Observation Report

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

I saw a classmate of mine, Soar Osmis, use three different Elemental Magics today! While he was still 6-years-old and just starting school, even! He’s so different from the other kids, too, so grown-up-like! I want to make friends with him…

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

I asked Grandpa if it was okay for me to become friends with Soar. He told me to observe him as much as I can without being spotted for now and report to him if Soar displays any suspicious behavior. Jeez, Grandpa, Soar may be smart, but he’s still a kid! I hope he doesn’t pull our family’s ‘thing’ into this.

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

Soar just pulled off ‘Dark Gate’! An Advanced Darkness Magic spell! He did it just like that and walked through it all willy-nilly before disappearing! Didn’t he just start casting magic recently?! Is he a genius?! What else can he do?! I must tell Grandpa about this!

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

Grandpa called Soar a prodigy after my report to him. I feel like I did something wrong, though, because Grandpa wondered if Soar might be interested in our family’s ‘business.’ I just wanted to make friends with Soar like a normal girl … Why was I born into a family like this? Is this really all part of the Great Mother’s plan?

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

I found out more interesting things about Soar after observing him. I still have to report to Grandpa like usual, but I’ve taken a liking to just watching him like this … I bet talking to Soar would be more fun, though.

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

I cleared the first half of Myron Dungeon and summoned my familiars today, they’re named Calipso, a Night Walker from Zalecks, and Piona, a Hermes from Zaleese. I bet Soar would get a kick out of meeting them, but Grandpa told me I shouldn’t reveal them to anybody. The more of these secrets I have to keep from Soar, the more I wonder whether making friends with him is even worth it. Our family’s ‘business’ involves some difficult and dangerous things, after all. I don’t want him to be a part of it if I can help it.

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

Somehow, I was able to clear Myron Dungeon with me and my familiars, if just barely. I gained a new gift as my completion bonus, Vital Lock-On. Because of this, combined with my other gift, Shadow Walk, and my specialization in Wind and Darkness Magic, Grandpa said I was more than ready to take the family’s initiation test. I wish I didn’t have to take it, though. Would Soar be impressed if he learned that I have these gifts and magics?

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

I successfully made my first hit today, five wanted bandits that Grandpa selected for me as part of my initiation. With this, I’m now recognized as a Galo Assassin of the Reskondant Kingdom’s Covert Operations and Intelligence Court, at least by tradition, if not royal decree. I doubt the royal family even knows a former operative is all the way out here in the frontier. At least, I haven’t seen Grandpa contact them in any sort of way, anyway. These may be bandits that committed crimes, but I still took five lives. Would Soar even look at me the same way if he knew? How can I get closer to him while carrying the weight of this act?

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

Somehow, I mustered up enough courage to speak with Soar for the first time today, after talking with Ms. Renne. She was right that I won’t know what he thinks of me until I make a move. I can’t keep hiding in the shadows forever, even if it is my family’s specialty. He seemed a bit cold and distant when I talked to him, but he still said hello. I think I can call that progress, right?

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

Seriously, Grandpa?! Get closer to Soar and make him fall in love with me?! Is he trying to arrange my marriage?! I thought only nobles do these at such young ages! Not to mention that Soar’s still a few years younger than me! I just started talking to him, and now Gramps expects me to make a move on Soar?! This is just about keeping the Galo bloodline alive, isn’t it?! He only wants me to get closer to Soar because of how much of a prodigy he is! Do our talents as Magicians really make that big of a difference in how our children will turn out?! I want to get closer to him, but not for that reason! Ugh, I’m really starting to regret ever mentioning Soar to Grandpa. Why wasn’t I born in a more normal family? Why do we have to live in hiding, surrounded by normal people, yet ever isolated because of how different we are from them?

