"I se….trum!" Sir Joseph? Why does he sound so far away? I tried to open my eyes but they wouldn't listen to me and all I could see was a blurry world rushing past me behind half-closed eyes. Fuzzy green gave way to reds, browns, and grays as I continued to race through the blur. I think I was on horseback but I couldn't feel it galloping.

"Arkin!" My mother was closer than Joseph, and I heard her crying. I wasn't going as fast as before, but the world still rushed past me as we entered a blur of dull white and gray.

"Bri….er to…..inner cha….." It sounded like Magister Lucus started talking so I guess we made it to Ertrum, but I couldn't make out anyone through my blurry vision. My mother continued to cry but her voice was getting further away and I couldn't hear her anymore.

"Be still, child," I heard Elder Arkin speak and his voice sounded close and clear. A wave of warmth flooded over me and my eyes fully closed. I wanted to sleep. I…wanted…

***

"Awaken, Harbinger. Your lily is wilting."

Lucina awoke in a room made of white stone bathed in soft orange light as the setting sun shined in through the windows. Beds lined the walls while at the far end of the room stood wooden cabinets filled with alchemical herbs and bottles filled with liquids. She was in the medical ward of the temple of Lady Alm in Ertrum; Lucina recognized it as her mother would occasionally volunteer here to help the priests and priestesses. Looking down, she saw she was currently wearing a gray robe that was given to patients. It was tough to breathe, and her chest felt like someone was sitting on her. When she sat up to get a better understanding of her situation, she felt a presence stir next to her.

"Mmmgh?" Olivia had fallen asleep while sitting in a chair next to Lucina's bed and was awoken by the movement she felt when Lucina sat up. One of the priestesses had given Olivia a robe to wear since her original clothes were torn and soiled. "Lu-?" She met her eyes with Lucina. "Lucian?" Her body was trembling and fresh tears flowed down her face.

"…Hel-"

"Lucina!" Olivia sprang from her seat and tackled Lucina back onto the bed. The hug she gave was desperate and filled with her anxiety. "You're alive! You're alive!"

"…I'm alive." Despite feeling extremely stiff and sore, Lucina didn't feel any pain. Knowing where she was, Lucina figured that Arkin had used his life magic to heal the wounds she got from the hellhound.

"Don't…Don't leave." Olivia started breaking down while clinging to Lucina. "Don't leave me!" she whispered through her tears. "Please, not you too!" Even though Olivia never told her directly, Lucina had been able to gather that Olivia's mother died during her previous life from how she talked about her in a longing voice while never going into detail. This close call probably reminded her of that sadness, along with the sadness her own death brought when she died in the 'carriage' accident.

"I won't leave you," Lucina's voice was soft as she lay in bed accepting Olivia's hug. Despite her almost dying to the hellhound, Lucina felt oddly calm about her situation as if there was never anything to fear to begin with. The flame of the candle that sat on the nightstand next to her bed happily danced back and forth.

"I-I'm sorry!" Olivia started to apologize.

"Why are you-?"

"You almost died because of me!" Olivia held Lucina tighter and shook more violently. "If-If I wasn't such a coward you-"

"Is my mother alright?"

"Wha-?"

"My mother, is she okay?" Lucina knew the damage self-loathing could do and didn't want Olivia to fall into that same pit, so she forcefully refocused their conversation. "And, the knights?"

"…Your mom's fine, just asleep from magic exhaustion," Olivia finally admitted after taking a moment to breathe. "She's resting in a separate room. Joseph's fine and Liam got treatment for a fractured shoulder. Oliver's…" She started to shake as she recalled the meat that fell from the hellhound's mouth.

"Was I out long?"

"…No, it's only been a few hours." Having something else to focus on helped Olivia's mind calm down. "Messengers were sent to our fathers, but it's still too early for a response from either of them."

"Okay." Lucina was glad Olivia stopped shaking, but it was getting hard to breathe with her hugging so tightly. "Could you help me change? This robe is covered in sweat." While she was out, Lucina was hit with a massive fever that Arkin did his best to help her through. Even if it was gone now, her body was still sweating.

