Chapter 8 - A Reason to Fight

  This girl… Does she greet everyone with questions like these?

  “Yes, it’s just me. I’m sorry about coming in here uninvited, but I didn’t think I’d get in the normal way. And I’ll be leaving—”

  Before he could finish, Felicia collapsed right next to him on the couch, face first. The sudden movement made his heart skip, thinking she had fainted. But then she sighed heavily, a sound so loaded with exhaustion and despair that it made his chest tighten.

  Daniel was surprised by how close she got to him. The distance between them couldn't have been more than a few inches, close enough that he could smell the faint lavender scent of whatever soap they used in noble households.

  But she might not be in a state to consider such things right now.

  “...Are you okay?”

  "Not even a little bit." Her voice was thick with emotion, barely audible against the fabric. "Can you not see my face?"

  “No, I left it dark for… some reason.”

  The truth was… embarrassing. He had wanted to surprise her a little bit, had hoped it would be like one of those dramatic scenes where someone hides in the darkness and reveals themselves at the perfect moment.

  She’s blind, idiot.

  Daniel quietly controlled his mana, letting it seep out in tendrils to paint the room in his mind's eye. Carefully this time, keeping the output minimal so he wouldn't be detected or cause another earthquake.

  Felicia looked awful. Her shoulders were shaking with silent sobs, and golden strands of hair clung to her damp face.

  Poor girl…

  An urge to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder spread through him, but he hesitated. They were strangers, in the end.

  Felicia turned her head just enough that her voice wouldn't be completely muffled by the cushions. “My family hates me, and I’m… getting sent away to be married to someone I don’t know.”

  “At your age?”

  She nodded silently, then pushed herself up slightly, using the back of her hand to wipe at her nose. "I'll be used as a pawn. Just like my mom was."

  Ahh, fuck.

  He'd written about such things as part of his worldbuilding, but seeing the reality of it made bile rise in his throat.

  “...Why would they do that?”

  "Because they hate me." Her voice cracked on the words. "My mother was from a prominent family, so my siblings always feared I would take the position of family head in the future. And even now that she’s gone, and I’m…”

  She gestured vaguely at her own face, at her useless eyes. The movement was bitter, self-deprecating, full of the kind of self-loathing that came from years of being told you were worthless.

  A different mother than her siblings, and one that's no longer alive… She’s had it tough.

  The political implications formed in his mind. A half-sister with a claim to leadership, born to a powerful bloodline, now conveniently disabled and isolated.

  “They bully you? Even though you’re blind?”

  Felicia's laugh was bitter. "They spill boiling tea on me, they 'accidentally' hand me scorching metal to show off their magic, they stab my teddy bear and leave the knife in, hoping for me to hurt myself… And that all happened today."

  “Jesus…”

  What a rotten family.

  “What?”

  “Oh, it’s… an expression of shock or outrage, I guess. From Velomaris.”

  “Right…”

  She shuffled around on the couch, lying on her back and facing the ceiling. Her face was still streaked with tears, but there was something resolute in her expression now, like she'd made a decision. “Well, as long as you’re willing to teach me how to see through magic… At least I’ll have that.”

  The quiet hope in her voice nearly broke his heart. She was clinging to magic sight like a lifeline, the one thing that might give her some measure of independence. It made him feel awful for using it as a bargaining chip.

  “Yes, that’s why I’m here. But…” Daniel leaned over her in the darkness, studying her face with his magical sight.

  "You promised to teach me," she said sharply, taking his pause as hesitation. The fear in her voice was palpable—fear that he would abandon her like everyone else had.

  “Yes, I will, absolutely,” Daniel replied quickly, trying to inject as much reassurance as possible into his tone. But there was a question he needed answered first. Something in his memories stirred when looking closely at her face.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Which family was your mother from?”

  “...Her name was Sylvia Grifantes. They are descendants of Artorias’ sister.”

  Ah.

  That… was exactly what he needed to hear.

  You hear that, Artorias? Your sister likely lived a good life. With descendants still alive today. A powerful family, even.

  Daniel felt warmth spreading from his heart, a sensation that seemed to originate from somewhere deeper than his own emotions. At this point, it was hard to tell who it came from.

  The guilt that had been eating at him since experiencing Artorias' memories eased lightly. His sister had survived, had lived, had loved, had built a family that endured for a thousand years. The tragic ending he'd written for his novel hadn't been the whole story.

  So it was blood that awakened us. Our own blood, infused with mana.

  It still wasn’t clear why Daniel had been brought here from Earth, but at least this seemed to solve the mystery of why the seal broke in the first place.

  The protective instinct that had been simmering beneath the surface roared to life, washing away every doubt and hesitation he'd been carrying.

  Felicia was family. It made the choice easy.

