"Why did you want to look at that thing anyway? It's just a regular contract," Quinus said.
Rya was concentrating on the blood contract, as her eyes started adjusting to the magic particles floating through the parchment.
"I want to know what kind of Blood Contract it is and its potency, Quin. I think you have a rare kind of Blood Contract," Rya said.
"I highly doubt that. It was just a standard contract. Nothing fancy," Quinus said.
"Why do you say that? Do you even know how potent this Blood Contract is?" Rya asked.
"Of course, I know how potent it is... Back home in the Royal Vault, there's a crate full of those same pieces of paper that you are holding. I don't know much about the history behind them, but my ancestors used to use them a lot."
"So, you don't know where your ancestors got the Contracts?" Rya asked.
"Well... There was an old kingdom in the east, that tried to invade Fiafyr during the early years of our founding. They lost the war and the east coast joined Fiafyr. My ancestors found the blood contracts from the conquered kingdom," Quinus explained.
"Who created the blood contracts in the first place?" Rya asked.
"Well, they... Um... You know? I don't know to be honest... Does anyone know where blood contracts come from?" Quinus asked the rest of the carriage.
Tayna and Johan just shrugged their shoulders.
Percy shook his head while Dalia was asleep.
Nieren looked like she was thinking, but wasn't sure.
Yuliana was the one who answered.
"Blood Contracts are made on the Lumen Fae continent... T-They are created by High Elven Clerics... From what I was told..."
Everyone's heads shot up at this information.
"High Elves?" Rya repeated.
"Yes. From what I remember... A few high elves traveled to other continents and sold their services to the human kingdoms about a millennia ago. I don't know if they still do. I-I haven't seen a high elf since my husband left us before my kingdom fell..." Yuliana said in a quiet voice. Nieren looked at her mother with sadness and anger. Her father had much to answer for.
Rya's face softened, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories. But I need to ask... Did your husband use a blood contract on Nieren?"
Yuliana's head snapped towards Rya while everyone else who was awake stared at her.
"I-I don't know... I-I don't think he did. Why are you asking, Lady Rya," Yuliana answered as she sat on the edge of her seat.
Rya looked over at Nieren who looked confused.
"Nieren... I think we should tell your mother about your mana vein," Rya said.
Yuliana looked between the two women.
"W-What are you talking about? My daughter is perfectly healthy. Is she not?" Yuliana asked.
"Oh, no, no. She is healthy. But what I'm about to tell you all needs to be kept a secret. Can everyone agree to that?" Rya asked as she looked around the cabin.
Tayna looked at Johan and nodded. Percy had a questioning look.
"Have you kept this secret from His Highness?" Percy asked.
"This is something Rya told me, Percy. I believe Dalia and Nieren both know as well," Quinus reassured his retainer.
Percy just nodded.
"Alright. But, my lady. How is this information going to help us? What do the high elves have to do with anything?" Percy asked.
Rya reached in between her cleavage to pull out the demonic-looking monocle and held it out for everyone to see.
"So I need to give you all a bit of a backstory before we begin. This is an artifact that I created with the help of Nieren and Dalia. It's called a Seer Stone. And it lets me see what type of mana vein everyone has," Rya explained.
The four of them couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"Are you serious?" Johan asked.
"Yeah... That's how I knew you were an Illusion Mage with an Elite ranked mana vein," Rya answered.
"What!? What is my level, Lady Rya!" Percy shouted, causing Dalia to wake up.
"Gamma!? I was sleeping," Dalia complained.
"Ah! Come here, Dalia... I'm sorry, I wanted to know what level my mana vein was," Percy explained as he hugged her.
Dalia looked at Percy's eyes and could see that he was curious. She just sighed.
"Alright, alright, but keep it down... I'm really tired for some reason," Dalia said with a yawn.
"Don't worry... Just go back to sleep, my love," Percy said.
Dalia's ears perked up when Percy called her his love. She nuzzled against him and fell back asleep.
'Aw! That was so cute,' Rya thought.
"Lady Rya?" Percy asked.
"Right... Um, your mana vein is strange. I've never seen it before. But your mana vein level is an Elite," Rya said.
Percy was excited to know that his mana vein was at a higher tier. But he wasn't sure what she meant by 'strange'.
"What do you mean by my mana vein is 'strange'?" Percy asked.
Rya was a bit nervous, "Well... A person's mana vein runs along their spine, and what makes a person a mage are these smaller veins that come out of your mana vein. They run through the rest of your body and this is what makes it possible to cast spells... But then there's your mana vein, Percy. It sorta has those mage veins that are coming off the mana vein, but instead of having them go throughout your body it's running along your mana vein and spine."
"So, that isn't normal? So does that mean I can't use spells or am I only a Maja?" Percy asked.
"I don't know... You have two different sets of them wrapping around your mana vein. So I'm not sure if you can even use magic. But one of them looks like electricity is pulsing through it while the other has a dark shadowiness," Rya said.
Percy was dumbfounded.
"What the hell does that mean? Does that mean, I'm some sort of freak of nature?" Percy asked.
