I wake up with a sharp pain in my head and struggle to get my bearings. The ceiling is made of stones and only candles light the room.
I guess it wasn't just a dream.
My chest feels heavy as the full weight of my situation settles in. I'm alone on a foreign planet with no idea what I'm doing. I'll never see my friends or family again. The reset button has been pressed on my life and it feels like all the effort I'd put in my last life was for nothing. I wasn't even that close with my family, I wonder if they'll even miss me?
[You're not alone, and neither am I.]
I take a deep breath and the weight upon my chest that was threatening to suffocate me begins to lighten.
Thanks.
Sunlight pours in from my window.
I send a probe down into our body to check the damage. Surprisingly, I'm not hurt too bad. Even my broken clavicle seems to have healed.
How long were we out?
[How should I know?]
Good point. Call your mom and ask her.
[Okay.]
"Mom?" Nick quietly calls out.
You're gonna have to be louder than that. There's no way she-
Slam!
"Sweety, you're awake!" Carroll shouts as she rushes into the room.
What is she, a bat? Was she holding her ear to the door? How the hell did she hear that?
"I'm feeling better, How long was I asleep?" Nick asks.
"Only a few hours. Baron Armstrong brought someone who knows healing magic when he came to apologize for his son's behavior. He told us that something like this would never happen again. The Baron is such a strict person, how did his son go so wrong?" Carroll explains as she wraps us in her arms. I can tell Nick is struggling to hold back tears.
[You were right.]
What did she say?
[What?]
Did she say magic healing?
[Yeah, how else would we heal?]
A rush of excitement flows through me. I can feel my heart beating out of my chest.
Oh my god! There's magic in this world?! That's awesome!
[What are you talking about? Of course there's magic. You even read a book about magic earlier.]
I did?
[Yes.]
I guess I was so overwhelmed that I forgot. Can you use magic?
[No...]
"By the way," Carroll begins. "The Baron is waiting downstairs and would like to apologize to you personally."
Interesting.
"Oh, okay." Nick replies nervously.
"Would you like to talk to him? I could tell him to leave if you want."
Let's go talk to him.
We won't gain anything by confronting the Baron but I can't help but think of what will happen to Kyle. He may be a bully, but just as with anyone else, he is merely a product of his environment. The thought of him being abused by his father leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Additionally, I should be able to push my luck a bit further as he initially came here to apologize and will be reluctant to make the same mistake as his son.
Nick thinks for a moment before responding. I don't know how much of my thought process was transmitted to him but I have a feeling he knows what I'm planning.
"I'll do it." Nick says firmly.
After agreeing to meet the Baron, I immediately take over and walk downstairs into the foyer.
"Hello there, you must be Nick." A tall, blond haired man says as he rises from his seat next to Vincent and Kyle. "I'm Baron Eric Armstrong and I'd like to apologize on behalf of my son."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Nick." I step forward with a smile and stick my hand out for a handshake. The Baron is a clearly surprised but eventually obliges me.
"I'll go make some tea." Carroll says while eyeing me suspiciously. I do my best to ignore her and take a seat.
"I appreciate the apology but I'd like to take this chance to ensure something like this doesn't happen again." I cross my legs and look directly into the Baron's eyes as I speak.
"I can assure you that won't be a problem." Armstrong says with a beaming smile.
"How?"
"What?"
"I asked, how?" The Baron is struck dumb by my question. I'm sure he was expecting me to simply agree with him. Before he has a chance to recover, I begin pressing. "Kyle has obviously learned this behavior from someone. The only way we can prevent him from lashing out violently again is by confronting the source. Now, what might that be? Or rather, who?"
The Baron's eyes narrow and he slowly sits in his chair. His demeanor has changed dramatically.
"What are you trying to say?" He asks as he leans forward and rests his chin on his fist.
"Children are impressionable. If, for instance, a young boy makes a mistake and is met with violence then he may learn that such behavior is an appropriate response to conflict. Maybe he even feels the need to project the pain he's feeling onto others."
The room is tense with silence as everyone contemplates my words. I can see Vincent staring at me with eyes the size of dinner plates. Armstrong silently stares, waiting for me to continue. The fact that he hasn't interrupted me likely means that I'm on the right track.
"So, how exactly are you going to prevent an incident like this from happening again? My concern is that Kyle may be treated the same as me; after all, he had to learn it from someone. And if that someone were to apply such treatment in an attempt to reform him, I fear we may exacerbate the problematic behavior."
"I can assure you that's not the case." Eric Armstrong says flatly. "As you can see, my son is in perfect health."
I glance over at Kyle and see the confusion in his eyes, it almost covers up the fear hidden in his posture. He's sitting with his shoulders tucked in and his arms covering his stomach. I can even see him leaning away from his father slightly.
"Of course, but appearances can be deceiving. I'm sure someone noble enough to teach Kyle would also be aware of appearances. Maybe they would even have him wear loose clothing that covers most of his but to keep up appearances. In fact, Kyle, why don't you take your robe off. We need to be sure something like that isn't happening to you."
"Stop!" Baron Armstrong shouts as he stands from his seat. Kyle shrinks back at the sudden motion. Having made my point, I sit back and wait for Eric to respond.
He looks back and forth between me and his son as if evaluating us.
"What do you want?" He asks gravely.
"I already told you, I want to make sure this incident doesn't happen again, to anyone." I emphasize while looking at Kyle.
"That's it?"
"Of course." I smile.