Everything started like usual, I woke up and my entire body ached. My self imposed body tempering came with a price after all. The price was Pain. It is true that you get used to pain. This doesn't help when you use the pain as indication of your training.
The whole game is rigid, don't even try to play if you are not willing to put in the effort. That's what a life in slavery taught me.
I had already received my own room, something unusual for a young child like me. Normally everyone sleeps in the big dorm until they are at least 12. But the youngest in the dorm is 5. I am the only child below the age of 5. They gave me a room next to Hilda's room because I wasn't going to accept being separated by more than one wall.
This allowed me to eavesdrop on Rafals visits. I wouldn't have been able to protect Hilda if things went south but I would do everything I could. Everything stayed the same until for the last few visits, he had made some comets that made my blood freeze inside my veins.
I did everything in my power to make sure that both Marius and Jasmine would be present on her birthday. I also made Jasmine invite her Master, the Headmaster of the Academy. The students don't have classes on that day because it is the assessment day, and the normal school year is already over.
I stood up, dressed myself and walked over to Hilda's door where I knocked. Hilda opened immediately. She looked fantastic. I am no specialist about beauty or the female body, but her assets were already great when I first saw her. Nowadays she is just stunning. No one, not even Jasmine can outclass her beauty. Her body was a Masterpiece created by the gods. The simple blue dress she wore made her look so perfect.
Following an impulse, I made a formal nobleman's bow Jasmine taught me and whispered in an apologetic manner: "I am sorry your Majesty, I knocked on the wrong door. I expected my mother and not a beautiful Fairy Queen I only hear from in Legends."
Hilda blushed before she gave me a tight hug: "You are too young to be this, cheeky."
I giggled as she kissed me on the forehead: "Happy Birthday Mama."
I am still aware that Hilda isn't my true mother but why should I care about something like that. She is the closest thing to Family I have. Should my real mother appear, even if she could prove to be my mother I would still choose Hilda.
"Thanks sweety"
I pulled something out of my pocket, it was a green ring. I had made an effort to form it out of a stone that I found in the garden of the orphanage. It was more crude than pretty. But it came for the heart.
I only had superficial information about women. But I knew that women love jewelry and because Hilda was an orphan she did not have any. So I made this ring for her so she would have at least something on the day she would leave the orphanage.
"Is that for me?" The astonishment in her voice was not heavy enough to overshadow the euphoric undercurrent.
I only nodded as I handed her the ring. She took the ring and looked at it as if it was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes upon. It was also that day that I swore to myself to build Hilda a spaceship. If a ring made her happy a spaceship would make her even happier.
"It's so pretty, Thank you so much." Hilda gave me another tight hug that I returned with some of my strength. Hilda had long since found out how strong I was but She never asked me where the power came from.
After we separated Hilda added the ring to her right middle finger, the only place it fit, then she picked me up and we walked into the dining hall where breakfast would be served soon.
Most of the older Children had assembled. The students of the Academy knew Hilda the best, After all she was the first orphan that dominated the magus class so hard that everyone hailed her as the reincarnation of some God-level Alchemist.
Some of them had an affinity for magic. Some had none and were attending the knight class. But I do not exaggerate if I say that the hall was filled with the future of this kingdom.
An 18th birthday was always a good reason to stand up early. The reason was obviously the cake. The cake always belonged to the birthday kid so you needed to have a good relationship with them. You don't go to the birthday party of your enemies.
There were no fights about the cake. At least not on this day. It happened that someone wanted to ruin someone's birthday. Afterall you can't be friends with everyone. But such a thing only happens at the younger ages. No one would dare ruin an 18th birthday.
The people that were present at Hilda's 18th birthday are all part of the Nature Tower.
The cheerful atmosphere rose as two 17 years old boys brought a massive cake into the hall to honor Hilda. The two boys were Kermian and Hanso. Hanso was magicless and untalented for every form of combat, but he was the best cook this orphanage had ever seen. He was like an angel in the kitchen. He hat the hots for Hilda like at least 60% of the boys between 15 and 18.
The Cake Hanso made for Hilda's 18th birthday had the shape of a heart and was 10 times the size of a normal birthday cake.
It was obvious that he would get scolded for that. There was no shortage of food but the ingredients for cake were expensive. Despite his gift Hanso was not allowed to waste the orphanage's resources willy nilly.
According to the rules of the orphanage you have to treat everyone equally, of course something like this is impossible but you have to try, at least as the staff. Making a giant cake in the shape of a heart was just unprofessional.
Sadly the Cake was eaten faster than we expected. Hanso had made a masterpiece, It earned him a hug and a kiss on the cheek from Hilda. The poor boy nearly died of a heart attack.
We had the time of our life when suddenly the door swung open and Aktun Rafal entered the hall. behind him entered 15 guards armed with spears and side weapons.
