¡°You aren''t bad, just special.¡±


    ¡°I say?¡± I asked her. My inability to say certain sounds was beginning to bother me.


    ¡°Of course, you can stay. Does anyone else know about you?¡± Tani stiffens slightly as I shake my head. I don¡¯t know how Auntie would react to her and I don''t want to put Tani at risk. She picks me up to her eye level and begins to speak in a firm and even tone. ¡°Now now Lili. Don¡¯t lie to me, who else knows about you?¡±


    How did she know? Tani? I glance over at her.


    ¡°You can tell her. She¡¯s a dangerous and terrifying enemy. But she will protect you better than even your parents will.¡±


    ¡°A pi-pit,¡± I say cursing my body''s inability to speak properly.


    ¡°A spirit?¡± she asks. I nod and she gets a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°Can I talk to her?¡±


    Tani didn¡¯t give me a chance to ask instead she began to cast a spell. A sigil appeared in front of her and vanished with a flash of blue light.


    ¡°Hello,¡± she said once the spell was completed. ¡°My name is Titania.¡±


    ¡°Hello, my name is Jean Forteau. I thank you for taking care of my niece,¡± she said with a small bow. ¡°How long have you two known each other?¡±


    ¡°About half her life at this point. You have a very special niece. She''s very gifted,¡± Tani said.


    Thank you Tani, I''m sorry.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok my sweet flower. Someone was bound to figure it out eventually,¡± she said hugging my cheek and nuzzling it. ¡°I¡¯ll preempt the question and tell you that she can talk to me without speaking.¡±


    ¡°How did you find my niece?¡± she asked. Her light became agitated.


    ¡°Can I tell her?¡± she asked looking at me.


    Go ahead, she won¡¯t stop till she gets the answers she wants.


    ¡°I met her roughly half a year ago when she broke the barrier around your house.¡±


    ¡°That was her?¡± Auntie asked. Her light looked ¡­ pleased? I think. ¡°So Lilli you can manipulate ether then?¡± she asked looking at me. I nodded and her light grew brighter.


    ¡°Auntie teep see-tet?¡±


    ¡°Of course baby Lilli.¡±


    ¡°Fwom Mommy too?¡± I asked her. I didn¡¯t even want her to know but I had to live with my mess up. I just want to be a normal baby Lilli for Mommy.


    Her light dimmed slightly before she nodded. ¡°For now I¡¯ll keep it a secret, but that''s just because I don¡¯t want to worry her. And we need to keep news of you from spreading. You¡¯d be taken in a heartbeat if people knew what you could do.¡±


    ¡°I swong?¡±


    ¡°Well if it was you who broke the barrier as the spirit claims then you are already stronger than ninety percent of the kingdom''s magicians.¡±


    ¡°Since I trust you, she¡¯s stronger than even the legendary heroes. I have been delaying her progress in magic as a result. She could easily bring ruin to a nation by herself. So I have been waiting to teach her until she was a little more mature.¡±


    Auntie''s light became dull and sluggish. ¡°Is that so? We must be very careful then.¡± She fell silent again. Clearly, she had been given a lot to think about. ¡°One last question. Can you actually see?¡±


    Tani tell her for me, please.


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    ¡°Technically she can¡¯t. But she can see the Ether in people''s bodies. It allows her to see people and their clothes. And she can see the ether in enchanted objects.¡±


    ¡°I see wight,¡± I said, ¡°Auntie wight bwight and happee.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you two communicate?¡±


    ¡°I wite wif wight,¡± I say hoping that she can understand me. Talking like a toddler is embarrassing. Apparently, this was her last straw and she squealed and hugged me tight.


    ¡°Oh my god, Lilli you¡¯re just too precious,¡± she cooed and nuzzled me. Her light bubbled and sparkled, filling the room. ¡°Titania, I thank you for taking care of my niece. I assume it was you who dealt with those intruders.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma''am, I¡¯ll make sure no one lays a hand on my precious Lilli. I was actually the one to give her that necklace..¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was from you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I made it for her. It has a number of enchantments on it. The strongest one is protection from spells. Even the heroes of the past couldn¡¯t break through it easily.¡±


    ¡°How long will it last?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the strength of the spells but once its Ethereum crystal runs out it will fuel itself off hers.¡±


    ¡°What happens if it drains it all?¡± her light dimmed slightly.


