I regained my consciousness to find myself as Lucille. Going by my height, I must have been around Teival’s age, or perhaps younger due to him being small for his age. Around me, I could see a paved and vast courtyard surrounded by ornately carved blue stone walls and pillars embedded with a silver metallic substance. As much as my perspective allowed me, the carvings depicted the flowers of the Lunafluer Clan attached to a long and winding silvery vine that wrapped itself around each pillar.

 

In front of me was my Pyro Bear companion – Bastien – reaching to about my thigh. The blue crystal on his forehead was small but shiny, and it caused great happiness whenever it reflected the glow of the light crystals on the walls. It seemed that we were training, as Bastien was currently playing with a ball of blue fire he’d spewed out of his maw.

 

“Try throwing it at the target, Bastien!”

 

Bastien went on his already strong hind legs and threw the ball of blue fire at a clear crystalline board with what appeared to be concentric rings carved in. I watched as the blue fireball hit one of the inner rings, but not the middle spot. Clapping my small hands, I jumped up and down in glee over my crystal beast hitting the target.

 

“Well done, Bastien! You are such a good boy! Raoul will be so happy when he hears how you’re doing!”

 

“Oh? I will be what now, Young Miss?”

 

I turned my head to see Raoul entering the courtyard with a teenage boy behind him.

 

“Raoul!” I rushed over and tackle-hugged him while Bastien bounded over and bumped into his leg.

 

“Ahaha, still as energetic as always, Young Miss. I see you’ve been training with Bastien, how is it going?”

 

“Bastien managed to make a ball this big just now! He even hit the target three times in a row!”

 

“That’s nice to hear.”

 

“By the way, Raoul…who is he?” I peered around the man’s arm to spy on the seemingly sixteen-year old boy pouting and glaring at me. He somewhat made me feel uncomfortable, so I parted from Raoul and tilted my head in curiosity. Watching the man, he turned around and walked behind the teenager before placing his steady hands on his shoulders.

 

“This is Victor. Since you are going to be undergoing more tutelage with the Head Herbalist, I thought it necessary to provide you with a more suitable escort, Young Miss. Not only is he a talented young man, but he-”

 

Before Raoul could go on, Victor had pushed the man’s hands off him as he made his way to a weapon rack a few metres away. Observing his actions, he scoured through the weapons before picking up a red crystal sword.

 

“Victor! What are you doing?! Do not walk away when in the Young Miss’s presence and take hold of a weapon!”

 

My heart pounded as I saw the teenager glare at Raoul before staring at me with a blank face, “I refuse to be the escort of someone who cannot fend for themselves. I am not some babysitter!”

 

Feeling rage over being accused of ineptitude, I retaliated: “How dare you say such things?! Well, it just so happens I do not need an escort! Bastien! Attack him and show him his place!”

 

“I don’t even need my crystal beasts to take you both on…” I heard him respond in boredom.

 

As Bastien charged towards the ruffian, I watched as Victor assumed a nonchalant stance while singing an exceptionally discordant tune. Upon concluding his ear-splitting etude, his whole body was enveloped within a red aura just as my dear, sweet Bastien pounced with a blue fireball in his mouth!

 

“Get him, Bastien!” I cheered while standing in place a few metres away.

 

Unfortunately, I became the witness to the most unforgiveable crime of my crystal beast getting punched in the face with tremendous force. I must admit, my eyes somewhat rolled in their sockets as the somersaulting figure of Bastien ricocheted off Victor’s fist and hit a pillar.

 

“Ah! Bastien! You hurt him! How dare you?! What are you doing? Stay back! Stay back, I say!”

 

Victor stalked towards me with the red crystal sword in hand. I subconsciously backed away until my route of retreat was halted by a pillar behind me. I watched as he raised the sword swiftly and brought it to my throat, before pushing his body against mine to hinder my movement. Panic filled my body as I felt the gaze of a predator cornering his prey.

 

“B-B-Bastien! Help me!”

