Nacht

This is a reminder that this is a mature work, and will be the first and last warning of the fact that this title will contain many uncomfortable elements. I won't repeat this and won't include trigger warnings in future chapters, except for sexually explicit chapters marked with (18+).

Mentions of suicide, graphic depictions of war, racism, PTSD, homophobia and its cousins, will more than likely appear in the series.

This is a fantasy. But more than fantasy, it is a life story surrounding Inés and its characters.

It had been two years now since the kingdom of Lurz had turned a tributary state of the Empire. Lurz was a rich kingdom by all rights, but war was still expensive.

The loss of men, the loss women, children and capital. War, even if persevered, could cripple a wealthy country. And the Empire could wage a war for hundreds of years straight; Lurz was not capable of that.

‘Better save what we have, and maybe, one day, be free.’ Such were thoughts of the ruling.

“Puff-puff… Haaah. Hm.” Carlos de Espin lit his cigar, trying to savor the taste before letting the breeze carry away the smoke as he stood in his study.

“Tell me, how is Inés ?” His daughter had long been a problem to the house. But, he couldn’t afford her dying.

Not because Inés was precious, but because she was “precious”. There was no love in his heart for a child who led to the death of his wife.

“Señor Carlos. It would appear Señorita Inés suffers a terrible case of amnesia. She knows not who she is, nor does she know how to speak our language.” The doctor spoke to the man who had his back turned still.

“Such a thing exists ? I thought she just lost her mind again, given how much she was crying upon seeing my face. The stupid thing.”

✧ ✧ ✧

Inés de Espin. An unfortunate child born with a weak body; but most of all, completely stripped of any mana. A faulty child that even lowest of dirty peasants did not birth often.

Mana. The world’s blessing. Every creature had it. Yet, humans would sometimes birth a child that carried not a single trace of it. A poor, cursed little thing.

Yet… they had their uses. Having no mana meant that their bodies held absolutely no resistance to it.
The boons of magic they received were vastly amplified, just as much as it made them significantly more susceptible to the dangers it brought; they, were frail. Much more frail than a newborn fawn, easily prone to breaking if they weren’t careful.

Theoretically, if raised well, they could grow into great combatants. Of course there were attempts, of course there were. Attempts that only ended with them dying on the field every time, that is.

And now… the majority of the world agreed for them to be little more than tools. They made for wonderful specimen for experiments. But this was a waste for the people in power.

The only reason that they could still be considered humans was that a person born without mana, would surely birth a child that inherited everything of the partner with mana coursing through them. They guaranteed a heir with no defects, an heir that took all of their talents.

There was not a single powerful household or organization that did not want one of these.
A person that held no mana was an immensely powerful tool, and an especially valuable bargaining tool if they had blue blood flowing through their veins.

For a common person it was an opportunity. An opportunity regardless of gender that they could say goodbye to the poverty and be well taken care of in the hands of a noble. A decision that was much smarter than being potentially kidnapped and experimented upon and put to nefarious uses.

But for a mana-less with blue blood… it was a little different. They were akin to cattle. They were allowed no freedom, raised to absolute perfection for their arranged partner.

One could argue that there was almost no difference for a noble born. But for a noble, pride in their name was always of the paramount regardless of culture.
And they, they were rarely allowed pride.

On the outside they may appear just fine, but often-times, they were dying inside. A walking accessory, an existence whose only purpose was to birth and sire a healthy child; an existence that was rarely loved by their family.

Even if they had talents, not many would sincerely praise them for it. Even cripples were treated as more human than them.

✧ ✧ ✧

“Don’t tell me that she turned into a child as a whole. What would the Empire think of me ?” Carlos, once again, had anger in his eyes.

No consideration for his daughter; no respect for the wishes of his deceased wife. The only concern he seemed to have was if she was still fit as a tool.

“No, Señor. Señora Inés still retained her intelligence, showing behavior fitting her age. If there was any significant change, it would be that she no longer fears eye contact.” The doctor replied.

“Hah. At least something good came out of her pathetic attempt at killing herself.”
““…””

No one in the room said anything to Carlos who seemed to not care about his daughter in the slightest.

“Benez, make sure she doesn’t have a chance at killing herself again. Cana, you will be tasked with teaching that stupid child to read, write, and speak. Again. Including Imperial, of course. And tell the maids to feed her even if they have force it down her throat. This is the absolute minimum so that the house de Espin don’t look like absolute idiots.”
“”Yes, Señor.””

“Sigh… The day that I’m rid of that accursed thing, is the day when I will be free. Maybe I should be thanking the Empire instead huh ? Huff—“ Expectations and the image of a future without his useless daughter seemed to make the cigar only that much sweeter for Carlos.

*click*

*tap-tap-tap* in a room where no one but Carlos held authority, walked in a man in crutches.

“Father.”
“Ah, if it isn’t my beloved son ! Soon, you’ll get your leg back. Isn’t that just wonderful ?”
“Father !!”

Léon de Espin, the eldest and most talented of Carlos’ children. In the relatively short war against the Empire, he had lost one of his legs entirely and lost a foot on the other.
He was eager to win, bring back enough glory to have a voice that mattered in the Espin household.
And in his haste, he paid the price. The only saving grace was that the company he was in command of was relatively intact at the end of it all.

The reason why he was that eager to the point of becoming a cripple, was to save Inés from her fate. At the very least, he wanted to find her a partner that would treasure her.
Being one of the only two people that loved Inés in this wretched house, León had always put more responsibility on himself than he could handle all at once.

He hated his father, but didn’t have it in him to overthrow the head.

“Don’t you know ? They treat creatures like her pretty well in the Empire, isn’t that wonderful ? I don’t see why you should worry, I truly don't.”
“…”

León had nothing to say. Nothing would come through this man who blamed everything that went wrong since Léon’s mother’s death onto his little sister, Inés.

*thump-thump-thump* In frustration, he stormed off.

*bang* the door nearly falling off its hinges after Léon slammed it shut.

“Grow up, my stupid son. Huff…”

The expression that donned Carlos’ face was emotionless and indifferent, as if all his stress and sarcasm was a lie, now only calmly puffing the cigar; staring off into the garden below.

The verdant garden was empty, its flowers pruned. It was the color belonging to Inés and his deceased wife.