Fifteen years…
Magus's began training in that allotted time frame, combatants joined the knights academy and legends were born or at least the supporting pillars that would later become the nurturors of that legend, were born. The key points around it were Magic, or in this sense, the dragon tongue. The Republic of which the Ludunhime family resided under hounded over it like rabid dogs, a fantastical force of seemingly unknown origins without a limit in its possible capabilities was indeed salivating.
Nation's were both built and razed by it, it was for this reason that magic families became a thing. In a world of magic, where such things ruled over society more so than intelligence, cunning and physical capability there was a bid to hone this mysterious entity as much as humanly possible, it was only inevitable families like them would arise. Victor Von Vladalina Ludunhime was one such person afflicted by such a thing, magic…
A sigh escaped his lips, it was the kind that didn't fit the disposition his age seemed to showcase but one mired through time, an aged sigh of exhaustion. He had bright crimson hair, long but slightly messy with deep brown eyes of piercing nature. He was seated in front of a long table where a woman sat beside him, her hair dark in colour yet her eyes of a striking bright ember, she seemed frail and as delicate as a flower with the combination of her stunning beauty; he sighed, neither of them had changed in so long…
Soon enough his gaze landed on a person across from them, at the end of the long table where the sat and seemingly nervous with anxious movements that Victor found slightly amusing since it'd been so long since he'd seen her.
"Ludy, are you alright?" The girl nearly yelped at her name being mentioned, shortened at that as well.
"I-I-I'm fine, it's just that..I haven't been out of my room for a while now"
That was true, Victor had heard well of her antics by now. The name, "Hermit of Ludunhime" wasn't exactly a title held by many in the family much less those descending from its main branch but outliers were always a thing in any system regardless of how tightly knit it was. Although Ludmilla wasn't exactly anything Victor had wanted to call an outlier at any point in his life, to him, a true outlier of the Ludunhime family was a person completely and utterly inept at anything, someone who didn't have a single thing to call their strength nor the desire to pursue anything and while Ludmilla was a hermit, her merits came with her intelligence, her devoutedness to this field and desires towards engineering and while Victor supported this to a certain degree..it was just that…
'That's fallen behind the times now…'
There was magic, there was magical engineering studies. The need for practical and traditional engineers had all but disappeared with the sands of time, and while Ludmilla was a genius when it came to such a field…magical engineering in fact magic in general required a certain level of aptitude. Apperently a child showed early signs of magical aptitude by age five but those were deemed as geniuses while the average age was ten to twelve, Ludmilla had shown zero signs in either period.
He'd began to grow anxious, the thought that his daughter wasn't attuned to any kind of magic was terrifying not more so because of the family reputation but his daughters own future as well, would she have to live the rest of her life as the Ludunhime family's Little Hermit? What of her life? Victor shuddered at the thought, would he…have to watch his own daughter grow and die in the confines of his own castle? Witches and wizards didn't age much, once mana integrated into the body, its fantastical effects were palpable and the aging process was slowed which only continued the higher one travelled up the circles.
All of Ludmilla's siblings were Magi-born, the eldest being Veronica who showed the most promise in her field however Ludmilla had been left behind. He'd nearly grown anxious and started to slowly accept the fact that Ludmilla simply hadn't been gifted, that apart from her intelligence there was nothing more. While these thoughts assailed him, Viktor suddenly felt a warm touch by hands sitting idle but slightly trembling over the table and he glanced at her, eyes glazed over in reassurance towards him as he sighed.
'Thats right…it isn't over yet…'
He raised his head to stare at Crusch who couldn't be any more terrified than when she'd died, Melissa hadn't warned her about this! The way she'd made it sound and the memories of her own body and Crusch very much expected a family that either despised her existence or would rather ignore her, it was the typical kind of thing with novelic families of a setting with a child that served no other purpose than locking herself up behind her room for hours on end. Yet why were their gazes so…solemn? Was it disownment? Were they gonna start telling he she needed to earn her keep? Crusch couldn't interpret what any of their gazes meant and once again her memories failed to give her a reading on what they might've thought of her however her body did react oddly or would it be more apt to say that it was her heart? Although she inwardly felt anxiousness, nervousness and fear, these were emotions spurring from herself; Crusch, the possessor of this foreign body.
The foreign body itself harbored different feelings altogether, it was warmth, it was protection and it was joy. It seemed as though she knew them well, lovingly well at that so Crusch could at least gain hope from that but whether that was a feeling from parents this body had known only from childhood before became a hermit and barely knew what they'd turned out to be now was a mystery but needless worry was a weapon of self harm in and of itself as she took a deep breath.
