The girl stared at the white-haired man suspiciously. "Who are you?" She asked. She vaguely recalled that she had rented a room and then the next time she awoke, she was chained to a chair in a luxurious parlor. The man watched her movements in amusement and then laughed; his eyes coldly glanced across the woman like he was eying his prey. "It's futile, those chains are impenetrable. Normal people can't break them."
The girl simply laughed as if she heard a funny joke and in an instant a black fog was emitted from her hands. It slid among the seemingly impenetrable chains and the chains quickly turned into ash. The man's eyes widened, and he was soon pushed down by an inhumane killing intent that the girl directed towards him.
"Give me a reason not to kill you." The girl whispered menacingly. The man could barely reply, "You're pregnant with my child." The girl's eyes dilated, and she faltered. 'What?'
Before she could reply, a mist had blinded her. She coughed and clutched her chest in a panic. Her heart began to beat erratically, and her head was filled with thoughts of the white-haired man. Her heartbeat rung in her ears and she began to scream in agony as she lost all strength in her limbs. Her vison blurred and she collapsed onto the ground as she slowly drifted into a coma.
The man stood and grinned. He had the girl in the palm of his hands. "I forgot to tell you, you will be the mother of my child." He pulled out a vial from his sleeve and stared at the girl as various emotions flickered through his eyes. "In the end, you saved me again?" He asked himself with a sigh.
In the corner of the room, the duke's attendant caught a glimpse of the girl sprawled out on the floor and felt a shiver run down his spine. "Come here." A voice sternly called. The attendant ran to the duke's side and bowed.
"Bring out the mana canceling chain; she's too strong." The attendant's eyes widened, and he began to protest despite his body's objections, but under the duke's overbearing pressure he could only barely choke out his refutes. "B-b-but y-your grace, it's the only mana cancelling chain in the whole continent."
"What are you saying?" The duke said in a mocking tone. "She's the new duchess, why can't we waste a measly chain on her?"
9 Months Later
For nine months the girl was in an unrelenting coma. Her body was now gaunt, and her cheeks were pale as if she was on the verge of death, yet all she could think about was the man with the white hair. Despite not knowing his name, he plagued her dreams and she subtly felt her heart beat erratically at the mere thought of him.
Today the sky was stained red and foggy clouds painted the skies. It was at this time that the girl finally opened her sharp crimson eyes.
"You're awake." said a cold voice. At the sound of his voice shivers ran down her spine and her heart began to beat like a drum. Her breathing became shaky and her hands were clammy, but strangely, rather than being mad with rage, the girl simply blushed. Before she knew it, a smile graced her lips and an overly sugary sweet voice emerged from her mouth. "Hello, I'm Terra. What's your name?"
***
"Si..sis...sister!" The woman's eyes glazed over. It was strange, Terra struggled to catch a glimpse of the memories that lied beyond her and the duke's first meeting. What happened after? How did she conceive Kritana? Chills roamed down her spine. All she remembered was the potion, the coma, and the few days after the birth.
"Alex...Is there a spell that can erase memories?" Alex shook his head in disbelief. He eyed the child in his arms with confusion and sighed. "You are the successor to the magic tower; you should be aware that the physique of the angelan clan is immune to all types of mind magic.
The naivete that lingered in his sister was proof that she was still merely a child. Alex's eyes darkened as he continued to look at the baby nestled securely in his arms. Whatever predator had taken advantage of his sister would pay dearly.
Although many parts of her had died, he could still catch hints of the person she used to be. He clenched his fists so hard that his palms turned red, and his nails punctured the skin. The weight of his next sentence rung in the air. "Mother and father are dead Terra." He just hoped, as her eyes went slack and she stumbled to her knees, that the deaths of their parents wouldn't break her. He hoped that the last vestiges of her old self wouldn't be buried by the grief.