The place was truly giving me an eerily feeling. The only sound you could hear was the echoing of our footsteps. It wasn’t merely the lack of life or color, rather I couldn’t feel the concept of time. I couldn’t even count the number of steps I had taken, every time I would to forget the number I was counting at a certain point. Soon I just gave up, since the world didn’t seem to care for my mental well-being, I might as well ignore whatever causes me stress. I wisely took the time to read the book I had purchased ‘Magic and Scrolls for the magically Inept’.

‘Richard's books were fucking out dated. This book explains things so much better’

‘Fuck me… I am goddamn retarded…’

I could only curse at myself for simply skimming it instead of outright reading the book the first time I got it. I could’ve potentially ended my life right then and there. The scrolls fed on the mana inside the individual, depending on the scroll it could potentially drain you completely leaving a dried crusty corpse in your place. Inspecting the last <Explosion> scroll I currently had and the information on the book, the scroll was designed to stop once the individual was at 1/4^th of their mana capacity.

‘I was lucky…’

‘Since I’m in this situation in the first place… It doesn’t really feel like luck…’

Mana surrounds us, the air we breathe contains mana. It is stored and contained in the individuals’ ‘heart’, where it is circulated like blood through out the body. Mages use their own hearts as a catalyst to cast their magic. They control surrounding mana and the mana in their own body using their hearts.

‘If mana is completely around us… aren’t mages a bit OP…?’

The book seemingly read my mind, almost immediately answering my question. Mana isn’t spread out evenly, just like how there is low oxygen in high altitudes, mana is also lower in certain places. At the same time, the heart is fragile and it is the organ that gives life to everything in the body. There are almost over two hundred thousand deaths a year of young mage apprentices that either die of heart attacks or end up self-combusting due to improper use of mana. Even higher ranked mages ‘Wizards’ are not safe.

‘In much simpler terms… everyone is capable of using magic. But only a few lucky and talented individuals are capable of surviving the ordeals of being a mage. Which is probably why I see most people with weapons like swords and axes, and a clear lack of pointy hat mages’

‘If I use magic, I could die. If I don’t use magic, I could also end up dying. Great’

I could feel my depressing thoughts start crawling their way into my head. Fortunately for me, Dorota is always right on queue when it comes to interrupting my thoughts. I was literally flash banged into existence.

“MY EYES!”

The changing from bleak grey to bright vibrant colors in an instant, almost permanently blinded me.

“WHAT THE FUCK YOU DUMB WHORE?!”

“Are you alright young master?”

“DO I FUCKING LOOK ALRIGHT TO YOU??”

“Yes”

“….”

If I wasn’t only seeing purple and white colors, I would’ve strangled the hag. It took sometime to finally be able to see, granted my vision was still slightly blurry. We were back inside my room in the Wild Thorn estate. My anger vanished instantly when my eyes were laid on the bed. I wanted to sleep. I was stopped by Dorota the moment I attempted to nose dive into the bed.

“Young master, go freshen up before sleeping. You look like something a rat would drag in”

I was being held by the scruff of my neck by this small woman and yet I couldn’t move an inch.

‘Why are you so damn strong you hag!?’

Looking back at the indomitable woman, I couldn’t help but smirk. This was the first time I was looking at her face after the incident. Her hair which was always neatly tied in a tight bun was looser. You could see strands of hair dangling near her face and sprouting out from her bun. Judging by the length of her hair strands, you could tell her hair could reach her hips if the bun was ever unraveled.

“And you look like something the cat dragged in”

Her blue eyes widen, seemingly realizing the state she was in. A light pinkish blush on her cheeks.

“Cute…”

‘What the fuck am I saying?!’

Her blush seems to turn a deeper shade of red to my words.

‘What – Who – where, when how espadrille?!’

‘Did she get possessed in the shadow dimension?! There is no other explanation! I must eject immediately!’

‘<EXPLOSI-’

Just as the thought ran through my head, Dorota face changed back to her normal calm and collected self. Her face was still a bit rosy, but her eyes had calmed down. She let out a small cough to grab my attention.

“Young master, I will get the bath ready. Don’t go to sleep in your outfit. Otherwise, I’ll have to get Bertha to bath you instead.”

With that said, she let go of me and made her way out. I couldn’t help but notice her steps were a little uneven as she left.

