Helsyn sat on her new bed, tired after the long day of training. Her and Arien shared the same room, because Arien insisted on being with Helsyn.
"So, how do you like it here so far?"
Arien was laying on the bed on the other side of the room, kicking her feet up and down.
"I like it. It's a lot bigger than my old home... but there's lots of fun things to do."
Helsyn smiled softly, feeling a slight sense of comfort knowing that Arien was able to act like a child again, considering the traumatic experiences she went through.
"Helsynnnn~! One of your friends is here!"
Nephy's voice echoed from down the hall as Helsyn sighed. At first, she was confused upon hearing the word "friend," but figured it was that man she met before, Invictas. Although she would consider him more of an acquaintance than a friend.
As Helsyn made her way down the hall towards Nephy, she saw Alisha staring at something in front of her, dumbfounded.
"I-Invictas?!"
Helsyn immediately put the pieces together and felt like an idiot, not realizing that Invictas and Alisha were related. They had looked so similar after all.
Invictas sighed in relief upon seeing his sister rather than being shocked at her suddenly appearing before him. They embraced each other warmly, causing Helsyn to wonder how long its been since they last saw each other.
"You know, you could have told me you were working for the royal guard in that letter you sent me."
Invictas teased his younger sister playfully.
"I-I wasn't even accepted for the job yet! How was I supposed to know..."
The two laughed amongst each other, but their laughter eventually turned into sadness as they both knew what was coming next.
"Mom is... gone. I visited home a couple days ago on the way here."
Alisha wore a look of both sorrow and shock, but had prepared herself for this outcome.
"I... see. Thank you for telling me."
Invictas nodded his head as Alisha hurriedly walked off back into her room, hiding her face.
The whole ordeal made Helsyn think of her own mother, and what had happened to her. She didn't know how she would react upon finding her body, but she hoped she would at least cry.
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xxx
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Nephy and Helsyn stood awkwardly as the interaction between the two siblings played out.
"Ah... sorry about that. I suppose that wasn't the best time for a reunion."
Invictas apologized for making the two young ladies wait, but they understood the situation.
"It's fine, it's fine. What did you come here for?"
Nephy led Invictas towards the dining room table as Helsyn quietly followed.
"I received a message from a Dreath spy directed to you. I thought I should warn you, before anything gets out of hand."
Invictas sat down on one of the chairs, with the others soon following.
He described his encounter with the suspicious figure and the threat he posed to the people of Vindyr.
Nephy listened carefully, her hand placed on her chin.
"Sorry... but an empty threat like that isn't enough to stop me from continuing this. If the sacrifice of the people of Vindyr is what is needed for the revival of our land, then sobeit."
Invictas seemed shocked at her simple response, expecting her to take a more serious approach to the matter at hand.
"Are you kidding? You know Dreath is not the type of nation to make empty threats. In fact, they are the one nation to be most wary of. You don't know what they're capable of doing."
Invictas spoke against Nephy's response, arguing that she should take more responsibility and think of what's left of Vindyr.
Helsyn didn't necessarily know how to react, as she was not well informed on the politics of such matters, so she remained silent.
"I know! But even then, it doesn't matter. Either we die like dogs, or we go out fighting. Which do you suppose is a better option?"
Nephy continued to press her reasonings even further.
"The chances are slim, but... if there is even a sliver of a chance, then I'll take it. That's the decision I've chosen to make."
Invictas let Nephy's words stir in his mind for a moment, considering all the possible options in this current predicament. It was true that without the aid of other nations, Vindyr was doomed to slowly die out due to a lack of resources and a dysfunctional economy. The remaining population would then choose to move elsewhere, rather than staying in a desolate land filled with sleeping corpses.
"Fine... but what will you do about Dreath's attack?
Nephy grinned in response to Invictas' question.
"That's where our allies, the nation of Infre, comes in!"
Invictas readjusted his glasses before speaking once more.
"Infre...? And how did you manage to get them on your side?"
Nephy confidently stood up with her hands on her hips.
"It was pretty easy, actually! Being a nation of dragonkin, they've had bad relations with Caelestis. We help them with Caelestis, and they help us with Dreath. It's as simple as that."
Invictas sighed, seemingly stressed from the girl's over-the-top attitude.
"I can't say I agree with this destruction of nations and cultures, but if this is what must be done, then do as you like."
Invictas began to stand up, as if he were getting ready to leave.
"Hold on right there, buster! You're a mage, aren't you? Why don't you come and help us? I'll even lend you a room in the Enseraph estate, where you can be with your sister!"
Nephy pointed aggressively at Invictas, putting him on the spot. He simply sighed and thought about the offer for a moment.
The young man didn't really have a purpose anymore. There was no reason to fight, no reason to keep on going. He still had his sister, but he figured she would be fine on her own as she was quite the capable swordswoman.
Invictas thought of himself killing others with his own hands, causing the destruction of entire nations.
He glanced at Helsyn for a moment, who had yet to say anything, then back at Nephy.
He then looked at Prada, and thought of his own mother. Would she be proud of him for fighting for his home? Or would she be disappointed due to the incoming slaughter Invictas would cause?
