MEMORY FRAGMENT

Nymph Capital Sorgente, Nymph’s Era

Water slashed through water as merciless as ice. Two more water golems lost their cores, splashing formlessly to the floor.

That makes seven, Giaccia thought as she twisted in the air.

Three more and she would have been done. Given what she had gone through so far, that didn’t seem much of a challenge, but she wanted to manage in under three minutes. If she did that, she’d beat her uncle’s record, which would make her the greatest awakened prodigy in the world.

Sensing her desire, the remaining water golems pulled away from the center of the hall. Two launched water projectiles from two sides, while the third slid up the wall and onto the ceiling. A sneaky approach, but not good enough to stop Giaccia.

Taking full control of the surrounding water, she created a dozen copies of herself, sending them in all directions. The constructs couldn’t move further than twenty feet from her, but they didn’t have to. The nymph never intended to use them for attacking.

Grabbing a chunk of water, she rushed at the golem on the wall. All of her copies created weapons out of water, countering the attacks of the other two constructs. Liquid projectiles slammed into one another, bursting into fine spray.

The third golem erected several walls of water in front of it, only making Giaccia’s task easier.

Spark, the nymph thought as she let out a high-pitched cry. It was far less elegant than the songs she usually used in battle, but right now, she was in a hurry.

Strands of music, infused with the power of the Moons, spread out, piercing through the water barrier, then into the golem itself. Moments later, the being lost its consistency.

Eight! The nymph turned around.

Her mentors and instructors had taught her that a clear plan was the key to winning every battle. Some of them had even gone so far as to suggest that there was nothing wrong in combat splitting on occasion. It was the sure thing to do—the safe things to do. Right now, it was also the wrong thing to do.

Directing all of her copies to the side, Giaccia charged on towards the closest of the two water golems. With nothing left to stop them, hundreds of projectiles flew straight at her, just as she wanted.

Slide, twist, twist, leap, the nymph said mentally, as she set on to avoid the water drops. Most people would find it impossible, but she was smart enough to see beyond space, considering time as a factor as well. As long as she evaded the first half dozen with her guard skills, the rest wouldn’t reach her immediately.

While it would have been a lot easier to rely on awakening markers, she had enough experience to see all available options. The way things were arranged, there were four of them. Two made any follow-up nearly impossible, which made her pick one of the remaining.

The moment the first guard series was complete, the remaining projectiles slowed down. Giaccia immediately continued with the second, already thinking ten moves ahead. A path emerged in her mind, showing her exactly where and how she had to go.

With each next sequence, the world became slower and slower, until finally it froze still. This was probably the most difficult part of the exercises. While the bonuses of several consecutive guard sequences provided an overwhelming advantage, they came with a serious flaw. Most awakened tended to take advantage of the time freeze to stop and relax, possibly consider their future moves in great detail. Unless it was for a fatal blow, such a pause tended to make them vulnerable the moment time returned to normal.

Plunging forward head first, Giaccia spun in the air, passing through the motionless drops of water, then used her natural magic ability to create a water tendril that flew right at the golem’s core. Magic threads extended within, destroying the connections that maintained the water entity.

Nine.

Inertia kept the nymph going forward. Only one remained. All remaining water copies maintained the wall between her and the enemy, blocking every attack and even getting some of their own projectiles to wound the golem.

From here on, it was a simple matter of keeping up the pressure. Giaccia didn’t hesitate, sprinting right at it. The intensity of attacks increased to such a point that the copies had destroyed the water golem, fifty feet before she could reach it.

Ten. A victorious smile appeared on the nymph’s face. Confident with her success, she waited for the water walls to flow into the floor. As they did, a new section became visible in the hall—the throne section where dozens of nobles stood and sat, including Giaccia’s own parents.

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“Almost a minute to spare,” a tall nymph standing by the throne said with a semi-bored expression. “Would have been faster if you’d used some magic.”

The comment felt like a dagger in the back. The person who had spoken was the ruler’s brother, and Giaccia’s uncle. Referred to as the “old prodigy” he had held the record for thirty-seven years. Of course, he had been Giaccia’s age when he had initially set it. Everyone knew he had become a lot stronger now, both in combat and magic—something she mostly lacked.

“Still a fitting performance for an heir,” he added, turning to the king.

“Needlessly reckless,” Queen Assenia—Giaccia’s mother—said, backing her brother. “You didn’t have to rush to kill them as quickly as possible.”

“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have broken uncle’s record, Mother,” Giaccia said with just enough charm to make the comment acceptable.

Two groups of servants were on their way to her, but were quickly stopped by a wave of her hand. They were not going to ruin her moment.

Confidently marching forward, behind her, statues, paintings, and pieces of furniture emerged from the watery floor, transforming the hall into a throne room. Reaching the royal flight of stairs, Giaccia fell down to one knee.

