Pov Father
I sat at my desk, surrounded by piles of parchment and ink. My thoughts were consumed by the political undercurrent that might bring upon doom on the family that my ancestors and I had built. The brother of the king, the Grand Duke Atreon, had begun secretly and subtly recruiting nobles to his cause - to overthrow the bloodthirsty rule of our king. And I, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, was among those he had approached. Now I had to choose, being neutral was no longer possible.
Tapping the desk, I thought hard on the situation. I couldn't deny that the prospect of change in leadership was tempting, even welcomed, so long as the execution was done to my benefit. Change on this scale also meant that others must die. That meant I could fill the void our enemies would leave, leading to more prestige and power.
On the other hand, so long as King Ryker was in leadership I would never be elevated. The fool only had war and killing on his mind, and his right hand would only ever reward the loyalist factions nobles. There is no choice then.
I contemplated my next move, considering what would benefit me and in turn the family name the most. The grand duke's followers would also make their moves soon, all with their own interests. It shall be perfect to camouflage my own operation.
But I had to consider every move carefully, weighing the risks against the rewards. If I overstepped, I risked earning suspicions and being at the forefront of their minds. I had to play the fragile balance, in which I was supporting the grand duke enough that I got noticed and rewarded for my efforts, yet I had to do it subtly, so as not to earn the king and his loyalists ire.
It would be best to increase the prices of gems and clothing, the goods that our land was known for producing and of which I had a monopole over. Export costs would rise to all the nobles, but I would create a back channel for our faction and inform the others at the next meeting.
It would essentially be smuggled goods, but it didn't matter. Who was going to control those goods? The King couldn't have his men stationed everywhere and in the worst case, the back channel would simply cease to exist and I would instead pay part of the spent money back to the revolutionist nobles. But that will be more work for me. I am already buried in papers at every moment.
It was a small step, but one that would bring more wealth and power to my family. I was sure that it wouldn't go unnoticed by some, but I had to think of my family first. For father. Ever since he passed, I had been working tirelessly to secure our dream. Furthering the family, becoming more powerful. And I would stop at nothing to make sure our dream became a reality. Even if I had to be cruel.
Just as I was lost in thought, a knock on the door pulled me from my musings. “It’s Amber, I was wondering if you had time to talk father.” A muffled high-pitched voice resounded.
I have not asked for her, I wonder what she wants? “Enter,” I called out with a crisp, measured tone.
As the door opened, my youngest daughter walked in with a steady gait. I was surprised at the getup but didn't show it on my face. She prepared for this. She might be the smartest of the children yet. Her sister is brave and does what is expected of her, but she does not have the cunning and interest required to run the march. I don’t even want to think about the idiotic son of mine. His mother fills his head with nothing but lies and useless information. He is utterly unworthy. The youngest though, she shows initiative, is good in academics, and prepares. She shows potential.
She dipped into a perfect curtsy, “greetings father, I have come to discuss something with you.” Difference of light and day compared to the first time back then.
I evaluated her, gazing upon the child with cold eyes, “And what would that be?”
"It's about my magic," the child continued, her voice gaining strength. "I have been practicing on my own for some time now, but I feel as though I've reached a limit,” she gulped, as I penetrated her with a piercing gaze, “I need a teacher, someone who can guide me and help me further my magical studies."
She has been practicing without a teacher? Impossible, someone must have given her the magic books and taught her. Children don’t have the mental fortitude to control magic on their own. "Magic is a dangerous tool, child. If you studied on your own, you would have hurt yourself." I squinted at her, tapped my finger on the desk to make her lose her composure, "So I'll ask you, and don't you dare lie to me. Who taught you magic without my permission?" I interrogated her, my voice dripping with suspicion.
She looked at me, contemplating the best way to answer. She started slowly, hesitantly. "It's true father, the first time I cast a spell was when I was 5 years old," fearfully she continued, "I stole a book from the library, three actually, they were from the magic section. Two were books on magic for beginners, and the last one had advanced spells in it." She looked down, not meeting my angry visage.
Calm down, she is a child. This could even be good, there hasn’t been a magical genius in this family since my grandfather who managed to become a Saint level magician in his time. And yet, the child hid her skills from me. This won’t do. If she is to be useful to me, I need her loyalty. I took a deep breath and evened my expression. I contemplated on how to win her respect, rather than her fear.
"It is unacceptable that you stole and learned magic without my permission. Especially without supervision. Surely you have read plenty about the consequences of the magical variety in those books," I started calmly, "But at the same time, I commend you. What you did was a feat that not many can boast of. Even I hadn't trained in magic at your age, nor did I ask for an early education like you did." I ended as she looked up at me in disbelief.
Feeling slightly affronted at her disbelief, she thinks I wouldn’t recognize those feats? "I had noticed your efforts ever since you started your general studies with your teacher. She has also commended you in particular whenever I conversed with her about you and your siblings studies," I graced her with a small smile, "So I will give you a chance, prove to me that you are worth it. If I deem your expertise worthy I will give you a teacher and anything you would need to become someone great. Someone more than just a simple master or even grandmaster magician." I said, giving her loftier goals to reach for.
She could barely hold her excitement as she bowed deep. "Thank you father, I will not disappoint you. I have been practicing an intermediate spell called 'Fireball'," she gave me a smile, "I would love to show you my progress in it."
Satisfied, I nodded. "Very well, let us head to the training grounds."