    ¡°I go sweep,¡± I chimed in. I was getting a bit upset they were talking about me but not to me. ¡°Ten my powa gwow.¡±


    ¡°It would take nearly all day to drain her Ether. And in any case, she has others to protect her. So long as she wears the necklace though she¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    Now that the excitement was over I began to grow tired again. I yawned and Auntie stood up carrying me back to my crib.


    ¡°Ok Lilli, it''s time to sleep now. I¡¯ve kept you from it long enough. I¡¯ll be here when you wake,¡± she said lying me down. I held up my arms and she retrieved my bear for me. Snuggling up to it Tani settled next to me.


    ¡°Nini Auntie, nini Tani. Wub ooo,¡± I said causing both of their lights to brighten.


    ¡°Love you too Lilli,¡± Auntie said.


    ¡°I love you my precious flower,¡± Tani said snuggling my cheek. I closed my eyes and heard Auntie sit down on the rocking chair. Exhausted as I was I quickly fell asleep.


    *****


    ¡°Hi there beautiful,¡± Tani said when she saw me awaken.


    Hi there, where¡¯s Auntie? She wasn¡¯t in the room anymore. In fact, no one was.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she said as if reading what I wrote. There was a flush from the bathroom and she emerged. ¡°Hey there sunshine.¡±


    ¡°How wong I sweep?¡± I ask her.


    ¡°About two hours,¡± she replied as she picked me up. ¡°Let''s get back to the party. It¡¯s still your birthday after all,¡± she said booping my nose which made me giggle. ¡°Just make sure to behave like a normal baby.¡±


    What was that? I asked as Tani flashed for a second.


    ¡°I dropped the spell, I don¡¯t want others to see me yet.¡±


    ¡°Alright Lilli, I will do everything I can to keep you safe. But you must make sure to act like a normal baby at all times. I won¡¯t tell any of the family about you for now. And I know you¡¯re still hiding something but I won¡¯t press you to reveal it,¡± she said. I just nodded and she carried me out of the room and walked back to the dining room.


    ¡°I''m glad that it was your aunt that figured you out. While you were sleeping I had a nice long conversation with her. She''s very intelligent and is already making moves to keep you safe.¡±


    What did you talk about? I asked, Auntie was walking pretty quickly her steps confident and powerful.


    ¡°That''s private,¡± she said in a sing-song tone. ¡°We did talk about your future though. She''s going to pressure your mom into converting a room into a playroom for you. It¡¯ll be wide open and silver-sight friendly. So you¡¯ll have more freedom and she won''t have to worry about you hurting yourself.¡±


    Playroom? I found myself getting genuinely excited about that. I wanna be able to play and move around more.


    ¡°You¡¯re adorable,¡± she said with a giggle. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have a lot of fun.¡±


    I felt myself blush and decided to change the subject. You said you were talking about my future?


    ¡°Yes about your education and magic. She wants you to begin learning about the wider world. Just in case¡­¡± She let the sentence hang. I don¡¯t have anything to worry about but I can''t help feeling a little trepidation.


    Auntie carried me back to the party. Some people left but most were still here. I know it was supposed to be my birthday but I kind of wanted it to just be over already. Maybe I would have more fun at my future birthdays.


    I was held by Auntie until dinner. Anna was jealous, but she was a proper servant and didn¡¯t let it show. While she held me Auntie was extremely possessive and looked at a few family members so aggressively they excused themselves and went to other parts of the room. She would whisper things to me occasionally. Telling me small things about our family members.


    At dinner, I was handed back to Mom. Her mood had soured a bit, her light was sluggish and disturbed. When she took me in her arms her light immediately brightened and she broke out in a big smile.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Auntie asked quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later,¡± she whispered. I was carried back to her seat. This time she held me in her lap as we sat to eat. She didn''t give a speech this time simply calling for the food to be delivered. The table was more casual this time. The food was picked at while people conversed.


    Dad apparently had something urgent come up and had to leave. An uncle of mine took his seat and was talking to Mom. Apparently, he was having some problems with a mine of his. He was asking her for advice on finding out who has been embezzling. They had been taking valuable materials and money from him. Small enough that it escaped notice for a while.


