《Fort Geranium》


 Chapter 1: Meeting Him

    Fort Geranium


    First Chapter: Meeting ¡®him¡¯


    [Mariana von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    It was as though a dam had been burst wide open. By the time I had realized what had gone on the situation was already beyond salvation. A heavy and metallic sensation ran along the palm of my right hand. As I grasped tightly onto this quaint weapon the walls around me trembled. ¡®What the¡­?¡¯ was everything my mind mustered up before a large seismic activity interrupted me.


    Dust and rubble scathe from the ceilings and fell. Armored knights, archers, swordsmen¡­ and wizards? ¡®Quaint¡¯ was the word of the day here as a medieval-esque sequence played before me. I was surrounded by people who were dressed appropriately for the next comic convention but that only confused me even more. ¡®What kind of low budget fantasy did I stumble into?¡¯ I asked myself, scratching the top of my head.


    ¡°Lieutenant Ulysses! The enemy soldiers have broken through the third sector! We¡¯re being closed in! What are our orders?!¡± A man decked out head to toe in a tin can ran up and reported. There was a clear sense of fear and desperation in his voice. His oceanic blue eyes pleaded, hoping my next words would spew miracles to somehow turn whatever desperate circumstances we were trapped in. As I stared back at him it was obvious that he thought something was wrong.


    Indeed, something was wrong- everything! First of all, my name wasn¡¯t something as cool as ¡®Ulysses¡¯, and secondly where the hell was I even? I understood from the disturbing amount of quakes and distant sounds of explosions that this was an ¡®emergency¡¯ of some sort but I needed time to recollect my thoughts. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, perhaps the excess oxygen to my brain was what I required to stimulate my memories¡­ or, more likely, it would be a huge waste of precious time.


    Let¡¯s see¡­ where was I?


    It was my day off, and I was supposed to have been on a date with my boyfriend. Shifting through our busy schedules, we had planned for weeks to get some time to watch a movie and hang out. I remember getting myself ready for the date¡­ eh, I think I got dressed, and we probably watched the movie¡­ but it¡¯s like my memory cuts off after that. I couldn¡¯t recall anything else, almost as if half way through the movie I was transported from the theatre to this esoteric predicament.


    The all-important questions could not be answered. ¡®How did I get here?¡¯ ¡®Why was I in the midst of a fortress siege?¡¯ ¡®Who were these people that looked up for salvation?¡¯ Yet my thoughts were once again cut off by a violent tremor. With a few blinks my focus was refreshed back to this smoke and blood scented reality. I had noticed even more people dressed in medieval fashion gathered around me with equally desperate expressions on their faces. They looked like medieval foot soldiers, clad in ragged leather armor and dull swords. Perhaps they came here for the same reason the first soldier did; for my guidance?


    Was this actually happening right now? I wasn¡¯t stuck in some medieval reenactment fair, right? These sets were real and not just extremely well made set pieces, right? I shook my head and pinched myself on the cheek, ¡®of course, this is as real as it gets¡¯.


    I turned back to meet the expecting gaze of these gathered warriors. As much as I wanted to give hope and orders to this group I couldn¡¯t do that. What kind of military advice would I, a na?ve twenty-something florist, give to these veteran soldiers? These men and women, whose muscles illustrated the grueling history of their strict training regiment, were cowering in fear and on verge of tears. I wanted to cry! They probably had more life or death situations than I have ever had paper cuts, so how could they expect me not to break down right before them?


    ¡°Um¡­¡± I tried to speak out, perhaps even make up a bunch of bullshit to raise their morale, but nothing escaped my throat. The words clung to the back of my tongue, just as scared as I was. Though all I wanted to do was calm these soldiers enough so they were able to make their own decisions- even that were far beyond my capabilities now.


    I was scared¡­


    I wanted to cry¡­


    What was I supposed to do here?


    I wanted to go back home¡­


    I felt it with every inch of my body as the tremors beneath my feet became even fiercer. It was as though my own mortality was closing in on me like a certain ¡®alien¡¯ from that one movie. The large, soulless walls of concrete behind me burst open as a platoon of enemy soldiers rushed in waving foreign flags.


    It was instant. Some of the debris from the explosion blasted past me with high velocity, splattering half of ¡®my¡¯ subordinate soldiers across the floor like some kind of violent, grotesque hand painting exercise. My mind froze; staring at the large boulder with viscous red skid marks across the floor leading from it, the stretched flesh, broken bones, and the organs¡­ the organs¡­


    I couldn¡¯t.


    I thought I would throw, but I somehow kept it in. ¡®It¡¯s all over!¡¯ I shouted internally. I thought it was real before this shit got ¡®REAL¡¯ fast. It was hard to distinguish if this crawling sensation under my skin was due to the coldness of the winter air that breezed in from the large hole behind me or if it was from my fear. All I that came to mind was of how I would die here without knowing ¡®how¡¯ or ¡®why¡¯ I was brought to this place.


    I summed up the remainder of my measly courage and turned to face the invading army. A blinding light shun from behind them as though they were some sort of heaven-sent angels. However on closer inspect it was just the daunting brightness of the white snow and blizzard raging outside. As my adjusted I noticed some of their features. They were better equipped than any of us; their weapons were so shiny it reflected light, their armor was an exquisite set of full-plate heavy armor compared to our shoddy and ragged leather/cloth armor- they were a fortress in their own right.


    Through such blinding light I saw a very vivid emblem of the bloodied flag that they amassed under. A ghastly red background, a black circle with a distinct and simplistic ¡®X¡¯ marked through it. I don¡¯t know why this word came to my mind as I bore witness to their flag but all I could think of was¡­


    ¡®The Scarletheim Empire¡¯.


    It was impossible to make out what kind of expressions they had under their helmets but it was evident that they exuded a cruel level of confidence. Unmistakable, but some of the silvery armor of the enemy were painted with what I could only assume was the blood of my allied soldiers.


    A great roaring and series of explosions were heard from outside. ¡®I want to go home!¡¯ I wanted to shout but even those words driven by my very fear couldn¡¯t escape me. I dropped the iron sword that I held onto for so long. I raised my arms- the international act of submission and surrender. I only hoped that these people understood what this gesture meant, ¡®hey, I want to surrender so let¡¯s all get along now,¡¯ was what I wanted to convey to them.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I stayed silent and eased my tension a little.


    Biggest mistake of my life. Apparently raising your arms in this place meant that you were preparing some kind of attack or magic spell since the enemy soldiers immediately retaliated. ¡®Chaos,¡¯ that word was not enough to contain the amount of anarchy that ensued my innocent actions. This medieval reenactment suddenly shifted into a full on underground rave as all I saw was an intense light show. Fire, ice and lightning jumped across my eyes but I couldn¡¯t follow anything that was going on.


    Hey, wasn¡¯t time supposed to slow down when you were about to die? Who was the idiot that came up with that trope? My life wasn¡¯t even flashing before me, liars!


    After that¡­ well, I can¡¯t realy say as I don¡¯t know what happened afterwards. Though if I had to hazard I guess, in all likelihood, I died. Along with all the rest of my subordinates, but the most important thing was that I was probably not alive.


    ***


    It was as though a dam had been burst¡­ oh wait, I¡¯ve already done this, haven¡¯t I? Anyhow, I¡¯m not entirely sure on what happened but I think I died? Taking a quick glance around my surroundings I noticed that I wasn¡¯t amidst an enemy siege anymore- yay? Instead, I was now in the middle of a cemetery, ¡®that¡¯s not creepy at all,¡¯ I sarcastically thought to myself. The scent of stagnant and murky soil solidified this new reality in my mind.


    Some serious questions started to haunt me. It would¡¯ve been scary enough to just walk through this place but combined with the implication that I died, this entire situation was getting under my skin. The only up side to all of this was that I wasn¡¯t actually in a coffin and buried underground.


    It was more than likely that this situation was a ¡®life-after-death¡¯ scenario so I¡¯m going to go ahead and also assume that this was some kind of purgatory. If that¡¯s the case then which lucky religion got it correct?


    ¡°Heh~ you¡¯re making a ¡®which religion got it correct?¡¯ face, rather than the standard ¡®what the hell is going on?!¡¯ face. You¡¯re quite the strange one aren¡¯t you?¡± a hushed, slithering voice hissed from beyond the veil of fog surrounding this place. I stood up in surprise, my spine tingled as cold sweat dripped past my forehead. Visibility was so poor that seeing past a few meters was exceedingly difficult but on top of that there was now a mysterious voice that called out to me. The ambiance of this place alone was enough but my mind intensified that by conjuring up horrible images to accompany that voice.


    I shifted around searching for the voice but I couldn¡¯t locate it. Perhaps it took pity on me as it appeared before me of its own volition. I wasn¡¯t able to get a full view, just a shadow silhouette. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± a snake-like voice hissed. Mind you that was the sensation which was invoked by the tone of voice and not the actual voice of a snake.


    I¡¯m not sure which it was but either my vision was rapidly improving or the thick fog was dissipating. Behind me, seated atop of a comically large tomb stone as if it were a morbid throne, was a translucent figure smiling down on me. Maliciously; did I look like a piece of meat to him?


    He glowed with a deep, hypnotizing blue aura that blended extremely well against the darkened backdrop of this environment. I couldn¡¯t make out any other characteristics other than his evil grin. Actually it almost made it seem as if he was a¡­


    ¡°Y- you¡¯re not a ghost¡­ right?¡± Curiosity getting the better of me, I asked. My voice was hesitant and filled with stutter but he only bemusedly chuckled at me. He shook his head to deny that accusation, a fact that somewhat eased my tension. ¡°Then mind if I ask you to explain the situation a little? I mean you¡¯re probably a lot more knowledgeable about this situation than I am, so¡­¡±


    I trailed off, but he complied relatively easily. I was worried there for a second that he might send me off to do some tedious fetch quest in exchange for getting exposition. He gave me a nod as he started to explain, still with that malicious grin. ¡°I¡¯m known as ¡®Aegis¡¯, the protector of souls. Well, that¡¯s what I¡¯m supposed to be but no one around here actually does their jobs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not your online handle right?¡± Considering what I had just been through it may have been better to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I had to make sure. I needed to ask these questions, even sarcastically, if I wanted to maintain what little illusion of control I had over this nonsensical situation.


    ¡°Pfft, hahaha~ you¡¯re a funny one; I like you!¡± ¡®Aegis¡¯ replied with a laugh, genuine enough that I found some semblance of trust in this incomprehensible entity. It wasn¡¯t like I was a psychiatrist or anything but to me that laugh and confession seemed honest. I sighed, finally being able to calm the rapid pace of my heartbeat.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I already have a boyfriend, but perhaps we can start off as friends?¡± I wanted to shift the tone of this conversation to a much lighter one. Mostly it was for my own mental wellbeing. For god¡¯s sake I was talking to a translucent, ghost figure; if I didn¡¯t do this I¡¯d go insane. He continued to chuckle at me before whispering to himself ¡®ouch¡¯.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ well, you¡¯re kind of dead now so that¡¯s a moot point,¡± he stated blatantly and without concern. He shrugged at me with that same arrogant smirk, as if to say that I should ¡®move on¡¯, both mentally and literally. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d want to stay with that guy when you find out how you died.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± It almost sounded like he was suggesting that the reason for my death was due to my boyfriend.


    ¡°Well¡­ you know~¡± he replied in a dodgy manner.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. This is why I¡¯m asking you to explain yourself.¡±


    ¡°Honey, I don¡¯t know how to put this in more¡­ ¡®delicate¡¯ terms so I¡¯ll just say it straight. Your ¡®boyfriend¡¯,¡± he started by putting the word ¡®boyfriend¡¯ in air quotes, ¡°is a serial killer. You were just his latest in a long line of victims.¡±


    Cognitive dissonance is a bitch. I wanted to shout, ¡®incomprehensible!¡¯ like a Saturday morning cartoon villain, but I didn¡¯t. There was no way I was just going to take what this mysterious entity told me at face value- I couldn¡¯t! However, at the same time there was also no way to deny my own physical surroundings and experiences. Little angels and devils fought tirelessly on my shoulders trying to reason out the most logical explanation for all of this.


    ¡°No, no that¡¯s not¡­¡± the words refused to leave my throat, ¡®that¡¯s not true¡¯, I merely had to speak out those words and deny him. So then, how come I couldn¡¯t do that simple task? Why was it that the words of some stranger held a greater resonance in my heart than the feelings I should¡¯ve felt for my other half? ¡°That¡­ it can¡¯t¡­ right?¡±


    Amidst my confusion, I was visited by a strange and warm sensation that ran down my face. ¡°Eh?¡± I touched it only to find out they were tears. ¡°Eh, that¡¯s strange¡­¡± I fell back down to my knees and covered my face with my hands. ¡®As though a dam had burst open¡­¡¯ I¡¯d never be able to explain my feelings; the distilling taste of betrayal. Yet it was the fact that I was so easily be swayed like this that tortured me the most.


    A cold hand pressed against my back, turning up I saw Aegis also trying to soothe me. ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t mean to make you cry. Sorry.¡±


    I shook my head. I wasn¡¯t like it was his fault or anything. ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t reply and neither could I tell you how long I sat there silently holding myself back from breaking down. At the same time however, quietly reflecting to myself¡­ it was a strangely liberating sensation. I hadn¡¯t completely recovered but even I didn¡¯t want to continue on like this forever. I took a few deep breaths to start calming myself down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re ready for this but do you want to see for yourself?¡± Aegis asked me.


    ¡°Huh?¡± still with my face hidden behind my hands I looked back at him with a single eye.


    ¡°I know it may be a lot to take in but I think it¡¯s for the best that you witnessed everything for yourself. What do you say?¡±


    I quietly nodded my head.


    ¡°Alright, then see for yourself.¡±


    Aegis moved his bright blue hands before my face and gently closed my eyes for me. I felt the cold embrace of this otherworldly figure lure me into a deep darkness. It didn¡¯t repulse me; I accepted his aid to help me see the truth.


    My consciousness weighing on me, I sank deeply into the abyss.

 Chapter 2: Bad Ending

    Fort Geranium


    Second Chapter: Bad Ending


    [Mariana von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± did I drink last night? Why does my head hurt so much? I couldn¡¯t feel my own legs, heck, I couldn¡¯t really feel anything at the moment. I attempted to open my eyes but all I was met with was the sweet embrace of complete darkness. Great, my eyes are broken, my hearing wasn¡¯t exactly all that functional either and I couldn¡¯t register any of my other senses. This was definitely the best possible way to start off the day- ten out of ten!


    When I tried to move my hands in order to give my eyes a little massage, there was something preventing me. Though my bodily senses were on worker¡¯s strike, I was able to understand the general positions of my arms. They were above my head and constrained against something. ¡®Did I do something last night?¡¯ I thought back but nothing particularly notable came to mind. I wasn¡¯t really the type to be into ¡®hard¡¯ play either so that couldn¡¯t possibly be it.


    ¡®Was I kidnapped?¡¯ a valid concern but with no way to confirm that, the possibility merely sat dormant at the back of my mind. So many questions plagued my mind but being helplessly trapped in this void I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. My only option was to wait until my senses recovered on their own though that did beg to ask if that¡¯s really want I wanted. Truthfully, it was a little daunting, no that was a lie; it was mind numbingly scary with all of these uncertainties surrounding my fate.


    Was I dead? Did someone kill me? Wait¡­ I think I¡¯ve said something similar to this before¡­


    A brain pulverizing migraine assaulted me for quite a while. Eventually my senses started to return, though I couldn¡¯t tell you if it had been mere minutes or entire days. Opening my eyes for the first time in god knows how long, I was met with the wonderful truth of my predicament.


    Naked from the waist down, well not exactly, I still had my underwear and a single loose red T-shirt to cover me. However this thin piece of fabric was nowhere near adequate enough to alleviate any of the feelings of vulnerability going through my head. My previous thoughts about my hands being bound up proved unfortunately correct as they were restrained to the top of my bed.


    When I tried to move them it stung around my wrists. Looking up I saw deep crimson ooze trickling down my forearms, ¡®what¡­?¡¯ confused, I had to focus more to realize that those binds were actually barbed wires. ¡®What kind of insane¡­¡¯ I grimaced as I thought but that question was quickly answered.


    ¡°Hello darling. I can see you¡¯re in a lot of pain and confusion, but don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll all be over soon.¡± A familiar voice rang from beside me. Instinctively I froze up at the implications of that sweet voice. I knew who it belonged to but didn¡¯t want to admit it. I took a couple of deep breaths and shifted my sights to the left as a familiar figure came into view. ¡°The drugs must have been a little too potent for you; I wanted only to knock you out for a few hours but an entire day has gone by already.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Wha-¡± I wanted to speak out to him but my voice refused to come out. Was it because my senses hadn¡¯t fully recovered or was it because I didn¡¯t want to say his name? I turned away without another word. It became obvious to me what was happening and I no longer wanted to give him the satisfaction of having things go his way. Though for a moment my entire world felt as though it had been crushed, I grit my teeth and let the dry tears slide down my face.


    It would¡¯ve been great if I could just cross my fingers and hope this was all a nightmare but everything was real. The blood running down my white bed frames along with the scent of rusting metal all stressed the cruelty of reality. The light stinging sensation on my wrists did not allow me to deny it. ¡®Damn¡­¡¯ no matter how hard I tried, this moment of betrayal would likely never be erased from my mind.


    ¡°I love how you¡¯re trying to deny me the pleasure of this situation. The way you pretend to be strong like this is why I fell in love with you. Ah, but all of my girlfriends usually end up the same way. If it¡¯s any consolation, I really did love you.¡± He leaned in closely and whispered into my ears with that sadistic voice but I tried to ignore him with all of my capacity. If he wanted to kill me or rape me, then he should just get done with it because I won¡¯t give him, not for even a fraction of a second, the satisfaction. ¡°Which is why I¡¯ve anxiously been waiting for you to wake up all this time,¡± he continued.


    I responded not to his words.


    Seeing that I wasn¡¯t going to play by his rules he changed up his game. He briefly exited the room in a deliberately slow and dramatic manner, only to return with a serrated kitchen knife. At the mere sight of such a violent weapon I jumped back, who wouldn¡¯t? He smiled at me, the same kind he always used to show me when we went out on dates. Yet now all I could think of as I witnessed it was how it sickened me to my very core at how I often enjoyed it.


    ¡®Your ¡®boyfriend¡¯ is a serial killer. You were just his latest in a long line of victims.¡¯ A mysterious and slithery voice echoed in my mind. ¡®Memory?¡¯ I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve forgotten such a significant conversation but here I was because I didn¡¯t remember them. Was temporary amnesia a side effect to whatever drug he¡¯s pumped into me?This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Ah, your body is so¡­ beautiful.¡± He carefully started to caress me with the tip of the serrated blade. A thin, ice-like sensation ran along my legs, followed by a sharp pain. Like scratching the sides of a blackboard with your fingernails, a distinct kind of painful cringe writhed up my spine. I grimaced, seeing a sanguine pool forming at the base of my thighs I almost vomited. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it so many times but this time it is the most beautiful.¡± He continued to compliment how my blood looks better when it¡¯s outside of my body.


    As though I were some kind of blank canvas he drew on my body with that knife, carving deep red scars that would probably not heal for the rest of my life. If I even get a rest of my life, that is. Those macabre graffiti upon my body didn¡¯t really hurt, mostly thanks to the numbing effects of the drugs, but seeing it happen to me left me drained. Both mentally and physically it became harder and harder to stay awake. My stomach churned and retracted from this experience, the experience of dying.


    However in vain it was, I wanted to keep up with this useless pride of mine, it was all I had left now. Clenching my fists I fearfully ignored all the vile acts he had done to my body. I would die anyway, right? My boyfriend was a serial killer and I was just his next victim. The only saving grace in this entire ordeal was the fact that I couldn¡¯t feel much of the pain, but I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t scared to face death.


    He inched his face near my wounds, licking them in a sexual manner, all the while giggling like a drunken school girl. It scared and disgusted me, but deep down inside there was a profound sense of pity for him. He was sick and what he needed now wasn¡¯t another victim but capital punishment to alleviate his mental disorder.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ so beautiful. You¡¯re just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside, my dear. But I think we¡¯ve played for long enough. I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t do it one last time but I need all the time I can get before the authorities start chasing me down.¡± He smiled back at me innocently as though suggesting that he had done nothing wrong. However when he saw my pity filled eyes for him he frowned.