  “Ouch,” Daniel said, putting a hand on his chest and leaning forward with an exaggerated wince.

  “What’s wrong?” Felicia's voice sharpened with alarm as her head turned toward him.

  He couldn’t quite stop himself from smiling. “No, it’s just… your magic seems to have hurt me, after all. Must be a delayed effect.”

  Silence stretched between them.

  He could almost hear their conversation from the previous day playing back in her mind:

  “...What if you get hurt?”

  “If I do, I’ll make you the greatest mage that ever lived.”

  Then came the gasp—a sharp intake of breath filled with desperate hope and dreams.

  “Does that mean…?”

  The question hung in the air like a prayer. Daniel let the moment stretch, savoring the anticipation in her voice.

  “Felicia Harrowbloom… Will you be my apprentice?”

  Silence.

  "...Yes!" The word burst out of her “Absolutely!"

  Her whole posture changed—shoulders straightening, chin lifting with the first real hope he'd seen from her. The defeated girl who'd collapsed into the couch was gone, replaced by someone ready to fight for her future.

  “Are you sure? It likely won’t be a calm and peaceful life, at least for a while.”

  The warning was necessary—he had no idea what challenges lay ahead or what enemies they might face. But even as he said it, he knew her answer.

  “I’m sure!”

  It was hard to tell if her excitement came from the apprenticeship itself, or if it was just a convenient way to escape her current situation, but she definitely was excited. Not that it mattered. Whatever her motivations, he was committed now.

  His smile widened, feeling more genuine than any expression he'd worn since arriving in this world. "Then let's have a fruitful apprenticeship. You can address me as Uncle."

  “Uncle? Why?”

  “I just don’t like being called Master or Teacher. Uncle will do nicely.”

  Technically, great-great-great-grand-uncle thirty times over, but uncle will do. For now.

  “Uncle it is, then,” she replied with an amused expression. But then reality seemed to crash back down on her. Her face fell, and she sank back into the cushions. "But… I will still have to leave for the Caldimore family."

  The despair in her voice made his jaw clench.

  Not if I have anything to say about it.

  "Nah."

  The casual dismissal seemed to surprise her. "...Are you planning to sneak me away from here?"

  "No, not doing that either."

  "But, Daniel!" The fear of losing her one chance at freedom bled through her words. "My grandmother won’t just let me leave, especially after having arranged a betrothal already!"

  Her eyes opened as she pleaded with him, revealing what he'd only glimpsed before. Sapphire blue irises, each split by a vertical slit, glimmered in the dark.

  Daniel froze.

  Those scars… those weren’t natural.

  He'd assumed her blindness was from the accident she'd described, some tragic but random event. But those perfect vertical lines, those were the work of human hands.

  Don’t tell me this family even blinded her on purpose. Don’t tell me that.

  An anger unlike anything he had felt in a long time spread through his chest, hot and violent and barely contained. But he stayed calm.

  “Tell me, Felicia; how did you lose your vision?”

  "...Why now?" She looked confused, then covered her eyes with her palm, instinctively hiding what she probably thought of as her greatest shame. "Did you see them?"

  “I just need to know something.”

  “Well, it was… I was seven years old, flying in an airship with my mother. We were headed to her family for a trip together, but then the airship malfunctioned after take-off. I remember my mom holding me to her chest, and then… That was the last thing I saw.”

  She removed her palm from her eyes, drying a tear in the same motion.

  “You were in a hospital?”

  “Yes, for a week or so before waking up.”

  “...Did anyone visit you?”

  “Well, of course. Everyone in my family, I think.”

  Too suspicious. Way too suspicious.

  A mother from a powerful family, a daughter with a potential claim to leadership, both eliminated in one ‘accident.’ Except the daughter had survived, so someone had made sure she'd never be a threat again.

  “Right... I’m going to talk to your grandmother for a bit.”

  The words came out harder than he'd intended, but he was past caring about subtlety. Someone was going to answer for what had been done to this child.

  “What?! She’s an archmage!”

  Daniel rose from his seat, ignoring the warning. Right now, he didn’t care about the consequences, low profile be damned.

  “You stay here, alright?”

  "No, Daniel!" She reached out blindly, her hand closing around his sleeve with desperate strength. The panic in her voice cut straight through his resolve. "Please!"

  He covered her hand with his own, giving it a small squeeze. "Have some faith in your uncle, alright?"

  “I can’t lose you! Not after all this!”

  The broken desperation in those words nearly undid him. How many people had she lost? How many had abandoned her or been taken away?

  Daniel sighed, then knelt down in front of her, taking her hand in both of his. “For the sake of my apprentice, I would fight the queen herself. And I would win.”

  Let the grandmother try to stop him. Let the whole family try.