    Once dinner was finished the servants rolled out a lavish assortment of desserts and the whole family sang a song for me. After the song, I burbled happily and giggled. There were a lot of happy noises and elated emotions. I''m not exactly sure how long it was but eventually, people started filing away after giving their compliments and thanks. Many pinched cheeks and tickles later the room was mostly empty and the servants swarmed to clean up.


    ¡°Jean walk with me,¡± Mom said as she started to pass me off to Anna.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her,¡± she said holding out her hands, Mom gave her a look but she just continued. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine she''s just a baby. Besides, I want to spend time with my niece. I have a year to make up for.¡±


    With a sigh, Mom handed me over and motioned Anna to fall in line behind us. Mommy and Auntie walked next to each other making small talk. Anna followed behind us keeping a few steps behind. After a short walk, we came to Mom¡¯s study. Auntie opened the door and I was assaulted by light. There were magical devices everywhere, so many that I could get a general feel for the layout of the room.


    As the three of us walked, or in my case were carried, into the room Anna bowed to Mom and closed the door. I heard the floor creak then the sound of her leaning against the wall.


    ¡°So Miri, tell me what happened?¡± Auntie asked her light became sharp and aggressive.

 Titania and Jean

    Aunty was pissed. Mom had told her about one of the heads of the branch families. They apparently walked about how I must be a useless burden. And that the best thing would be to ship me off to the countryside and marry one of their sons. That they would make a proper woman out of me since no one else would. The kicker was the son was twelve years older than I was.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make them pay for this,¡± Aunty said her light became blinding and stabbed out aggressively.


    ¡°I agree, they need to have some consequences for this,¡± I expected that from Aunty but not Tani.


    Its ok Tani. I tried to calm her down.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. They insulted you, your honor, and your mother''s honor. It was a thinly veiled insult against you and her.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already been blacklisted from any future gatherings I hold. And I''ll be restricting their access to our Ethereum crystals.¡±


    ¡°Still this insult can''t be allowed to pass. I¡¯ll think about the matter. But I wanted to talk about Lilli.¡±


    ¡°She seems to have taken a like to you Jean.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve taken a like to her Miri.¡± Aunty squeezed me gently and both of their lights brightened. I giggled happily which made all three girls fawn over me.


    ¡°So what did you want to talk to her about?¡±


    ¡°I want Lilli to have a playroom. That bedroom of hers is far too small. And she¡¯ll need to have some form of movement.¡±


    ¡°It''s too dangerous,¡± Mom said in her motherly voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about that. I know her playpen has a softening spell on it but I''ve recently come across a natural way to make things softer. I call it Elastom, it is something I discovered by accident. When I was exploring the jungles of central IoriaI I found this tree it contained a tyar that was very sticky, when I tried to remove it from my hands it pulled away in targe strings.¡±


    ¡°How could something sticky help?¡±


    ¡°See that''s what''s interesting, the locals say this tree is a pain to cut down because the tyar sticks to everything and causes their axes to not cut as deep. They have to use alcohol to clean them because if you set the tyar on fire it solidifies into a dark firm material. It apparently also cushions impacts. I''ve purchased a large amount of land there and am currently transplanting trees.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see how this can help.¡±


    ¡°I''m getting to that Miri. I¡¯ve already had a few ideas and my alchemists have refined the process. So far I''ve been able to make sheets of the stuff. But I believe that it could be used in other applications so I¡¯ve commissioned a few blacksmiths to make me some specialized molds. I¡¯ve been having my alchemists experiment with the auto-carriage idea and I think this may be an answer to the rough riding problem. If you let me build the playroom I can use that to soften the room so even if she runs into something she won''t hurt herself.¡±


    ¡°Let me see some of that Elastom and if it''s as you say I¡¯ll give you permission to make the room.¡±


    So Auntie discovered rubber huh? I¡¯ll give her some ideas later.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± Auntie began, ¡°I would like Lilli to stay in my room with me. I''ve already applied barriers and protections, I believe it will be for the best as I¡¯ll be there to protect her at all times.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Jean I trust you. I¡¯ll post Anna to you then while you stay here.¡± Mommy said then rang a bell. A half second later Anna entered.


    ¡°Yes, mistress?¡±


    ¡°Anna you will be posted with Jean and will be attending to her and Lilli. You are to move your things to her servant''s quarters. Additionally, Lilli¡¯s crib is to be moved into Jean''s quarters. As well as her effects and toiletries.¡±


    ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am,¡± she said bowing. I could tell she did not like these orders though. She departed and I could hear her walking down the hall.


