In my dreams I see an elf. She tells me a lot of things, like who I am and what I can do. Her name is Umbra and she is me, or at least a part of me… An alternate me? It really doesn’t make much sense, but to make things simpler I just think of her as my older sister. Umbra herself seems fine with that and she has even taken up calling me her younger brother, I think she actually enjoys being considered a sister more than a disparate manifestation of an alternate consciousness. Whatever that means…

Regardless I like Umbra, it seems like she knows the answers to everything.

I also understand that I’m an eldritch in a human body, something that apparently makes me very special and really strong. Umbra says that I don’t really have to worry too much about that though, all I have to do is keep the fact I’m eldritch a secret. I was told that my life was a rare opportunity and that whatever I want to do I should just do because my desires were also Umbra’s desires. Umbra told me to live my life for the two of us, but that seems a bit too heavy a burden to shoulder so I think I’ll just live my own life. That said I will take her advice about doing what I want, that sounded like a great idea.

Sadly there really wasn’t much to do at the moment. I would lay in my crib and on occasion my father would have me brought to his study so that he could watch me while he worked. That was it, that was my life.

Umbra says things will be better when I’m old enough to move on my own, but I’m ok with how things are now. I have Holly, and my eye trick seems to be working wonders on her as she gets nicer by the day. And then there’s Neo, Holly’s daughter, she isn’t able to do much but she is decent company and seems to understand me when I talk. Well, maybe not understand so much as she doesn’t make that annoying high pitched rhyming voice the adults seem to when I try to speak.

Supposedly I helped give Neo her name, but I don’t remember that at all. I think Holly might have imagined that was the case, but I can’t be sure since Umbra said my mind trick tends to deeply effect people in strange ways if I’m not careful with it. Anyway her name means first, so I like to think that she’ll be my first friend. I tried using my eye trick on her, but I can’t tell if it’s working or not. I even spent a whole day using the trick on her, I would use my eye for as long as I could before I had to blink then start all over again, but it didn’t seem to do much.

Neo’s spirit never seemed to change color, it just became deeper and deeper shades of white and grey. Umbra told me I could tell when my eye was working on a person by the color of their spirit changing while I used my mind trick. It worked on everyone else I tried it on, even if it had to be a slow and small change since Umbra told me that other people were fragile, except for Neo. I was stumped, and Umbra only said that my trick should work on any weak willed mortal. I guess that meant that Neo’s will was stronger than mine, so I could only keep working at it…

*

Neo and I are kept together most of the time now. Everyone says that she cries nonstop unless she’s with me so I guess that means she likes me, I wonder if that means were friends? Still I wished my trick would work on her, it’s embarrassing that my will is weaker than a normal baby. Actually now that I think of it Neo has a stronger will then almost every adult I’ve ever seen, the only other person who resists against my mind trick is my father and father is a noble so he is just better than most people.

I guess that means Neo is special, she might even get made into a noble for being so special…

*

The days are passing by so quickly. I don’t even drink milk from Holly anymore, instead I’m feed some mashed up fruits and vegetables. I really don’t like the vegetable mash, but Holly says I need it to grow so I eat it anyway. I also don’t see Umbra as often, she said that she couldn’t interfere much with my life as that would defeat the purpose of me in the first place. I didn’t really understand, but she told me that she’d be there for me when I needed her. Umbra was a reliable sister, I missed her sometimes when I had dreamless sleep.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I also figured out that everyone besides Holly seems to have gotten my name wrong. They keep calling me Charles, and at first I thought it was a joke but now I think that they actually think that’s my name. I wish I could talk so I could clear things up, my name was Lux not some dumb Charles. Holly could tell them too, but for some reason she calls me Charles too when others are around.

It’s honestly becoming a little annoying that everyone calls me Charles instead of my name, but I won’t mind trick them into using my real name. Umbra told me I should save my mind trick for when I really needed it, she called it my secret trump card. Still if they keep up this Charles nonsense I might not be able to wait until I can speak clearly.

I am looking forward to speaking, there is so much I want to say and ask. I want to tell Holly how much I care about her, I want to ask about the world, and I’d love to be able to tell people what I really want instead of having them guess. Speaking is such a useful skill, and I can’t wait until I can use it for myself.

*

Neo is getting a bit too clingy. It seems as if she is always touching me, and that’s fine I guess but it gets too hot at night for her to cling to my side like she does. I’ll need a way to tell her that I’d like a little personal space sometimes, but I can’t talk yet and my mind trick still doesn’t work on her. I almost wish Holly would just separate us at night…

*

Holly was done, her spirit had fully changed color and I could faintly felt a connection form between us briefly that hadn’t been there before. Sure that connection didn’t actually do anything and I only felt it for a moment before the feeling disappeared, but something had formed and Umbra told me that when I felt a connection that was the sign that the person was done and I wouldn’t have to use my trick on them anymore.

As of today Holly officially belonged to me, and now no one could take her away. I think Holly herself was happy about it, she seemed happy about it given how much she was hugging me. Then again she was crying so maybe she was actually sad, but she was also laughing so…

“Precious little Lux, I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

Ok, judging purely off what she’s saying I’d say she was happy about things…

*

I have teeth now. There aren’t that many yet, but I have a few. They feel sort of weird in my mouth, I check them with my tongue sometimes just to make sure that they’re still there. I was a bit excited about my teeth coming in, it was a sign that I was growing.

*

Today I turn one year old, this is apparently a big deal as it is my ‘birthday’. The adults are all making a lot of noise and they’ve brought in a priestess to bless me. As everyone crowded around me and father I watched the priestess work her blessing.

“I ask that the gods continue to bless this child, and may the sun shine on him benevolently…”

As she touched my forehead something strange happened. A familiar energy flowed into me and joined with me, and it almost seemed as if the priestess’ eyes flashed gold for a moment. I swore that the priestess’ smile changed for just a second into a look I’d never seen on anyone besides Holly, but then the moment was over and the priestess’ expression returned to her normal smile. The priestess took her hand away the feeling disappeared and her eyes returned to their normal yellowish green color.

It felt like she just sent some of the same energy that goes into my mind trick right to me. I was a more than a little confused about how she could do that, but I also didn’t want to ask her. Holly was freaked out when I first spoke, and she explained I shouldn’t really be able to talk clearly until I was around two years old. Instead of speaking I decided to just stare at the priestess.

“Thank you once again for attending my son’s birthday celebration priestess Olivia, it means much that you would take the time to come yourself…”

Father seemed to like the priestess, but I hadn’t made up my mind about her yet. I found it a bit suspiscious that she used a power so similar to my own, and I doubt I would be comfortable with the woman until I better understood her.

“It was my pleasure Duke Aver, I couldn’t very well neglect young… Charles, after all it would go against my oaths to the one I follow.”

Father laughed at the priestess’ words.

“The priesthood of Sol must be a very strict organization if your oaths demand that you visit noble children on their birthdays.”

The priestess looked at me deeply and once again it seemed as if her eyes turned golden for an instant.

“Well I don’t know about the other priests, but I know that I would happily do anything my god asked of me…”

I felt a shiver at her words, for some reason it felt like she was talking about me when she spoke.

“Haha! Well, such dedication to goddess Sol is sure to be rewarded by the church. As for me, know that you are welcome at my door at any time priestess Olivia.”

The priestess bowed, but it seemed as if she was bowing more to me than to father. As the strange priestess walked away and another random noble replaced her to talk with my father I wondered what could have made her power seem so familiar to me. I had a feeling that I would be seeing that particular priestess more often in the future…