"No... But it makes you a very powerful man, Percy... I'll see if I can find out what you can do in the future," Rya said with a smirk.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Percy was speechless as he tried to process everything that he just learned. He really wanted to know what the hell was going on with his mana vein.
Quinus on the other hand, had an idea of what one of the strange veins might be, "Percy? I think I know what one of those things might be... You know about your mother, right?"
"About her being your wet nurse?" Percy asked.
"W-What!? No!... I don't mean that!... I meant... Your mother is an assassin. She was one of the best in Agon... I think the veins you have running alongside your mana vein are from her," Quinus said.
Percy looked at Quinus with a questioning look as he tried to recall the last time he saw his mother and father. He was eight years old at the time and he was watching a sparring match between Quinus and Sir George. His mother told him about how she needed to travel north to destroy the Assassin Society. So they would stop trying to hunt her down. His Father was joining her and would be gone until they finished their goal. But that was ten years ago.
"So you think it gives me some assassin's abilities," Percy said.
"Yeah... That would be my guess and for the other one? I'm not sure... Maybe it has something to do with your father?... I mean, he was the best knight in all the Kingdom... I hope they are doing okay... It's been ten years, right?" Quinus asked.
"Yeah... They have a lot to answer for when I find them... For all I know, they could be dead... But, it doesn't matter right now. What is it about these, blood contracts that have to do with this Seer Stone and Lady Nieren's mana vein?" Percy asked.
Rya nodded and decided to get back on track, even though she was more curious about Percy's parents. She will have to ask him at a later date to get some answers.
"Okay. So when I tested out the Seer Stone, I noticed these strange rune-like seals on Nieren's mana vein. And I couldn't see them without the artifact. So, I was able to heal them and it took a lot of my mana to do it. And once it was removed, Nieren's Mana Vein level went from being a Grand Master to a Demi-god," Rya said.
Yuliana's mouth dropped and she looked over at her daughter. Her green eyes looked starry as she held both of her hands together.
"M-My Nieren... Y-You're a Demi-god!?" Yuliana exclaimed.
Nieren was shocked, she'd never seen this side of her mother before.
"Um. Mom? You're scaring me. Please calm down," Nieren begged her mother.
Yuliana shook her head before she jumped up to hug her daughter.
"O-Oh my! I-I'm sorry, Nieren... But my sweet baby is a Demi-god! A DEMI-GOD!" Yuliana shouted in joy.
Nieren looked over at Rya for help, but Rya just gave her an 'I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about this' look.
"If only I knew you could have saved our kingdom—" Yuliana halted herself when she realized that her daughter couldn't help at the time. Someone had done something to her daughter without her knowing.
"Who did this, Nieren?" Yuliana asked as she grabbed the sides of Nieren's head and looked her in the eyes.
"M-Mom? What's going on? Why are you acting this way? Why is everyone staring at us?" Nieren asked as she tried to get her mother's hands off her head.
Yuliana didn't let go.
"Mom! I don't know! I never knew my mana vein was sealed!" Nieren shouted.
Yuliana's expression changed to sadness as she loosened her grip.
"N-Nieren? W-Was I a bad mother?" Yuliana asked.
The cabin became silent.
"What!? No!... You are a little overprotective, but that doesn't make you a bad mother... Why would you ask me that?" Nieren asked.
Yuliana had tears in her eyes, "Why didn't I notice someone had sealed your mana vein..."
Rya was feeling uncomfortable seeing a 400-year-old elf cry like a baby.
'Ah, crap! This is too much! I need to say something. Or this is going to become a cliche from a drama in an anime or a TV show,' Rya thought.
"Okay. Enough! You are making it more dramatic than it needs to be, Yuliana. I was hoping you knew how Nieren's mana vein got sealed because it prevented her from using her Mage Veins as well. That's why she couldn't use the green word or her light magic," Rya stated.
Yuliana looked at Rya in shock.
"Did you say Light Magic!? Nieren can use light magic?..." Yuliana asked Rya as she was making sure she wasn't hearing things.
"Yes, Nieren's a Light Mage on top of being able to use the Green Word," Rya stated.
Nieren noticed her mother's body language and she knew what was about to come.
"Oh no," Nieren muttered as she tried to stop her mother. "M-Mom. It's not that big of a—"
Yuliana hugged her daughter tighter and started swaying her from side to side.
"By the Gods and Spirits!... My baby girl is such a genius! You are the pride and joy of the Royal Family! This is the greatest gift we've received in decades!" Yuliana shouted causing Dalia to wake up again.
The Wolfkin had a groggy look on her face after falling asleep.
"Fricking, Wood Elves... Alpha! Can I use those earplugs?" Dalia asked with an irritated tone. Rya could tell she was pissed off more than normal.
'Damn? Dalia is way more tired than I thought. I better give her the earplugs.'
Rya nodded and gave her the wooden earplugs. Dalia thanked her and placed them in her ears. She then went back to sleep.
Rya looked back at Yuliana who was smothering Nieren's head with her large breasts. The blonde wood elf was glaring at Rya as best as she could as her face began to disappear into her mother's cleavage.