"Sure," Olivia said as she begrudgingly let go of Lucina. The patient's robe was similar to a hospital gown from Olivia's previous life in that it was tied up from the back. Lucina grabbed her long hair and pulled it over her shoulder to give Olivia an easier time untying the strings. "But, after you change, you should get more sle-…"

"Olivia?" Lucina asked as she peered over her shoulder at her friend who suddenly went quiet. When Olivia untied the strings and the gown fell off Lucina's shoulders, her back was exposed to reveal four large scars that ran across it. While life magic could work wonders, Arkin was no Saint and he was unable to remove such large scars. "Is something wrong?"

"…No," Olivia lied, "Let me go get a new robe."

"Okay," Lucina said with a warm smile that cut deep into Olivia's heart. Olivia felt like her feet were trudging through the mud as she walked across the room to get a new robe while her guilt weighed down on her. If she had been braver, Lucina wouldn't have gotten hurt. She should have dodged the attack on her own instead of standing still in fear. She should have killed the hellhound when she faced it with the sword; her stats were more than high enough when boosted by her aura. Why did she even train so hard if this was the result? Bitter thoughts continued to plague her mind as she took a new robe from a dresser. She almost lost Lucina because of her disgusting cowardice despite vowing to help give her a brighter future. "…Olivia?" She was taking too long and Lucina was still waiting for her.

"Found one," Olivia deflected and returned to Lucina's side to help her put on the robe. She was grateful when Lucina's hair covered the opening in the robe and the scars that lay beneath. "Now, you need sleep."

"But I don't feel that ti-"

"Sleep!" Olivia clung to Lucina and forced her back down on the bed. "…You need rest."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"…Okay." Lucina could feel Olivia softly trembling next to her. "Good night, Olivia." As Lucina smiled at Olivia, Olivia silently activated one of her skills that she rarely used and a semitransparent pink square appeared in front of her vision.

(Examine Ally: Lucina Felswore)

(Success)

(Your Ally appears healthy.)

(Your Ally's affection is maxed out. Max affection will increase with story events.)

(Your Ally is keeping 1 secret from you.)

(Despite recent events, your Ally is in good health and good spirits. They plan on acting inconvenienced later so you give them more attention; note you cannot gain additional affection with them in this way until you raise their max affection level. They do not blame you for what happened and wish you would also not blame yourself.)

"…" Examine Ally was a utility skill used to see a basic overview of friendly characters in the game that weren't capture targets; capture targets had their own system to be checked with. The skill was useful to make sure Lucina wasn't hiding any pains, but Olivia was uncomfortable with it revealing the target's current inner thoughts and their 'secret count' so she avoided using it whenever possible. She didn't want to start viewing people as 'collectibles' to obtain and clear; this wasn't a game, this was her reality. "Good night, Lucina." Despite trying to say she wasn't tired, Lucina quickly passed out in Olivia's arms and the two girls got some much-needed sleep after their eventful day.

***

"-And, that ends my report, Duke." Joseph was kneeling before Richard Ordrin who had arrived in Ertrum just as the sun finally set beyond the horizon. As soon as the messenger finished relaying the news back in Wortrest, Richard gathered a large force of Azure Hawk knights and rushed as fast as they could to Ertrum. Once they arrived, they made camp just outside the town to be the center of their operation in the immediate area. On their way, they had passed the scene of the incident and recovered the left behind horses, and the coachman's body which they handed over to the Alm's temple to receive a proper burial. They also recovered the two hellhound corpses. Thomas, who was standing next to Richard, glanced at the cart they were storing the demon corpses in.

"How did two of them get this far?" Thomas thought aloud. While demons could wander into their world, it could only be done at large fissures in the earth the people of Urldrusk called infernal gates. "We haven't received any reports of a gate opening, and if there was one then there should be more than just two hellhounds."