"Mother, father I'm.. I'm glad you decided to meet me today!" She spoke with an added flare of excitement, her head bopping and her eyes glimmering with excitement as Victor and Yoraina were caught by surprise.
That was a gaze they hadn't seen before…no it'd be more accurate to say they hadn't seen it in a while, Ludmilla's gaze…filled with any emotions but hopelessness? Victor once again felt a pang in his heart, this was acting, Ludmilla was great at keeping face at times to please others but they'd known her lingering feelings for quite a while after all, Melissa was their closest aid towards her and when she couldn't confide in anyone she just ever so slightly lifted that mask and beneath it…
'Jesus Christ, it's flipping bad! Why do you two look like that!?'
Crusch inwardly cried out in desperation as she analysed each and every one of their gestures and expressions, noting that they seemed pained over something.
'Damn this body, what could you have done to have brought me here!? You couldn't think for me at least? The new owner of this damned body!?'
Though there was no one to reprimand and Crusch inwardly knew that what she was saying was both selfish and empathetically immoral, she'd taken this body by force so since when was it given and why would the owner have cared what relationship she had with her siblings and parents when it was supposed to be her life alone? She shook her head, sighing to calm herself as she smiled at her parents while tilting her head in innocent confusion.
"Is there…something wrong?"
Viktor flinched and Yoraina gaze seemingly became down cast but it lasted only a moment before they recomposed themselves, "The loving Mother Dragon of love life blesses all her children, and…"
He trailed off, leaving the rest to Crusch who although didn't catch on immediately was suddenly reminded with the flash of a memory that instinctively had her finish the short prayer.
"May no evil dare to bare its fangs" Viktor smiled, half way as it was.
"You used to constantly nag over it when you were a child, history was it?"
"The basic knowledge and historical acclimations of Asteria's Original Dragon's" Crusch corrected as Yoraina chuckled, why did she know that? However her body seemed to react upon instinct rather than conscious thought.
"You know, Victor couldn't stand it anymore after a while, he said you had enthusiasm but hearing you mouth every old religious prayer in those books nearly drove him mad"
Viktor slightly glanced away in embarrassment as though not wanting to admit he was annoyed by his own daughters desires to 'teach' him.
"If I remember correctly, it was you who'd first straddled her onto those books and dumped her on me the moment she began reciting them like poems" Viktor quipped in retaliation
"I-I did no such! Ludy dear, your father's old age has seemingly began to fog his mind"
"You're a year older than myself!"
'This was most definitely not what I expected…'
Crusch watched as her parents lightly argued over the past then occasionally made comments that placed her in the conversation, there were no real memories of whatever they were recalling in her own thoughts but she did try to include herself from time to time as this continued for another thirty minutes or so before dying down to the silence again but the atmosphere of subtle awkwardness and nervousness had dissipated almost completely, her mother and father were beaming and so too was Crusch as it at least showcased to her that there wasn't much of anything to worry about, her parents didn't seem to want to admonish her over the conducts of her predecessor.
"Such a long time ago…you've grown so much.." her mother voiced as Viktor nodded, Crusch could tell that the conversation was leading somewhere serious and responded in cline.
"It's not like I'm a grandma or anything, I'm still the same child as before right?" She smiled.
Yoraina smiled back but it was once again a half smiled, truthfully they couldn't agree nor disagree but for some reason it was that word that regressed them back into a sense of worry, bringing them back to the reason why they'd brought Ludmilla here in the first place, well of course it was the main reason but there was also the desire to reconnect.
"Ludy, have you thought of…perhaps…taking a magical aptitude test?" It was direct and it was a leap of faith.
Ludmilla had never once desired to take a magical aptitude test, after missing all four years showcasing an aptitude for magic in general and the desire to take it had dwindled till its flame puffed out. It wasn't when her days of seclusion began but it had in fact contributed to its increased frequency till she'd relegated herself to only a very small part of the castle and only Melissa had any opportunity to see her on occasions.
Neither Viktor nor Yoraina had tried to convince her otherwise either, words fell flat as there was nothing they could do but console and consolation could only go so far. Before long and she began distancing and after that it became three years, three years since Ludmilla had ever been anywhere around the castle visible by the majority of its inhabitants. Viktor could expect what the answer might be, in fact he was well and truly ready to try and convince her with everything he had regardless if she refused a hundred times, if he had to then placing his foot down was an option, and if even that incurred rebellion then—
"I'll do it"
"Ludy this for your own good—!"
"We only want the best for you—!" Victor's face suddenly froze and Yoraina similarly looked puzzled as they stared at Ludmilla with caution as though having misheard, "you'll…do it?"
She nodded, vigorously in fact as she smiled,
"I'll do it, so when is this test exactly?"