‘I never want to be in a situation like that again… I’d rather kill myself with <Explosion>…’

---

Marie was currently sitting on a brown fine leather armchair near the lit fire place in her room. The moon’s light coming in through the two large windows behind her gave the room a somber yet mysterious feeling. A small round table with a glass of red wine and a children’s book titled ‘The Mysterious Detective by Sonia Lyndale’ near her chair. A strapless deep red dress that seemed to accentuate her figure even as she was reclining on the armchair. Her blonde hair was spread out erratically, her eyes were closed, while her right hand gripped a bunch of papers.

A dark figure could be seen going into the darkness of the room. They were draped entirely from head to toe in dark greyish clothes. Walking slowly without making a single sound as they completely disappeared into the darkness. They were the one to bring the papers to Marie.

‘For fuck’s sake Richard…’

It felt as though her head was going to explode. She had sent one of her agents to follow Richard when he went for his outing. The report on her hand detailed everything he had done, and the incident at ‘Borras & Chomp’.

‘The knights and mages would’ve already started their investigations… Seriously what the fuck am I supposed to do??’

‘This damn good for nothing… First his arrival, now this? In what? Like 3 hours from his arrival?’

Marie enjoyed having things under her control. Be it now or before, Richard always seemed to make things difficult for her. Just like the first time she met him when her mother remarried her now, father Jan. Her mother Sonia Lyndale was Jan’s legal mistress.

At the time they were both aged 10, even than Marie was the same. Her manners and conduct had given her a lot admiration and doting. She enjoyed having all the attention on her, yet on the day of the wedding Richard had toppled the wedding cake almost 2 feet taller than her right on her head. The feeling of being looked at by pitying and mocking eyes instead of envy and admiration was the most infuriating thing she ever felt in her life.

Just remembering the incident had her grip tightening, completely crumpling the papers into a ball. She could still feel the stickiness on her skin to this day. The number of times since than she had an urge to kill Richard was almost every single day. Every time he would end up doing something to her that would either scar her perfect reputation or induce disgusting grapevine rumors without context.

She knew it was futile to stay angry.

‘Calm down Marie… It’s bad for the skin, you don’t want wrinkles at this age’

With a deep sigh, she sat up a bit straighter while massaging her face.

‘Now, hiding Richard’s actions is next to impossible, considering a wizard arrived at the site as soon as he had left. So… The best option is to make his actions somewhat justifiable.’

‘And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?’

‘His damn name is notorious here! Even after all these years people still remember him! And the first fucking day he comes back he blows up a goddamn tavern!’

She could feel the anger mixing in with her headache. The only thing she could do was go talk to Richard.

‘If I do something without getting him to cooperate… 100% chance it will either bite me in the ass or sink me into a deeper hole. And even if I do get him to cooperate the chance only goes down to 99%. Either way I’m the one that will lose out the most. The asshole is probably just going to go back to his “exile” again’

‘Fine… I’ll wager on that 1%’

With a deep breath and a painful two slaps on her face, Marie worked up the will to go talk to Richard. The hall way outside her room was pitch black. It was considered a waste of mana to have the lights on at these times. Marie wasn’t perturbed by the dark, calmly making her way through the darkness to Richards room. Her eyes had a faint blue glow around each iris, that helped her see clearly in the dark. Their rooms were considerably close, it didn’t take long before Marie reached Richard’s door.

She knocked on the door in quick succession. She wanted to end this quickly and leave. Waiting for awhile, yet not a single sound nor shuffle could be heard from the room. She knocked louder this time, again she was greeted by silence.

‘Is that wretch seriously asleep already? He can actually sleep so soundly after the mess he’s made?!’

Her patience was running out, she held her hand in a fist to bang on the door. If it came down to it, she was willing to blast the door wide open.

“Do you need something lady Marie?”

Surprised by a voice, she instinctively swung her fist towards the sound. Someone was able to get behind her without her notice, an impossible feat. The other thing was, her attacked hit air.

‘I missed?’

“Are you alright lady Marie?”

‘How did she get to my left?!’

Marie was trained intensively since a young age. Her prowess among her peers was unmatched. She was even conferred a knighthood by the king. The moment she heard the voice, she was able to feel the persons presence behind her. The very moment she attacked, the presence vanished and appeared at her left. Maybe attacking randomly was a bit overboard. But you don’t just hide your presence and get behind someone like that!

The maid was holding a small candle lamp. The dim light giving a golden glow to her traditional maid clothes and her face. She didn’t even remotely look like someone capable of doing something like hiding her presence.