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

Grandpa and I had a big fight. I told him I don’t want anything to do with our family’s ‘business’ involving the royals, or to just be used to keep the Galo bloodline alive. He said if I don’t settle down and get serious, he won’t buy any food or necessities for me and my familiars. Is this how parents from covert ops discipline their kids? Anyway, I’m seriously in a bind, because Gramps can be stubborn and actually follow through with crazy demands like these. It’s a miracle he hasn’t kicked me out as well. I still have my savings to get me by for a while, and my daggers, magic, my Wind Fairy, and my familiars to fend for myself, but it’s only a matter of time before I go broke, especially when I have to feed the four of us.

Soar’s thinking of becoming a Hunter, right? Maybe I should investigate that.

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

I had to pay a hefty fee, but I managed to register as a newly minted Hunter of the lowest rank. If I wanted to start at a higher rank, I’d have to go to the nearest main branch and have my master vouch for me while I take an exam. It’s highly unlikely Grandpa would go along with that, especially when we aren’t on speaking terms at the moment. It’s going to be difficult, keeping up with schoolwork while also working to support myself and my familiars and companion, but if I rank up quickly enough, I can take on quests involving monster subjugation, those pay more.

I did a few labor quests today, and I ran into Soar while working. He’s a nice guy, helping the townspeople without asking for anything in return. It may be because of how Grandpa taught me, but I was suspicious of Soar’s ‘free services’ for the town at first. Normally, other kids around his age would only do chores for the glits, saving it up for something later. If I hadn’t found out Soar’s been collecting monster cores on his own, I’d have wondered if he had ulterior motives for helping the community. Add the value of his monster cores with whatever allowance his parents gave him, and maybe he just didn’t feel the need for any more money? Does he actually have enough money’s worth in monster cores that his allowance and chore money is spare change in comparison? How much would that be? Well, whatever the case, what he’s doing is commendable. Just knowing that I will get to move around in the same area as him working as a Hunter may be enough for me.

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

My rank was promoted today and I can work outside the town for collection quests. There aren’t any monster hunting quests at this rank, but they said I can bring in their cores and drops if I’m able, but they don’t recommend it while I’m still a beginner. Little did they know, I’ve already cleared Myron Dungeon and subjugated five bandits. Handling lower class monsters is a cinch … not sure if I should be proud of that, though, especially since Grandpa is the whole reason why I can do all that. Anyway, if I just say I ran into a few monsters by ‘accident’ and successfully defended myself, I should be able to get by fine without raising any suspicion.

Soar does the same during his training, according to my familiar’s observations, and he isn’t even a Hunter yet. He’s been hunting monsters behind his parents’ backs for a while, I can only imagine how many drops he has collected and stored away in his ‘Dark Space’. My familiars even once caught him wrestling a boulder out of the ground with Levitation Magic before stowing it away in his ‘Dark Space’, apparently as a test, they said. A BOULDER. Never mind how stupidly much he can apparently store in his ‘Dark Space’, how can he even use Levitation Magic?! I mean, back in one of his private magic lessons with Ms. Renne that I managed to observe briefly, I overheard his magical aptitude was S Rank. So, it isn’t too far fetched for someone of that rank to be able to cast Levitation Magic under normal circumstances, but you don’t usually see kids his age levitating objects at all, let alone to that extent!

Seriously, just how much more will this guy do if I turn my back on him for a minute? It just makes me want to keep an eye on him even more. Still, knowing we’re both doing this behind our parents’ backs gives me a sense of camaraderie, even if he isn’t aware of what I’m up to. Maybe once he registers as a Hunter, we can form a party and take quests together? That would make me very happy.

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

Well, this isn’t good. I just got word from my familiars that some strangers made a comfy hideout for themselves in my training area. What’s more, they have gear and weapons belonging to foot soldiers from the Reskondant Kingdom’s Guard. From what Grandpa told me—who I’m still not talking to—the kingdom’s guards don’t usually have their gear equipped when they’re off duty, and they’re never deployed in the field for reconnaissance. They have a separate division with their own gear for scouting purposes.

