Odile was quiet the rest of the day and everybody surely noticed her sudden change. It was quite a shock as even the Tower didn't bother the child with their usual plays; There was something on Odile's mind and the other mages bet the Master's cauldron for it.
But what could the other mages do about it? So far, they have nothing as it was the first they ever saw Odile act this way, they thought of asking for the Master's opinion but he himself was gone and trapped in his room.
The others are worried— Odile was the only child around the Tower, she was their source of joy. They are extremely bothered by her sudden blues. Unaware from their worries, Odile remained in her thoughts the whole day, it was quite a change from her usual running around and beaming smiles but in the end all was decided was to leave the little girl alone in her thoughts until she herself speak her reasons out loud.
The Tower stood tall with its doors floating about and the stairs outside slowly turning around despite the sun already fallen from the sky— with the sounds of the crickets and bristles of leaves as well as the consistent contact of the land and sea were the only thing keeping this night noisy.
But somewhere above the walls of the enchanted Tower; one of the windows is left open, Odile staring up the stars with her curly strands slowly drying from their wash and started tangling themselves with each other, length close to touching her back— her ice blue eyes melting soft and sweet because of the sight above.
It is always peaceful at night despite anything that could happen in its darkness but Odile still appreciate some of its light— it made her believe that darkness may be the natural state of all, the beginning of everything, and yet light still follows.
It never failed to calm her down.
"The Van Gould's Duchy..." Odile absently muttered to herself, peaking a one last glance towards the brightest star she could see and back inside her room.
Now her room isn't quite as big and not as clean as others expected it to be. Being an enchanted Tower, Odile first thought of anything being an impossible size but she guessed that that specific rule doesn't apply for the dorms.
The room accommodated enough space for a single bed, her desk and a drawer for her robes with a slight space for Odile to move in and everything was a mess. Everything was somehow as wild as Odile's hair— it defied the laws.
The books she borrowed from the Tower's library are piled all over the tight space left for Odile to walk on, some are floating as there were no space for her to step her feet. Her robes are all over the place and none are left on her drawers— while her bed seemed to be missing a pillo— oh wait, it was floating among the books. Odile didn't know as to why it was floating; she didn't pay them any heed, she was used to it after all.
All she was thinking about was her journey with her Master next week. Yes, it was decided to be next week when the Master already sent a letter that states they were already coming— one of the perks of having to live on an enchanted Tower that accommodates only the gifted sorcerers is the one rule it carries; Everything is a secret.
Their names, their lives, their research and their location. Each letter that asks for their visit would receive a response of a week's worth of travel before they could reach their destination; With the enchanted Tower comes with many enchanted instruments, one of them are the doors that connect every single sorcerer that knows which one to look at. It is rather amazing to have doors that sends you throughout the world, but none of the civilians know that— only the ones that passed the Wizarding Journey and got acknowledged by the Master as sorcerers.
Now back to Odile's brooding, with a huff of her breath she jumped on her bed with a poof. Her arms wide and spread beside her with ice blue eyes staring at the ceiling. What is she going to do now? She was meeting him a year early....
And who in particular did she mean?
Well it was none other than Ichabod Van Gould, her not so favorite person in both worlds she has ever seen. The heir to the Duchy, only at the age of 10.
Odile remembered that he was quite smug and arrogant when they first met but Odile never actually spoke and remained quiet to herself and Ichabod Van Gould avoided her as well.
Odile would admit, he was quite the looker but she has always learned to not judge by someone's appearance on the streets and so kept to herself until years went by and she was on her early twenties. When she died by his hand.
By their hand.
There were four of them, Odile presumed. Three men including Ichabod Van Gould and a woman that was rumored around the cities and kingdom for baiting the three men she was with to join her journey on looking for her mother. It was quite stupid really. A simple seeker spell would have done the trick,
Odile couldn't remember well but Ichabod Van Gould was the last person she has seen before her life came to a close. Those were one of the most recurring, there were other kinds of dreams that she would see but Odile couldn't put much thought into it.
Odile was supposed to meet him and it will all unravel the beginning of what she knew— at least unravel what she saw as it is one of the reasons why such a girl with an early age as her resides on a magical tower that only accommodates trained and experienced mages and wizards or witches. That being the case, Odile has a gift, a rare kind of gift that even Master Eric has yet to discover existed until her; It all actually started when she was in her early 6 years maybe 5, living on the suburbs where most of the Nameless resides.
The Nameless was almost dirt on people's mouth. People who had nothing, no money, no food, no water, no living nor a life. It was a kind of status of living from the social system that portrayed the lowest of lows that even a person cannot afford a name. They held no title nor a city that they can abide, being a Nameless is truly the lowest of lows— the nightmare of every titled person.