    ¡°Now on to further business,¡± Mom began.


    *****


    I woke up on the changing table, Jean was staring down at me.


    ¡°So those eyes do open,¡± she said with a giggle. I looked around and she said, ¡°We¡¯re alone, well save for Tani.¡±


    ¡°Ahti, fank ooo,¡± I say.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, sweetie.¡±


    Tani, can you help me? I ask her.


    ¡°Sure what''s wrong?¡±


    Nothing¡¯s wrong I just want to give my auntie some advice about her Elastomer.


    After Tani cast the spell to make herself visible I explained how she could possibly work the rubber more. Including a way to make the tires more cushioning. She gave me a suspicious look then thanked me and set me down on her bed while she sat in a chair.


    ¡°About the playroom, is there anything you want or need?¡±


    ¡°If Ahti can make a small part of the woom have a spell that will wet me talk to Tani without being heard,¡± I want to practice my speaking and this will definitely help. It took me so much effort to not mess up more sounds.


    ¡°Of course Lilli. Now where did you get the idea for the Elastom?¡±


    ¡°I wemember things, fwom my past wife,¡± I didn¡¯t mention I remember basically everything but that¡¯s fine.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Hmmm it''s not the first time rebirth has been suggested but if what you say is true then that was correct. Still, I do feel like you are still hiding something.¡±


    We then spent the next hour while Auntie started telling me about the world at large. She started with Ioria. Apparently, the country operated like a republic. They had one major city and relied on exports mostly to survive. They were largely neutral and operated much like the Caribbean countries from Earth. Exporting things they produced that only grew there and importing things they couldn¡¯t get.


    The country was an island, it''s hard to estimate exactly how large but I¡¯d say larger than Hawaii but smaller than New Zealand. It used to be a pirate nation but after one of the council captains attempted to overthrow the others there was a bloody purge. Pirate ships from then on were treated harshly and the city elected a council. Now the whole country was fitted with magical defenses. Not even a bird can enter unnoticed. With the revolution they invested heavily in logistics magic, creating a state-of-the-art fleet that can preserve food for the long journey across the oceans.


    Auntie had to pull a lot of strings to get permission to purchase land there, and she still has to justify her existence there. I asked her about the ships they use and apparently, it''s still mostly wooden sailing ships. I gave her some ideas to create an engine. Still mostly wind-powered but it can at least work no matter which direction the wind blows.


    As I began to nod off she picked me up and put me in my crib. Handing me a glass bottle fitted with a rubber tip, an experiment of hers apparently. I gave her some tips on this too, mostly to improve the shape and texture. She made notes of what I said and thanked me. I nursed the bottle and quickly fell asleep.


    *****


    Auntie is a ruthless teacher. But I have been learning a lot. It helps that I seem to have Eidetic memory now. I still can''t make certain sounds but I am getting better. It''s been two weeks since my birthday. Auntie got Mom to okay the playroom and I have been spending basically every day in there. Anna and Auntie are a constant presence here. There''s one corner, where most of my toys are that is fitted with a magic circle, well square. While I¡¯m inside of it anyone who looks at me will not be able to see me talking.


    To them, it¡¯ll look like I happen to be playing. I found the sigils that power the item and made a note of them. Tani has also started to teach me how to use magic. At her insistence, the magical item will also hide my use of magic. I¡¯m honestly surprised Auntie made it so quickly.


    ¡°Ok Lilli now I¡¯ve told and shown you how to do this so cast Fairylight for me.¡±


    ¡°Otay, fotus my powa. Twansform it to wight.¡± I could manipulate my Ether effectively, draining it every day for over a year led to some good control. But changing its nature was proving to be a bit of a challenge.


    ¡°You¡¯re almost there,¡± she said encouragingly.


    ¡°Fawiwight.¡± I called out hoping the words don¡¯t need to be said perfectly. To my surprise, the sigil appeared before my eyes and a glowing ball appeared. ¡°Tani I did it,¡± I squealed excitedly.


    ¡°Very good,¡± she said and hugged my face.