This can mean a few things. Either they stole those from the actual guards after killing them, or they’re former guards who have gone rogue. I will have to check the wanted posters in Lunargrove’s and Brightlas’ guild branches and see if any of the profiles match what my familiars saw. It’s not like the guild could restrict me from looking at posters put on the bulletin boards. I could put my pride aside and ask Grandpa to take care of them, as I’d rather not deal with them myself. However, he’ll likely tell me to take care of it myself, and blame me for anything that happens, saying it’s all my fault for refusing to ‘do what’s necessary’. This is all such a pain, but I don’t want to get anymore involved with any assassin crap than I already have.

In other news, Soar’s eleventh birthday is coming up soon. I’ve made small talk here and there whenever I had the chance, but he still seems as distant as when we first spoke to each other. I haven’t seen him speak with any of our other classmates all during this time, either, so maybe he just doesn’t want to be friends with anyone? Can’t really blame him for feeling that way, though, especially after all the bad things I overheard our classmates say about him behind his back. Some have even bullied him, but he just brushes those off, uses healing magic for any scratches and bruises inflicted on him, and calls it good. Personally, I’d break a bone or two as a warning, but maybe it’s because he realizes how much more powerful he is that he doesn’t attempt to fight back. I’ve observed him long enough to know how crazy powerful his magic is, anyway. With him practicing all by himself out in the field, he must be acutely aware of how much a stir he’d cause among the populace if word of his prowess got out.

Though several years have passed, he’s still as reserved and mature as he was when I first saw him. The more I have observed him, at first on Grandpa’s orders, the more I have come to respect and admire his accomplishments. Those later developed into the feelings a girl has for a boy. I came to understand this after much self-reflection and talking with Ms. Renee from time to time. I’m getting red in the face as I think and write all of this.

There are so many things I want to say to Soar, so many things I want to talk with him about, so many things I have to say, but I’m scared of how he’ll react when he discovers the truth. I wasn’t even this scared when I killed those bandits way back when. With what I have done, do I even deserve having my feelings reciprocated? I haven’t gotten close to anyone else in class, knowing how different I was from them, but I want Soar to accept me, even just a little.

Crap, I’m getting teary-eyed. I’ll have to really think on this.

~~

Month XX, Day XX, Year XXXX A.F.

I realize this complicatedly coded ‘Observation Log’ has turned into more of what many would call the world’s most messed-up diary. Sure, I’ve read out the more important points to Grandpa every night before we stopped talking to each other, but I kept the more … intimate parts to myself for obvious reasons. Despite that, I felt I gave Gramps enough info to be satisfied enough to not look into the contents himself. I even hid the book pretty well, so there’s no way he could find it and read the reports inside without my knowing, right? Though, this is Grandpa we’re talking about, who’s spent more time being sneaky than I’ve been alive … Maaaaybe I should find someplace else to hide the book after this report, just to be safe … 

That aside, after much thought, I’ve come to a decision about what I want to do with my feelings for Soar.

I like to think I’m no longer involved with the kingdom’s covert ops, but even with how Grandpa is still not talking to me after all this time and keeping to himself, I can’t guarantee he won’t suddenly pull me into something that involves that type of work. Knowing how Soar prefers to keep his businesses to himself, I don’t want to risk him getting pulled into my family’s supposedly long-standing position in the kingdom’s covert ops with me. I don’t even know if there are any other members like me around, but unless they’re being just as discreet about their positions and actions as Grandpa and I have up to now, I can’t say for certain that we aren't completely cut off and on our own.

“While we blend in with those in the light, we thrive in the shadows, we observe in the shadows, we search in the shadows, we hunt in the shadows, and we die in the shadows.” That is our motto as the Galo Family of Assassins, in service to the Monarch of Reskondant Kingdom, at least that’s what Grandpa always told me before every fight. With that in mind, someone in our family could be employed by Grandpa and watching me right now as I write this. That thought alone would put anyone on edge, especially someone young like Soar.

I could never live with myself if Soar got pulled into the shadows with me and something happened to him. But, why can’t I watch over Soar while hiding in the shadows? This book that Grandpa had me study from cover to cover since I was young contains all these ‘Observation Reports’ I’ve written up to now. These observations include my developing feelings for Soar, right up to this very last entry. I will present this book as my first gift to him on his birthday, and ask him to be my friend. I won’t expect anymore from him than that.