    He edged closer, dropping the knife down it made a distinct clanging sound followed by a silent vibration that lingered on in my head. Standing over me I could see his lifeless, sick eyes gazing into my own. He slowly wrapped his fingers around my neck, but even this I couldn¡¯t properly feel. ¡°Do you pity me? Wake up! You¡¯re the one that¡¯s going to die!¡±


    Even as he shouted, I only gave out a sigh. I was going to die, and even if I didn¡¯t die here I would be left with horrendous scars that would make me want to kill myself. I was the victim here right? So why was this idiot so angry all of a sudden? Perhaps I was going insane myself, because I no longer found myself caring about the state of my half-naked, mutilated body. I¡¯m to die so what was the point?


    So I gathered up what little strength I had and smiled back at him. The same kind I would usually give back when we went on dates, ¡®payback.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, I pity you.¡± Those had been my first words to him since waking up, but I could tell from the increased force in his hands they were not what he wanted to hear. His face reddened, ironically bringing a bit of life back into those soulless eyes. ¡°Heh, g- good for you¡­ you look more¡­ alive.¡± I smirked and commented sarcastically.


    The sooner this was over the better. I closed my eyes and let his rage ruin the moment he completed his magnum opus.


    Everything soon faded into black, sounds became distance and my desperate gasps for air became a non-problem.


    Death.


    I couldn¡¯t even feel it, pathetic.


    ***


    ¡°Welcome back!¡± As soon as I regained consciousness I was greeted by a high pitched squeal. The blue colored walking light show shoved his face against mine, ¡®is he going for a kiss?¡¯ I quickly retaliated by gently pushing him away.


    ¡°Aegis¡­ what was that?¡± I shook my head, the migraine having disappeared from my body I could feel that everything returned to normal. I clenched my fists a few times to confirm the sensation and that I was indeed back in full control.


    ¡°Like I told you before, your boyfriend was a serial killer and you were his latest victim. Though I do admit how you showed him resistance until the bitter end was pretty badass. Hehehe~¡± He laughed childishly to himself. Well, not that I don¡¯t agree with him; while not my proudest moment, the fact that I was truly able to be myself till the bitter end was a consolation. ¡°You were all like, ¡®yeah, I pity you¡¯, and I was like ¡®ohhh shit~ she didn¡¯t just say that!¡¯ and it was amazing!¡±


    He sounded like a kid who just watched his favorite action hero movie. I couldn¡¯t say I shared his enthusiasm for snuff films but since it was me that was the main actor I think I can give him a pass.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that at least one of us enjoyed it.¡± I sighed. The mystery of my death was solved but letting go of this unsatisfactory feeling was a little hard. I turned back to Aegis who still had a big dumb grin on his face, as though I was some kind of pop idol. ¡°Say, you don¡¯t think I can go back and¡­ you know, redo that last part?¡±


    ¡°Redo?¡± He tilted his head to the side in confusion.


    ¡°Yeah, dying like that leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I think my OCD is starting to act up.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well I can send you back but it¡¯s not like I have the power to change the past or your fate. Whatever has happened is written in stone and all sending you back would accomplish is making you feel better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just doing that much would be a great help.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want then let¡¯s try one more time?¡± complying with my wishes once more he came a bit closer and just like last time placed his cold hands against my eyes. I felt a rush of darkness drawing and sinking me in. ¡®Am I invoking the powers of the devil?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but muse to myself as my consciousness started to wane.


    Slowly. Deeply.


    Eternal black overwhelmed me.

 Chapter 3: True Ending

    Fort Geranium


    Third Chapter: True Ending


    [Mariana von Ulysses''s Point of View]


    The icy hand moved me, moved the barriers between worlds for me. Once the darkness had gotten a complete hold of me, various colors poured in, mixed and meshed into a violent kaleidoscope of technicolored frenzy. At first it was random and not unlike contemporary art but I soon found purpose in those slithering colors. Like a puzzle they moved into place, creating and forming into solid objects and the world around me took form. ¡®The world is initializing¡­¡¯ I thought to myself.


    Aegis did say he didn¡¯t have the ability to change the past,¡¯ thus the only explanation for all of this was that it was simply a recreation of the events that took place. Well, that didn¡¯t really bother me since the entire purpose to redoing this was just for my satisfaction. Things like being killed by your boyfriend who was secretly a serial killer wasn¡¯t something I would¡¯ve prepared for on a daily basis so I was helpless back then. However, now that I knew the full story I had a chance to clear out this dissatisfaction welling up within me. ¡®This is just to help me move on,¡¯ like a hallucinogenic consultation therapy.


    I suppose this wouldn¡¯t be the healthiest of ways of doing things but it was my way of doing it- points on integrity.


    Snapping out from my daze, I noticed that the world before me started to resemble the one I always knew. With each passing second landmarks became clearer, the shapes of people became recognizable and the familiar sound of the metropolitan city rushed past me. It was muffled at first but as the scene focused more and more the sounds also became identifiable.


    ¡°Ah, this place is¡­¡± before me was the movie theatre that my boyfriend and I last visited. It wasn¡¯t particularly a busy or large theatre, just a small one at the edge of town. Now I think about it, it was a little odd for him to have called me all the way out here. ¡°So this is where it all began?¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Darling! Sorry for the wait, there was just a bit of traffic.¡± My body instinctively tensed up at that unmistakable voice. It may have been strange but I was still very much in love with the tune of how it sounded though I¡¯d be lying if I said the same for the one who owned it. Luring me into a false sense of security with that tranquil voice he wrapped his arms around me from behind in a loving manner. What a joke right?


    I had to expend a bit of effort to hold it in but there was an unbelievable urge to just smash his face across with my purse. Points for patience!


    ¡®He¡¯ll be killing me in a few hours,¡¯ I reminded myself to refocus on my objectives. ¡°Hi honey! No, I didn¡¯t wait all that long.¡± I giggled back at him innocently like I always used to. Now that I knew his true intentions, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that there was a layer of artificiality between us.


    Even though he ended up killing me, he confessed that he truly loved me. This time the liar was me; I didn¡¯t love him like I used to, but for the time being I decided to play along. Three years I had spent with him, recalling those residual feelings I acted the way I normally would and smiled back without reservation.


    I turned around to greet the man that would be my killer. His caramel colored hair melted with the setting of the evening sun, crystal clear blue eyes pierced through me and the compact proportions of his face gave him simultaneously a cute and mature aura. It really was a shame that such a nice looking fellow was so disgusting on the inside.


    ¡°Then shall we?¡± He offered me his arm to cling onto. Without hesitation I grabbed on with a smile as we walked into the theatre.


    I was a little anxious about this whole thing, ''it''s going to be fine,'' I told myself but was it really? My opponent was a seasoned serial killer who I haven''t even heard of reported on the news. My heart raced once more and being so close to him he noticed as he gave me a quick glance.


    "Are you that excited for the movie?" he smiled.


    ''Just go with it,'' I told myself as I awkwardly nodded back. "Oh, let me just use the restroom before the movie starts," I told him, taking advantage of the fact he thought I was eagerly anticipating I quickly left his sights to put my counter plan into motion.


    Though I call it that, it wasn''t anything fancy. ''If I were him...'' I wondered about how his plan would go down and a single thought flashed into my mind. ''Well, realistically it probably wasn''t some convoluted plot to begin with'', if I were him I''d probably have spiked my drink with sleeping pills and be done with it.


    Thus I quickly headed to the drink stands and bought a small coke. Now if I recalled correctly, our seat should be E11. Thankfully this theatre was almost empty that I was able leave the coke lying around. Hopefully I could swap it out with the contaminated drink later. With that set I quickly head back to my boyfriend''s location.


    "Sorry for taking so long," I crawled out with a refreshed smile. He shook his head suggesting that it was fine, ''is he enjoying this?'' he probably considered that this was supposed to be his magnum opus- my corpse that is. "Then, shall we?" I was led into the theatre but as expected stopped half way.


    "Oh, I forgot to get snacks. Why don''t you head in first and wait for me?" he casually brought up as I suspected he would.


    "Sure, then I''ll be waiting."


    I entered the shroud of darkness that was the battlegrounds for our game of murder.


    ***


    "Here you go darling," my boyfriend says as he offers me the spiked drink. I gracefully accepted it as I thanked him. Taking advantage of the darkness I swapped out the cups to the one I had secretly prepared beforehand. Slurping it up audibly to convince him I''ve taken the drugged drink he smiles as he takes his eyes off me. ''That worked, right?"


    About halfway through the movie I felt his hands rubbing against my legs. ''Was he checking for my reaction?'' with the pretense of acting naughty if I was awake he was testing me.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. He moved his hands over my mouth to measure my breathing and even lightly touched my eyes to check for REM sleep. ''Just how much of a creep is he?!'' at first he didn''t seem all that convinced but eventually gave in, perhaps due to impatience or to the perfect acting talents I never knew I had.


    "Darling...?" he lightly shook me but I didn''t respond. He hummed curiously before buying into my act. Carefully picking me up, he exited the theatre and drove me back home... if only the story ended there.


    ***


    Being carried to our apartment in a princess bridal position was admittedly nice but also rather embarrassing. Even with my eyes closed I instinctively knew the familiar layouts of our home and the images of our neighbors popped into my head, ¡®they¡¯d be giggling at us from afar¡­¡¯ However, this was the moment of truth and I still needed to maintain my acting. Thus bottling all my emotions deep inside I continued to act unconscious.


    He stopped.


    We were just before the door to our room. Placing me down gently against the walls I heard the jangling of keys in my boyfriend¡¯s pocket as he attempted to pull them out. It would be too late once we entered the house to move, I had to ¡®regain consciousness¡¯ while we were still in public.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ huh?¡± acting as though I¡¯ve suddenly woken up I let out a yawn and stretched my arms. ¡°Where¡­?¡± In a daze I surveyed my surrounding area; without mistake this was the front of our apartment.


    ¡°D- darling? You¡¯re awake¡­¡± he sounded surprised, good that meant that he hadn¡¯t planned this much. ¡°You fell asleep at the theatre so I brought you home. You must¡¯ve been tired with managing the shop. I¡¯ll get you something to drink so why don¡¯t you get more sleep?¡± composing himself once more he tried to reenact his plan.


    ¡°Huh? Ah, yeah sure. That sounds good, I think I¡¯ve been working too much lately,¡± I nodded as I pretended to agree. Using my own keys I slotted them through the hole, and with a final ¡®kch¡¯ the doors opened. This was the stage that would be the start and end to everything; a mixture of anxiety and excitement filled me as I walked through the arch. ¡°Sorry honey, but could you also get me some aspirin?¡± I nonchalantly asked.


    ¡°Uh, yeah sure,¡± he follows after me and disappears into the kitchen. I enter the living room and carefully leaned against the backrest an elegantly carved wooden chair. My heart seemed like it would jump straight out of my chest at this rate, ¡®calm down me, I have the upper hand in this situation,¡¯ I took a few deep breaths. The reason I had him bring aspirin was so both his hands would be occupied with the tablets and the glass of water. By making him do this his center of gravity and balance would be mostly focused into his hands, leaving him vulnerable to outside attacks.


    Slowly I felt my heart synchronizing with the carefully approaching steps. I took a deep breath and prepared myself as his figure entered the frame.


    ¡°Hey, Darling I got you the-?!¡± as soon as he entered my field of vision I picked up the wooden chair and smashed him across the face with it. With a surge of adrenaline rushing to my head it almost seemed like time was playing back in slow motion. The chair broke apart instantly with a loud crash, pieces of splinter mixed with blood scattering all about the place and with a final distinct thud his body fell to the floor. At that instant I heard a very unique cracking sound, at first I didn¡¯t know what this was but I soon understand and I repulsed back in horror. ¡®The sound of breaking bones,¡¯ I grimaced but swallowed my guilt and continued on. ¡°Guh¡­¡± he struggled to gasp for air and tried to crawl forward with his limp arm.


    I coldly stared down at him. Even now I was unable to forget the sensation of that serrated knife carving against my body like a canvas. I shuddered as that icy thin line ran across my legs¡­ overwhelmed my thoughts but instead of giving into the trauma I used it to drive me forward with this bloodied revenge. ¡°Sorry honey, I can see that you¡¯re in a lot of pain and confusion, but don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll all be over soon.¡± I echo into his ears the words he spoke into mine.


    ¡°W- what¡­ ugh¡­¡± he struggles to speak as he coughs blood. Blood everywhere; blood trickling down from his forehead, his eyes and ears, with all that pain he tries to look back to me for answers.


    ¡°Ah? The reason I¡¯m doing all of this? Well it¡¯s mostly because Aegis gave me the opportunity to do so.¡± Pain and confusion, those were the words of the day. That was fine because I wasn¡¯t doing this for his benefit, obviously, I was doing it all for my own satisfaction. He gurgles at me something but of course I couldn¡¯t make out the contents through all of that blood and spit. ¡°Oh, who¡¯s Aegis? He¡¯s the protector of souls or something, I think that¡¯s his internet handle. Anyway, honey, you remember that time we went golfing?¡±


    I randomly changed topics as I briefly left the room in a dramatically slow manner. A few seconds later I came back holding a 9-iron in my hands. ¡°So I¡¯ve been practicing my swings a bit and I think I¡¯ve improved. Why don¡¯t you give me your opinions?¡± I asked as I whack him across the legs with the golf club, I heard a brutal cracking noises but I ignored it as best as I could. At some point he couldn¡¯t even scream anymore, well even if he did it would¡¯ve been meaningless since all of this wasn¡¯t really happening.


    I continued to beat on him for a good while until he was just a bloodied mess. After a while I simply got bored but the thing that I was bored of was him. There was a strangely liberating pleasure I got from doing all of this, I mean sure this may seem a ¡®little¡¯ psychotic but who was I to say that I wasn¡¯t? Being killed by your lover and then being sent into some fantasy world, I guess I was going crazy, but that¡¯s fine because everything was really great right now!


    I shrugged with a confident smirk, bits of blood running down the corner of my mouth.


    ¡°Hey, if I¡¯m crazy, so be it. Anyway honey, with all that blood loss and destroyed innards I¡¯d say you have about¡­ 5 minutes(?) to seek medical attention so you should get on that. Well, I¡¯m not a medical professional so what would I know, right?¡± I mocking laughed.


    I dropped the golf club and turned my back on him.


    As I walked away, not once did I turn back to see what kind of expression he made, if he could even make one. I frowned, I thought I could smile right about now but the liberating rush I felt came crumbling down on itself. A profound sense of emptiness now rotting away at what remained inside, ¡®revenge is sweet only during the moment,¡¯ I told myself in mockery.


    I slid open the glass doors to the veranda and climbed on top of the railings.


    I took a deep breath as the air from the height rushed past me. I was ¡®free¡¯.


    I spun around and faced my boyfriend for the last time before giving him the middle finger. ¡°You feel that?! That¡¯s actual ¡®pain¡¯! That¡¯s what death should really feel like; your version of murder was a pathetic imitation!¡± Those were my last words to him as I leaned back and dropped off from the 19<sup>th</sup> floor of my apartment.


    As I fell I saw the world breaking apart before me, ¡®the simulation is now ending,¡¯ was all I thought as I closed my eyes.


    ***


    ¡°Welcome back! Did you have fun?¡± Opening my eyes I was met with the now familiar blue ghost person.


    ¡°Aegis¡­ well, thanks for that. It¡¯s like a load has been taken off my shoulders and that I can finally move on.¡± I smiled gently back at him. For this invaluable experience, despite it being fake, I was grateful that he allowed me the chance. I stood back up from the dirt floor and dusted my clothes off. I didn¡¯t really know what came next but usually after death there were only a few paths it could¡¯ve gone down. ¡°So, what happens now?¡±


    Aegis jumped back onto the large stone tomb he had been using as a chair. He giggled at me as though he was about to reveal the punch line for a joke. ¡°Terra: the world fantasy realized!¡±

 Chapter 4: Admiral Mariana Von Ulysses

    Fort Geranium


    Fourth Chapter: Admiral Mariana Von Ulysses


    [Mariana von Ulysses''s Point of View]


    The crackling sound of explosions going off in the distance snapped me back to ¡®reality¡¯. Once again, I didn¡¯t understand what I had been doing until just now but it wasn¡¯t until I surveyed my surroundings did the feeling of being lost truly sink in. I feel like this has been happening far too frequently in my recently history and it¡¯s getting a little worrisome. However, I took a deep breath as now wasn¡¯t time for such concerns.


    It was dusk, yet still perfectly visible due to the artificial lights around me. Setting my focus towards the distance I was met with the sights of navy clouds on my general altitude. ¡®Huh?¡¯ I was taken aback at the strange intrusion; normally clouds and I occupied different spaces. Shifting around to gather more information I concluded that I was currently on board some kind of ¡®airship¡¯, and by that I meant an actual sailing ship that was up in the air. A large, soaring wooden ark that carried with it hundreds of soldiers clad in leather and metallic armor.


    The fun surprises didn¡¯t stop there; it wasn¡¯t just a single ark but to both my sides, even up and below me, I saw an entire fleet of these colossal flying arks sailing in dreadful unison. My ¡®airship¡¯ was the biggest one which led me to conclude that it was the flagship, but that wasn¡¯t the main problem. Taking a closer examination I felt the anticipated gazes of countless soldiers eagerly awaiting my words, ¡®wait didn¡¯t this happen before?¡¯ I asked myself. I saw it in their eyes, the fear, the anticipation and excitement as they held their weapons close to their hearts.


    I turned back to examine the situation at hand, particularly below as I heard constant bombardments going off. With such powerful sounds I could only assume that a war had been waging on below us- I was right. I was met with the horrific imagery of complete devastation, a huge metropolitan city of impressive and elegant architecture, filled with history, was being bombed. From our own ships no less!


    The malevolent orange pyres purified the city with ardent rage and pandemonium. The only thing I was thankful for was the fact that I was unable to make out any of the people who were on the receiving end of such brutality. ¡®This is¡­ war,¡¯ though the context escaped me the imagery of true war was burnt into my mind. However the most important aspect of all of this was that I was the focus of everything right now. These men and women waited with bated breaths, for the words of wisdom I obviously did not have. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I opened my mouth but froze up.


    Perhaps to save me from this awkward situation a small black bird, a raven, flew by and rested its splintery legs upon my shoulder. ¡°Psst, Mariana, what are you doing? They¡¯re all waiting for your epic speech!¡± it chanted softly into my ears. ¡°Ah, wait¡­ you forgot again, didn¡¯t you?¡± the black bird commented as it nodded its head to suggest understanding.


    It lightly tapped my head with its beak, it hurt at first but the pain was soon forgotten. An extreme surge of memories which I never had came violently flooding into my brain, like an entire dam had burst open everything was being overwhelmed. It sent powerful concussive shocks to my brain with but with it I was driven to the backseat of my own body as I was placed into autopilot. I grimaced¡­ now everything made sense, sort of.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see, so that¡¯s what¡¯s happening,¡± I whispered to myself. I saw in the raven¡¯s deep black eyes a sense of excitement; an almost sadistic level of enjoyment from the carnage that played around us. Well, I shouldn¡¯t blame him because for a while now I had the exact same kind of smile plastered all over my dumb face. As I composed myself in a more formal manner, I cleared my throat and turned to face the orchestra of soldiers. Yes, this was war, but more than that this was a simple ¡®revenge¡¯ story for the vast majority of us gathered here.


    That was something I understood well.


    ¡°Knock ¡®em dead,¡± the raven whispered. I nodded.


    I took a deep breath and picked up a piece of sanguine-colored rock and spoke into it as though it were a microphone. It glowed in a deep rose color as it registered the vibrations of my voice, amplifying them so everyone was able to hear. In fact it was likely that even the people in the destroyed city below heard my voice though it wasn¡¯t specifically ¡®loud¡¯. I think it was a magic spell to amplify and equalize my voice so everyone could register it on a comfortable level, but I wasn¡¯t going to go into the details of how this worked.


    ¡°Comrades! We have fought long and hard for this moment to come! Finally, our combined efforts have brought us back to this place! This is where everything began; all of our misery and suffering, it was all because of these people!¡± I never knew myself to be a very emotional person and even as I spoke these words with violent and war-like fervor, I still did not consider myself to be so. I knew myself the best and that these words that came out of my mouth were nothing more than theatrics but it was different for the people hearing this message. To them this was the single greatest moment of their lives; a moment where they finally escaped the brutality of this unfair world to stand on the side of the ¡®victors¡¯.