There was no point in asking such questions. His mother was gone for good. It doesn't matter what she would think anymore.
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xxx
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"I... refuse to be the one to take lives with my own hands. But I don't mind being a tactician and assisting you with your plans. Something like that is much more suited for someone like me."
Invictas spoke softly, his head facing downwards as if he were unsatisfied with himself.
Nephy grinned smugly in response to hearing Invictas accept her offer.
"As expected! Aaaaaaaaalright, from now on, you will be a resident of the Enseraph estate, just like Helsyn here! In the meantime, how about teaching us how to use magic?"
Invictas glanced upwards, his head still pointed down towards the ground.
"Hah, magic isn't something you can just learn, y'know. It takes years of persistent traini—"
"Would something like this be considered magic?"
Helsyn unleashed her skeleton arm and formed a condensed energy ball of souls within her palm. Invictas looked at what the young woman had just conjured in awe.
"Uh... I don't think so? I suppose it follows the same idea, though."
Invictas rolled up his sleeves and held up his arm, manifesting a small fireball in his palm.
Helsyn and Nephy both stared curiously, wondering how exactly to replicate that ability.
"Try using that same technique of release, except imagine the source coming from within your body, rather than whatever that... skeleton thing is."
Helsyn closed her eyes and extended her arm, following Invictas' advice. She imagined seeing the energy flow out of her body and into her palm, to which she felt a warm heat emanating from her hands.
Upon opening her eyes, she had created an extremely small fireball. Proud of herself, Helsyn lost focus of her control, and the fireball immediately dissipated.
Invictas stared, wide-eyed at what Helsyn had just did. That same thing she just performed took Invictas nearly six months to do.
"A-Ahem. Well then. I guess I should explain the very basics of magic."
Invictas cleared his throat as Nephy awkwardly tried to copy Helsyn, to no avail.
"The magic you can conjure is based off the amount of mana in your body. Your mana reserves have a set limit from birth, but can be expanded through training, such as using magic more often and pushing your limits."
Helsyn listened intently, as learning how to perform magic could give her hints on how to further control her Lucid abilities.
"Using mana, you can manifest any of the four elements: fire, water, earth, and wind. There are also other types of magic, like warp magic or altercation magic. But... for the most part, the four elements are the basis for everything related to magic."
As Invictas continued his lecture, Nephy kept trying to create a fireball in her hands.
And miraculously, it worked.
"Look! Look, look, look! I did it! I made a fireball!"
Nephy jumped around in excitement despite not being able to maintain her magic past a few seconds.
Helsyn seemed to be proud of Nephy, but Invictas was rather irked at the raw talent these two girls possessed. Anywho, it was not his place to judge, and he thought he should be congratulating them instead.
"Err... good job, I suppose. Most basic mages can only perform magic of the four elements. Warp magic, for example, is something that takes a more complex understanding to learn. The most skilled magicians are able to craft spells unique to themselves, through what is called conditional magic."
Helsyn and Nephy both continued to listen whilst practicing their newfound magic abilities, like a child with a new toy.
"Conditional magic is... based on a set of rules and conditions. The stricter the rules, the higher the output of magic you can apply to the spell. For example, I can set a conditional spell on you that requires you to be hit to activate. Once that rule is met, I can cast a fire shield to protect you from whoever hit you. Of course, it gets more complicated than that, but that's the general gist of it."
Nephy tilted her head in confusion, her finger placed on her chin.
"Hmm... I think that's too complicated for me. I'll just stick to making my cute little fireballs!"
She continued to prance around the room without a care in the world.
"I assume conditional magic takes a large amount of mana to use, right?"
Helsyn, who had been paying close attention the entire time, was eager to know as much as possible about magic.
"That's right. Even if someone understood how conditional magic works, they wouldn't be able to use it due to not having enough mana to actually cast the spell."
Helsyn nodded her head, understanding the idea completely. Invictas seemed to be impressed at how diligent she was when it came to learning.
"By the way, how's the little one?"
Helsyn raised her head, initially confused as to who Invictas was referring to.
"Oh, you mean Arien? She should be doing fine in my room."
Invictas was a kind soul at heart, and found himself starting to get attached to this ragtag group of weirdos.
He thought to himself that he wouldn't necessarily mind fighting alongside them if it meant he could protect them.
"I see. I suppose that's enough about magic for today, then."
Invictas stood up from his chair, with Helsyn following suit.
"Oh! Allow me to show you to your room, Mr. Magic Instructor!"
Nephy grabbed Invictas by the arm and aggressively dragged him down the hall.
Helsyn returned to her room where she had found Arien lying asleep in her bed.
She pulled her blanket closer to her, making sure she was completely warm and comfortable.
Helsyn caressed Arien's face and hair for a moment, before suddenly pulling back her hand after realizing what she was doing.
"I'm not this little girl's mother. Just what the hell am I thinking...?"
Helsyn then quickly prepared herself to go to bed and turned off the lights, readying herself for whatever Nephy had in store for her tomorrow.