Odile couldn't remember who her parents were or if she ever had any siblings, the earliest memory she could think of was the sight of busy roads with dozens of people shouting around their specials and gossip, different topics of conversations mixed with the laughter and cries of different people on the suburbs. The most she could remember was the awful stench of sewers with some other nameless trying to steal somebody's earn for the day; The painful ache of her sides from another beating from a person she didn't even know and the emptiness she felt deep inside.
Odile lived by feeding off of trash and drinking muddy water— bless the kind-hearted ones who give her a glass of water when she wouldn't take their money and food. But those events were scarce, more rare than rainy days on a desert.
Odile knew it wasn't their fault they were stupid but it was their choice to be kind or be the most hateful person in the area.
The little girl frowned, seeing a couple stop right in front of a child with the same condition as her; poor. She watched with a blank slate as the couple gave the kid at least 5 copper coins, which would be worth a Silver if Odile was correct with her conversion.
'Foolish...' Odile thought to herself as she watched.
The civilians just couldn't wrap around the concept of when a beggar and a child like her gets any amount of money makes her a target for other people like her. The moment one of them gets even a single coin, their world becomes a bunny on a wolf hunt.
So Odile would not take it upon those people who give money to poor children. It may be a stupid idea, but Odile knew they really were just naive despite how cunning a person could be.
And as if on cue, Odile watched as several men at least 6 buffed guys surrounded the little kid that received the money. A sick smile on their faces, the sight of it made Odile felt a tick but she didn't bother and kept a straight face.
That was the last time she saw that kid.
Odile took out the bread stuffed in her pocket, taking a whiff before a bite— a little at a time. She stole the loaf of bread from one of the vendors nearby who was busy flirting with an uninterested woman, Odile was glad that there was such a pervert on the suburbs. He gave her the food to eat while the others were busy.
Odile didn't know what she was doing was bad— nobody is ever there to teach her what was morally correct. All she knew is this was survival, who were they to judge which is right and which is wrong all because they are privileged?
One time Odile got a beating that left her broken and battered in an abandoned alleyway left with the rats sniffing and would occasionally bite for a taste of her flesh. She didn't mind. This was how she knew it would end anyway, her life down in the gutter. However, despite knowing where she will end up Odile would rather prolong that event.
Until she saw a clad of leather shoes, her gaze weakly sizing the person up and frowned at the sight of his robes. It was the Master— the first she met and as usual he wore his gentle smile, but this wasn't the first time she saw him.
"Now what do we have here?" Odile heard the Master ask but she was too weak to answer and mouth too full to speak, too full with what Odile didn't know; She wanted to run, but something in her body froze and made it impossible for her to. It didn't help Odile figure out if this person was kind or psychotic— if he was asking her or just speaking to himself.
It's not that she couldn't speak but because she didn't know what to say— every time she tried to speak it only led her to being in pain, mentally and physically which resulted to her not knowing what response to give to social conversations. So it became her neutral expression— no gesture, no voice— be neutral and they would leave you alone eventually. That was what she lived by.
But it seemed it wasn't the same towards the person standing before her.
With a hitched breath, Odile tried to breathe in but something seemed to have been lodged in her throat as she felt she was coughing up rocks that wouldn't move. 'The vendor sure got a good grip on her neck...'. Odile remembered the choking grip of another vendor she tried stealing from the other day. It seems to still be sore.
"You are rather interesting— You will do!" With an unreadable smile, the Master snapped his fingers and Odile felt herself be held with warmth and yet there was no one holding her— she felt fresh breeze touch her skin and yet no wind was present. She was just floating; that was all she felt before the Master started humming a song.
"Whatever shall be, will be— I have with me, a wonderful specimen to see~" Odile blanched, he was definitely tone-deaf and with an off rhythm to his step the Master opened the kitchen door to the building next to the alleyway only for them to come out on a different abode. Odile couldn't tell what was going on, especially when the Master started introducing her as his student to anyone he passed by.
She didn't know what to do but the man was patient enough, knowing about her condition and how she lived— that was when she found out she was what her Master would call a Seer.
Odile didn't know what that meant of course, it all sounded like jumbled letters matched together to perform a word, like most words Odile had bet are used now.
When Odile said she has seen Master Eric, he was surprised. He has seen him approach her on a dream sitting on a pavement road. Odile didn't know when he would come or if it would even happen but something inside her knew, and so she remained still just waiting— checking if it is real or if she was just one of those stupid people passing by, hoping and uselessly waiting for nothing.
Odile didn't know how long she sat on that pavement, weeks, months maybe years as she felt like she has sat there all her life.
But Master Eric wasn't the only one Odile saw, she also saw him. Ichabod Van Gould as she heard his name on one of her dreams.
When Master Eric asked her name, being nameless she didn't have one but she spoke of one that she selfishly hid to like. Odile. Odile Schwann.