    ¡°I will not mince words. Since the beginning I have been very open and transparent to you all! This is because I trust every one of you and respect all of your abilities! So I will tell you this now: I am not here to weave a better future, I am here simply to topple a violent, ruthless, uncaring, totalitarian government!¡± I continued on with flair. I felt a powerful rush of adrenaline crawl up my spine as the words left my mouth. Even killing that simulation of a boyfriend didn¡¯t quite give me the level of liberation that I currently felt. ¡°I am here today only as a destroyer of worlds! The city below us represents the single most corrupted, dictatorial, oppressive regime in this world¡¯s history! I am here to erase it from existence! You will be left with the ashes of it, so if you wish to create a better future then do so with your own hands! The power now rests upon you to create the miracle that you had only in dreams.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    As I finished my brief speech, the skies trembled with the roars of countless soldiers. This powerful sensation shocked the skies and parted clouds so much that I feared these airships may not even have enough power to sustain flight from this tremendous outburst. My fears were unfounded, and we continued to sail valiantly across the clouds towards an ominously large, floating fortress. It dwarfed the size of this entire fleet, spanning god knows how many kilometers in height and length. My blood boiled as we approached. I unconsciously picked up that same blood rock and spoke into a final time, my unoccupied hand pointing towards the target with fierce accusation. ¡°Witness Scarletheim! As the mountain of your own corruption comes crumbling down!¡±


    As I ¡®formally¡¯ declare war on this mysterious nation a torrential gale rushes to thwart us. The smile on my face, which I didn¡¯t think could grow any larger, expanded. Complete and utter chaos, this fantasy setting was just dialed up to eleven as I bore witness to the airborne creatures that had arrived to contest us.


    I had only seen them in picture books or heard of them in legends, massive reptilian lords of t he skies. Their massive wings and powerful wings spanned several meters and their ferocious roars made even the heaven cower. ¡®Dragons! Real dragons!¡¯ I excitedly rushed to the spear-tip of my airship. ¡®We¡¯re fighting dragons!¡¯ my excitement couldn¡¯t be contained as I reflected on those words.


    I turned back to the operators in my airship and shouted orders that I didn¡¯t even understand myself. ¡°Prepare the ¡®Delta Relic¡¯!¡± followed by the rushed footsteps of soldiers they dragged out a large red crystal which was connected to all manner of complex mechanisms. It was easily thrice my size and had a pseudo-technological magic weapon vibe to it. Various wirings were connected to and through the blood red gem as black strikes of lightning jumped across in a malevolent manner.


    ¡°Delta Relic ready, Admiral!¡± one of the soldier reported, but I withheld my reply. I gestured back with my hand to keep it steady until I gave the official order.


    The enemy forces increased as airships of their own entered the airspace. Their massive scarlet painted vessels moved ominously towards us, threatening to attack without holding anything back, ¡®just the way I wanted it,¡¯ I smiled. Baring my fangs at the enemy vessels I ordered the firing of this mysterious ¡®Delta Relic¡¯, ¡°Fire!¡±


    ¡°Firing weapon!¡± the weapon¡¯s operator replied as he did something to make the gem angry. It glowed in a dreadful crimson color with the black lightning reacting even more violently as it launched a blood died energy wave at mach speed.


    ¡°Cromwell!¡± I shouted towards the enemy forces. I didn¡¯t even know who this ¡®Cromwell¡¯ figure was but my body tingled with excitement as I loudly proclaimed their name. I knew nothing of the situation that played before me but the surge of triumphant emotions fueled my ignorance and desire to watch this bloody stage play.


    The sanguine laser beam drilled through their airships like butter, instantly going up into flames a few of their ships fell down to the city below. It was obvious to me at this point that the enemy wasn¡¯t going to just take this lying down so I quickly turned back to the operator and barked more orders. ¡°Again! Prepare the Delta Relic!¡±


    ¡°Preparing! ¡­ Ready!¡±


    The enemy ships were also about done with whatever they were doing. I could see the barrels of their forward cannons glowing brightly with critical mass. They were planning on lobbing everything they had onto us but that was how it should be right? This was war! I raised my hands to the sky then point straight forward. With precise timing I shouted, ¡°Fire!¡± both of our magic based laser weapons were launched at the same time.


    I didn¡¯t know what happened after that but everything around me was encompassed by a shroud of blinding light. There was nothing but my own rapidly beating heart, slowly calming down with each passing second. Synchronizing with my increased adrenaline as I came down so did the dimness of the light. Eventually only darkness surrounded me.


    It was a familiar feeling so, I closed my eyes. I was being brought back to the origin.


    ***


    ¡°What the-?!¡± I suddenly regained consciousness but lost my balance and fell backwards. I felt the murky dirt floor of a semi-familiar, purgatory-like graveyard on my behind. ¡°This place is¡­ Ah! Aegis, what the hell was that?!¡± I shouted at him, demanding answers to that incredibly vivid and lifelike dream sequence.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, you should forget that. I was going to send your soul to Terra, but I ended up fast forwarding instead of rewinding¡­ ehehe~ silly me,¡± he sticks his tongue out, innocently winking at me. ¡®Fast forwarding¡­ wait so that was all real? Or like, it¡¯s going to happen? Wait, what?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t even fathom how his powers functioned. He previously mentioned that he didn¡¯t have the powers to change the past, so I was half and half on which way the dial spun. All of that could¡¯ve just been an elaborate simulation¡­ ¡®Or it could¡¯ve been a very real and very valid future sight, you should take note of that,¡¯ however I didn¡¯t have enough information to accurately test the theory.


    ¡°Whatever, for now I¡¯ll do just that and forget about it but what were we going to do?¡± because of that little episode I was lost on what we were doing in the first place. I think he said something about bringing my soul to a place called ¡®Terra¡¯?


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re familiar with reincarnation, right?¡± he asked with a malicious smile.


    ¡°You mean, like, in a religious context? I think Buddhists and Hindus believe in it. Not too sure on the details of it myself though.¡±


    ¡°No, no, nothing convoluted like that. It¡¯s simply that your soul will be reborn into a new body in completely new and separate world from the one you used to know.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ kay? Um, so I¡¯ll lose all of my memories and start again from scratch? I suppose forgetting about my psychotic boyfriend would help a lot right now.¡±


    ¡°What? No, that¡¯s boring and would make everything we¡¯ve just done pointless. I mean sure, I am technically SUPPOSED to erase your memories before reincarnating your soul but¡­ eh, like I said, no one actually does their jobs around here. Besides, I think it would be more interesting this way.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯d be nice not to forget about my previous life¡­ but doesn¡¯t this seem like cheating?¡± When I asked about the implications of reviving with my memories intact, all I got from Aegis was a careless shrug. ¡®Right, no one does their job around here,¡¯ I sighed and accepted it. Goody, it looks like I won¡¯t be sent to heaven or hell but be made to continue on with these fantastic escapades.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, no one enforces the rules so I can do whatever I want,¡± he childishly replied. Once more he placed those chilling hands over my eyes and closed them gently. ¡°Then I¡¯ll meet you on the other side.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ wait, what?¡±


    Black.

 Chapter 5: Who?

    Fort Geranium


    Fifth Chapter: Who?


    [Mariana Ulysses''s Point of View]


    ¡°Astrid, it''s all going to be okay; look this is our little girl," I heard the deep and commanding voice of a man, yet in his tone I sensed hesitation and anxiousness. The shroud of darkness that Aegis had placed on me was relinquished and as my lungs drew in new air I felt a profound sense of ''renewal''. My entire body was being held up, embraced wholeheartedly by a loving figure. It was a strange sensation but also a warm and nostalgic one, ''how many decades has it been?'' I asked myself. "Here, Astrid." I was being handed over to another person as though I were a parcel.


    "She''s... beautiful," another person spoke, a soft woman''s voice who at the same time gave off an aura of frailty and weakness. She had haggard breaths and coughed a lot, almost as though she was about to- "I''m glad... she was born." Her voice trailed off with only the painful ringing of silence being left behind.


    "Astrid...? Astrid!" I was gently placed down as the man frantically called out the woman''s name. Hearing the man''s helpless pleas I was filled with a sense of empty sadness; an important part of myself had disappeared. I could only imagine what it was like for the man, he desperately begged, "Astrid... no, not like this. Please god, no." Tears ran down my face, his words echoing into my very being.


    I would learn of it only later, but this was the day that my mother, ''Astrid Von Ulysses'', had passed away due to complications during child birth- my birth. I took her life away and was given life instead, I, ''Mariana von Ulysses'' shall never forget her sacrifice.


    ***


    -Seven years later-


    ¡°Huh?¡± I spoke to myself. Dazedly, I stared out onto the open skies watching white puffs surfing across a serene, blue backdrop. The sounds of swaying trees and singing birds filled this moment with what was only possible to be described as the pinnacle of ¡®tranquility¡¯. However, perhaps it was the sudden amnesia, but there was five distinct questions running through my mind right now.


    Who? What? When? Where? Why?


    ¡°Yo~ looks like you¡¯ve finally come to, Mariana~¡± an instantly recognizable and oddly familiar snake-like hiss played directly against my right ear. In fact, there was sharp digging sensation on my right shoulder as well. Driven by curiosity I turned towards the source but was met with the horrifying gaze of a blood red jewel. Ghastly red eyes- glowing impossibly sharp- pierced through me. Its body was a darkened mesh that bordered on being a mass of shadows that somehow formed into a vaguely avian shape.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± in sheer surprise I shouted and jumped back. I fell hard to the ground but luckily the ground was a nice grassy plain that broke most of my fall. Still, my mind was scarred. It was not the bird that was particularly scary but the sudden juxtaposition of a daunting figure against peaceful scenery that got to me.


    ¡°Oi, oi, you didn¡¯t have to act that surprised. It actually kind of hurts my feelings a little,¡± the shadow bird replied in a sarcastic tone. It flew by and landed just before me as it gazed up through its blood colored eyes. ¡°Well, whatever. It looks like the transfer was a success. I mean, with a ninety-five percent success rate, why wouldn¡¯t it be? Anyway, how do you like your new body?¡±


    ¡°Transfer? My new body?¡± confused I looked down to see that something was indeed a little off. For some reason I distinctly remembered myself being a bit bigger than this. These short, cute arms and legs of mine felt unnatural to move and somehow cumbersome. ¡°Huh?¡± I looked down at my baby hands. I also tried touching my face only to find that they were smoother than silk, ¡°this doesn¡¯t feel¡­ right. What the fuck is¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t think a woman, much less a child, should be swearing so much,¡± the bird shook its head disapprovingly. ¡°I mean, it ruins your image and is overall unladylike. You¡¯ll never be popular with the boys if you talk like a delinquent.¡±


    ¡°Boys? Eh¡­ huh, no what?¡± I took a quick glance around my surroundings a second time. Certainly everything from the open air to the gentle brushes of wind felt extremely vivid. Yet, at the same time, I couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that everything was somehow different. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t a dream, right? No, who am I again?¡± I asked.


    The bird flapped its wings for a bit before flying up only to land atop of my head. The sharp and stabby feel of its talons that dug into my scalp felt particularly annoying but I decided to ignore it for now. ¡°Did you get amnesia? Eh, whatever, you¡¯ll live,¡± it shrugged as it continued, ¡°anyway this is one hundred percent your new reality!¡± The bird majestically waved its wings around as though they were arms for some kind of dramatic effect. ¡°I welcome you to ¡®Terra¡¯, this exciting world filled with fantasy and adventure shall be your new home from hence forth. Do enjoy your stay~¡± with obvious malicious intents it acquainted me to this fantastic, new ¡®world¡¯.


    It was at that moment something at the back of my mind resurfaced. Like long detached circuits finally being reconnected, a faint memory danced at the tip of my tongue. Memories of my life prior came rushing into my mind, clashing together to form a brilliant kaleidoscope of queer and nostalgic memories. ¡®As though a damn burst wide open¡­¡¯ I remember such words as tears trickled down my face. ¡°Ah¡­ I remember, I was killed by that guy.¡±


    ¡®That guy¡¯, I didn¡¯t even want say his name.


    ¡°Oh good, you still have your memories of your previous life,¡± the bird breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°If you didn¡¯t, it would have wasted an entire hour¡¯s worth of work for me to get the settings on you right.¡± Ignoring his outrageous commentaries I simply sat there staring back up at the skies with tears in my eyes.


    ¡°Hah¡­ hahaha¡­ ah¡­¡± I wiped away those tears and took a deep breath. ¡°Shit¡­ it still hurts,¡± I lightly touched the surface of my neck. The sensation of those meaty fingers wrapping around my neck¡­ It was impossible to get it out of my head as it played over and over. The feelings of helplessness and suffocation only amplified as time went on.


    ¡°Lady Mariana?¡± I heard a distant voice calling out. I wasn¡¯t sure of exactly how long I had stood there in a daze, but by the time I came back to reality the skies had already turned orange. The tears in my eyes had already dried up long ago and thanks to the orange-tined atmosphere my reddened expression from crying were neatly hidden away. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± she asked me.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    It was a Victorian-styled maid with lustrous blonde hair and caring blue eyes. She looked relatively young, younger than I was in my previous life- she was perhaps in her late teens or early twenties. ¡°Mariana¡­?¡± I quietly repeated after her. Was she talking about me? While my memories regarding my previous life had returned to me, it seems that my amnesia hadn¡¯t completely cleared up. ¡°Ah¡­ no, I¡¯m fine. Sorry for worrying you.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Lady Mariana, are you truly sure you¡¯re fine?¡± she drew closer and placed her hands over my forehead. ¡°Hmm, you don¡¯t appear sick but¡­¡±


    ¡°Aha, it¡¯s nothing, truly.¡± I lightly shook her off while giving my best ¡®rich young lady¡¯ act. That being said, this was a rather disadvantageous situation; I knew next to nothing about this world, nor what kind of life I lived. Thankfully, due to her servant attire and how she addressed me, the assumption that I was some high class young lady was probably close to accurate. However, things will only grow more suspicious if I don¡¯t know her name.


    ¡°Umm¡­ if you say so,¡± from her concerned tone I could tell that she was somehow unconvinced. Perhaps it was my mannerisms or speech was a little off but I don¡¯t think I blew my cover entirely. At least she seemed like a good girl and didn¡¯t drag on the topic for closer examination. ¡°I suppose we should return to the manor¡­¡±


    However, just as she decided to return me home, we were interrupted by a distant rumble in the sky. ¡®A black sun?¡¯ I thought to myself as I spotted a dark speck in the distance. ¡®No,¡¯ I reconsidered as the object approached at steady speeds. ¡°Aegis,¡± I called out the name of the bird, however it had already disappeared off to somewhere. He did say that this world was filled with ¡®fantasy and adventure¡¯ but this was beyond my expectations.


    What I was looking at was a ship- a flying ship. It soared through the skies and clouds as though they were atop the oceans, slowly descending onto this great green plain before us. The actual size of the ship was nothing too impressive, being the size of a yacht. A torrent of gale rushed past me as the ship tried to descend before me. I clung on tightly to my dress, fearing that somehow it¡¯d rip off of my body due to the blast of wind.


    My tiny heart raced as the ship landed before me. I hadn¡¯t noticed it but a small crowd of servants dressed in similar Victorian-era fashion appeared behind me. When? Were they ninjas or something? However, the ship before me was of greater concern so I directed my full attention towards it. I¡¯ll deal with the servants later.


    There was one strange marking on the ship, however. A small emblem: a black circle with an ¡®X¡¯ through it upon a blood red background. ¡®Seems¡­ familiar,¡¯ I thought to myself, but that curiosity was short lived as the doors on the side opened to let out the occupants on board. The first figures to exit were a couple of heavily armored knights, decked out, head to toe, in full plate armor, to which my first concerns were if they could breathe in those.


    Knowing that this was a ¡®fantasy¡¯ world, my expectations were hampered a little, giving me room to not act as surprised as I otherwise would have been. I kept calm with my poker face and continued to observe the situation. The knights themselves became part of the reception as they got in line, giving way for another main character to disembark off the ship.


    My eyes widened, both with awe and fear at who came out. All the knights and servants immediately fell down to their knees and held their heads down as they bowed graciously. His majestic figure finally entered the frame. Harsh, jet black hair with stripes of white mixed in between. Rugged expressions and wrinkles upon his face with decorative scars revealing his history with violence. His upper body seemed stern enough to wrestle a grizzly bear to the floor and his overall atmosphere was ¡®imposing¡¯ at best and ¡®overwhelmingly smothering¡¯ at worst. All in all, this man had a real ¡®blood and iron¡¯ kind of presence about him.


    For a moment we locked eyes. Those faded blue eyes bordering on white bombarded me with pressure unlike anything. My poker face was about to slip if not for the swift intervention by a certain black bird. ¡°Your father is as impressive as always,¡± before I knew it Aegis had returned to my shoulder.¡±


    ¡°When did you?¡± I was about to ask but he stopped me.


    ¡°Shh, your father¡¯s coming this way. Concentrate.¡± Aegis directed me. As he said this monster of a man, my ¡®father¡¯ slowly approached me. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if I was ready for this, in fact I didn¡¯t even know his name so there was no way this could end up fine. ¡°Lord Sigmund von Ulysses, that¡¯s his name,¡± he quickly informed me.


    The giant stood before me, waiting for me. ¡°Welcome back, father. It is nice to see you.¡± I did a little curtsey as I greeted the man who almost stood three times my size with a smile. His face relaxed a bit when he saw me, which eased the surrounding tension. I glimpsed to the side and saw that even the servants weren¡¯t all that composed as small beads of sweat dripped down the sides of their face. As for me, it was as though all the accumulated stress from my previous life had evaporated on the spot.


    The man, my father, crouched down to meet me at eye level. He gently stroke through my hair and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m home Mariana. Have you been a good girl?¡± In an instant, the ideal soldier of ¡®blood and iron¡¯ disappeared, replaced by the expression of a doting father.


    I gave a small nod. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve made sure to keep up with my studies and have listened to all the instructions by the servants.¡± Of course I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if that was true, but the maid from before didn¡¯t seem to hate me. Rather she seemed to be genuinely concerned, which gave me the impression that we had a great relationship. If that was the case then my character was probably generally well behaved, so I rolled with whatever came to mind using that as basis.


    ¡°Ho~ is that so? That¡¯s good, very good, Mariana. Then for my excellent little girl, a present.¡± My ¡®father¡¯ gestured to one of the knights, silently ordering them to ¡®bring out that thing¡¯. What they brought out was a small decorated box. ¡°I know how much you adore plants so I¡¯ve brought one of the more exotic looking ones as I could.¡±


    Oh, so my character in this world was also fond of plants? Well, I mean it could be that some of my traits from my previous life carried over as I was transferred into this body. That being said however, this ¡®plant¡¯ was a little different from what I was expecting. Actually I didn¡¯t think that my knowledge of flora could be applicable to this fantasy world but apparently it was¡­ I grimaced at the present. ¡°Thank you father, I¡¯m very grateful.¡±


    Noticing the small discrepancy in my reaction, he asked. ¡°Is this plant not to your liking?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ nothing of the sort. In fact it is rather the opposite, I was a little absorbed by its splendor.¡± Somehow or rather, he had bought my excused and smiled back gently.


    ¡°I see. Then do take care of it well. My men had to expend quite a bit of effort in order to procure it after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I would not dream of treating this with any less respect.¡± I also turned to the knights and uttered, ¡°thank you very much for your efforts.¡± While their faces were hidden behind those bulky metal frames, I could tell from their bashful reactions that they also enjoyed the attention.


    ¡°Now then, we can¡¯t be standing out here forever, let¡¯s return to the manor,¡± father ordered both the knights and the servants.


    As everyone removed themselves from the area, only I stayed behind, staring at the plant that father had given me. Mixed feelings swirled around me as various thoughts flooded my head. ¡°Hey, that plant. It¡¯s ¡®that¡¯ isn¡¯t it?¡± Aegis seemed to have noticed it as well.


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­ an Erythroxylum.¡±

 Chapter 6: Change

    Fort Geranium


    Sixth Chapter: Change


    [Carol¡¯s Point of View]


    My name is ¡®Carol¡¯, no last name. I would consider myself a very loyal servant of the Ulysses dukedom- I have been since I was almost child- though that may not be a very popular position with the general masses. It isn¡¯t as though the members of the Ulysses family are made up of tyrants, quite the opposite really, but circumstances have driven them to being labeled as a ¡®traitor¡¯ to their own race. Depending on how you look at it, it is true that they have turned their back against humanity on multiple occasions but I would never say without good reason.


    In any case, I¡¯ll leave the exact details of their circumstances for another time. As of late, there has been something else that has been bothering me. There has been a slight¡­ no, a big change in the young mistress. In terms of behavior and mannerisms, it is almost as though she has transformed into a completely different person. It wasn¡¯t just I who had noticed this shift in the young mistress¡¯ personality, but the entirety of the staff in the main Ulysses manor has also been talking about it.


    Many of my peers have come to me with their opinions but we have yet to come to a solid conclusion or solution. In fact, I¡¯m rather hesitant to actually call this a ¡®problem¡¯, because it¡¯s not as though the young mistress has suddenly turned savage or cruel, rather the opposite. She has turned into an extremely docile, polite and soft-spoken figure. Even her mannerisms, of which we tried time after time to correct, have become extremely ladylike and noble. She exudes an aura of maturity of which even many nobles don¡¯t exhibit.