He walked over to Hilda without saying a word. His face was a grimace of determination. He reached out and grabbed Hilda by her hair, with his right hand, while his goons pointed their weapons at the teenager in the room.
Aktun Rafal turned around and pulled Hilda from her chair in the direction of the door. I knew that this would happen. He never said it out loud but the indications I heard through the wall were enough. Which was why I wanted Marius, Jasmine and the Headmaster to come here today.
Unfortunately they haven't arrived yet.
The picture of how Aktun Rafal treated Hilda, like a slave that he came to claim, made me angry. Hilda was the closest thing to a mother I ever had, and by far the only person I dare to call my family.
Something deep inside me snapped. It woke up the sleeping beast that had been poked the first time Lina used magic on me. The beast was pissed. And by pissed I mean the kind of pissed a Dragon mother is when you try to steal her egg.
The feeling that rushed through my body is indescribable. It felt as if I was possessed by a freaking army of demons that had only one collective wish. Kill Aktun Rafal and drink his blood.
In one fluid motion I jumped from my chair and attacked Aktun Rafal. None of the guards were able to react to that. Their attention was on the teenager. After all they were aspiring knights and mages. If push came to shove it wasn't clear who would walk out of the situation alive. It was natural that no one took notice of the only real kid on the table.
I had the seat right next to Hilda while Rafal came from the left side. I jumped up and grabbed the wrist of his right Hand. My body was burning in beautiful golden flames. Due to my excessive flight training I had a really good control over my body and near perfect aerial maneuverability even without my wings.
I used his wrist as my anchor and put all my momentum, my strength and my mana in this perfectly executed roundhouse kick that connected with Rafal's soderplexus.
My battlecry was: "Hands of my mother you creepy son of a bitch!"
The surprise attack of a 4 year old was very surprising. Caught completely off guard, Rafal failed to resist at all. My kick connected perfectly and sent his muscles into spasms.
His grip on Hilda loosened and he fell over landing on his ass while Hilda fell on the ground after being pulled off her chair. I landed between Hilda and Rafal. My body was filled to the brink with adrenalin and ecstasy. I would not let Rafal take Hilda away from me.
As the golden flames blazed around me, the teenager and the guards stared at me like I was some kind of monster. Hilda stood back up now that she was free from Rafal's grip
I had expected the guards to attack me, or for Aktun Rafal to start yelling at me.
Instead of yelling or whatever his eye transformed into a bloodred vortex. He had his empty eye socket covered by an eyepatch but it disintegrated and revealed a second blood red vortex.
I instinctively activated my Magic perception. The Shapeless shadow das I had seen once had transformed into a horned demon that came straight out of the legends Hila told me.
It was heinous. Its face looked blank as if it had no face muscles. Two blood red vortexes were positioned where the eyes should have been. Between the eyes were 2 vertical slits, below the demonic nose was a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. On his forehead were two horns that spiraled into the sky. Its body was blurry but the claw-like hands were distinct.
I felt like it was staging straight into my eyes. It creeped the living shit out of me.
Rafal stood back up, he basically levitated onto his feet. That wasn't something I expected from an old man. His eyes or better his vortexes focused on me. Horns grew out of his forehead and spiraled into the sky, just like the shadow I just saw. his Hands turned into claws and his skin became black and scaly.
"You little shit. I have ignored you for years and I would have continued to ignore you, but not anymore. I kill everyone that insults or attacks me. You will be no different from them." Aktun Rafal's voice had changed into something different. It sounded surreal, ancient and evil. It paralyzed my body and mind. I couldn't move and all the courage and valor I felt seconds ago turned into deep seated fear.
As if Orchestrated by the gods the door opened again, Marius, Lina, Jasmine and a few others from the Academy stood in the door. Whatever their plan had been it turned to ass as they saw the demon reach out to smash me into pieces.
Everything happened in slow motion for me as I was sure this would be the death of me. At least I stalled enough time for Jasmine and Marius to arrive. My thoughts at that moment had been: 'A life as a slave, a life as sacrifice. I should have grown faster, I got everything I needed to save Hilda and used it wisely. It wasn't good enough to survive. It was worth it. I hope she won't be too disheartened. I love you Mom!'
In the face of certain death before my 5th birthday I closed my eyes in fear. I was hoping for a swift and painless death, like the last time.
After I failed to die, I opened my eyes.
Hilda had caught the deathly claw. Her eyes were blazing with mana, they had transformed into green shuttle headlights. Her hand had firefly secured Rafal's demonic claw. A golden circle appeared on the back of Rafal's claw. He howled like a burning witch and tried to free his hand from Hilda's grip.
Two purple lightning bolts shot forward from the door. Mick and Rocky, the lightning brothers and good friends of Jasmine and Hilda, appeared on both sides of Rafal. Their fists loaded to the brink with lightning mana. Both fists connected with the Demon but Rafal Ignored them as if he hadn't even felt their hits. All his attention was on Hilda