" Give…you my son?"
" GIVE YOU MY SON? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"
Reverie snapped from her tearful daze and instantly exploded with anger, her previously silenced hurricane roared up again with renewed vigour.
' Haiz…I knew this was not going to be easy.' Isadora lamented silently.
' No matter, still within expectation.'
Isadora backed up several paces and raised her hands, palms showing in a sign of surrender.
" Please, Isadora listen to me. I think you're misunderstanding something."
"What am I misunderstanding? Reverie roared, her noble demeanour and class flung to the winds.
" When I said 'give', I didn't mea-"
" Misunderstand that you are just after my son for his gift?"
" No, that's not what I meant, just please lis-"
" Misunderstand that you're no different from those Solarian dogs? Is that what I misunderstood?!"
Isadora instantly fell silent. This time, it was Reverie who had hit a nerve.
Years of experience and memories flashed through Isadora's mind in an instant like water rushing through a broken dam.
Blood. Screams. A white flag.
The air stood still.
" Do not." Isadora snarled, her eyes murderous and her act crumbling like sand.
" Lump me together with that scum!" Another hurricane of mana to flared up surrounding Isadora with the ferocity of a world ending blaze in response.
The pressure in the air instantly multiplied a hundred fold as even Reverie took a step back in surprise.
Her heart was pounding. She didn't want to feel afraid. Not of this woman who had just tried to scam her by acting friendly. Reverie hated such people the most.
She didn't want to feel afraid. Not of someone like this.
Reverie looked at her hands and something in her heart relented.
They were shaking. Her teeth was also chattering. Her voice was gone.
She didn't want to feel afraid.
But she had no choice.
Her eyes were now completely glued on the woman in front of her and although she still felt a righteous anger at how she had tried to pull wool over her eyes, Reverie couldn't help but feel in awe.
' It's beautiful.'
Reverie didn't like the thought, but even then she had to grudgingly admit that it was true.
As the Mana performed a violent dance around Isadora's body, it morphed and shaped and twirled and intertwined, all the while maintaining a dense shape that brought out the maximum output in each particle.
To an untrained eye, it was simply force. But to a mage, it was like looking into a sea of stars.
It was a level of magic that Reverie had already given up on attaining.
' It's beautiful.'
The blaze of mana hastily died down as Isadora swiftly regained her composure.
" I apologise, I didn't mean to lash out." She said apologetically, looking away.
' Well shit, now everything's gone to fuck because I couldn't control my temper. Good job you 500 years old failure!' Isadora gritted her teeth, cursing silently.
' I need to salvage this!'
Turning to Reverie, Isadora tried to plead but was cut off as Reverie said:
" Listen, I don't mind letting you have my son as an apprentice but I won't be giving you to him."
Isadora couldn't believe her ears.
" Really?"She asked.
" But why?"
" Because you are a strong mage. I want you to teach my son magic." Reverie's voice was monotone, stating it as a simple matter of fact. There was no emotion involved in this transaction.
" Ohh? Is that so?"
' So she wants to use me since she sees my worth.' Isadora thought.
Isadora smiled sweetly as she flashed an unmoved Reverie a smile.
" Well I'm flattered!"
"But.." She pressed.
" I won't be able to teach him very well unless he is often by my side. There are things tha-"
" Don't push it." Reverie growled.
"Take the deal or leave it. Don't assume that I am so ignorant as to not know what is in it for you if you gain an apprentice like my son. Don't forget, I'm a mage as well."
Isadora clicked her tongue and raised her hands in surrender.
" Very well, fine" She sighed.
Hearing this, Reverie visibly relaxed somewhat before turning around and heading for the door. She didn't want to be with this vile witch any longer than necessary.
Isadora called out: " When does he start? I'll need time to prepare too you know?"
Without turning to give a second glance, Reverie gave her reply and was gone, the door closing behind her with a thud.
' Two years from now huh? So right after the coming of age ceremony.'
Isadora's face morphed into a devious smile. She wasn't given exactly what she had wanted but it was close enough.
For an Ageless One like her, two years wasn't really that long so waiting didn't turn her off. She was used to having to wait. It wasn't anything new.
' I'll see you soon child.'
Outside the hut, Reverie closed the door and slumped against it, letting out a tired sign. She had had too many firsts in the same morning that her heart couldn't stop pounding.
First time almost getting duped. First time talking to an Ageless one. First time seeing such powerful magic up close. It all felt surreal yet still, for some reason, real.
Seeing her mistress's distress, Rennie hurried up to her, reaching into her back pocket to hand her a handkerchief which the former gratefully accepted, wiping the sweat from her face.
" Milady, are you alright? You look really pale." Rennie asked, her voice saturated with worry.
" Yeah I'm alright. I just…need abit of time to digest what just happened."
Rennie nodded but inside, she was nervous.
'Mistress just said 'Yeah'? Not 'Yes' or 'You need not worry' but 'Yeah'? Oh Primachs….' Rennie had to hold back the urge to bite her nails in anxiety but all that did was make her fidgety instead.
" Mistress…if you don't mind my asking….what happened in there?" Rennie gently probed.
Reverie looked at the young maid whose eyes were sparkling with poorly suppressed curiosity and had to struggle to keep the ends of her mouth steady. It was good though. She was tired and she needed some joy right now.
" It's a long story, I'll tell you on the way back." She said with a tired smile.
Taking Rumius back from Rennie and into her arms, Reverie playfully held his small palm in two fingers and tucked him in tight. Looking back at the girl behind her who she'd been forced to entrust so much more to in just the last few hours, she said:
" Well, let's return now shall we?"