    This was all an incredibly stark contrast to her original personality. Historically, young mistress Mariana has been the rowdy sort. She liked to play outside, run around, get into all manner of unsanitary areas in her vain attempts at ¡®exploration¡¯, was boisterous and free spirited. Most of the time she could hardly even be reasoned with when it came to things she hated, particularly in the areas of study and diet. Yet now, it was as if all of that had taken a complete one-eighty.


    Right now she was in the study room reading up on various texts and documents. This suddenly studious side of her has gotten a lot of the staff perplexed and at a loss on how to handle her, thus they¡¯ve opted to steer clear of her way. As the person that was closest to her, I have a duty to figure out what was happening to her.


    I cut up some apples as a snack and headed up to her room. As I walked past, some of the staff gave me a quick and uneasy nod; they weren¡¯t bad people and certainly weren¡¯t intentionally ostracizing the young miss, just confused. I returned a nod and stopped just short of knocking on her door when I heard her voice coming from the other side.


    ¡°Hmm, I see. So then the Ulysses dukedom is part of a larger entity known as the Scarletheim Empire¡­ which would mean that we¡¯re a vassal state.¡± It seems she¡¯s reading up on the history of our country. I couldn¡¯t help but think back only to a few days ago where she would fall asleep instantly on the mere mention of the word ¡®history¡¯.


    This kind of shift was almost scary to me, but at the same time also left me a little excited. While it was hard to accept this kind of sudden change, a lot of what really made her the young mistress remained intact. The previous incarnation of her personality was very boisterous and selfish, but it wasn¡¯t as if she was cruel or anything. She was simply a child acting as such. Most of the time she treated all the servants as though they were her friends and it was that kind heart that made her well liked.


    That kindness has not left her. She still treats us with respect and kindness, but the form in which she shows such expressions have changed. She no longer jumps around and happily plays around with the servants; instead she shows respects and thanks them for a job well done. Even though it¡¯s not that same big, dumb smile on her face and now a more mature, soft smile, it still feels the same to me.


    This was why I didn¡¯t want to directly confront her about this change and simply wanted to watch how things played out from now on. With that thought I lightly knocked on her door, ¡°yes, please come in,¡± she replies with a soft and respectful tone.


    ¡°Forgive me for interrupting your studies,¡± I started off and lowered my head a little, ¡°I¡¯ve brought some snacks to help you keep up your stamina.¡± I walked closer and gently placed down the plate of freshly cut apples beside her books.


    ¡°Ah, thank you Carol.¡± She smiles and takes a bite out of one. Curious, I took a quick glance at the books and documents she was using as study aid and was surprised. They weren¡¯t the typical study material that we used when I was teaching her, instead they were some of Lord Ulysses¡¯s personal materials. A lot of those texts were high advanced to the point that I would be lost by the third page. ¡°Hmm? Is something the matter?¡± noticing my frozen state she asked me.


    ¡°Eh? Ah, no¡­ it is nothing.¡± I quickly apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting your studies.¡± I reiterated myself after I realized that I really may have disturbed her concentration by barging in.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize, I was actually thinking of taking a small break.¡± She got out of her chair, but the moment she did she lost all sense of footing and started to fall to the floor when I quickly grabbed her. ¡°Ah, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright young mistress?!¡± I checked her legs for potentially harmful ailments.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nothing you have to be too worried about. My legs were starting to feel cramped after sitting in one place for so long.¡± She did a few light stretches to illustrate that it really wasn¡¯t something to concern myself over. However I had to disagree, studying was good and all but if she was doing to the point where it could become harmful, then perhaps I really needed to do something about it.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°I too think that it may be a wise idea to take a small break. Since the young mistress has been cooped up in this room for so long, perhaps some fresh air would do nicely.¡±


    ¡°Mmm~ yeah, you¡¯re probably right. Then are you going to go shopping for today?¡± Suddenly the topic changed.


    ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡±


    ¡°I noticed that the food supplies were getting a little low so assumed as much,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°Then if that¡¯s the case, take me along with you.¡±


    ¡°I cannot!¡± At the sudden raising of my voice, the young mistress¡¯ eyes grew wide and surprised. Noticing myself, I felt a cold sweat run down my spine at my sudden unbecoming conduct. I quickly lowered my head once more and apologized immediately. ¡°Ah, that is¡­ I did not mean to yell at you. I¡¯m so sorry, young mistress!¡±


    ¡°H- huh? No, it¡¯s nothing you really have to apologize to that extent for. I was just a little surprised is all,¡± she reassured me.


    That was truly an unbecoming reaction on my end, but there was a reason why I said that. The young miss has never stepped outside of the Ulysses manor¡¯s compound, the reason for that is primarily due to a matter of her security. As I¡¯ve stated before, the Ulysses family does not have a very good reputation and there were many who wouldn¡¯t think twice before bringing down harm upon an innocent girl just because she was related by blood.


    ¡°Um¡­ that is, young mistress, I cannot bring you out with me for shopping.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Why? Because something might happen to me while we¡¯re outside?¡± she instantly saw through me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, I found this old cloak in father¡¯s room.¡± She then presented me with a rather dusty cloak dyed in the color of city rats. ¡°If I wear something like this, no one would suspect that I¡¯m a member of the Ulysses family.¡±


    Certainly, there was no way any high standing noble would be caught dead wearing something so dirty. If the young miss wanted to go in public, this was the best idea. However, I still felt that there were too many unnecessary risks that were being taken just so she could explore the realms outside the manor. I had to decline, ¡°even if that were the case, the outside is still too dangerous.¡±


    It¡¯s not that I wanted her to stay here for my own benefit. The young miss was only seven years old and there were so many things that could go wrong.


    ¡°Aha~ well, I thought you¡¯d say that, which is why I¡¯ve already gotten my father¡¯s approval in the matter.¡± She replied happily.


    ¡°What? When did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°A few moments ago when I went to get these documents in the first place,¡± before I had even realized it she was already dressed up for the occasion. ¡°Then, shall we?¡± she pointed to the door. Wearing her lavishing noblewoman¡¯s clothing only to be covered up by a large and obscure cloak, I somehow felt bad for the clothes.


    I still had some mixed feelings about this but if the Lord has given his permission, then I was in no position to argue back. With a sigh, ¡°I suppose there is no other choice in the matter. Then please give me a moment to ready up.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ***


    It was a little far from our estate, but through the use of a horse driven carriage it had only taken has half an hour to arrive at the market district within our domain. Though I say ¡®market district¡¯, in essence it was nothing more than an unorganized flea market with personal vendors everywhere. A lot of the produce sold in this place is questionable, but that is the job of us servants to discern which of them are suitable to eat.


    ¡°No, Lady Mariana, you¡¯ll have to stick close to me no matter what,¡± I turned to the small cloaked figure behind me and instructed. From a distance no one would be able to tell that she was a member of the nobility.


    She gave me a hearty nod and replied, ¡°I understand, don¡¯t worry about me Carol~ let¡¯s go shopping.¡± That cheerful tone of voice drew a rather stark contrast to her recently mature persona that she¡¯s built. It could be that being stuck within the confines of the estate was what was starting to wear her down. I suppose it isn¡¯t a bad idea to leave the compound once in a while to get some fresh air and perspective.


    The rest of the shopping didn¡¯t go that badly. After purchasing all the necessities for the month, we decided to go around and enjoy the occasion and atmosphere. We went around all the stalls exploring new venues and products that were on display. The young miss¡¯ eyes widened up as though it were her birthday, she had a large smile plastered on her face as she gawked at various products on display. She would sometimes pull at the hem of my skirt to ask me what some of them were and how they work.


    It almost was as though she had temporarily reverted back to her childish persona in these few short moments. I didn¡¯t hate this kind of outing either, in fact I wanted to do more things like this with her. Just the two of us in this bustling market corner, taking our time to explore and experiment with new things while enjoying the occasion. It was at times like these that I almost understood what it was like to be a parent. The joy one must feel as they see the happy smiles on the children¡¯s faces.


    We toured around the busy district filled with the varied scent of a million different products, the chattering of thousands of people that fused to become a singular distant noise in the background. It was odd, even surrounded by so many people; right now it was just I and the young miss. This warm feeling within my chest¡­ if possible, I wanted it to go on forever.


    Although I was against it at first, I must admit that through today¡¯s experience the young miss and I have gotten a little closer. She¡¯s recently been rather recluse as of late but seeing the smile on her face as we walked down the stalls and vendors reassured me that she was doing fine. Though if I had to say something, it was that the young miss has quite an esoteric taste for products; from various mechanical gizmos to queer liquids of unknown purpose- I wonder what she wants to do with those?


    Alas, all things come to an end. As the skies began to dim into a shade of orange, it was time for us to return to the manor. ¡°Lady Mariana, I think it¡¯s time for¡­¡± when I turned to tell her it was time she was not there. My heart beat faster and I started sweating.


    I desperately looked around me. She wasn¡¯t there. It was as though a giant hole had been punctured into my heart. When I pictured her scared face being taken away by some stranger, I almost wanted to throw up. I held it in; I couldn¡¯t get that horrid image of her tearful face out of my mind. This wasn¡¯t the time to be doing that. I had to quickly find her!

 Chapter 7: Confrontation

    Fort Geranium


    Seventh Chapter: Confrontation


    [Mariana von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    ¡°Heh, I¡¯m honestly surprised how quickly this escalated,¡± whispered a small black bird that nonchalantly took its throne upon my right shoulder. ¡°I mean, it was such a breakneck change of scenery from peaceful afternoon shopping to full on confrontation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± I gave a short retort as I eyed the three figures before me. Children really, though the fact that they weren¡¯t exactly ¡®human¡¯ complicated things a little. The one in the center with a cocky little grin on his face seemed to be the leader of the bunch. A little brat with black hair and blood colored irises, although he seemed like he was around the same age as me I couldn¡¯t really tell with these ¡®non-human¡¯ types. Perhaps it was due to his background race, but he let off a rather formidable and threatening aura. He smirked at me as if he just saw a premium piece of stake on the floor, a sentiment irked me a little.


    For a kid to come close to making me feel some sort of anxiety- especially since I wasn¡¯t really the emotional type- I had to commend him for it. However the same could not be said for the two other children hiding behind the first, giggling away like awkward schoolgirls. To his left was a bloated brat, almost twice my size in width, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because that was the traits of his race or if he was just ¡®well-fed¡¯. The one to the right was about the same size as the leader, if not a little scrawny.


    I wasn¡¯t sure of the exact species these children belonged to though I was sure that they were non-human. For starters the one in the middle- their leader- sprouted two black wings from his back and a thin black tail. The other two also had similar, non-human traits like horns on the fat one and shark-like teeth on the scrawny one.


    So then, why was I here facing off against this small group of non-human bullies? The short answer was because their initial appearances intrigued me. Kind of like stray off the course when you see something fascinating while visiting a zoo. The proper answer was because they happened to be something that I had a little problem with.


    I took a quick glance behind me. There was a small child, also conveniently around the same age as me, though the rags she wore looked considerably more ragged than mine. I didn¡¯t want to make assumptions, but judging by her long and sharp ears, blonde hair, green eyes and baby-like face, she was probably from the ¡®Elf¡¯ race. She looked up to me with those two large, teary eyes, pleading for me to save her. Ugh, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from walking away from something so cute. I mean you wouldn¡¯t leave a puppy that was wondering around by itself in the rain while it was being picked on by vultures, right?


    Well, it was kind of like that for me. ¡°P- please¡­ help¡­¡± she pleaded as she grabbed a hold of my cloak. Two little figures danced upon each of my shoulders, a small devil and a small angel.


    ¡°Hey, we should help her!¡± spoke the angel.


    ¡°I agree! We can¡¯t just leave the poor girl to fend off for herself!¡± it seems the devil was somehow in agreement. Though if I had to say, there was probably an ulterior motive of what to do with her after I ¡®saved¡¯ her. In any case, I suppose we¡¯ve come to a conclusion on the matter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of this little problem for you~¡± I replied to the poor girl as I took off my cloak. After all that¡¯s said and done however, this place was still within the domain of the Ulysses dukedom. This means that everyone within this place was technically supposed to be under our protection. Judging by the clothes of the three demonic children, they were probably nobles of some other segment of the larger Scarletheim Empire. ¡°I can¡¯t just stand around while my innocent people are being bullied in our domain.¡±


    I walked forward towards the children, cracking my knuckles with a smirk on my face. Demon or not, these kids were still children. ¡°Heh~ you think a girl could take on three of us?¡± the leader of the three spoke.


    ¡°Oh, you plan to fight three-on-one? Well, if that¡¯s how you demons like to play, then I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m all that impressed.¡± I dismissed them.


    ¡°Tch, fine¡­ stay out of the way you two. I¡¯ll take on this bitch by myself,¡± the leader spoke as he moved forward, his smirk slowly shifting into a displeased frown.


    ¡°Children shouldn¡¯t swear you know? Especially if you¡¯re part of a noble family; it¡¯s terribly inelegant.¡± I retorted.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m complaining or anything but do you actually know how to fight?¡± the black bird, Aegis, asked me. I don¡¯t know why he even needed to ask since he should¡¯ve known everything about me at this point.


    ¡°Aegis¡­ I¡¯ve been a florist for the past 10 years of my previous life, so obviously I do.¡± I replied with a sarcastic whisper. Though I couldn¡¯t say I would¡¯ve run away from a challenge, there was never any chance for someone in my position to get into an actual fist fight. That being said, I did have one thing going for me.


    ¡°Bitch!¡± the leader-brat ran straight for me and with a level of stoicism only readily available to front-line, veteran soldiers I stood there, taking it like a man. He punched me straight across the cheeks, ¡°heh! How do you like that bitch?!¡± honestly, he should¡¯ve been using this time to kick me or continue assaulting me while I was preoccupied, instead of gloating like some cartoon mob villain.


    That being said, his punch did genuinely hurt. I tasted a hint of liquid iron slush through my mouth for a bit before I decided to spit out the mouthful of blood. There were two reasons as to why I decided to take that first hit. The first was because I was curious in how strong these non-humans were. Suffice it to say, while they were stronger than the average human child, it wasn¡¯t by all that huge of a margin.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The second, more important, reason was because I wanted to feel it for myself¡­ the pain. See, I¡¯m obviously not what anyone could call a ¡®typical¡¯ child. The fact that I could still calmly analyze my surroundings and situation even after taking a hit that made me bleed to this extent was proof of that. However the biggest ¡®advantage¡¯ I held was the fact that concepts of ¡®pain¡¯ and ¡®mortality¡¯ became relative.


    It was because I¡¯ve already experienced ¡®death¡¯, brutally at that. It was akin to how you couldn¡¯t trip a paraplegic, or how it was impossible to verbally torment someone who was deaf. No amount of physical pain in the world would trump the actual experience of being brutally murdered, much less the puny punch of some mewling brat. This set up was almost comical to me; yeah, it still hurts but I¡¯ve endured something infinitely worse. Knowing that I couldn¡¯t help but let out a smirk as I stood back up, ¡°eh¡­ four out ten¡­ is it my turn already?¡± I asked as I rubbed the trickling blood from the corner of my mouth.


    Without waiting for an answer I quickly moved in for a counterattack. In an attempt to predict my moves the leader-brat held his hands and arms forward to cover his face. I was never a fighter, but it was amazing how many openings you could see if you had a clear mind. ¡®Anger dulls the blade,¡¯ those words rang in my mind. Taking advantage of his preemptive actions I decided to attack a little lower and swept his legs over.


    ¡°What the-?!¡± he shouted as he fell backwards. At this point I had two choices ahead of me: continue my assault while he was down or take this opportunity to retreat. While I was confident in my ability to take hits, it was clearly at a disadvantageous situation. I quickly turned back to the beaten elf child and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I ordered as I pulled her up.


    ¡°A- ah¡­ okay,¡± she nodded meekly, but her grasp on my hands were tight. We rushed past the alleyways and through all sorts of vendor stalls in order to make our escape as efficient as possible. With every glance I took behind me, we had gotten a little further ahead. Eventually we took a sneaky turn into one of the side alleys and managed to lose them completely.


    ¡°Hah¡­ haah¡­ I¡­ I think we lost them,¡± I commented with haggard breaths as I tried to peer out onto the shopping district. ¡°Yup, I don¡¯t see them.¡±


    After making complete sure that those demon brats weren¡¯t anywhere near, I turned back to check up on the condition of the elf girl. I tried to pull back her cloak to see her face a little more clearly but she immediately flinched back in a desperate hurry. ¡°Ah! Ah¡­ s- sorry¡­ I won¡¯t do it again!¡± she apologized as she crouched down near a corner.


    ¡°Huh? No, you don¡¯t have to apologize for anything¡­ umm, are you okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Y- yes¡­ thank you very much for saving me¡­ um,¡± not knowing my name she trailed off.


    ¡°Mariana, that¡¯s my name,¡± as I saw the feeble Elven girl cowering in a corner like a scared deer I offered her a hand. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± she stared back at me for a good few seconds before answering with that stuttered and unconfident tone of voice.


    ¡°U- umm¡­ my name is¡­ Char¡­ ¡®Charlotte¡¯,¡± she slowly reached for my hand. Upon just the slightest bit of touch she retracted but as I kept it there and waited patiently she started to grow ever so slightly confident. Eventually she took my hand and stood back up.


    ¡°I see, Charlotte, is it? That¡¯s a nice name,¡± I honestly do think that¡¯s a pretty name- not to say that ¡®Mariana¡¯ was any less.


    ¡°T- thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what to do now¡­¡± I peered back into the shopping district, those brats were gone but now I was lost. Not only was I unfamiliar to this place, Carol would probably extremely pissed right about now. ¡°Ugh, I can just imagine her angered face¡­¡± I commented to myself.


    ¡°Her?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. Anyway, what about you? Are your parents¡­¡± I was going to ask where her parents were but given the state she was in and her ragged clothes it was highly unlikely she had any. ¡°Do you have anywhere you need to be?¡± I asked instead.


    Charlotte turned away for a brief moment before hesitatingly opening her mouth, ¡°um¡­ the slaver¡¯s guild.¡± At that word I grimaced, but didn¡¯t say anything else about it. ¡®Slavery¡¯ that this kind of system existed in this world should have been obvious to me just from the context alone, yet being locked up in a luxurious mansion I had forgotten. I wanted to kick myself for being so selfishly absorbed into my own fantasy until now.


    My opinions on slavery aside, this girl were probably not going to last much if she went back there. ¡°Hey, uh,¡± this was a rather awkward question but one that had to be asked, ¡°do you already have a buyer?¡±


    At my question she shook her head, ¡°no¡­ I, um, there was an auction tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see¡­¡± a thought flashed into my mind. There was a good chance that slavery was a natural thing in this world where most people probably didn¡¯t even bat an eye for it. As long as they weren¡¯t slaves they lived their own lives, at least that¡¯s how it was for me. From my twenty-first century high horse, I could say that slavery was bad, but for these people it was a way of life and something unlikely to change at any time.


    As much as I wanted to, as a mere seven year old I had no power to help them. However that story could be tweaked a little if I were to abuse the position of my father as the duke of this realm.


    ¡°Lady Mariana! Lady Mariana?!¡± it was a Christmas miracle that I could hear in the distant Carol¡¯s desperate shouts. I was very happy that she was so worried for my sake but at the same time I thought she was being a little dumb to so loudly call out for the daughter of the realm¡¯s duke out in the open like that. ¡°Lady Mariana?!¡±


    I peeked out onto the side and softly called out to her, ¡°Psst! Carol, this way,¡± I ushered her into the small side alley.


    ¡°Lady Mariana?! Where have you been all this time?!¡± the first thing she did was strike me, the lord¡¯s daughter, on the head as punishment for worrying her. She just as quickly embraced me. I felt the rapid thumping of her heart slowly calm down as she clung onto me. ¡°Serious¡­ I was so worried.¡±


    ¡°Aha, sorry Carol,¡± I felt her hands wrapping around me even tighter. ¡°I can see that you were worried and I¡¯m truly sorry but I think if you don¡¯t let go I¡¯ll probably choke to death¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! My apologizes!¡± she quickly let go. She let out a hearty sigh and finally she noticed the dirt ragged cloaked elephant in the alleyway. ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°Apparently a slave girl that¡¯s to be on auction tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°My, how terrible, and she¡¯s so young too¡­ poor thing,¡± Carol took out a small handkerchief and wiped away some of the dirt and blood that covered Charlotte¡¯s face.