"That's why we're here," Richard mumbled through clenched teeth. He turned and addressed his gathered knights, "Where there are one, there are many; like rats in a cellar! Starting tonight, we will be conducting a subjugation of Gauldrin county! You've already been assigned your detachments so begin at once; demons are more active at night so they will be easier to find! Leave no stone unturned, no tree unchecked, and no cave uncharted until we've laid our eyes upon every speck of dirt that makes up this land!" Hate bled into Richard's voice as he spoke with a burning conviction. The demons hadn't just attacked his lands and his people; they had attacked his daughter. While he desperately wanted to be with her, Richard had a duty to his people he couldn't ignore so he had to settle on giving Olivia a quiet farewell since she was fast asleep next to Lucina when he arrived at the temple to check on her.

"At once, my Lord!" the knights all shouted and saluted before rushing off to their assigned tasks along with a few priests and priestesses who had joined them from Alm's temple.

"Duke!" While the knights and clergy were preparing to depart, Charles Felswore entered the camp and rushed over to Richard. The Azure Hawk camp was just off the road that led into Ertrum from the direction of the Felswore's mansion so Charles saw it while rushing to town. His hair was a mess, and his clothes looked like he threw them on as soon as he received the message. He leaped off his horse and approached Richard. "My wife and daughter? Are they-?"

"They're alive, Count," Richard reassured the panicking man. "They're both sleeping the night in Lady Alm's temple; I saw them myself after I arrived."

"Oh, thank the Hearth Mother!" Charles let out the tension he had been holding during his ride and he could finally breathe easy.

"Your wife is fine, just tired from magic exhaustion since she helped subjugate the hellhounds. For that, she has my eternal gratitude."

"Thank you, Duke." A smile played across Charles' face upon hearing the Duke praise his wife's contribution. He knew how hard Elizabeth had worked to be as strong as she was and couldn't help but reminisce on that being one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her.

"Your daughter, however…" When Richard went quiet, Charles' smile vanished.

"…What happened to Lucina?"

"When the second hellhound was about to kill Olivia, Lady Lucina tackled her out of the way and took the blow. She was in a critical state when sh- Count!?" Charles went to run past Richard into town but Richard grabbed his arm. "Charles, she's fine!"

"…" Charles stopped trying to pull away.

"They made it to Elder Arkin in time and he was able to save her life, though her back now bears the scars from that encounter. She's alive and is asleep getting rest, like she should be." Richard released Charles who let his arm hang at his side.

"…I failed her, again," Charles mumbled.

"Did you know about the hellhounds?"

"No, but-"

"Then don't blame yourself for something no one could have foreseen." Richard ran a hand through his hair as he also needed to calm down and think rationally. "She's alive, Charles."

"…I'll open the grain storehouses and put out an emergency order to all the chefs and bakers in the county." Charles scratched his chin to alleviate his nerves. "I'll supply all I can to your knights during the subjugation, even if I have to make the food myself."

"Thank you, Count." Richard put his hand on Charles' shoulder and gave a soft squeeze.

"Count Felswore?" As the two men were about to go their separate ways, Magister Lucus walked up to them. "Could I have a moment?" He seemed excited about something.

"Is something wrong, Magister?" Charles asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Count, but since you're here I wanted to ask you if I could expedite Lady Lucina's lessons to immediately start practical sessions?"

"Practical sessions?"

"Yes!" Lucus was giddy with excitement, but a cold glare from Richard made him clear his throat and restrain himself. "I'm sure this incident has left a trauma in Lady Lucina from her near-death experience. To help her through it, I would like to start teaching her spells that she can use to defend herself without relying on her emotions to inadvertently activate her magic so that her mind can be more at ease knowing she isn't helpless."

"…" While Charles didn't like the thought of Lucina ever needing to go through something like what happened today ever again, he couldn't rule out it as an impossibility.

"Not to mention her unmatched potential, from what I heard from Sir Joseph's report!"

"Potential?" Charles looked to Richard for clarification.

"Your daughter," Richard began, "used gravity magic to throw the overturned carriage at the hellhound that was attacking her and Olivia."

"She what!?"