    ¡°Fankiee, I use magic,¡± I couldn¡¯t help but giggle in delight. ¡°How wong wiw it wast?¡±


    ¡°Depends on how much Ether you used to cast it. And its purity.¡±


    ¡°Piwity?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''m sure you noticed the difference between your mom and aunt.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, Mommy wight duh-wer dan Auntie¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and yours is purer than any other human, in fact, it''s almost as pure as a spirits.¡±


    ¡°Wats dat mean?¡±


    ¡°You might have a bit of a problem at first converting your Ether. But as you practice you¡¯ll get better at it. Fairy light is a spirit spell and the fact you can so easily cast it shows how pure your Ether actually is.¡±


    ¡°Pwactice den?¡±


    ¡°Yes, practice is key,¡± Tani said giggling when I groaned.


    I spent the next hour trying to cast a warm air spell. It was the same one in the blow dryer Anna used after my baths. I managed to succeed just as Anna and Auntie began to walk over. I quickly dispelled it and stood up, toddling my way over to them.


    ¡°Hi Lilli it''s lunchtime,¡± Anna said looking down at me. I looked in her direction then held up my arms. She picked me up and carried me over to the chair she was sitting in. She gave me some fruit and vegetables, soft of course. As well as a couple of small pieces of thin meat and a bottle of milk. After feeding me Anna passed me off to Auntie who carried me to her room.


    I could tell Anna didn¡¯t want to let me go but she had her orders. As Auntie carried me she baby-talked me. The fact it was just for show didn''t lessen the embarrassment. Once we got back to her room Tani cast her spell and became visible.


    Hey Tani I meant to ask, why didn¡¯t you use that spell before?


    ¡°Oh because I didn¡¯t know it until I left for that week,¡± she said while snuggling me.


    ¡°I sill mad about dat,¡± I said reflexively.


    ¡°Mad about what sweetie?¡± Auntie asked.


    ¡°Tani weft for a week, it made me reawwy sad,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Oh, Miri mentioned that. She was starting to get worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Sowwy¡­¡± I apologized.


    ¡°It''s ok, you¡¯re just a baby,¡± she said poking my belly and making me giggle. She then proceeded to tickle me and tease me when she had to change me.


    ¡°Ahti¡­¡± I said with a pout that just made her giggle.


    ¡°Whos a cute baby girl?¡± she said in response before looking at Tani, her tone becoming businesslike. ¡°How was her lesson?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s amazing, her brain is like a sponge that absorbs everything I throw at her.¡±


    Auntie has been teaching me about the world and various countries, animals, races, and even down to what families produce what. While Tani has been teaching me magic. Auntie is brutally efficient and quizzes me at random times. While Tani is patient and gentle.


    ¡°What is the chief export of the Zant kingdom?¡± I mentally accessed the information. My mind palace leveled up or something cause now I can easily pull information from it.


    ¡°Dey expot mostwy food, gwain is the most, but dey awso have wice.¡±


    ¡°Correct, they import precious materials and export jewelry as well. Its lower volume than their food but it''s higher value. Where do Fendri live at?¡±


    ¡°Dey pwimawawy wive in de fwozen countwy of Glakais. Dey are hunted for deir pelt.¡±


    ¡°Correct, though they also sometimes have ice-aligned Ether crystals,¡± she said proudly.


    Auntie loved to teach me at any opportunity. I probably know as much now as kids eight years older than myself. Well technically I know more than anyone in this world, I assume. My doctorate may be in material sciences but I do have other degrees in other fields of study.


    ¡°Lilli would you like to bathe with Auntie?¡±


    ¡°Yus,¡± I say excitedly before catching myself. It seems like being able to actually hold a conversation with an adult is making me regress somewhat.


    ¡°Flower you are so precious,¡± Tani said from my shoulder, making me blush.


    ¡°You both are adorable. I expect you two to keep things appropriate you hear?¡±


    ¡°Ahti I baby¡­¡± I said, my face warm. Besides I am asexual, and I''m pretty sure that hasn''t changed.


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for my precious niece,¡± she said picking me up and carrying me to the tub. She disrobed and then set me in the tub before slipping in herself. I splashed a bit, maybe I was excited for my first real bath since I was reborn but I was having fun. I played for a bit while Auntie relaxed. She scooped me up at some point and washed my hair with a nice-smelling shampoo. But there was no conditioner, I didn''t think there would be but I kind of hoped. Guess that''s another thing I¡¯d need to invent. So many things so little time.