    ¡°Her name¡¯s Charlotte¡­ hey Carol could we-¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± she rejected my question before I even got the chance to finish it. I mean, it was obvious as to what the question would be but still, she didn¡¯t have to reject it so outright. I wanted to take Charlotte back with us to make her a maid back at the mansion or something but that offer was shot down. Well! Time to abuse my father¡¯s authority, I mean that¡¯s what noble daughters are supposed to do, right?


    ¡°Carol. I¡¯m sure my father would agree to my requests,¡± I replied in an almost sarcastic tone.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ f- fine, but we¡¯ll have to do this the proper way. We¡¯ll have to return this girl back to the slaver¡¯s guild and then purchase her legitimately.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I love you, Carol,¡± I replied with a smile.

 Chapter 8: Pitfall Gambit

    Fort Geranium


    Eighth Chapter: Pitfall Gambit


    [Mariana von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    ¡°Please take this,¡± Carol took out a small vial of red liquid. Play any RPG and you would guess that this was the fabled ¡®healing potion¡¯- it was bitter. However, the moment I took a single sit, I felt my entire body being invigorated, a surge of lost strength flowing back into my body to stabilize my condition. The bruises on my face instantly faded away, and it was as though that fight never happened. ¡°It¡¯s lucky that you¡¯ve sustained only minor injuries or else this potion wouldn¡¯t have been enough,¡± she let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡®Ah, so potions aren¡¯t omni-cures that can revive you,¡¯ I thought to myself what a shame but I suppose everything has its limits. I took the remaining vial and handed it off to Charlotte who at first said she would be all right if she didn¡¯t take it, but I made her. I thought her pale complexion was because of malnutrition or something but it seems that was her natural color- a pretty snow white. Seeing the effects take hold so instantaneously like that was amazing. ¡°Hmm, I wonder if I could incorporate its effects¡­¡± I whispered to myself.


    ¡°Lady Mariana?¡± Carol asked.


    ¡°Ah, no. Anyway, we should hurry to the slaver¡¯s guild or there¡¯ll be trouble,¡± obviously they would want to take back their ¡®products¡¯ and if they see us with her they¡¯ll probably think we stole her. Better to return her formally then purchase her to save face.


    ¡°Understood¡­ but please stay close,¡± Carol sighed once more.


    ***


    The moment I stepped into this distasteful place the scent of agony and depression violated my nose- I knew then that I would not like this place. A den for vile men in the business of selling off other people; of course from the enlightened view of a twenty-first century individual I¡¯d see this as nothing more than barbarism. Yet this was the way of the land in this, endorsed even by my father who was the rightful overseer of this realm, including this facility. I couldn¡¯t condone them but I could not outright dismiss them out aloud, lest I wanted to drag my father¡¯s good name through the mud.


    At the very least, there were no actual slaves that were on display.


    The wooden floorboards creaked as my shoes strode against them, each step compounding the horrid atmosphere swelling inside my stomach. At least the front was well decorated, heck, even better than most restaurants but the true exhibit of this place was behind closed curtains. The young Elven slave, Charlotte, followed meekly behind us, clutched ever so tightly onto my hands. She was scared but the fact that she held onto me so was proof she had some semblance of trust in me. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, we¡¯re just going through some formal procedure,¡± I assured her.


    She looked back at me and gave a hesitant smile, ¡°Y- yes¡­ I understand.¡± Poor thing, I wondered to myself how such a cute little girl could¡¯ve ever ended up in such a dismal situation.


    With Carol¡¯s guide we passed through the front desk and were led into an office at the back of the building. It was there we were ¡®pleasantly¡¯ acquainted with the owner of this slaver¡¯s guild. One could have only guessed from that title he would¡¯ve been a disgusting fat man who liked to twirl around his villainous moustache all day, but no, the person was quite cordial in nature, at least from the front. He was a rather younger looking man, perhaps only in his late twenties, his soft caramel hair drew out the delicate features of his face, all accompanied by that perpetual smile. Well dressed and slender.


    His appearance would¡¯ve been more suited if his occupation was ¡®cleric¡¯ or something, but no, he was a slaver. That disconnect really made me double-take but I had to shake off this discomfort if I wanted to do this right. He seemed human enough, though the context was ¡®fantasy¡¯- who could be entirely sure he was?


    ¡°Ah, welcome, it seems you¡¯ve kindly returned one of our belongings back to us,¡± he thanked and bowed with a smile on his face, ¡®belongings¡¯ he says. ¡°I am the owner of this fine establishment, the slaver¡¯s guild of this region, Ardos Miller,¡± the way he spoke was elegant and high of class. I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if someone told me he was a noble, but human nobles are far and few between. Actually, I think my family is the only one.


    The man smiled down at me. A rather condescending one, well I was in the body of a seven-year-old so no point in objecting to such treatment.


    In any case, ¡®slaver¡¯s guild¡¯ this concept didn¡¯t sit well with me from my high horse. ¡®When in Rome¡¯ as they say, but reckless actions aside, was it worth it to corrode my own values just to appease someone else? I¡¯ll take no actions today, but I don¡¯t have to like being here either. For now I had to be satisfied with simply getting a chance to save Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes¡­ we ¡®found¡¯ her as she was being cornered by some children of the demonic factions. We healed her and now we¡¯ve come to return her with the desire to purchase her on the spot,¡± Carol replied. I told her the entire story of how I came across her on the way here. Now, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a little grimace at the way Carol answered so honestly right now. ¡®Big mistake,¡¯ I muttered under my breath.


    ¡°Hmm, I am thankful for all the effort you¡¯ve put in to bringing her back, however selling her off right now may be a little difficult,¡± Ardos, the slaver, made complicated expressions as he pretended to hesitate. ¡°You see¡­ she¡¯s already due to be sold to someone else and they¡¯ve already put a¡­ ¡®hefty¡¯ bid on her,¡± through the slight cracks in his speech, I could finally get a glimpse of this man¡¯s true character. Sure enough, he merely had no moustache to twirl around all villain-like, because I have no doubt that if he did, that¡¯s what he¡¯d be doing now. Add a monocle and a cigar and that¡¯d complete the imagery.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    In any case, this was more of a slip up on Carol¡¯s side. As much as I loved her, she was somehow so na?ve for an adult. By telling this man our intentions we just handed him all the chips for this conversation; who knows if he was telling the truth? It was actually extremely likely that he made up that story to inflate Charlotte¡¯s purchasing price. From the looks on Carol¡¯s face the situation didn¡¯t seem to be in our favor. I lightly tapped her to ask, ¡°is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ the thing is, I¡¯ve only brought with me enough money for today¡¯s shopping,¡± she whispered back. ¡°To think we would purchase a slave, that thought never crossed my mind.¡± Fair enough, I didn¡¯t think we would do that today either.


    ¡°I see,¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Yes, so it might be best if we temporarily left Charlotte here and return to the mansion for negotiations with Lord Ulysses on this matter beforehand.¡± Sure enough, that was the most practical course of actions, but during the time we took to do all of that who knows what could happen to Charlotte? She could be horribly mistreated for running away or sold before we¡¯re ready. Carol turned to Ardos to address our course of actions, ¡°it is a shame, but for now we¡¯ll return to the estate to renegotiate our funds¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually there¡¯s something we should talk about before that, Mister Ardos,¡± I interrupted to Carol and addressed the slaver directly. Since Carol so willingly handed over her cards to our opposition, I had to pull stuff out of my ass for the next few minutes.


    ¡°Ho? That is?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Are you aware of the increase in demonic faction presence in our realm?¡± at my sudden question Ardos was taken aback. He needed a moment to think about it for a moment, which was the perfect time for me to continue my assault. ¡°Actually, you may have already guessed but we hail from the Ulysses dukedom. I, myself, the heiress to the dukedom- Mariana von Ulysses.¡±


    With my introduction Ardos was finally on the defensive. He was stunned for a good few seconds before attempting to return to a sense of normality. ¡°Ah, m- my apologies I did not know someone of such a high standing would be¡­¡± but I interrupted him once more to further my own vantage.


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not such a venerable person. I¡¯m merely the heiress with little of my own merit,¡± I laughed it off playfully like any seven-year-old would¡­ at least my imagined version of them. Seven-year-olds liked to laugh creepily, right?


    ¡°Your modesty is truly admirable but¡­¡±


    ¡°Which is why I wanted to expand my own contacts. I will be taking over father¡¯s position on day and when that day comes I wish to be able to stand on my own two feet without relying on pre-established power.¡± After I had cut him off so many times it was time I gave him a bit of space to digest all that information. Since I¡¯ve said this much, it¡¯s doubtful he¡¯d still take me on as if I were a regular seven-year-old. ¡®Now then, what¡¯s your next move, Ardos?¡¯ I wondered to myself.


    He let out a small chuckle, ¡°my apologies; appearances can be deceiving. To think that the Realm¡¯s daughter has it so well held together, it is nothing short of¡­ unnerving.¡± He stared back at me, this time with the respect given an opponent of equal stature. ¡°Then¡­ Mistress ¡®Mariana von Ulysses¡¯, I believe you mentioned something about an increase in the presence of the demonic faction around here. Indeed, comparable to the other days, their existences are felt more strongly.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not.¡±


    ¡°Really? Think very carefully; I¡¯m sure that someone of your caliber could easily come up with one or two answers. Heck, I could give you five right now off the top of my head.¡± I answered with confidence, but of course that was a lie; I was just as clueless.


    Well, not totally. The increase in demonic population here probably has some correspondence to my father being here. Our state is a vassal to the greater Scarletheim empire so they probably want to keep a tight leash on father and thus sent their minions to follow him around. A human pet.


    ¡°Hmm, perhaps they¡¯re here to collect on taxes then?¡± A reasonable assumption. Since there¡¯s no such thing as electronic banking, someone¡¯s going to come here to physically haul out the most likely ludicrous amount of tax they¡¯re pinning on us. Such is the fate of vassals with no real rights, what a joke.


    ¡°A fair hypothesizes, and if you happen to be correct, that burden will have to fall on all of us as a collective human realm.¡± I sighed, theatrics of course, ¡°a lot of businesses might go under and no doubt even this place will suffer quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Hmm~ and your proposal?¡± a little blunt but he does pick up things fast.


    ¡°A small¡­ ¡®give and take¡¯,¡± I gestured. ¡°In exchange for a single slave, I¡¯ll convince father for a little leniency to this ¡®fine establishment¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Haah~ so it falls to that does it?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, why do you care so much about this single slave? You stand to lose more in deal than I do.¡± To anyone who¡¯s lived in this world and know only this world, that would be a curiosity. However the answer wasn¡¯t that hard, I just didn¡¯t like that slavery was happening to this girl, so I wanted to intervene. That was my raw intentions but I should probably say it in a more enigmatic and foreboding manner.


    ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s the case?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± puzzled he took a closer examination of Charlotte. She shrieked back at the sudden attention, trying to bury her face into me, ¡®ah so cute,¡¯ I temporarily felt distracted.


    ¡°A single slave for god knows how much money,¡± I shook my head, ¡°that¡¯d be too foolish even for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Quite.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave the exact details up to your imagination,¡± I cleared my throat to continue. ¡°Then, do we have a deal?¡±


    Ardos gave out a small sigh and nodded in defeat. He dropped all pretences of that perfect smile, ¡°This is practically blackmail; I see no other options in this regard. Take her if you must.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you can see reason.¡± The gloves now on the other hand, I smiled back at him.


    With that we were given a single piece of paper with Charlotte¡¯s name on it. Apparently it was a magical parchment that served both as a proof of her slave status and as a contract towards her owner. Though to me personalliy it was nothing more than a worthless piece of paper, I accepted it gracefully for formality¡¯s sake.


    Charlotte was handed over to us at no cost. Villains really make the best partners because if you know which cards to play, they¡¯re especially susceptible to corruption.


    ***


    ¡°Wait, before you go,¡± just as we were getting ready to leave with Charlotte back to the mansion, Ardos stopped us one last time. He called out for me specifically.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Just who are you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Since I¡¯ve revealed myself to be no normal seven-year-old so there¡¯s bound to be questions. How should I answer this one? As I was pondering a small black bird came down and sat upon my right shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no deeper mystery to me than there is for yourself, but if you must have an answer, then¡­ I am but an ¡®entertainer¡¯, fated to dance for a bored and bemused god.¡±

 Chapter 9: Sister, Friend, Master

    Fort Geranium


    Ninth Chapter: Sister, Friend, Master


    [Mariana von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    Clashing hooves and wooden wheels scraping against the rough, dirt terrain- for some reason I found it all so meditative. My consciousness waned as I dozed off in the middle of our commute back home. After a full day¡¯s worth of shopping and ¡®purchasing¡¯ of Charlotte, I was more than a little tired at this point. That being said if I fell asleep now there is no doubt I¡¯d regret it the moment I wake with a sore and stiff neck.


    I need something to distract me.


    It was something I had noticed the moment we got on the carriage but Carol had been fidgeting to herself endlessly. She stole quick glances at me, sometimes our eyes met and she¡¯d immediately pull away. If I had to hazard a guess, it was probably because she was ¡®curious¡¯ about the contents of the conversation I had with the slaver, ¡®Ardos Miller¡¯. ¡°Umm, Lady Mariana¡­ a moment if you would?¡± unable to hold back her urge she called out to me.


    I suppose this was as good a time as any to cement my true character with her. While I never explicitly planned to hide my personality, I never properly displayed myself either- some confusion was bound to be caused by this. ¡°Mmm? What is it Carol?¡± I replied with an obvious smile. Old habits are so tenacious that they exceed the boundaries of dead bodies. It was something I often did in my old life as well but whenever I was placed up against a wall or had something to hide, I would always default to a ¡®pleasant smile¡¯ poker-face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry too much about it but¡­ how did you know about the tax collection?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t?¡± I answered with such innocent obliviousness that she was taken aback for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry? However, didn''t you use that very fact as leverage against Miller to purchase Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Sure I did,¡± I gave a nod, ¡°but I never heard about any tax collection happening from Scarletheim. Even if such things were to happen, I don¡¯t think father would include me in that conversation.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± she tried to interject.


    I shook my head, ¡°I never once uttered the word ¡®tax collection¡¯ in that entire conversation. The closest I came to addressing that topic was when I explained what the potential aftereffects of such an event would be.¡±


    ¡°I apologize¡­ but I don¡¯t follow. Then what did you do? Somehow you forced Miller into a corner and convinced him to freely hand over Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to explain to you; that I did nothing in particular. I mean, wasn¡¯t it Miller himself that came to that conclusion in the first place? He was the one who made decisions based on non-evidence.¡±


    Carol wasn¡¯t too convinced, or rather she still didn¡¯t seem to understand how that happened. I mean, that is how the conversation went, didn¡¯t it? I dropped a few ¡®hints¡¯ and then Miller took the bait and came to all manner of conclusions. All I did was feed his fear and ego into that mess and voila~ instant free slave.


    Well, I guess what she really wants to know is ¡®how¡¯ I made the conversation flow in that specific direction. I guess you could call it a ¡®talent¡¯, though I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really much of one. It was something I¡¯ve cultivated throughout my previous life- a ¡®silver tongue¡¯. You wouldn¡¯t believe how extraordinarily potent it is for a failing flower business; it was something I had to hone in order to keep afloat.


    ¡°That is¡­ how it happened but won¡¯t there be problems now if Miller finds that the tax rates haven¡¯t changed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why he would do t hat. I only ever agreed to ¡®convince¡¯ father for a bit of leniency in the event of a tax raise. I never said I¡¯d actually do anything more substantive.¡± I shrugged once more. ¡°Besides, that wasn¡¯t the main point of that conversation. That was more like a cherry on top.¡±


    ¡°Then what was the main point?¡±


    ¡°Creating a contact.¡±


    ¡°Contact?¡±


    ¡°A connection,¡± I nodded, ¡°this is something that would only happen far in the future but one day I¡¯ll be taking over as the Realm Lord of this province right? Planning ahead, I¡¯ve created a pseudo promise of a partnership for that time.¡± When I put it like that Carol gave me an understanding nod.


    ¡°Would that be all right? I mean, with such a cunning man¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry Carol,¡± I tried to reassure her. I loved Carol for who she was, a kind-hearted and motherly figure but by no means was she any kind of intellectual titan. Unlike people like Ardos Miller and myself, she needed have to worry her pretty little head over ¡®what if¡¯ scenarios of the future, ¡°people like Miller¡­ they only pretend to be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ though I am still unsure about this, I will leave it at that then. Now, there was one other thing I wanted to ask,¡± Carol turned her sights on Charlotte this time. Not being experienced in the way of luxury, Charlotte peered out of the windows with an honest-to-god smile on her face. ¡°What do you plan to do with her?¡±


    ¡°Good question,¡± I honed my attention on Charlotte as well.


    ¡°Ah, s- sorry¡­ was I too distracting?¡± Charlotte asked with that meek but adorable voice of hers. Ugh, I just want to pinch and bully her right now¡­ she really brings out the inner sadist of a person. Too dangerous!


    ¡°No, nothing of the like,¡± now what did I want to do with her? Free her from slavery, sure but what comes after that? It¡¯d be irresponsible of me to just drop her off in the middle of nowhere and say ¡®goodlife to you~¡¯ but to bring her home as a slave goes against my conscience. ¡°Hmm¡­¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°What do you want to do Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± she stared right back at me with her bright gleaming green eyes. Smooth skin reflected against the setting sun, golden hair dyed a deep orange, the way she cowered like a lost puppy when I asked¡­ cuteness overload. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ b- but mistress, you have my slave contract so¡­¡±


    ¡°That I do,¡± I took out the parchment that was supposed to symbolize her status as a slave. In front of her eyes, I tore it up without a second thought- even Carol¡¯s jaw dropped to the floor as I did.


    ¡°E- eh?! How¡­ how could you? D- do you not want me a- anymore?¡± Charlotte¡¯s eyes got teary. I honestly expected her to be a lot happier about that but a brief moment of contemplation made me realize my mistake. In a certain, roundabout way, tearing up that slaver contract was akin to rejecting her and throwing her away. ¡°I- I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m not sure what I did wrong¡­ b- but please don¡¯t abandon me¡­¡±


    What? What kind of monster would abandon such an adorable little puppy?! ¡°I will not do such a thing, instead I want you to make your own choice,¡± I lightly tapped across the walls of the carriage, signaling the coach to stop. When the carriage came to a complete halt, I opened the door and extended my hand to Charlotte. ¡°This may be a big decision for someone as young as you but there is no wrong answer so take your time.¡±


    ¡°Decision?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Your slaver contract is gone; I tore it up. That means you¡¯re now a free person. So then, with that newly acquired freedom, what do you¡­ what does ¡®Charlotte¡¯ want to do? Do you want to leave and forge your own future? Or do you wish to follow me?¡±


    I honestly expected her to hesitate for more than a second but with no sort of delay she took a firm grasp of my hand. In tears she pleaded with me, I could feel fear shaking through her hand, ¡°I¡­ I want to go with you mistress! Please, take me with you! Wherever you go, I promise I won¡¯t complain, so please take me with you!¡± She fell to her knees as if to pray to me.


    I sighed. No family, orphaned, a slave¡­ I guess it was a little too harsh to force her to make such a life altering decision on the spot like that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have made you choose like that. All right, then come with me.¡± I helped her up and now we stood face to face, eye to eye.


    ¡°Y- yes!¡±


    ***


    ¡°I guess, she¡¯ll have to be a maid,¡± my father, the Realm Lord of the Ulysses province, replied when I asked him about what I should do with Charlotte. ¡®A fine idea,¡¯ I thought to myself, I would have my own Elven maid!


    Other than that, father was a little concerned when I told him about the conversation I had with Miller. Though he didn¡¯t pry much into it, he asked me, ¡®was that fine?¡¯ I thought all fathers were supposed to be more doting and concerned about their daughters but Sigmund Von Ulysses understood. He understood my personality, my intelligence and most of all my ¡®intentions¡¯- so I answered him honestly, ¡®it¡¯s fine¡¯.


    With that we were excused, though before we left father called out one last time, ¡°Mari¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, father?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± he remained silent for a brief few seconds before shaking his head, ¡°sorry, it¡¯s nothing. Are you¡­ eating well?¡±


    Such a clumsy question left me more than a little confused but I answered, ¡°as you can see, I¡¯m as fit as a fiddle.¡± I smiled back at him, but reflected in those war-dulled eyes of his was an uncertainty, not to me, but towards some kind of nebulous future¡­ at least that¡¯s what it seemed like. ¡°Are you well, father? I understand the importance of your duties but perhaps it is wise take a moment of respite here and there as to not overexert yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ yes. You may be right, Mari.¡± He replied with a tender voice. ¡°I¡¯ll take a break once I¡¯m finished with this batch,¡± he pointed at a mountain of paper work behind him.


    ¡°Please, do take care of yourself, father. Then I shall leave you to your work,¡± I bowed gracefully before leaving his study.