"R-Rya... You're—making—t-things—worse!" Nieren tried to yell but her voice was being muffled by her mother's large bosoms.
Rya grimaced due to secondhand embarrassment, 'Yikes! W-Well, I failed to stop the cliche... But I'm glad I'm not in the spotlight. So this is how a mother's love is portrayed. Damn! Wood Elf moms are scary.'
Nieren's face started looking blue from her mother slowly suffocating her.
"Um? Should we try and interfere, Lady Rya?" Tayna asked.
"Uh... I'm not sure if I'll make things better or worse, Tayna," Rya replied.
Quinus looked away and felt really uncomfortable. It reminded him of his mother and how she would suffocate him in her chest whenever she was proud of him. He had forgotten how annoying it could be while at the same time how nice it was to have his head buried between a woman's chest. But it was his mother's chest, so it was weird.
"Is that how I look when my mother hugs me?..." Quinus asked in embarrassment.
Percy looked at his friend, "Yeah. You are a real momma's boy, Your Highness."
"Fine! Fine... I'm sorry I asked," Quinus said while waving his hands.
After a minute of nonstop hugging, Rya knew she needed to step in and get Yuliana to let go of Nieren.
"Excuse me, Lady Yuliana, but could you let go of your daughter now? You might not have one if you continue hugging her," Rya said.
It took another minute, but she finally released her daughter. Nieren fell back in her seat gasping for air. After a few deep breaths, Nieren's face returned to a normal color.
"Are you okay, Nieren?" Rya asked.
Nieren hurried over to the other side of the cabin and squished herself in between the wall of the carriage and Rya. She was using the Dark Elf as a shield from her mother.
"Gah! N-Nieren!? What are you doing!? Get off me," Rya said as she was shoved into Quinus.
"Hah. No. It's safer over here. Plus, I need to be away from my mother," Nieren said as she hid behind Rya while her mother approached the two.
"You... L-Lady Rya has done more for me and my daughter than anyone else. I-I owe you my life," Yuliana said.
"Um. It's okay, Lady Yuliana. I didn't know that Nieren was a Light Mage until I healed her mana vein. I was just trying to do the right thing. You don't owe me anything," Rya said.
But that didn't stop Yuliana from looking at Rya with admiration and respect.
"How could such a young elf-like yourself have such kindness and beauty? Your mother must be proud of you," Yuliana said.
Rya was going to brush off her comment until she thought about her mother back on Earth. It started to sink in that she would never get the chance to see her mother ever again.
She had so many memories of her childhood with her mother and father. They were very close, and her mother would always give her words of encouragement whenever she needed them. And her father would give her the tools she needed to reach her full potential back when she was a man.
Even though she had fond memories of her parents, they weren't perfect. Rya still remembers the time when her parents fought with each other and almost divorced at one point in her life. She was in high school and didn't know what to think when everything happened. Luckily for her, they stayed together and helped her and her brother through their teenage years. They made sure that he and his brother had a good education and were happy.
Rya was grateful to her parents and wished that she could see them one last time and tell them how much she loved them and wished them all the happiness in the world. But that's no longer possible for her.
Rya's face looked blank, and her eyes began to water.
Quinus, Johan, Tayna, and Yuliana all saw the change in Rya's expression.
'What happened? One minute she was fine and the next she's sad?' Quinus thought.
"Rya? What's wrong," Quinus asked.
"I'm never going to see my parents again..." Rya whispered.
Yuliana quickly hugged Rya, which surprised her.
"Sshhh... You're a brave child, Rya... I'm sorry, I didn't know about your past, but it's okay. We're here for you," Yuliana said as she rubbed her hand over the back of Rya's head.
More tears started to fall from her eyes as she felt the warm embrace from the older elf.
"I-I miss them so much..." Rya cried as she hugged Yuliana back.
It was the third time she cried since arriving in this world. She was stronger now and thought she had left the past behind her. But she couldn't stop the flood of emotions that were coming out.
'How can I forget them... They were everything to me... and I have to let them go... I want to go back home and see them again... Mom, Dad... I'm so sorry... If it wasn't for Quin, I would be lost.' Rya thought as the motherly hug helped her grieve over the loss of her own parents.
Yuliana let her cry her eyes out and kept comforting her. While Quinus understood what Rya was going through. He wished he could have said his final goodbyes to his first parents too. But he was blessed to have new parents in this world that he was reborn into. Johan wanted to help but didn't know what to do, while Tayna didn't know that Rya had this side of her. This made her realize that Rya was more than just a powerful Dark Elf. She had feelings like everyone else and wanted to be her friend more than ever.
'If everyone ever talks bad about Dark Elves behind her back. I'll be sure to teach them a lesson,' Tayna thought as she saw how Yuliana was handling the situation.
Nieren watched from her hiding spot behind Rya. She felt sorry for her but didn't know what to say. Percy couldn't see what was happening, but he had a good idea based on the reactions of everyone around him.
'God... Yuliana is a good mother... I feel like I could stay like this forever.' Rya thought as her emotions started to calm down and her crying had stopped.