A shithole. That’s exactly what they had foisted on her. Nezera stared in horror at the rundown manor that would have been glorious. Three centuries ago. She reached up and tugged on the base of her bat ear, a nervous tick.
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“You’re at that age, Nezera.” Her father, one of the main Serenalith’s from her Parental Sundry, sat her down in his office. “You were selected admission into Aquilla, which we are very proud of your accomplishment. But your siblings have already taken on tasks for expanding the family business. With your — decision to change specialities, we felt that it was imperative that you earn your Lycidas legacy. This would be through, ah, somewhat more traditional route. You have one year and a budget to renew our family Legacy.”
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Some family Legacy, she thought. Nezera felt a whole lot of annoyance creep up at the reminder that her siblings never had to prove themselves. Of course not, they were born with only Fate Sight, able to see the connections and threads of magic. The family legacy magic. Instead, she had been born with her mother’s gift on top of the Fate Sight. Spirit Sight and all its wonderful quirks. She was frequently overwhelmed with the visual and magical input from her abilities.
The family Legacy, also known as the six century shithole that no one has stepped foot on in the last century. At least.
She was tasked with restoring the manor to its former glory. Without help from anyone in the family. They had given her a decent budget to work with, which had confused her at the sheer number, but instead now she felt it wouldn’t be enough. The condition had been that anything over budget would come straight from her account.
Nezera frowned at her thoughts, staring at the mess before her. She had gotten into the best Magic University in the entire Core Realms and yet she was still having to prove herself. Nezera slammed the iron gate that was the entrance to the manor as she stalked through it. She stopped just shy of the wooden stairs, or what remained of them, that led up to a wrap-around porch. The wood was rotted and falling apart, with an iron handrail Nezera was sure was a stationary medical hazard waiting to happen with how rusted it was.
How in the Goddess was she supposed to get up to the porch, let alone inside the building? Even magic couldn’t repair the damage this had undergone. Her wings were good but not enough to navigate in small areas. Nezera huffed and groaned when the first stair collapsed into dust underneath her foot. Of course, that wouldn't work; she knew that.
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Stupid.
Nezera kicked the railing and watched as it collapsed over as well. There went that idea, too. She raised a hand to her neck, where her focus was. It was a simple necklace at the moment, but one day, she would have something much nicer. At least it worked. She felt her magic pool in her body before branching out to the surrounding area. Stones began to pile up into a simple but efficient stairway. The continued to form as she walked up to the main porch and saw that there was a clear line where the wards were. The part of the house on the other side was stable and in disrepair, but it wasn't unstable. It was just getting there.
She reached out further with her magic, feeling the significant drain of doing elemental manipulation when it wasn't her specialty. More stones, larger ones, gathered at the top so that they created a stable walkway. As she moved, the ward began to shimmer at the presence of her magic.
At least it recognized her achievements, Nezera groused to herself.The moment she stepped over the ward line, the magic of her ancestors wrapping around her in a comforting blanket, she collapsed. Sweat dotted her brow as she looked back at the rough stairwell she had created. It stayed in place, for which she was thankful. Hopefully, it will hold for a few days until she hires someone to build a new staircase. She had to review the rest of the estate before that in order to see if there were more pressing issues.
The magic of the manor and the ward rippled over her skin, pushing feelings of concern at her state.
“I’m okay. Thank you.” She breathed out. Nezera stood on shaky legs and stumbled over to the door. This would be the worst part, but necessary. Bringing out a small ritual knife, she cut her palm and placed it on the wood. It stung like a bitch, but the effect was immediate. The entire house rumbled and the wards flared around her. Magic surged and encompassed her in a tight, warm embrace. Centuries of ancestral magic lifted her off her feet slightly, and she rejoiced at the renewal. It urged her to continue the renewal with the wardstone. After she rested.
Nezera watched, slightly detached, when the magic healed the cut and helped her to move through the now-open door. Now, this was a surprise. She stared in shock at the inside. It had been preserved much better than anyone had known. The magic nudged her over to an old day couch, which was cleaned with a wave of her hand. The drain on her magic made it so that it took a few tries to get it truly clean. She collapsed on the couch and passed out within a few moments of relaxing.