 

A fair distance across the courtyard, I saw the crumpled form of my crystal beast as he produced a weak sound before attempting to stand up but failing. I felt Victor’s cold sky-blue eyes on me, thus involuntarily staring into them. I saw my frightened self reflected in those icy eyes as the teenager’s looming presence grew larger with every passing second.

 

“You are weak. You can only rely on others as you are right now.”

 

I was released from my captivity as Victor lowered the sword and took a step away. I crumpled to the ground as my legs had at some point lost their strength. However, before touching the hard stone, steady hands caught me and picked me up. It was Raoul. After examining my body for any injuries, he turned to the teenager and refuted the boy’s statement.

 

“Lucille is strong for her age!”

 

“…Well, she is not strong enough. There are plenty of children her age who are stronger! There always will be!”

 

I couldn’t take the humiliation of being defeated so gave my response: “Then teach me how to get stronger! You are clearly better than I, so make me strong!” I received a frosty glare from him that chilled me to the bone.

 

“Victor…Lord Lucius specially requested that you take this position…”

 

“Kuh!” I got unhesitatingly punched in the gut by the teenager. “That hurts!” I thought, as Lucille’s vision blurred. No…my vision…mine…I struggled to stand up, after keeling over from the pain, and stared at Victor. “Make me stronger!” He lowered his body and swept his leg across, tripping me over and causing my head to hit the pillar.

 

“How rude of you?! Do you know that what you’re doing is hurting me? Why, if I could control this body, then I’d fight you good and proper! Let me at him, Lucille! Let me at him!”

 

I got back up while rubbing the back of my head, revealing a little bit of blood.

 

“Victor! You have injured the Young Miss!”

 

“So?”

 

“How dare you keep attacking me while I am ordering you to make me stronger?! Do you not know it is rude to not give a response when ordered by your betters?!”

 

I watched as Victor stood to attention then, with his hands behind his taut and well-toned back: “I thought the Young Miss requested to become stronger. I was only fulfilling such a task.”

 

I heard Raoul sigh before witnessing him hold his face in his palm, “Victor…you are supposed to keep the Young Miss safe from harm…I do not think the Lord would appreciate you turning her black and blue on your first meeting…”

 

I turned to observe Victor, who retained a blank expression as he responded, “She will not get stronger if she does not know the feeling of powerlessness. Better to weed out the impurities of her training now, than regret it later.”

 

Raoul sighed again before muttering to himself: “How did I manage to raise such a son…?”

 

I deemed this an opportune moment to change my bleak future and ran into Raoul before hugging him. “Raoul! Victor is a big meanie! I do not like him!”

 

“You know, I would be more than happy to not be your escort. Who would want to be around a weak, squealing girl all day?”

 

“Raoul! Why can I not be with you anymore? You are a thousand times better than smelly Victor!”

 

“Oh, she has an extended vocabulary. Wonders never cease.” The incriminating teenager voiced in a monotone.

 

I felt Raoul’s steady hands stroke my head, which soothed me, “Now, now, Young Miss. It is better to have an escort closer in age to you, than I. Why, in a few years you would be embarrassed to be with an old man like me. Victor is far more suitable for you. He holds far more potential than I could ever hope to achieve, so…let him be your escort?”

 

“Mm…He has to be much nicer to me! I will not accept him otherwise!”

 

Victor gave a curt response to that, “Spoiled girls need to learn their place. Father, leave her; you are mollycoddling her too much.”

 

I heard Raoul sigh before parting from me. “B-but, my head strokes…” I watched him leave with a wry smile, before I felt a firm hand press down on my shoulder. I turned around to see Victor’s cold smile and shuddered.

 

“Now, Young Miss, what should we start with?” He stroked my cheek before leaning in close to my ear and whispering, “I am thinking of doing close combat until you are the same colour as your pretty eyes. What do you think?”

 

My vision faded as I heard Lucille’s: “Noooooooooo!”