The father
We walked towards the training grounds, while I went over the spell once more. Fireball, probably one of the most generic fantasy spells that existed, but for today it was perfect. I could easily show my father that I was a magical genius, by feeding the fire as much oxygen as I could. Last time I did that, the fire was barely controllable. I can do it! I tried hyping myself up.
My father opened the door to the training grounds and we both stepped out. I recognized Reinhardt training with a few of our manor's knights. They quickly stopped their spar, turning in my father's direction and gave a respectful knights greeting. Reinhardt turned towards me with surprise in his eyes. Great, now I have an audience. Father gave them a nod and we walked towards the dummies.
As I stood in front of the training dummies, I could feel my heart racing. This was the moment I had been waiting for. "Are you ready?" he asked, his face a stoic, unreadable mask.
Time to show what i'm capable of. The weight of the expectation rested heavily on my shoulders, but I had trained for this moment. I had felt that nervousness many times before. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I focused on my magic and let the anxiety fall away. I was ready to show what I could do.
I opened my eyes, the fire of determination burning in them. "Yes father." I answered calmly. I raised my hand towards the dummy. I called upon the magic inside me and let it flow. I could feel it building inside me, the raw power that I could wield. I focused it, molding it into the spell I had practiced so many times. I imagined the spell taking shape, a sphere of pressurized fire growing in my hand as i fed it more mana.
I had poured so much magic into it, so much energy, that it was almost too big to control. But I was in control. I was the master of that magic. The heat from the flame was intense, and sweat started to line my cheeks. The fire blazed bright.
I concentrated, feeding it more and more oxygen, until the pressure became almost too much, harder to control. As I continued to feed it, I saw the flame start to change color, from the orange and yellow of a normal fire, to a deep, rich blue. It took all my focus and energy to maintain it, but this was necessary to show father that I was a genius.
My spell was complete, and I pointed my hand towards the dummy. I released the spell, and it shot across the training grounds, slamming into the dummy. The fireball exploded into a blazing inferno on contact as it touched the torso of the dummy. It almost seemed like the fire had taken a life of its own, the raging flames consuming everything in a radius around the dummy, leaving nothing but scorched earth and burning dummy parts strewn around the area.
As I stood there, panting from exhaustion, the unbearable heat radiating from the inferno reached me, like a gust of burning hot wind. Hot! As I was about to counteract the heat with a spell, a soothing cold started to envelop me. I looked towards father, surprised.
Father, with the cold radiating off of his raised right hand, "That, my dear child, was very impressive." With both eyebrows raised, he looked at me in amazement, "If I had known you were a genius, I would have gotten you a teacher a long time ago," he smiled, "Your skills are worthy. If our ancestors could see this, they would be proud."
I could barely believe what I was hearing. My father of all people, praising and smiling at me? I smiled brightly, happy to finally be acknowledged for my hard work. “Thank you father.” I said excitedly, hardly stopping myself from jumping around.
“But,” he schooled his expression, “you must be more careful. You nearly burned yourself with the heat of your spell," He lectured me in an even tone, “With spells of higher power, one must always show foresight at the consequences left by them.”
I nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. I had been so caught up in the moment that I hadn't realized the danger I was in.
Changing the subject, “I imagine you have never seen a grandmaster magician at work?” he gave me a small smile.
Widening my eyes at what he was insinuating, I could barely hold my excitement, “No father, I would love to see you cast a spell!” I said, realizing my mistake, “That is, err, if you want to.”
"Very well," he nodded, turning to face the other dummies next to the one that was now just a pile of burning ashes. "Watch and learn." He said, closing his eyes to concentrate on the magic.
Raising his hands, the sunlight started to darken instantly, everything around me seemed as if it were suddenly plunged into darkness. The sky overhead, once a brilliant blue, was now a deep, impenetrable black. The shadows around us started to move and grow longer, until they seemed to stretch out into the distance like fingers reaching for something unseen.
I could barely see my own feet in front of me. It was as if the world around us was consumed by the shadows, everything lost in the darkness. Father's magic created an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere, one that was both exhilarating and unsettling at the same time.
The shadows themselves almost looked to be alive, swirling and shifting, growing thicker and more dense with each passing moment. I could hear sounds of something moving, breaking, falling, getting crushed. It was as if they were creatures of their own, creatures that were being controlled by my father's magic.
As I gazed around in awe, I shivered, feeling a chill seep deep into my bones. The darkness was all-encompassing, and I felt small and insignificant compared to the power that was being unleashed before me.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the spell was over. The shadows retreated, the sunlight returned, and the world was once again bathed in light. As I looked at the dummies, I was dumbfounded. The once standing dummies were now in pieces, some completely crushed and others cut and scattered about. The remnants of what were once solid objects now lay in disarray, as if a powerful force had torn through them.
My father turned to me with a proud smile, “This is the power of a grandmaster magician,” he started, “This spell is called 'Shadow world'. It’s an advanced spell that normally wouldn’t have such drastic effects, but overcharged with mana and with high enough control and precision, this is the outcome.”
I nodded, still trying to process what had just happened. The contrast between the two spells was so stark, mine was wild and unrefined, while his was controlled and precise. It was a reminder of how much I still had to learn.
"If you work hard and learn, you too can one day cast spells like these." I could feel a sense of determination rising in me, a desire to learn and become the best that I could be. The fire inside me was flared and I knew that from that moment on, I would not rest until i achieved greatness.
Thanks for the chapter