    Closing the door behind me, I was left to my own thoughts, ¡®I wonder what he wanted to say?¡¯


    ***


    With cold intensity I stared back at the leaves of the coca plant that father had so graciously given me upon his return. ¡®Erythroxylum¡¯¡­ it was a plant most prominently known for its ability to produce cocaine back in my old world and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s no different here. I suppose if you really didn''t understand what they are then you might think they¡¯re just unique enough plants to be brought over as gifts.


    However I knew what they were. Worse, I actually knew how to synthesize them. I won¡¯t beat around the bush here and say that I¡¯ve had more than one thought about extracting some elicit substances from them. In fact during my shopping trip with Carol a few days ago I had gone and purchased some equipment and ingredients necessary for doing just that.


    ¡°Heh~ you really managed to synthesize them using only the basic equipment from this backwater world~¡± A snake-like voice slithered to my left shoulder. Okay, I lied, I had not only thought about synthesizing the plant but had already done so. On the large wooden table gifted by father, the one I should¡¯ve used to ¡®study¡¯, it¡¯d been purposed for another nefarious use. Messily strewn about on the table were several dried up leaves with mint-white colored powder grinded up on the side, a small bottle of kerosene, a burner, a flask with clear liquid¡­ and a small mound of pure white dust. ¡°It¡¯s actually amazing that you managed to make this. So, you plan on using this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, probably not,¡± as much as it is known for its recreational use in my old world, it also temporarily increases metabolism and enhances athletic ability. Who knows when such a thing could ever come in handy? Especially in a world filled with otherworldly beings, this was the one thing I could rely on as a former florist.


    ¡°How do you even plan on using this?¡± ignoring my ¡®probably not¡¯, Aegis has already decided I would use it at some point.


    ¡°Certainly not in the conventional manner; that¡¯d take too much time for the drug to come into effect.¡± I had two ideas on how to convert this into a more ¡®ready¡¯ and ¡®usable¡¯ format. ¡°Two ways, the first is to turn this into a ¡®pill¡¯ that I can take orally.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that in fact take longer than the ¡®conventional¡¯ way?¡± True, ingesting the drug would not only make it less potent but also would require more time for my body to metabolize. However, there was a work around for this- method possibly only in this world.


    ¡°Yeah, but a few days ago I was introduced to a certain miracle all-cure,¡± I took out a small bottle of red potion, the same kind that Carol had given me to heal my wounds. ¡°The effect of this potion is so instantaneous that it almost feels like a cheat, but I thought that I could somehow transfer the immediacy effect of this potion onto the pill by further synthesizing them together.¡±


    ¡°Ho~ that¡¯s an interesting one. At least I¡¯ve never thought about using it like that. So what¡¯s the second method?¡±


    To answer his question, I dug into my pockets and took out a small cigarette. ¡°Smoking it, though doing it like this would most likely weaken the effects than if I used it in its purest form. However, if I only need a little boost, then something like this would be preferable than to use the pill.¡± As for the safety of either methods that hasn¡¯t been tested and I¡¯m sure I could easily overdose so I wasn¡¯t curious enough to try.


    ¡°Heh~¡± Aegis gives me a malicious and sadistic smile. ¡°You come up with the most interesting things, I certainly wasn¡¯t wrong in bringing you here~¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, don¡¯t get your hopes up. Using this with my current body is basically a death sentence.¡± I shooed him away from my shoulder as I packed up the tools off my desk. ¡®There are other methods of using them¡­¡¯ I thought to myself, a little more devious and amoral but perhaps considering them once or twice might be useful in the future. However my thoughts were swiftly interrupted as Carol called out for me.


    ¡°Lady Mariana, it¡¯s time for your studies.¡± At the announcement I felt a sudden cold sweat run down my back. No, it couldn¡¯t be¡­ was ¡®he¡¯ here?! ¡°Mr. Grandia Alcott is here.¡±

 Chapter 10: Teacher

    Fort Geraniun


    Tenth Chapter: Teacher


    [Mariana von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    Where to even begin? Let me tell you about a certain man named ¡®Grandia Alcott¡¯. He¡¯s a magician by trade but by no means an ordinary one as he is the current holder of the prestigious, albeit unofficial, title of ¡®Grand Magnus¡¯¡­ well, according to himself. It¡¯s sort of like an urban legend amongst magic users as their ¡®strongest¡¯. As to the legitimacy of such a claim, I have yet to see even a shred of evidence that points in that direction.


    That being said, he is certainly an accomplished magician, with deep and profound knowledge concerning matters magical in nature. Due to this, at the behest of my father he serves as my teacher in all things related to magic studies. Ever since coming to this world I¡¯ve only ever met the man about two times but both times I was left with a severe sense of dissatisfaction. To put it bluntly, the man¡¯s a clown- a complete buffoon. He rarely arrives on time, takes nothing with a smidgen of seriousness, his dressing sense needs a dire investigation and overall carries this lackluster aura about him. If this is what the top dog of the magician world is like than I¡¯m severely disappointed.


    It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that he was the catalyst. ¡®Catalyst to what?¡¯ you may ask and that¡¯s towards the start of Mariana Von Ulysses¡¯s delinquency, the ¡®me¡¯ before I regained my memories of my past life. Due to his rather shameful personality he became the single most influential figure that pushed the previous me away from the path of studying magic, nay, studying in general.


    Yet now I am to meet that man face to face. Is there a worse nightmare?


    ¡°Yo~ Mariana!¡± a snaky voice came from my left shoulder. ¡®Ah, I forgot there was,¡¯ I thought to myself with a sigh.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked with a rather disinterested tone.


    ¡°Aww~ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re already sick of your best pal?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not you,¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s just that Grandia¡¯s come to visit.¡± Although my intentions were to say this half in jest, for some reason Aegis responded with a sense of seriousness.


    ¡°That guy, he¡¯s¡­ well a little ¡®eccentric¡¯ but I think you should pay a little more attention to him.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    Aegis turned and gave me the most ominous smile as he shrugged with his wings as though they were arms. ¡°Who knows? That guy is ¡®interesting¡¯.¡± That¡¯s what he said but coming from the mouth of a being that could freely move through time, I could only wonder what lied in store for the future of my ¡®esoteric¡¯ teacher. However, even if he tells me such things there was nothing I could do now, thus I decided to put this little ¡®advice¡¯ at the back of my mind and proceeded downstairs.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Lady Mariana, Mr. Alcott is here to see you,¡± Carol informed me with a clear distaste in her voice. It wasn¡¯t much of a secret but she really didn¡¯t like the man though she never acted on those feelings so nothing ever came of them. That being said, she tried to avoid spending as much time away from him as possible- can¡¯t blame her for that, really.


    Standing at our front gates with a clearly dissatisfied expression on her face, Carol ushered in my magic teacher. I couldn¡¯t help but feel my own facial muscles contort into a sour expression as his figure entered my view. Am I seeing a prestigious magician or a homeless man?


    His charcoal dyed hair grew past his shoulders, unkempt and unmaintained. I couldn¡¯t see his eyes and half of his face as they were buried so thoroughly under the thicket of his hair. His garbs were a putrid grey colored robe, though fittingly it looked like what some wandering, homeless magician would wear. They¡¯ve seen wear and tear with clumsily done patch work all over. Rather tall with lanky limbs, his overall frame could be easily seen through such thin robes. He appeared to be around his late twenties, about my age when I died.


    Ladies and gentlemen, ¡®this¡¯ was the supposed ¡®Grand Magnus¡¯.


    As I slowly made my descent through the stairs, he noticed my approach. Immediately the corners of his mouth perked up and with an overly disgusting smile he calls out, ¡°Mari~!¡± His baggage dropped to the floor with a loud ¡®thud¡¯ as he rushed towards me with arms wide open. No hesitation, he tackled me down to the floor with a full body embrace- this was practically assault! Yet the fun didn¡¯t stop there as he buried his unshaved face flatly onto my undeveloped chest as he rubbed against it furiously- disgusting!


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long, I¡¯ve missed you so much Mari!¡±


    Ah, I forgot to mention one other thing, this guy is a hardcore lolicon. I shook my head and sighed. From my position I could see Carol¡¯s face burning with enmity and the desire to kill, but she held it in the best she could as Grandia was a close friend of father¡¯s, in other words he was an important VIP to the realm. So then, what about me? Why didn¡¯t I do anything in retaliation to this obvious act of sexual harassment? That¡¯s¡­ well because I had a fleeting affection for him¡­ that is to say my previous incarnation did.


    Okay, long story short, the first time the previous me met with Grandia she thought he was really ¡®cool¡¯. However when she found out what his true character was like, she immediately felt betrayed and disappointed. That being said, such a strong initial impact doesn''t just disappear from a person¡¯s recent memory and I¡¯m forced to carry that burden. I mean, I don¡¯t really ¡®hate¡¯ the man; I only think he¡¯s disgusting and a criminal waiting to happen.


    ¡°Ah¡­ is that so?¡± I don¡¯t even have the energy to reprimand him anymore.


    ¡°Mr. Alcott, I do not think you actions are really appropriate, therefore I suggest you cease at once.¡± Carol came to my rescue as she grabbed him firmly by the shoulder with an expression that suggested that he was no better than a bug to her.


    ¡°Geh! Old ha- I mean Carol! I- it¡¯s so nice to see¡­ you? Ow! Ow! Ow! Wait, stop! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Based on the expression of pure excruciating pain painted on Grandia¡¯s face I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if his collar blades just snapped right then and there. I had no idea that Carol held this much physical strength as she casually tossed Grandia to the side with a single hand. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Lady Mariana, are you unhurt?¡± she rushed to check up on my physical condition.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but the next time he does that I¡¯m going to crush his¡­ ahem, I¡¯m fine Carol.¡± I smiled back.


    ¡°Umm, Mistress?¡± Uh oh, another prey has just stumbled upon this horrid scene. Concerned with what all that commotion was about, Charlotte comes to check up on the situation. Might I interject that the custom made maid uniform she was wearing was extremely adorable, so much so I started to suspect if I was a lolicon. I wanted to push her down and do horrible inappropriate things to her. Shit, I¡¯m contracting a severe case of the ¡®Grandias¡¯.


    I felt an incredibly unsafe aura leaking from my side. Grandia¡¯s eyes were locked firmly onto Charlotte with that disgusting smile ever present on his face. Well, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t understand, Charlotte is way too cute to be true but I think I should stop him. ¡°Grandia, if you value your family jewels you¡¯ll stop there,¡± I threatened him as I pointed to an extremely dark Carol who was polishing her knuckle dusters- wherever did she pull those from?


    He threw up his hands and let out a defeated chuckle, ¡°aha~ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I wasn¡¯t going to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I sarcastically shook my head. ¡°You may be a hopeless criminal but there are still limits.¡± I don¡¯t know why but whenever I¡¯m in the presence of this particular man I feel like my character just breaks down. Maybe since I¡¯m always surrounded by passive types that usually listen to my whims I¡¯ve become weak against more direct personalities? ¡°Anyway, enough fun; you¡¯re here to teach me right?¡±


    ***


    We transitioned to our backyard where we have a wide open area to freely practice magic. Carol and Charlotte also tagged along with me in case something would go wrong. Though Charlotte in particular timidly hid behind my back. While Grandia was setting up his things to start the lesson, Carol leaned in and voiced disapproval about the man. ¡°I do not understand why Lord Ulysses continues to keep around a criminal waiting to happen.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a small chuckle at that. Carol has been rather candid with me lately about her feelings on particular issues. I liked to think that this was because she started to see me as my own individual woman, one that she could talk with as equals. The one thing I missed about my previous life was moments like these where I could talk freely with my friends about stuff. ¡°A ¡®criminal waiting to happen¡¯ is he? I know he¡¯s a little hard to understand, but he¡¯s fundamentally a good person at heart. More importantly he¡¯s actually quite a decent teacher.¡±


    ¡°M- Mari! I¡¯m so happy that you thought so highly of me!¡± A big, dumb grin plastered all over his face he turned to me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too carried away you criminal,¡± I reprimanded. Due to our close proximity in mental age I couldn¡¯t really come to hate him to the same extent that Carol did. Disgusting as he may be, he never crosses a certain line and does understand social conventions, though he pushes against that boundary quite often.


    ***


    ¡°At its base, magic can be broken down into three fundamental elements. These three elements are what govern the function and type of magic that is being used: [Ice], [Fire] and [Lightning]. Each elemental attribute has their strength and weaknesses,¡± Grandia started to seriously explain the fundamental theories about magic, though if I had to say they all sounded like a delusional eighth grader¡¯s ramblings. ¡°For example, [Fire] magic is typically well known for being the most destructive and many of its spell variations have lasting burning effects. On the other hand, due to its notable area-wide effects it is inefficient to use in party combat situations.¡±


    To go over it simply, [Fire] is wide and destructive but often times very uncontrollable unless well trained. [Ice] has a lot of malleability- can be shifted into many different forms- but is rather lackluster in terms of potency. [Lightning] is extremely fast to the point of unavoidability but requires a massive amount of mana to function. Of course, these assessments were only surface level observations but they are the typical attributes of each elements.


    ¡°All life in this world is born with a specific affinity to one of these three elements, although,¡± Grandia puffs out his chest with an arrogant smirk, ¡°in very rare cases there have been notable individuals who posses two or even three close affinity. I have a particularly close affinity with [Fire] and [Lightning] magic.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you cannot learn elemental spells outside of your affinity?¡± I asked, ignoring his personal gloating.


    ¡°Yes and no,¡± Grandia stretched out his arms and summoned three luminescent balls from his hands. They were the absolute base level spells of each element, [Fire bolt], [Ice bolt] and [lightning bolt]. ¡°As you can see, it is possible to use spells that are outside of your affinity however they are limited to low level spells. High ranked spells can only be accessed if you have the corresponding elemental affinity.¡±


    Supposedly magic is ranked from 1 ¨C 10, with 1 being the absolute base and 10 being the highest possible known magic spell. That being said, even if I explained it like that no one from my previous world would grasp the concept so easily. Simply put, a rank 1 magic is like being kicked by a karate master while a rank 10 magic is like being run over by a bullet train. Though the lethality of these spells vary between people depending on training, potency, mastery and how much magic resistance a defender posses against each element. With a high enough magic defense it possible to survive almost all magic rank 5 or lower, but anything higher¡­ well no one¡¯s tested anything higher than rank 5.


    Luckily the numbers of people who possess magic spells that are rank 5 or over are lower than 0.01%. Those who can wield magic over rank 7 are heroes of legend and rank 10 magic is usually reserved to deity-level figures and gods. Most people would be lucky if they managed to learn any magic over rank 3, even rank 5 would be considered a genius.


    ¡°Now then, why don¡¯t we test your affinity, Mari?¡± Grandia dug into his bag to pull out a small white crystal orb.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I asked as I studied the artifact carefully.


    ¡°It¡¯s a magic sensitive crystal. It will glow in the same color as your elemental affinity just by applying a bit of your mana into it. Case in point,¡± the orb in Grandia¡¯s hand started to shine softly as two different colors mixed. Red signifying [Fire] and yellow to represent [Lightning], they two colors entwined as they danced for a bit until they ultimately fused into a kaleidoscope of brilliant orange. ¡°Like so. Here, try it.¡±


    He handed the orb over to me. As I carefully followed Grandia¡¯s instructions on how to pour mana, my heart beat rapidly. A wondrous dance of blue swirled around the inner portion of the crystal ball. ¡°Blue¡­ so that¡¯s [ice]? Is my affinity [Ice]?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, that seems to be the case.¡± Incidentally, for some reason there has always been an equal spread of the elemental affinity towards the general populace of this world. This means that at every point in time, with some minor fluctuations, each element will encompass 33.3% of the population. ¡°The power of [Ice] type magic is rather weak but at the same time its unique property allows the user all manner of creative methods of attack. In summary, the potency of this magic is dependent not on destructive potential but the user¡¯s imagination.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see. Want to try?¡± I passed the orb to Charlotte next since I doubt she ever participated in this kind of experiment as a slave.


    ¡°E- eh me?! I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she replied meekly.


    ¡°Just try it, it¡¯ll be fun,¡± I casually tossed the seemingly expensive crystal ball over the Charlotte.


    ¡°O- okay¡­¡± following my example Charlotte injected some of her mana into the orb. Upon doing so an extremely bright flash had temporarily blinded all of us. It took a moment for me to regain my vision but when I did so what I saw next shocked me. The color of the orb in Charlotte¡¯s hand glowed with not any color but white.


    ¡°What¡­ element is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That''s¡­ a ¡®composite mage¡¯¡­!!¡± Grandia¡¯s jaw dropped to the floor.


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°A composite magician, if I remember correctly refers to a person who is blessed with an affinity to all three elements,¡± the person to answer my question was Carol. ¡°In other words Charlotte¡¯s magical potential is on par with those ¡®Heroes¡¯ of legends.¡±

 Chapter 11: Magic Theory

    Fort Geranium


    Eleventh Chapter: Magic Theory


    [Mariana Von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    ¡°Heroes of legend¡­ I mean, even if you describe her as such, without a proper reference I can¡¯t really imagine it,¡± I shrugged. I turned to Charlotte who timidly clung onto me; not that I couldn¡¯t believe them it was just that I couldn¡¯t see that happening. ¡°Anyway, is it really that rare to find someone with the composite magic talent?¡± Perhaps it was my Earthly cynicism flowing through but even Grandia here could wield dual elements so the scope of the rarity was lost on me.


    ¡°Rare would be putting it rather generously; it¡¯s said only one person with the composite magic talent would be born in a century.¡± That would indeed make it pretty rare, and how convenient is it that I just happened to purchase a slave with that kind of exception? I shot Aegis who was sitting down on a nearby branch a quick glance, ¡®nah, I don¡¯t think he did anything to alter the odds¡­ nope,¡¯ I sarcastically commented to myself.


    Charlotte closely examined her own hands with a perplexed look. It seemed to me that the person herself didn¡¯t quite fathom the gravitas of what was being said. I suppose it¡¯s only natural that we didn¡¯t really understand because we had next to zero experience when it came to magic or battles. That being said, it was comforting to know that I had someone with such a high level of talent this close. ¡°I guess this means in the future Charlotte will become a grand figure that¡¯s talked about in legends,¡± though I couldn¡¯t really see that happening from this meek girl. Then again, the future is home to all sorts of possibilities so who knows? Oh, right the little black bird does.


    ¡°E- eh?! M- me, a legend?!¡± Charlotte furiously shook her head trying to deny that possibility. ¡°T- there¡¯s no way I could become someone like that! Please don¡¯t even joke about such things!¡± As if pleading would somehow alter the future she clung on with teary eyed.


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be so modest Charlotte. Hey, if you become super famous may I¡¯ll also be remembered through history as a brief footnote to your legend,¡± I roughed up her hair as I joked.


    ¡°Footnote? No! Never!¡± Charlotte suddenly protested.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Sorry, I think I went a little too far.¡± I lowered my head a little but Charlotte protested against that as well.


    ¡°No, no that¡¯s not¡­¡± Charlotte objected. ¡°Mistress doesn¡¯t have to apologize for anything¡­ um, what I mean is that I would never dare try to outshine you! To me, you will always be the most important person!¡±


    At that kind of sudden confession I couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter, ¡®ah, this child really is too precious,¡¯ I thought to myself as I gently brushed through her hair. The silken smooth sensation felt nice against my hand. She pouted at me, embarrassed that I was laughing at her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about such things Charlotte, if anything I would prefer it if you could treat me as a ¡®friend¡¯ rather than a ¡®master¡¯. Outshine me or not, I don¡¯t really care about such things, what want more than anything is for you and I to always be friends.¡±


    It took a few moments but Charlotte eventually gave a nod. She understood what I was trying to say but I guess it was a little too difficult to overcome this narrative of ¡®master-servant¡¯ that she has of our relationship. That¡¯s fine, baby-steps are fine. Perhaps this is due to a certain kind of loneliness but I never really had an ¡®equal¡¯ ever since coming here. My mind and body were radically different so at the very least I wanted Charlotte to be molded into a person who could stand next to me with such a position- a ¡®true friend¡¯.


    ***


    In such a manner our class continued on. Over several weeks Grandia visited numerous times to teach both Charlotte and myself the basics of magic. In some ways it was kind of like learning your multiplications for the first time; if you never grasped the concept before it could be a little daunting to get used to but once you did it was easy pickings. Most of our time in class was spent attempting to apply the theories of magic into actual practice- harder than it sounds.


    Arguably, it was harder for me to grasp the concepts of magic since I¡¯ve already had a rigid founding knowledge of physical and natural laws. Not only did I need to understand the ludicrous nature of the theories behind magic but I also had to abandon several centuries¡¯ worth of hard scientific research just to get behind this voodoo mumbo-jumbo. As a result of my persistence however, I managed to at least learn enough to cast the rank 1 magic [Ice bolt].