    After my bath was finished she dried me off and drained the tub. After getting me out of the tub she put on a clean diaper. I never really considered what they do with these. Given they are cloth probably clean and reuse them. Sorry for whoever has to clean up after me. I was dressed up in my favorite nightgown and then carried by Auntie to my crib.


    ¡°Ahti?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Wuv ooo.¡±


    ¡°Love you too sweetie,¡± she said giving me a kiss on my forehead.


    ¡°Wuv ooo Tani,¡± I say to her as she floats down to snuggle next to me.


    ¡°I love you too my flower,¡± she replied and kissed my cheek. I panicked for a moment before I saw Auntie with my bear. I took her in my arms and snuggled her quickly falling asleep. Well actually going to my mind palace, but same difference really. I started to sort. I was getting to the painful memories now.


    With a mental sigh, I set to my task.

 Spirit Talk

    I picked myself up before Anna could rush over. I giggled to reassure her that I wasn''t hurt. I needed the exercise, but my family''s constant worry about me was hampering my development. I held my arms to Anna in the universal ¡®pick me up¡¯ gesture.


    ¡°Anna pway?¡± I said when she picked me up. In my excitement, I almost pointed to where my toys were.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten so much more talkative,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°I was against this room, but it seems to be helping. Yes, it is,¡± she added in her ¡®mommy¡¯ voice.


    She carried me over to my corner playpen. After setting me down, she gathered some scattered toys around me. I glanced at Auntie and noticed her smiling. I waved to her, and she waved back once she wasn¡¯t looking at her. Auntie told me that no one should be able to notice the magic, but I waited until Anna returned to her seat before activating it.


    ¡°Tani ooo are a genus,¡± I told her once the spell took effect. It was like a curtain made of ether.


    ¡°I know,¡± she replied with a smug smile. ¡°But please praise me more.¡±


    Tani told me her spell array was designed to make anyone outside see me playing with my toys. I didn''t tell her this spell would only work for me since I doubted anyone else had enough ether to cast such a complex array. Even Auntie, one of the greatest mages of the time, had trouble understanding it.


    ¡°Flower,¡± Tani said, using her pet name for me, ¡°tell me the advantages and disadvantages of an overlapping array.¡±


    I wrote it to avoid tripling up on such a long, complicated sentence. An overlapping array can create more complex spells and efficiently use its ether. The disadvantage is the increased precision required to ensure the spells properly layer and doesn''t cause a dud or worse.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± she smiled. ¡°You are such a quick learner. I wish my sister were as bright as you.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, have a sista?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she isn''t as magically gifted as I am.¡±


    ¡°Wen I meet hur?¡±


    ¡°My, aren¡¯t we forward?¡± she winked. ¡°Truthfully, I wanted to bring her here, but she''s afraid to leave the forest.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Long ago, there were people who possessed magic eyes. And with those eyes, they could see what was usually unseen.¡±


    ¡°Wike si-pits?¡±


    ¡°Yes, among other things,¡± she said, booping my nose. ¡°Some people in history thought catching a spirit would make them stronger. So they would seek us out and capture us. The king at the time made it a severe crime to capture spirits.¡¯


    ¡°Is dat why Auntie was worried?¡±


    ¡°Yes, when we talked, she ensured I was here of my own will.¡±


    ¡°Nebbar, I wuv Tani,¡± I blurted out like the toddler I am.


    ¡°Awww, I love you too,¡± she smiled and hugged me. I felt my face grow warm, and I knew Tani was blushing, too, even though I couldn''t see it.


    We snuggled for a while, and I napped. When I woke up, Anna was still sitting with Auntie. Tani was resting on my chest. I stroked her hair. Without realizing it, I began to fall for her at some point. It wasn¡¯t quite a feeling of lovers but more than familial. I was still asexual. I did know that for sure. And from the sounds of it, so was she.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± she stirred.


    ¡°Nothin, just enjoyin this,¡± I smiled at her.


    She fidgeted slightly before asking, ¡°Do you want to learn more Sigils.¡±


    ¡°Yus,¡± I said excitedly.


    Tani had taught me the sigils for the base elements. Today she was teaching me the sigils for the other energies. They are plant, nature, spirit, and divine. It wasn''t too hard, and I memorized the sigils instantly. I would like to know where my newfound eidetic memory came from.