‘I didn’t notice a maid walk up to me??’

“Lady Marie?”

The maid had a confused look on her face as she tilted her head to the side and called Marie. It was a cute subtle movement. Giving a once over of the maid, Mari couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy. She knew her own charms well, and wasn’t afraid to show them off. Even the freckles on her face and body would add to her charm. Yet looking at the maid in front of her she was jealous. Her skin looked soft and supple without a single blemish. Even in her conservative maid clothes her charm was undeniable.

‘I’m seriously stressed out of my mind… I’m getting jealous of a maid for god’s sake!’

Summing up the event to stress was the sensible decision. Quickly composing herself and a small cough to ease the tension before speaking.

“Dorota, correct? Is Richard asleep?”

“Ah, yes. The young master was very tired, so I believe he must be asleep now.”

‘Piece of shit sleeping without a care in the world!’

“I see. Well, I have a very important matter to discuss with Richard. I’m sure you have the key to his room, correct?”

“Ah but… the young master told me to not let anyone disturb him…”

“It is a very important matter. I’ll take responsibility for this, so please open the door for me”

Seeing that Marie was unlikely to budge, Dorota moved to open the door. The room was spacious with a large dress cabinet and a king size bed taking up most of the space. A cold breeze could be felt coming through an open window. The moonlight coming from the open window illuminated the room with a subtle blue hue.

‘The damn bastard seriously ignored my knocking when he wasn’t even asleep!’

Richard was seated next to a desk right next to the open window. The desk was lined with multiple books stacked on top of each other in a disorderly manner. He was reading a book while taking notes, using the moons light and a small candle for illumination.

“What do you want hag?”

‘HAG?! YOU LOOKING TO DIE!?’

“Young master, lady Marie wishes to speak to you”

Looking up from his book, Richard looked at Marie standing poise in front of Dorota. He looked as calm as ever, not a single shred of remorse for his actions could be seen on his face.

“Yes?”

Her arms were crossed over her chest, hands formed in a tight fist with her nails digging into her skin. To be insulted the very moment she stepped through the door, angry wasn’t enough to define her fury. But still, she tried her best to calm herself to hold at least a sensible conversation. Through clenched teeth she spoke.

“Richard… I received news of an incident that happened in town today. Mind explaining yourself…?”

----

I was wide awake, thinking about what happened this evening and the incoming consequences. Thinking of vague terrifying scenarios and how it would all play out in the end tomorrow. Rather than let the worry haunt me, I decided to do something more productive. Researching the books, I had found in the estate and the book I got from the market.

‘I wasn’t expecting news to get around so fast. How the fuck am I supposed to play this…?’

Looking at Marie, I was slightly regretting ignoring her knocking. I had simple reasons for it, if it was important and urgent wouldn’t the person shout or something?

'I thought it was Dorota who came in... Marie's gaze is pricking needles into me…’

Marie looked as graceful and elegant as ever. Yet the way she spoke, as if she was forcefully spitting out every single word and the pose she was holding, I could clearly feel her hostility. I knew I couldn’t just pass this off indifferently like before. If I did, I would probably end up losing teeth or worse. What's worse was my damn mind was completely empty in a crucial moment like this.

‘I couldn’t stop thinking about this while I tried to sleep, but now my brain decides to not give a shit??’

‘Fucking think! You god damn piece of shit brain!’

----

Even though she just asked, it felt as though Richard was ignoring her. Yet barely a second had passed. His demeanor was the same as this morning, arrogant and indifferent to her presence. Yet at the same time the indifference felt as though he was annoyed by her presence.

‘Fucking stop ignoring me, you damn ingrate!’

If she didn’t get a proper answer, Marie was ready to throw the entire king size bed at the arrogant man in front of her. But what he did next was something that sent shivers down her spine. Richard was looking directly into her eyes. Not a single person has ever looked directly into her eyes, much less Richard.

“They insulted mother”

His words were slow and calm, yet at the same time there was emotion mixed in. Bright yellow eyes with a tinge of orange staring deep into her eyes, almost added a hypnotic effect to his words. Marie unconsciously seemed to get lost in those eyes. A sudden realization and she broke eye contact immediately. Looking to the side, she knew those three words were enough. With a small nod, she made her way out of the room. Her mind was currently in full throttle, and it wasn’t about the tavern incident. It was the fact that her face was currently heating up and completely crimson.

‘WHAT THE FUCK?!’ A/N my thoughts exactly…