    A small glowing white ball with a bluish tint floated gently at the palm of my hands. To be honest, I was a little disappointed with the results. It was nothing more than a block of ice that I could hurl at a particular direction and nothing more. Supposedly the destructive power of these spells depended on a person¡¯s proficiency at magic and the number of times I could cast were based on my mana reserve. Since I had little in the way of talent with magic proficiency, it was rather weak and my mana reserves were pretty low too. Thus my skills turned out fairly lackluster.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Finding out that you have no talent in a fantasy world, what sadistic turn of events.


    On the other hand it was amazing to see how Charlotte, who had an infinitely more impressive talent in magic than I, was progressing. She not only learnt all three rank 1 ¡®bolt¡¯ spells but also mastered them. Her destructive capabilities were on an entirely different level. If my spells were akin to throwing a rock really hard, Charlotte¡¯s spells were like getting hit by a cannon ball. Even her ¡®ice bolt¡¯ spell seemed more refined and prettier than mine. That being said however, it wasn¡¯t an entirely a free upgrade like that, her variations on the spells seemed to expend a lot more mana than mine did.


    Higher destructive capabilities at a greater mana consumption rate; according to Grandia this was due to the fact Charlotte was still a novice and didn¡¯t have adequate enough control over her magic. Supposedly this kind of issue will solve itself with more training so there wasn¡¯t much to worry about.


    If there was one person who was worried it was, ¡°Mistress, are you all right?¡± on our small break Charlotte came up to ask me.


    ¡°Hmm? I¡¯m fine?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s good, I thought you might be feeling down.¡±


    ¡°Why would I be feeling down?¡±


    ¡°Umm, because¡­ of your magic¡­¡± ah, I see what she was trying to say. It is possible that, had I been an ordinary child I would¡¯ve felt some jealousy or enmity towards Charlotte for her potential and talent but that kind of thing didn¡¯t bother me right now. If anything, I was amazed and wanted to see how far she could take her talents. I wanted nothing more than for her to succeed without restraints.


    I smiled back at her and gave her cheeks a little pinch- they were like rubbery pudding, so cute! ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me Charlotte, I¡¯m fine. Rather, if you slowed down in your progression just to match mine, then I would be upset. You won¡¯t do anything like that, right?¡± based on the look on her face she seemed a little surprised as if to say ¡®how did you know?¡¯


    She said nothing in reply but gave me a firm nod.


    On the topic of magic, you would be forgiven if you thought that elemental attributed worked off a rock-paper-scissors model. That assumption however, would be incorrect. The elements were more or less well balanced against each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Rather it was entirely up the skill and creativity of the mage utilizing them that decided the fate of a battle.


    ¡°Now then, it seems both of you have gotten a firm grasp on what the three elemental attributes are like,¡± Grandia nods with a satisfied smirk. Yeah, I guess I understand most of the theory he taught me and I¡¯m sure Charlotte understood due to her mastery as well. Grandia then raised four fingers, ¡°actually there is another kind of element, [void] magic.¡±


    Oh~ sounds scary overpowered. Could it be that this was one of those extremely rare abilities that only protagonists of fiction gain when they¡¯re summoned to another world? I got excited, but alas it was for naught, because [void] magic was little more than a fancy name for pure mana based magic. In other words spells that didn¡¯t use a specific set of elemental attributes, for example: healing and physical boosting magic. Don¡¯t get me wrong, those are useful skills to have but the name was very misleading. ¡°Why is it called [void] magic?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Simple answer: because [void] magic doesn¡¯t have a specific element, thus ¡®void¡¯; empty of elements.¡± Grandia replied. Huh? That¡¯s can¡¯t seriously be the only reason for having such a title. If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t [utility] magic be more fitting? The magicians of this world are way too pompous. ¡°Most spells listed under [void] magic are related to healing or physical boosting magic, well there are exceptions here and there but you¡¯re unlikely to encounter them anytime soon.¡±


    ***


    The Ulysses province was a sizable territory that the Scarletheim Empire had so graciously let use rule in autonomy. For the most part there was only one major city in this region, ¡®Amberheim¡¯ a subsidiary portion of the grater Empire, with some small villages scattered here and there. Aside from that one city, it was mostly forests and mountains, of which one particular forest region was known as ¡®Dvell Forest¡¯ named after¡­ some guy?


    Anyway I bring this up because it¡¯s going to be the main focus. ¡®Main focus of what?¡¯ you may ask and I will let Grandia take care of the explanations. ¡°The exam will be a simple but arduous one. I¡¯ve placed a small magic stone at the heart of Dvell Forest and your aim is to retrieve it back.¡±


    Since both Charlotte and I had mastered rank 1 magic, we were given a small test to advance to the next stage. If we were successful, then we¡¯d be allowed to study the next step, in other words rank 2 magic. At this point I was already disappointed at my lack of magical talents but at least I wanted to do this for Charlotte. ¡°A simple search and retrieve quest,¡± I commented, though knowing Grandia it probably wasn¡¯t that simple.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it too lightly or you¡¯ll get hurt. While not particularly powerful, there are monsters in this forest that will require skill to defeat.¡± Grandia warned. ¡°Well, since Charlotte¡¯s also going with you, it might not be all that bad. Still, go on and have fun.¡±


    ¡°Have fun¡­ well I suppose you have a point. Let¡¯s go Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Y- yes, I¡¯ll be right behind you mistress!¡± Charlotte answered with enthusiasm. Could it be that she really was looking forward to being able to learn rank 2 magic? Guess I¡¯ll take this a little more seriously then.


    The entrance to the forest was decorated with a large banner that read ¡®Advancement Exam! Good Luck!¡¯ I shook my head as I walked through that embarrassing arch. To be honest, despite this place practically being like my backyard, it was the first time I¡¯ve ever been here.


    Although I tried my best to suppress it, on the inside my heart was pounding away with excitement. The opportunity to finally have an adventure in this fantasy world- it had been far too long of a wait. With a suppressed smile I walked in front to not reveal my true feelings to Charlotte.


    Greenery more luscious than anything I¡¯ve ever laid my eyes upon, as though everything was made of precious emeralds, reflected in my eyes was the purity of nature. The sounds of distant animals and birds, the gentle swaying of trees all around; this kind of experience would never have been possible back in the industrialized world of Earth. I took a deep breath, ¡°shall we get going, Charlotte?¡± I held out my hands.


    ¡°Y- yes!¡±

 Chapter 12: Examination (Suspicion)

    Fort Geranium


    Twelfth Chapter: Examination (Suspicion)


    [Mariana Von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    ¡°Umm, mistress?¡± Charlotte calls out with a concerned voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I asked as I continued to do the action that caused her worry in the first place. As a florist I just couldn¡¯t ignore these things that were growing all the way out here so conveniently for me to pick up.


    ¡°I- I¡¯m not so sure that you should touch those things so carelessly,¡± she tried to stop me but she only got as far as placing her hands on my shoulders. ¡°Umm, do you need some help?¡± She desperately wanted me to stop messing with potentially dangerous objects so she offered to help me herself in order to quickly be done with them.


    Without waiting for my answer she slowly reached for the plants. My heart jumped as I fell into a state of panic watching her reach out her hands, ¡°Don¡¯t touch that! Stop!¡± I shouted with all the air in my lungs.


    At my sudden raise in volume she became startled and fell back. ¡°A- ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± As if the world would end if she didn¡¯t she apologized numerous times.


    ¡°Hah¡­¡± I sighed and paused what I was doing for a moment to address her. ¡°Forgive me Charlotte, I didn¡¯t mean to yell at you so suddenly like that, but you shouldn¡¯t be touching these things without proper knowledge and preparation.¡± I raised my hands to reveal the gloves I was wearing.


    ¡°Sorry mistress,¡± she apologized once more and backed away to observe at a distance. ¡°Umm, they look¡­ disgusting, like ¡®eyeballs¡¯,¡± she grimaces at her own comment.


    ¡°That¡¯s an apt way to put them,¡± I chuckled to myself. ¡°Indeed, their colloquial name is ¡®Doll¡¯s eyes¡¯ on the account of their ghastly look and resemblance to eyeballs. It¡¯s actually a plant known as ¡®Actaea-Pachypoda¡¯, a severely dangerous plant that can easily kill a full grown adult with just the slightest bit of touch. Everything from its stems to its fruit contain powerful toxin that¡¯d stop your heart.¡± I casually blurt out horrifying descriptions about the plants as I quickly uproot them with a carefree smile.


    That being said, I wasn¡¯t as careless in my approach and properly wore protective gloves and skillfully avoided all possible contact with my skin. These grotesque looking plants, they¡¯re viciously dangerous but that¡¯s the thing that also makes them that much more useful. I¡¯m a simple florist that was thrust into the words of Gods and Demons, so something like this that probably no one outside of herbalists know would definitely come in handy.


    ¡°E- eh?! If it¡¯s that dangerous then maybe you shouldn''t mess with them! M- mistress, please stop!¡± practically on the verge of tears Charlotte tried to pry my hands away from the plants. However in fear that something might happen if she made such sudden movements she didn¡¯t put much strength into her pulls, thus I could continue my extraction in relative peace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Charlotte, I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± I say as I put them into a small leather pouch then stuff them into my pockets.


    Charlotte breathes a sigh of relief but still gives me quite the concerned looked. ¡°P- please¡­ be careful.¡± The way she genuinely showed care about my well being, somehow it was all so honoring. I almost felt sorry that I gave her such a scare.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to frighten you like that,¡± I gently stroke her hair- with my poison riddled gloves off of course. ¡°Come, let¡¯s continue with the exam.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be right behind you, mistress!¡±


    ***


    ¡°Well, that puts a damper on things,¡± I commented to myself as I noticed a certain monster walking about before us. I took Charlotte and hid behind a nearby tree the moment I even glimpsed its hideous appearance, but that kind of monster was not one that should lurk around this forest.


    I wasn¡¯t an expert on monsters or anything but I had a good grasp of the type of monsters that lived around this forest. Goblins, horned rabbits and maybe some weak slime here and there but what I was looking at was neither of those. ¡°Mistress, could that monster be?¡± Charlotte asked for confirmation.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ that thing¡¯s probably an Orc.¡± A bipedal boar with muscular structure on par with the bulk of an elephant, with every step there was a small tremor on the ground and the steel-like threads of hair that stuck out like an echidna made me not want to imagine the consequences of smashing into it.


    ¡°RAWWRRGHH!!¡± It shouted a glass shattering, chalkboard scratching, piercing roar that echoed through the forest. I shielded Charlotte¡¯s ears as she clung onto me tightly burying her face into my chest. I could feel her subtly trembling through my clothes but the best I could do for her was return her embrace and try to calm her down.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Hmm, this is going to be a little troublesome,¡± I whispered to myself. Uprooting all the trees and smashing boulders, the brutish Orc continued its rampage around the area but it quickly became obvious that it had no intentions of leaving it. This was a problem because in order to accomplish our objectives of making it to the heart of the forest we needed to go through that path. I did light reconnaissance earlier and there were no other alternatives. ¡°Should we run?¡±


    Honestly, an Orc was far beyond what we as mere seven-year-olds were capable of taking out on our own. Goblins and horned rabbits were frail so a few of those could easily be dispatched even with low ranking magic. Orcs were on a different level, that kind of berserker-like strength and stamina, even after what seemed to be thirty minutes of rampage it didn¡¯t seem like it would tire out soon.


    The smartest thing to do in this situation was to retreat but for some reason I felt like I could take it on. Of course not like this, right now I was woefully unprepared and needed to gather some equipment before I took on this gargantuan beast. I moved Charlotte to the side and took out the plants that I had gathered on the entrance to this forest. ¡°What do you plan to do mistress?¡± she asked with a worried tone. ¡°D- don¡¯t tell me you want to fight that thing?! Please reconsider!¡±


    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t raise your voice like that or it¡¯ll notice our presence,¡± I whispered back to her.


    ¡°Ah¡­ umm, mistress, we can¡¯t fight that thing! It¡¯s too dangerous!¡± she whispered, this time with a desperate tone.


    ¡°We definitely can. Or rather, we don¡¯t really have a choice but to to progress with this test.¡± Though I say that, the main reason I didn¡¯t want to back down was because I was a child of the Ulysses Dukedom. It wasn¡¯t pride but calculated strategy; if I could beat this monster, then it would only improve my reputation.


    ¡°¡­ I understand, if that¡¯s what mistress wishes for then I¡¯ll for you,¡± Charlotte obliges though a hint of dissatisfaction lingers in her tone. I felt sorry for her that she has to accompany me through this entire kerfuffle but without her power I didn''t think I could do much.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I replied. With that I ground down the Dolls Eye into a fine powdery format thus to be easily applied. I had to be extra careful with this especially because every part of the plant was a death sentence if I touched it the wrong way. The wind was no help in this regard either and I had to take that into consideration, dramatically increasing my stress. I slowly carved down the plant one by one and eventually got a small lump of brown and white powder going.


    The unique strength of ice type magic was that it could be forged into different shapes. I noted that specific property and conjured up an ¡®ice bolt¡¯ spell. A small white sphere with a blue tinted glow hovered just off the palm of my hand. With a little more concentration it was possible to shift the form of this ice bolt by changing the shape of the mana. The other elements weren¡¯t able to do this, well it technically was possible but since they didn¡¯t have a solid base, they¡¯d instantly revert back to its base form. I twisted the mana over and over to turn it into the vague shape of a dagger.


    ¡°What is that, mistress?¡± the tone of worry disappeared from Charlotte¡¯s voice, now she was intrigued.


    ¡°A makeshift weapon,¡± I answered. ¡°By giving it a specific shape like this I can increase its piercing power and ease of handling.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know ice magic could be used like that,¡± she nods with enthusiasm as she takes mental notes.


    ¡°Aha~ well, since your power is plenty strong enough you don¡¯t have to worry about compensating like this.¡±


    ¡°S- still! I think it is a valuable lesson for me to learn! Thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°Shh~ in case you¡¯ve forgotten, we¡¯re still in detection range of that Orc.¡± Realizing what she had done, she quickly forced her mouth closed with both hands. Now then, increasing its piercing power is good and all but something like this won¡¯t be enough to take down that massive Orc. The dagger still needed to be a little more potent, thus I took the poison powder and carefully applied it onto the blade tip. I did this several more times before I ended up with 10 poison coated daggers though in retrospect that may have been too many. ¡°Shit, I actually can¡¯t carry this many.¡±


    I can¡¯t get Charlotte to carry this because of how hazardous that is. ¡°Why don¡¯t you use a ¡®pouch¡¯?¡± From a nearby tree branch, a familiar call of a snake cries out to us. Turning back was a small bird colored with death and eyes that reflected a raging inferno.


    ¡°W- wha! What¡¯s that?!¡± Charlotte shouted as I quickly smothered her mouth to shut her up before the Orc really catches on.


    ¡°Aegis?¡± I spoke out its name. ¡°I don¡¯t think this small leather bag will help me with carrying all these daggers,¡± I claimed as I tossed out a ragged leather pouch I brought from home.


    ¡°No, no, not that kind of pouch, you silly goose. What I mean is a ¡®dimensional pouch¡¯ that allows you to carry numerous items, kind of like an inventory system you see in those retro RPG games you play so much.¡±


    ¡°How did you know about that?¡± I ignored his explanation about the dimensional pouch and jumped straight onto the part about me enjoying retro RPGs. ¡°Er, no I mean, I don¡¯t have something like a ¡®dimensional pouch¡¯, where the hell would I even get something like that?¡±


    The crow looked at me as if I was retarded, ¡°umm, didn¡¯t you go shopping a few weeks ago? Why didn¡¯t you buy it then?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know they existed¡­¡±


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk~ aren¡¯t you a hopeless case. Whatever, I knew it would turn out like this so I¡¯ll give you this on that I found for free,¡± he shrugged with his wings as though they were hands and dropped a small leathered pouch. ¡°However, do not get into the habit of having me help you.¡±


    This ¡®dimensional pouch¡¯ appeared no more different from an ordinary one aside from the small magic circle and gem attached to the side. Was it really that impressive? I took some of the poison daggers and placed them inside one by one and to my surprise they somehow all slipped right in. There wasn¡¯t even a bulge or anything on the side and the weight hadn¡¯t changed. ¡°Hmm~ interesting. Wait, did you say you found this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, just over this hill, I found it there.¡±


    ¡°What, you mean like it was just lying around for the taking?¡±


    Aegis took his time to answer my questions, ¡°I suppose in a manner of speaking that¡¯s right. What would you say if I found it attached to a corpse?¡±

 Chapter 13: Examination (Sacrifice)

    Fort Geranium


    Thirteenth Chapter: Examination (Sacrifice)


    [Charlotte¡¯s Point of View]


    My name is ¡®Charlotte¡¯, though I¡¯m not sure if I ever had a surname or not. I come from a fringe race known as the ¡®Elves¡¯, but somehow ended up in the land of Humans through a network of slavery. I had been a slave all my life and even my earliest memories were not of my loving parents but as a slave. Thus there¡¯s no point in trying to detail what my life has been like until now, because all I remember are thick metal bars that caged me in like an animal.


    However, that all changed recently; it was when I met the most important person in my life that I was granted freedom. My master¡­ Mistress Mariana von Ulysses, a Human noble and though she¡¯s of a similar age, she is far from what I am. Everything I¡¯m not she is: confident, knowledgeable, wise, strong¡­ she is my savior. No, she¡¯s even more; she may as well be no different to a God.


    She was the person who gave me everything. More than my own parents who gave me life, she was the one who gave me a reason to continue living. If it was for her, then I¡¯d do anything.


    Although I would want nothing more than to serve her to the best of my abilities, every time I ask she chuckles back and strokes my hair. ¡®All you need to do is be yourself and my friend,¡¯ that¡¯s the excuse she uses to avoid my devotion. She is truly unfair; more than those accursed metal cages, she has confined me to her will through words. Yet that¡¯s fine, because I will continue following her even if her path was through hell.


    It may not be tomorrow, or even in ten years but someday¡­ I will repay everything she had given me and more. After that I will truly gain the right to stand next to her as equals, but until that time I will always walk just a few steps behind. It would be impossible for me to do it now¡­ but someday I will grant her wish and become her ¡®friend¡¯.


    My master¡­


    The one that I will devote my entire life¡­


    Mistress Mariana¡­


    ***


    ¡°A corpse in the Dvell Forest?¡± Mistress Mariana mutters from under her breath. ¡°This place isn¡¯t too far from Amberheim so there¡¯s a good chance it¡¯s some adventurer or gatherer from there,¡± she usually makes these intense expressions when she¡¯s lost deep in her thoughts. This time was no different. It was this kind of profoundly contemplative and mature gaze that drew me to her and right now she was trying to work her magic. Yet suddenly she shook her head, ¡°right, we should deal with that Orc first.¡±


    What? She still desires to fight against that monster even after having witnessed its tremendous brute strength?! ¡®I have to stop her!¡¯ I thought to myself. Just its mere stomp alone could destroy a good portion of the ground beneath it yet she didn¡¯t fear it. Was I the weird one? Was it wrong of me to be so afraid of the prospect of having to fight against such a beast? I don¡¯t know, but what I understood was that it¡¯s far too dangerous even for mistress. ¡°A- are you really going to do it, mistress?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm, sorry Charlotte, but we have to in order to progress through the test.¡± The answer she gives me leaves me with a deep uncertainty. ¡®Test¡¯¡­ was it so important that she had to risk her life to accomplish it? I didn¡¯t get it; it would¡¯ve been fine to take it one step at a time, but mistress was always thinking thousands of steps ahead of me. I¡¯m sure whatever it was, there was a good enough reason to see this through.


    Yes, I am afraid. The mere thought of having to confront that brute was frightening enough that my legs would give out. Yet there was something even more horrifying and that was the thought of losing mistress. I¡¯d rather fight against thousands of those monsters than to see even a single scratch on the person who is most important to me. I took a deep breath and replied to her resolve with my own, ¡°I¡­ understand, I¡¯ll help out to the best of my abilities but please¡­ be very careful.¡±


    Mistress was not the kind of person I could hold back no matter how much I protested- the moment I tried would be the moment I lost sight of her. The only path that remained for me was to catch up to her with every fiber of my being. At my answer she gave me a complicated look but nods with the same soft and thankful smile as always. She gently caresses my hair and cheeks. I felt the warmth of her palms slowly transitioning into me, ¡°thanks Charlotte¡­ and sorry.¡±


    Yes, if it was with this person than perhaps fighting against such monsters would be okay.