This was the moment she was hoping for—the day she would be officially acknowledged by her father.

“You passed your decifida,” King Cial said. “Impressive without a doubt, but that still doesn’t make you heir.”

Sudden silence filled the room. There was no doubt in Giaccia’s mind that she wouldn’t be heir. Her brother, although in poor physical condition, had that honor.

“In recognition of your achievement, I grant you the title royal princess,” he waved his hand, going through the motions. “You may rise.”

Giaccia gritted her teeth. She had suspected she might get a similar type of response, though still expected to see a spark of emotion in the eyes of her family. That was one of the many things she found wrong in the Icestream kingdom—they had grown cold and complacent, just as their name. All their history books spoke of times when the kingdom was among the few who had withstood the copyette attempt to take over the world. Some claimed that they were instrumental in the banished race’s downfall. If true, all that strength and determination had been squandered throughout the generations until there was nothing left.

“Thank you, Father.” The nymph stood up. “I’d like your permission to share the news with my brother.”

“Do as you like,” the king openly yawned.

Servants rushed onto the scene, bringing refreshments to the nobles present. Dancing shapes of water emerged in the empty hall—entertainment for the bored classes. Giaccia clenched her fists. There was a time when she found the performances amusing. That was before she saw how fake they were. The magnificent displays of dancing and singing illustrated scenes of a glorious past that the kingdom seemed destined never to have again.

Walking as quickly as etiquette allowed, Giaccia left the throne room, returning to her quarters. Initially, she had thought about telling her brother of her achievement, but now she was no longer sure. The heir was too smart for his own good, virtually chained to a bed due to his disastrous health. Lately, two high-level mages had to be constantly by his side, constantly maintaining him with healing spells. Officially, he was said to be improving, but everyone knew that to be a lie. What they didn’t know was how ill he really was.

“Congratulations,” a faint voice in the corridor said.

Giaccia turned around. A young nymph, no older than fourteen, stood there. The design of her water clothes clearly depicted her as a member of the royal family, although there was no tiara on her head. The child looked so out of place one could say that she was a complete stranger brought there for the occasion. The shyness and uncertainty visible in her face did nothing to refute the impression.

“You fought really well,” the young nymph added, timidly approaching. “I really enjoyed it.”

“Thanks, Tia.” Giaccia smiled.

The Icestream royal family had three children, and all of them unfit. Despite her prodigal skills, Giaccia was limited when it came to magic and also extremely slow to heal the slightest wound. Her brother was virtually bedridden. As for her younger sister… the perfectly healthy body housed a soul far weaker than anyone else. Although in her late teenage years, Tiallia had the appearance of a fourteen-year-old and the character of a seven-year-old. Timid and unconfident to the extreme, she had never awakened. At this point, everyone had completely given up hope, viewing her as a decoration rather than an actual person.

“I’m sure you’ll do just as well when your time comes.” Giaccia made an attempt to encourage her.

“You…” her sister said, looking down at the floor. “You should become heir.”

The statement was remarkable, almost causing Giaccia to take a step back. It wasn’t so much what the young nymph was saying, but that she had uttered it at all. Of the entire court, she was the last person to voice an opinion on anything, and yet she had made the most controversial one there was.

“Brother’s smart, but he’ll never do what you could… Even father knows it.”

“Father will never allow someone limited in magic to take the throne,” Giaccia sighed. She had accepted that long ago. All she wanted was a bit of recognition, yet even that was too much to hope for. “You’re more likely to claim it than me.” If only you were a bit more assertive.

“I-if I do, I’ll give it to you.”

Lately, there wasn’t much that could make Giaccia smile. This definitely was one of those few instances. It was more the absurdity of the situation that made her do so. The broken encouraging the broken. One could almost say that the Moons had cursed the Icestream family, splitting their perfect child into three parts. The first had an unparalleled mind, the second had unmatched skills and determination, and the third had a flawless body, but no desire to use it.

“It’s fine.” Giaccia went up to her sister and gave her a hug. It was an awkward experience, although she could sense how happy that made Tiallia feel. Apart from everything else, Tia was starved for emotion. “We don’t need the throne to be happy. Look at father,” she added with a snide chuckle. “He’s king, and he’s never happy. All we need to do is find other things that would bring us joy.”

“No,” the other whispered. “You will have the throne. Because you deserve it.”

If anyone else had said that, Giaccia might have been worried. There was no way she would do anything stupid. Even if she wanted to, there were far too many guards accompanying the heir at all times.

“Tia.” Giaccia looked her sister in the eyes. “No one wants the throne. At the end of the day, all we want is for those we consider close to tell us we’ve done well.”

“I know. And that’s why you deserve it. You’ll make sure the kingdom does well, just as you’ve taken care of me.”