    ¡°Ok, how do you think your hair dryer works?¡±


    ¡°Fire and wind sigil?¡±


    ¡°Usually, yes. However, some makers will also add a water sigil to make the air less harsh.¡±


    She spent a few hours teaching me. I noticed she only taught me sigils used in household-type spells. And when I commented on it, she said that most magic is just that household.


    ¡°Very few people need to use magic for attacking or defending. And for those people, they prefer magic items or raw casting.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s raw casting?¡±


    ¡°It fell out of fashion because of its difficulty. It¡¯s quicker and more versatile but its also dangerous. Essentially you feel the flow of your Ether within your body and convert that into the energy needed to cast magic.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s it dangerous?¡±


    ¡°If your focus slips or your intent isn''t clear, then you may do something terrible. Say, for instance, you want to burn down a door. You focus your Ether and convert it to fire to cast the spell, but then you see me, and your focus switches to me. You may end up setting me on fire.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    My body went cold as I imagined that. ¡°I don¡¯t want that¡­¡± I must have paled or something because Tani hugged me.


    ¡°That''s why I''m teaching you how to use magic correctly. Sigils take more time and require memorization, but they are safer.¡±


    We spent the rest of the day snuggling as Tani told me more about the world. I learned more about my family as well as our kingdom at large. Just as I started to get hungry, Anna came over and collected me.


    ¡°Lilli, did you have fun?¡±


    ¡°Yus!¡± I said excitedly and giggled.


    I knew my ¡°growing maturity¡± in their eyes would make them less likely to talk about things in front of me. But if I need to, I can ask Auntie or Tani.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Auntie asked.


    ¡°Much happier. This was the right call,¡± Anna replied begrudgingly. ¡°I was afraid she¡¯d hurt herself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she''s stronger than we think she is,¡± she said knowingly.


    ¡°Hopefully¡­ she¡¯ll need to be to survive with the silver eyes,¡± she mused quietly.


    Anna picked up a plate of food and began to feed me. I haven''t had to deal with teething pains. It could be magic. Or my Ether? Either way, I was starting to eat solid foods, one checkmark down on the list of growing up.


    ¡°You look pretty content,¡± Tani said as she nibbled on my food.


    I was just thinking about how growing up is weird. Like, I''m excited to grow up again, but also sad.


    ¡°We aren''t babies like humans. When a spirit is born, we are already fully formed. Though we do ¡®grow up.¡¯¡±


    What''s that like? I ask as Anna continues to feed me. She''s talking to Auntie about some school or something. I¡¯m not paying attention.


    ¡°Well, we are born our full size, but our personalities are simple. Like children, we are taken in by whoever feels most connected to us. And act as a family.¡±


    How are spirits born? I asked harmlessly, but the look on her face was anything but.


    ¡°There used to be a spirit queen, but she disappeared and hasn''t been reborn.¡±


    How long?


    ¡°About a thousand years. We are running out of the divine energy needed to make new spirits,¡± she said quietly.


    How long?


    ¡°I don''t know, but maybe a few hundred more years. Then there will be no new spirits. Without a spirit queen, we won''t survive, and eventually, we¡¯ll die.¡±


    What can we do?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was hoping the answer would be in the repository.¡±


    Tani, I believe I could get in there.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Falzigh,¡± I whisper so Anna can¡¯t hear me. The spell flashes into being, the light appearing over my palm. No sigil appeared as I cast it.


    ¡°That''s fairy light¡­ but I''ve never heard it called that. What did you do?¡±


    I figured out its name in the language of magic. It¡¯s not perfect, but I''m close to deciphering the language.


    ¡°The language of magic?¡±


    I¡¯ve been going into my memory palace every night and working on deciphering it. Fairy Light was easy, and once I learned it, I began to work on a cipher.


    ¡°What exactly did you do?¡±


    I compressed my ether and moved it to my palm. Then I converted it to spirit energy. After that, I called the name of the magic, and it appeared.


    Tani¡¯s face twisted into intense concentration before she said, ¡°Falzight,¡± a tiny spark of light appeared but quickly vanished. ¡°That took so much energy¡­¡± she huffed.


    It''s not very efficient. I''m still missing something.


    ¡°Lilli¡­¡± she looked at me intently, ¡°You mustn''t tell anyone you are doing this.¡±


    Is it not allowed?