    ¡°RAWRRGGHH!!¡± a horrifying feral scream interrupted my peaceful moment with mistress. The skies above trembled at such fearsome shouts. The ground beneath us quaked; with every step the monster took it was as though the end of the world was that much closer. More importantly, that quake seemed to get stronger each time. It was almost as though¡­


    ¡°Shit!¡± I wasn¡¯t given enough time to think about what had gone on as mistress pushed me down. With my own two eyes I witnessed the large, sturdy true that offered protection, cleave cleanly in two with just the bare fists of that Orc. Chunks of timber and debris flew off across the forest at high speeds, shredding everything it passed through. My mind froze with terror; just with one attack it was able to cause that much devastation, then what would happen I that kind of attack hit directly?


    ¡°No¡­ you can¡¯t! No! I won¡¯t let you!¡± I couldn¡¯t suppress my fear. The fear of that monster getting within even a kilometer of mistress! Both my mind and body moved through the sheer force of fear. I raised my arms and an intense surge of magical energy flowed through every vein in my body. My breathing became haggard, my vision blurry, with that kind of power I unleashed everything that could be mustered up towards the monster. A barrage of enhanced ¡®fire bolt¡¯ spells was unleashed directly towards the beast¡¯s face.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Yet no matter how many bolts I hurled at the enemy it soon became apparent that I couldn¡¯t even dent this monster with such reckless attacks. My stamina was quickly drained and my arms felt weak but I refused to stop. Until this monster laid charred and dead on the floor, I couldn¡¯t afford to stop!


    Due to the fire, everything had been enveloped in a thick steamy mist. Yet just as I thought everything might be over the howls of a pained monster screeched into my ears, ¡°RAWWRRHH!!¡± When the mist cleared the daunting figure of a behemoth stared down at me with reddened eyes. Arms raised, fists clenched, the air thickened as a pressure unlike anything overwhelmed my senses and functionality of my body. My body refused to move, ¡®ah¡­ I¡¯m too scared to move,¡¯ I concluded as I hopelessly stared up to the titanic fists that were about to squash me like a bug.


    Time ground to a slow. Those monstrous fists slammed down with such speed and intensity it glowed with flames created by sheer friction.


    ¡°Move!¡± at the moment I was about to be swatted like a fly I was tackled backwards by mistress. For a split second as she pushed me away I thought I saw mistress pull out one of her ice daggers from her pouch. The both of us barely evaded the giant¡¯s swing, but it was far from over. The instant that steel-like fist collided with the floor everything went dark. Sand, trees, dirt, rocks and boulders, even the ground itself was flipped over by such a powerful slam. It was a shock-wave so intense that it flung us several hundred meters away from our original location.


    Seconds¡­ minutes¡­ or even hours, I wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed in between that attack and when I regained my consciousness. When I opened my eyes I was met with the fragile silhouette of my master watching gently over me. She gave me a soft but pained smile, ¡°ah, Charlotte¡­ are you awake? Thank god you¡¯re okay¡­¡± she let out horrible coughs between each word as a thin red line of blood trickled from her mouth.


    ¡°M- mistress?! What-¡± as I was about to call out to her she covered my hands with her left hand.


    ¡°Shh¡­ it¡¯s not over yet, that monster is still here. Can¡¯t you¡­ feel its footsteps?¡± I listened in closer and she was right. It was faint but I could feel the tremors echoing across the floor. However, the Orc wasn¡¯t the main issue, mistress! What¡¯s happening?! Due to the piles of rock and debris I wasn¡¯t able to properly survey either of our conditions.


    ¡°Mistress¡­?¡± concerned by her odd expression and actions I reached out to her but at the lightest of touch to her face she grimaced. More blood trickled out of her mouth, dropping past my face. ¡°Mi¡­!¡± she applied more pressure to her hand to cover my mouth and shook her head, ¡®don¡¯t say anything¡¯ she whispered. At her command I waited with bated breaths and forced myself to become a statue. The tremors continued to echo through with no signs of the monster leaving soon. ¡®Dammit! When will that brute leave us?!¡¯ I screamed in my mind.


    In this frigid darkness there was something else. The area around my stomach had somehow become damp. As I investigated this matter, horrible results yielded as something caught my attention quickly that was¡­ ¡°Blood?!¡± I unconsciously yelled out. The furious stomps outside ceased, ¡®crap, the Orc!¡¯ it must¡¯ve noticed us.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ Charlotte, just¡­ stay quiet for a second¡­¡± she whispered but from the way her arms trembled it was clear that she was rapidly losing her stamina. I held closely onto my mouth as I suppressed my coarse breathing. Fear seeped into my very soul not towards that Orc, it was at the blood. They were not my own, I had no wounds or injuries upon my stomach which could only mean one thing¡­ Oh no¡­


    Due to the poor lighting it was a little hard to see but with concentration I could pierce through the veil of darkness and see the truth. As the puzzle clicked together, I had almost wished this was all just a bad nightmare. My fear morphed into something more: ¡®despair¡¯. Protruding outwards from mistress¡¯ stomach was at think piece of rubble. It penetrated through her back and out the outside as was wrapped elegantly by an oozing crimson.


    She must¡¯ve found out that I knew because she gently patted my head with a smile. There were probably words she wanted to say but her voice didn¡¯t leave her. Powerless, hopeless and useless; all I could do was weep for my master who continued to comfort me even as she was about to die.


    My master¡­ however can I ever repay you for such kindness¡­?


    Time was up. My thoughts cut short with the debris that weighed us down being thrust away so suddenly. Bright daylight flooded in but that was the light of evil looming over us in the form of a gigantic monster. The Orc; this was the first time I beheld its ugly detail. Its massive frame made even the knights under Lord Ulysses look like mere rag dolls, the way those bulging puke colored skin reflected light was disgusting yet seemed sturdier than steel. Ragged clothing made only of old cloth attached to rudimentary pieces of scrap metal to create the illusion of armor. The Orc smirked maliciously with sadistic flare. ¡°Mistress!¡± I called out now we had already been found out.


    Cold sweat running down her face, her complexion turned pale, she laid to my side with a thin piece of stone lodge through her abdomen. I crawled over to her and embraced her. Nothing¡­ there was absolutely nothing more I could do for her than this! I am so useless! I held on tightly and shut my eyes.


    Yet even as our situation devolved into exceeding hopelessness, she never let go of that smile she showed me. She returned my embrace and spoke into my ear, ¡°it¡¯s okay¡­ Charlotte, it¡¯s all¡­ over.¡±


    ¡°What do you¡­?¡± when I turned to ask the Orc suddenly fell to its knees. A massive quake ensued as its gigantic frame fell face first onto the dirt.


    ¡°ARRRRGHHHH!!¡± it shouted in deep, excruciating pain. As though it was being torn limb from limb it clenched tightly onto its chest while it continued its horrid screech. It stood up in defiance but only for a brief few seconds as it fell back down struggling with itself. It vomited out whatever contents were in its stomach and finally blood. There was no more gory or horrendous scene such as this and I had doubts I would ever see something worse.


    ¡°W- what¡­?¡± mistress took my head and brought it closer to her chest.


    ¡°Shh¡­ children need not watch such things¡­ cover your ears Charlotte.¡± In this embrace filled with the scent of my master and blood I clutched tightly and waited for everything to be over. I felt all of my power drain away¡­


    It had been too long of a day and I didn¡¯t know what would happen. There was a lingering doubt in my mind as to whether I really wanted to wake up after I fell asleep. Would my master still be there?


    Would she still be alive¡­?


    I don¡¯t know but my vision dulled to a closing darkness¡­


    I don¡¯t know¡­

 Chapter 14: Examination (Demise)

    Fort Geranium


    Fourteenth Chapter: Examination (Demise)


    [Sigmund Von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    ¡°Haa¡­¡± I sighed as I glanced at the mountain of paperwork that rested beside me. It could just be my imagination playing a trick on me but I¡¯m almost certain that these papers duplicate themselves whenever my back is turned. It is really suspicious that no matter how many of these I read and sign over they refuse to diminish.


    ¡°Admiral, if you¡¯re feeling fatigued to the point you¡¯d contemplate whether those papers are playing a trick on you, then perhaps it is time for a short respite?¡± suggests a voice that enters my study without even a proper knock. The thought the blood of ancient human royalty flowed through his veins with such atrocious social etiquette like that was a joke. A man that¡¯s my age yet looks as though he is half that, ¡®Atlas de Odysseus¡¯.


    Let me correct myself; ¡®Vice-Admiral Atlas de Odysseus¡¯, he is a man who wears both his elegance and status upon his neatly ironed military uniform. One glance to his side and anyone would easily point him out as a member of some high ranking nobility. Though unfortunate for him, nowadays our race has been so reduced that my family is the only officially recognized human nobility.


    His hair alone resembles an aureate crown though its length and impossible smoothness resembles not that of a hardened field warrior but of a frail maiden. Sometimes it makes me a little sick just looking it but I cannot deny that it suits his rather effeminate features. His clear blue eyes smile at me sarcastically as I retreat in disgust but he steps forward. Sometimes I forget; is he supposed to be my lieutenant or my maid? He comes in and simultaneously both as greetings and to set down the tray with my tea. ¡°Even if you stare that intently, I¡¯m afraid to say my sexual orientations will not change. Though I do appreciate the sentiments, Admiral.¡±


    ¡°Tch, are an idiot or are you an idiot?¡± I try to shoo him away with my hand gestures so I could refocus my attentions back onto my administrative duties as the Realm Lord. Though, I must admit that this was a good chance to jab back at this moron. ¡°Besides, I prefer a prettier woman.¡±


    He chuckles at my response, ¡°I assure you that there is no one prettier.¡± He really doesn¡¯t know when to give up.


    ¡°Ho~ Really? I could think of one off the top of my head right now,¡± I retaliated, but he had already seen through that one.


    ¡°While I do agree Mariana is cute even amongst flowers, it¡¯d be against the rules for you to choose her.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ enough, I have important work to do.¡± Yet as I sat back down to continue on with my given tasks I was interrupted by another sound. One more distant and familiar; it was the kind of sound that I had been surrounded by for almost all my adult life- the sound of an airship. ¡°Did we have a guest scheduled today?¡± I asked Atlas, however he shook his head with an equally perplexed look.


    ¡°No, I believe nothing has been arranged for today,¡± he tells me as he walks towards the window for visual confirmation. ¡°I cannot see clearly from this angle but from the size of that ship I can only surmise it is some kind of emissary from the Empire. Perhaps it is wise to set out a reception before they arrive?¡±


    As our realm is at the boot-heel of the Scarletheim Empire we are forced to accept them. Even unarranged visitations like this must be met with the utmost welcome and preparation. ¡°They¡¯re such a headache.¡± I lightly tap across the surface of my wooden table twice to call for one of the nearby servants.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve called Lord Ulysses?¡± the one who entered was Carol, the head maid of this entire estate.


    ¡°We¡¯ve some troublesome guests, prepare for a reception.¡±


    She gives a swift nod, ¡°I understand,¡± and leaves just as quickly as she entered.


    With the tension of the oncoming vessel becoming greater I found myself unable to continue on with my duties and thus gave up on completing them for the day. ¡°Sigmund, you¡¯re probably not going to like who¡¯s arriving.¡± Atlas calls out whilst dropping all forms of formality. This man had been a friend since childhood so most of the formalities he shows me are only done in ironic jest or if we¡¯re in a proper situation such as in front of our men. That he dropped his sarcastic behavior now meant that there really was a situation in which I wouldn¡¯t be too pleased about.


    I took his advice and glanced out the window now that the approaching vessel was more visible. ¡°Ugh¡­ that¡¯s,¡± cold sweat ran down my back as I recognized the insignia carved onto the side of that ominous black and red vessel. They were the Scarletheim Empire¡¯s most elite and highest ranking military faction, with equal sway in government and commerce; it would not have been an exaggeration to call them the true leaders, ¡°the Crimson Chivalric Order¡­¡±


    ¡°What shall we do?¡± Atlas asks but if they¡¯re here, then we¡¯ve no choice but to show them utter compliance.


    ¡°We¡¯ll receive them.¡±


    ***


    The thick tension congealed at the back of my throat as I waited with bated breaths. Their gargantuan vessel floated above our estate noisily as they lorded over us both figuratively and literally. There had existed a dedicated airship dock located further ahead from the estate at Amberheim, but our most honored guests didn¡¯t wish to walk that far. One side of that massive carrier opened to eject a smaller, more suitable vessel to contact us.


    Behind me were rows of servants and knights under my command, all bowed and ready to receive our uninvited guests. I didn¡¯t have to look but to understand what kind of emotions and thoughts were going through their head right now. Next to me, Atlas stood tall with an unnerved but stoic expression. Though I wore my greatest poker-face, I couldn¡¯t rid myself of this subtle fear trembling at the depths of my heart. ¡®Why where they here?¡¯ the purpose of their visitation was a mystery but as the leader to this realm it was my solemn duty to never show even a hint of weakness.


    The small transport ship landed carelessly onto our backyard with little regard for what may have been there. My daughter had planted many of her favorite flowers in that garden but they most likely perished just now. The heat of exhaust blew past my face but I stood still and waited for the emissaries to show themselves.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Knights adorned in more prestigious armor than what my entire estate could afford exited. There were about eight all of them hailing from the sacred ¡®Crimson Dragon¡¯ clan. They were an ancient and extraordinarily powerful clan of ascended dragons that had mastered both humanoid and dragon forms. I¡¯ve heard many stories of their exploits, though I am not sure how true their legends extend. On one account, it was said in the past just a single one of them had conquered an entire foreign nation. Other tales are of how they¡¯re the closest existence to being called ¡®gods¡¯.


    Yet eight of them stepped forward onto my backyard, ¡®just what kind of situation has arisen?¡¯ One wrong move and it is very possible that not only just my estate but the entirety of Amberheim would be wiped off the face of the map. ¡°Is this all for the reception? I¡¯m honestly disappointed,¡± echoed a most immature and arrogant voice. It was the voice of a young girl but no mere girl would be the leading such a strong military force.


    A young girl that seemed no older than my seven-year-old daughter stepped off the ship. Her hair blood crimson, eyes of precious gold, yet her skin was the color of cold steel and her teeth were razors harp. She had the look of a beast ready to destroy anything that would displease her even in the slightest. The way she moved was otherworldly; levitating through the air as her hair floated about defying gravity. She exuded such a powerful and oppressive aura that even I had trouble to withstand. Instead of any military uniform, she wore a simple white one-piece, though I wondered if that was due to her preferences or if it was because she didn¡¯t want constricting clothes to impede her powerful magic.


    Non-human and though I couldn¡¯t be sure, I had some semblance as to what race she belonged to. Scarletheim was home to various demonic races but there was an exceptionally rare and powerful one. I¡¯ve heard tales that long ago about the ancient fairy race that had split into two. The first were the ¡®Nature Fairies¡¯, a kind and docile race that not much is known about outside the fact they usually steer clear of other races. The second type were the ¡®Blood Fairies¡¯, a near villainous, more ruthless and cold race that tore asunder the lands with their unmatched magical prowess.


    ¡®If I had to hazard a guess¡­¡¯ Atlas and I immediately knelt down to the floor to receive this small girl¡¯s intrusion. ¡°Most honored members of the Crimson Chivalric Order, we welcome you to our humble estate.¡± My head was lowered but I could still tell that she let out the most chilling smile.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be temporarily taking over this estate for the time being. You trash need only to continue groveling on the floor like that.¡±


    ***


    [Mariana Von Ulysses¡¯s Point of View]


    ¡°Ugh¡­ heh¡­ hehehe¡­¡± though rife with the taste of rusted metal, my mouth had been stuck into a perpetual smile. My blood-tinted vision blurred as even the simple act of breathing became a challenge. My entire body was suppressed; as though being crushed under a truck, my limbs refused to move as I commanded them. An indescribable surge of pain coursed through every fiber of my being before they collided into a brilliant whirlpool of torture at my center- my abdomen.


    Yet even then, as I lay dying with a hole punctured through my upper torso, the smug, satisfied smile upon my face did not diminish. ¡°Ah¡­ hahaha¡­ ugh¡­ I killed it,¡± yes, it was all me. I was the one who had felled that monstrous Orc; even if it was only a minute portion of a much greater whole, I had still proven to this world I could overcome it. It was a complicated emotion that nested within me, but that doesn¡¯t matter anymore as soon I¡¯ll be gone.


    The interconnectedness of the human body was made very apparent. Therein lied the problem, ¡°shit¡­ ugh!¡± be it my arms, legs or neck, no matter which part I wanted to move they needed to pass through my abdomen. That had been the problem; a thin piece of rubble pierced through my person from the back. Thus a dilemma: the rubble also acted as a plug and prevented too much blood loss but without removing it I would soon be doomed.


    No strength left in my body to move. Slowly, both blood and life rapidly drain away from my grasp. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± coughs of blood interrupted every few breaths I took.


    ¡°Hey Mariana, if you don¡¯t do something soon you¡¯ll really die, you know?¡± a familiar voice flew over and whispered into my ears. ¡®I¡¯ll die?¡¯ the notion of mortality seemed surreal- as if it were a joke. I was a being that had already experienced death once, so the thought of dying a second time didn¡¯t scare me as much. Instead, I felt only a little dissatisfied with the turn of events, ¡®this is how I die¡­¡¯ that was the extent of it.


    Dissatisfied that I wouldn¡¯t be able to experience any more of this coveted ¡®fantasy¡¯ life and that I¡¯ll never truly know those I¡¯ve come to love. Yet most of all, it was a pity I wouldn¡¯t see how this child grew. Perhaps it was some innate maternal instincts that never kicked in during my previous life but towards this child¡­ towards Charlotte, I wanted to see.


    ¡®Ah, she¡¯s waking up,¡¯ I thought to myself as I felt her body move from within my embrace. ¡®That¡¯s good,¡¯ I was relieved that I get to at least say my goodbyes to her.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ mm, huh?¡± confused and still half-asleep she slowly peeled her eyes back open. With those small hands of hers she rubbed her eyes to clear the fatigue as she tried to readjust her memories of recent history. It took a few seconds but the moment she remembered what had happened she called out my name first, ¡°Mistress Mariana!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte¡­ thank god you¡¯re okay¡­¡±


    ¡°M- mistress? W- wait, please let me try to heal you!¡± she closed her eyes to concentrate. Upon the palm of her small hands amassed a formless ball of black mana. This technique was known as [Heal], a rank 1 [Void] type magic spell. She navigated the ball towards my most damaged area, my abdomen and tried to apply the spell but after a few seconds the spell dissipated with no real change to my condition. ¡°No¡­ no! I- I¡¯ll try again, please stay with me!¡±


    She continued several more times, each time more desperate than the last. Even through my failing vision I could tell from the sporadic of her [heal] spell she wasn¡¯t concentrating enough- she couldn¡¯t. ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­ Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she shouted as she shook her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t say that! Let me¡­ just give me a bit more time!¡± she continued on, but I knew best, because it was my own body. No matter how many times she tries it would never work. Perhaps it slowed down my eventual demise, so that¡¯s something at least.


    ¡°Listen Charlotte¡­¡±


    ¡°M- mistress?¡±


    ¡°You have to¡­ grow up strong okay?¡± I wanted to reach out to her and pat her on the head but I couldn¡¯t even muster up enough strength to do that. Words will have to suffice.


    ¡°No! Please!¡±


    ¡°Listen to all the other maids too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± she shook her head furiously as she grabbed onto my clothes.


    ¡°I know he¡¯s¡­ a little scary but my father¡­ he¡¯s a good man so he will¡­ surely help you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± she buried her face into my chest in tears. The quiet trembling in her hands told me everything I wanted to know, her feelings for me and how much she cared. I was truly honored to have been the starting point for a potential future legend.


    ¡°Remember always¡­ to be kind, okay?¡± how strange it was that even as I stood knocking at death¡¯s door for a second time I didn¡¯t feel scared.


    ¡°Mistress¡­ please don¡¯t leave me¡­ I beg of you¡­!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine¡­ I know you will, because¡­ you¡¯re the one I chose¡­¡± air no longer entered my lungs as efficiently as it did before. I coughed up more and more blood with each passing second. My eyelids felt heavy¡­ ¡®I guess it¡¯s about time,¡¯ I told myself with a dry laugh.


    From where I was I could see Aegis staring down at me. ¡®I guess I should also apologize to him for being unable to entertain him anymore.¡¯ While short, this second life of mine was an enjoyable ride. ¡°Sorry¡­ Charlotte¡­¡±


    ¡°Mistress? Mistress?! No, please wake up! You can¡¯t leave me like this! Please! Please¡­!¡±


    As though I were hurled into a deep black see I sank.


    Slowly, back to the place in which everything started¡­ I would return¡­


    Back to that all too familiar abyss.