This secret code has been used among the Kingdom’s covert ops agents for many generations as means of exchanging vital information. It was designed and improved so that even someone who is able to read Shimmerlin couldn’t read what was written in it. Along with this continent’s common language of Dustaran, I learned to read and write Shimmerlin, in both standard script and this coded version, ever since I was able to pick up a charcoal pencil and draw something with it. To be even a little fluent in Shimmerlin to start with would take about two years for most people. Add to that about another four to learn how to read and write this code as naturally as one could in Dustaran, assuming one could decode it in the first place.

Thus, under normal circumstances, Soar will likely be 17-years old by the time he’d be able to read this. Considering his drive and intelligence, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he succeeded at 15. That is, if he gains an interest in learning this code. The book does contain instructions on how to read standard Shimmerlin, and I’m sure he’d want to be able to summon his own amazing familiar or two someday, so that would at least give him some motivation to learn the base language.

Huh, despite how secretive I’m trying to be, it’s as if I want him to decipher these reports. Well, I can’t say that’s entirely true. Mainly, really, this was the only way I could see to get any closure with these feelings of mine. By the time Soar figures it out, I will either be by his side as his friend, or alone in the shadows, dead or alive, as an assassin. I’m fine with whatever outcome it may be when that time rolls around.

Soar, if you ever do get this far after reading all my reports up to now, let me take a moment to say this. First, I apologize for basically stalking you all this time. What started out as an order from my Grandpa for observation training slowly turned into one of my favorite past times. It’s understandable you’d be super creeped out by this, but please know I have no intentions of doing any harm to you or expect anything from you, even if you’re crazy enough to forgive me. I just want you to know that I’ve come to admire you as a person, not just for your hard work and talents, but for the kindness you show to everyone in Lunargrove, even those that never asked for it. You don’t realize just how much good your actions up to this point have done for everybody, saving many people countless times. Nobody may ever come to realize the full impact of all your good deeds, but know that whether it was through me or either of my familiars, I was always watching. I’m aware of what you’ve done, and always will be.

Wow, that turned out creepier than it sounded in my head, but it’s the truth! Really! I’m not making this any better, am I?

Anyway, even if you weren’t doing it to be noticed in the first place, allow me to be the first to say thanks. Thank you, Soar, for all that you’ve done, and despite the life I was born into, I couldn’t be more blessed knowing I got to be friends with you—if you did accept me as your friend, that is, and if not, well, I’m still glad there are good people like you in this world with us.

Know that my feelings for you up to now are genuine, whatever monster in the shadows I may become later. While I would be the happiest girl in the world if you did return my feelings, it may be for the better that we never get together. My family’s connections would likely cause trouble for you and your family down the line, and that would be the last thing I want happening to you and yours.

I’ll make sure that never happens, though. I swear that, while I stand by your side in the light, I’ll fend off whatever dangers that may approach you or your family from the shadows. This is my promise to you, not as a Galo Family Assassin, but as your Shadow Guard, Claire Galloway. May the Great Mother bless you with happiness.

End of report, Claire Galloway,

P.S. I should probably mention this, but ‘Galloway’ is a cover for my family’s true name. From what Grandpa told me, my other family members have different surnames, but they’re all derived from our true surname, ‘Galo’. So my name probably should technically be ‘Claire Galo’, but that would mean acknowledging my identity as an assassin, which I don’t want to ever do. I don’t know, I just wanted to share this little tidbit about myself with you. I’m tired of always hiding everything, and I don’t want to have any secrets between us, but I’m scared of what you’ll think when the shadows can no longer hide my ugliness from you.

Also, those suspicious guards I mentioned previously? You won’t have to worry about them. They may have vacated my training area for now, but I’m certain they’ll be back, and I’ll likely have done something with them by then. That will be the first of my many missions as your Shadow Guard.

Orange_Rain

A big thanks to my editor, Tnega Terces, for editing this chapter and putting up with my bullshit.

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