"Exactly! It's unheard of!" The excitement in Lucus was back in full force. "In all my years, I've never seen or heard of a Magister that was able to 'throw' something with gravity magic! Making something go up and down? Sure. But to move something horizontally? I knew Lady Lucina was special when she could harness all four elemental magics, but even her gravity magic is special! Not to mention her magic reserves!"

"Is that something truly so groundbreaking?" Richard asked since Charles was seemingly stunned by this revelation.

"Yes! Not even Elder Arkin has ever mentioned something like this, before! Then, there's the fact that she was able to even move something that big! I mean… Think of it like this!" Lucus gestured over to the wagons the knights had gathered for the subjugation. "Duke, could you throw one of those wagons?"

"If I used my aura, I could lift and throw one a few meters," Richard humored Lucus.

"Yes, you are a fully grown man who's spent much of his life training his body and aura both on and off the field of battle. It took you years, but you could throw that wagon. Lady Lucina is only six years old and was able to do that with her untrained magic! Magic that, need I remind you, puts just as much strain on the body as aura does!" Lucus smiled as he saw understanding dawn on Richard and Charles' faces. "Gravity magic, from what we understand, scales with two things: the Magister's magic reserves, and the Magister's physical strength. Gravity magic is so impractical because it requires both a lot of magic as well as a physically strong body. Even if Lady Lucina had your build, Duke, she would still need a massive amount of magic to be able to lift and throw that wagon. And yet, Lady Lucina threw a carriage over, from what Sir Joseph said, ten meters!" He threw his arms out to the sides in a sweeping gesture to mimic something being thrown. "Yes, she fell unconscious from her wounds and magic exhaustion, but the fact that she was able to do it before collapsing tells me that Lady Lucina holds within her the potential to become the greatest Magister to possibly ever live! Her magic reserves must be so large that they can supplement the need for physical strength! She holds so much untapped power, all she needs is someone to help her bring it out and control it! So please, Count, may I expedite Lady Lucina's lessons to include practical sessions?"

"…" Charles pursed his lips as he fell deep in thought. For her age, Lucina already held frighteningly powerful magic that made even his vassals nervous whenever they were at his mansion to discuss business. People feared Lucina and the fact that the rumor about her legitimacy was still circulating, no matter how hard he and Elizabeth tried to crush it, wasn't helping. But at the same time, Lucina almost lost her life because she wasn't prepared for the dangers this world could throw at her. "I fear such power will invite unwanted attention." He gave a knowing look to Richard who nodded in agreement; the crown was always looking for more wizards.

"Yet, untapped power invites corruption," Lucus retorted. "Lady Lucina's thirst for magical knowledge is greater than even the most devout of clergy. If I don't do what I can for her, I worry that she will look for ways to sate her hunger on her own, without proper guidance."

"What do you-?"

"She's already asked about the wizard's tower, Count." Lucus' revelation sent a chill down Charles and Richard's spines.

"What!? When!?" This was the first time Charles had heard this.

"It was during our first week of advanced lessons. I didn't report it to you since I managed to convince her to not go down that path…but… With today's incident, I believe she may delve down the wrong path out of a perceived necessity if I don't meet her expectations." Lucus bowed his head low and once more asked, "May I provide Lady Lucina with practical sessions to help her harness and control her magic, Count?"

"…Damn it!" Charles cursed and stomped his foot in frustration. No subject of Urldrusk, save those that licked the crown's boots, liked the wizard's tower or the influence it held in the kingdom's politics. Richard, in particular, had been vocal about his discontent with the tower which has earned the ire of Marcus Arlexton, the current king of Urldrusk. Charles had no idea how Lucina learned about the tower, but the fact she was curious about it frightened him. "I'll speak with Elizabeth about increasing her and Lucina's visits to the temple, later. Lucus, do everything you can for my daughter."

"I will proceed, Count," Lucus said before leaving to return to the Felswore mansion and prepare for Lucina's lessons. Richard gave Charles a worried look, and Charles responded with one of his own. Uneasy times lay ahead once the crown learned of Lucina's talents, and both men worried if Lucina would be able to come out unscathed.