    ¡°It¡¯s not that it isn''t allowed, but more like no one has been able to figure it out.¡±


    How come? It shouldn¡¯t be too hard to figure out. The sigils can be written down and compared.


    ¡°You started with Fairy Light?¡±


    Yes, from there, I was able to start piecing together letters.


    ¡°That spell that doesn''t exist to humans. They don¡¯t remember the original spell names. Sigils don¡¯t need them. So long as it¡¯s correctly created, you can say anything related. Fairy Light was given to us by the spirit queen. It is the original name of that spell.¡±


    So if I can figure out the original spell names, I can decipher more of the language?


    ¡°I believe so,¡± she said, growing more excited, ¡°then we could find a way into the repository.¡±


    I hope we find the answers there. But how will I go? Mommy won''t let me leave like this. I need to be able to see.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I''m sure if you can decipher the Language, you can create a spell to give you sight.¡±I hadn¡¯t considered that. It filled me with a renewed sense of determination.


    I had finished my food without even realizing it, and now Auntie was carrying me back to her room for a bath. As we crossed the threshold of her room, Tani cast the spell to make her visible.


    ¡°So, what were you two talking about during dinner?¡±


    ¡°How Auntie know?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You were so preoccupied you didn''t notice Anna talking to you,¡± she replied with a giggle and tickled my sides.


    ¡°We were talking about spirits and the declining divine energy,¡± Tani replied for us as Auntie sent me into a giggle fit.


    ¡°Declining?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as the energy runs out, our power dwindles, and we begin to die.¡±


    ¡°Humans have been experiencing a decline in spellcasters and Mana in dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Maybe dey are rewated?¡± I said once I stopped giggling.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Auntie asked.


    Tani tell her this for me. Spirits make spirit energy but require divine, and dungeons gather Mana. What if ether is just Mana? Or, more specifically, what if ether is spirit energy that''s taken in and converted to mana.


    ¡°But that would mean that what we understand of magic is wrong,¡± Auntie said when Tani relayed my words.


    It makes sense, though. Spirits have to take divine energy from something, maybe the queen? Without her, the energy is in decline. As spirits decline, so do spell casters. And with spellcasters decreasing, so too does the mana in dungeons. It''s a cycle. Nature always operates in cycles.


    ¡°That would mean that something caused an imbalance¡­.¡± Tani began.


    ¡°And if we can fix that, then the problem will be fixed,¡± Auntie finished excitedly.


    ¡°But the question is how?¡±


    ¡°We need da qween,¡± I answered.


    ¡°She¡¯s never disappeared before. I didn¡¯t know it was possible,¡± Tani said.


    ¡°Is there anyone who may know?¡±


    ¡°Da repositowy,¡± I blurt out, causing Tani to look at me.


    ¡°What''s that?¡±


    ¡°It''s a place in the Fae woods. It is supposed to house knowledge lost to the world. But getting in requires someone who can see magic and create spells.¡±


    ¡°Who can do that.¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± I say.


    ¡°How,¡± she asked softly.


    ¡°She is deciphering the language of magic.¡±


    Auntie was quiet before saying, ¡°That''s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Not for my flower, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ok, that is something beyond even a gifted child. Who are you really?¡± Auntie said.


    ¡°I am Riri,¡± I replied automatically. She gave me a look that made me shiver. ¡°But I awso Adrianna, I died and was reborn here.¡±


    ¡°Reborn?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I wived in a diffwent world. It had no magic or monsters.¡± She put her hand to her chin, looking thoughtful for a few minutes. ¡°Auntie hates me?¡± I asked quietly.


    She scooped me up and hugged me tight. I don¡¯t hate you. I''m glad you are my niece, even if you still have your old memories. That explains where your ideas came from.


    ¡°Mhmm dey were things from my old world.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to tell me more things. They are excellent ideas. Now let''s get you in a bath.¡±


    ¡°Tani, do you have to eat?¡±


    ¡°When the Queen was around, we didn¡¯t. But ever since she left, we¡¯ve had to a little.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you eat before.¡±


    ¡°I don''t feel as hungry when I''m around you. I think it''s your abundant ether.¡±


    ¡°Auntie? When I¡¯m weady, can you help me get to the repositowy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best Lilli,¡± she said as she slipped me into the bath.