Granny Baba POV

The little girl tilted her head to one side in a curious manner.

"Oh...so you're the one..." A childlike voice flowed like honey, drawing Baba's gaze. A slender white finger pointed towards a black door that had materialized in the air beside the great hall.

Baba narrowed her eyes, her attention fixed on the little girl clutching a bloodstained black katana. Yet that ethereal door exerted a pull she couldn't ignore.

Taking a deep breath, she eventually strode briskly across the hardened floor, each footfall echoing against the mirrored surface.

The girl turned away, focused instead on the severed heads at her feet. Try as she might, Baba couldn't help but steal another glance, counting five heads again... just before reaching the door inlaid with golden markings.

She noticed something bizarre, the pool of blood undulating, forming a ring around the black-haired child. As it completed a bloody circle, the crimson liquid crawled inward, inscribing a star with the girl as its centerpiece.

Finally, five blood-red spirals filled the spaces between the points.

Baba's heart raced as her lips silently formed the words of a dark omen she had prayed never to encounter again. It couldn't be possible, but seeing those five splintering spirals, blossoming like red flowers, there was no mistaking it.

"S-s-s-eal of the Crimson Night! But h-h-ow can that be! Wait! N-now that I look at it. 8 figures, the shinjin! And a girl with broken golden runes against her arm?

Can it be her...the...sleeping-?"

At that moment the black door forcefully opened, and another blinding light pulled her into its gambit.

As memories went, Baba was eager to leave this particular trip behind.

During her days as an active Arcanist, one of the fundamental lessons she'd instilled in young pupils was understanding dangerous situations. An Arcanist always knew that life's decisions were often a gamble - risks leading to disastrous outcomes best avoided unless the promised rewards held true substance and meaning.

Her advice spoken to so many greenhorns over a long life...advice she was actively defying at this moment.

These volatile memory sequences highlighted something powerful, lurking in the depths. Her ethereal form was ill-equipped to handle such formidable foes on their own terrain. Not only was the risk to Little Su heightened, but Baba hadn't prepared for battle on this scale.

The Crimson Seal?

That harbinger of destruction which had plagued its family line until the bitter end?

Wasn't that curse supposed to have been vanquished many years ago?

And why in the Goddess's name did it manifest within Little Su?

As the blinding lights dimmed, a new sky unfurled overhead in true azure splendor.

Below, a carpet of dazzling jade grass swayed gently, bordered by trees heavy with verdant bundles of leaves. A winding stream cut through the picturesque garden, its gentle babble echoing softly.

Baba's gaze settled on a young girl seated by the river's edge, her electric pink curls catching the sunlight in a vibrant dance. The girl's brown skin glowed under the sun as she playfully dangled her slender legs over the water, skimming the surface ever so gently with the soles of her feet.

A soft chime of tiny golden charms freckled from the anklet worn around the girl's leg.

Amidst the cheerful melodies of nature, her soft hums added a tender harmony to the scene.

Approaching cautiously, intrigued by the girl's serene presence, Baba watched as the girl sensed a sudden approach and lifted her gaze. Her eyes were deep pools of azure blue, captivating and wide, with flecks of gold and silver twinkling at the edges like stars in a twilight sky

' Phew ! She can't see me thankfully.'

"I wonder…I wonder." The little girl's mouth formed a crescent smile, as pure as the birth of a new dawn.

Baba sensed familiarity when she stared at the little girl.

In truth how many people had she met with strikingly loud coloured hair? Then it dawned upon her, that stormy night all those moons ago, an unusual night where she encountered that peculiar wanderer from a nameless plain.

Devoid of any possessions, a tall and pink-haired beautiful lady with a swaddling newborn in her arms.

'Could it be… but how…these memories should not be Little Su's own. His mother implanted them within his conscious?'

A horn sounded and the little girl drew her attention across the gentle flowing stream.

Her happiness seemed to be sucked away by the arrival of that blaring sound.

She dutifully stood upright. Then Baba watched closely whilst the little girl held her hands over the stream.

Without any words spoken the once patient stream started to ripple, then it parted right between the girl's outstretched hand.

This action made Baba's brow narrow.

Wordless casting was indeed very rare but the behavior of the water…Baba had never seen anything like it. Even elementalists couldn't harness such control over the elements so fluently so young without a skill book. The girl stepped into the dried pathway created by her hand.

Another figure appeared from the fold of trees a short distance away from the side of land Baba was standing on.

She too was only a child, with pink pigtails and dressed in a long white and gold gown.

"Effy w-we need to go- the chief has arrived so they'll be opening the latent caves soon. It's finally time…" The girl sounded slightly distressed

"Time we received our dragons hehehe. Lead the way sister."

The girl responded with a slight smile, Baba focused on the girl closely.

Despite her warm smile, she noticed the girls two hands grappling at the hem of her dress harshly.

‎

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

‎ The two children would soon fade away…

As the air around her began to rumble ominously, the ground beneath Baba's feet followed, sending tremors that reverberated through her very being. Then, as suddenly as it began, the tumult ceased, the world dissolving around her again like wax under a flame.

She found herself standing in a well-lit, cozy chamber, its warmth emanating from a hearth fire that cast dancing shadows across the stone walls.

Beside the wall stood a large bed, and within arm's reach, a manger cradled a cooing infant, its delicate pink hair a soft crown upon its round head.

Baba's heart leaped.

'Little Su?' The sight of the child, so serene and innocent, filled her with an unexpected joy.

The chamber door creaked open, admitting a procession of women draped in flowing white gowns. Pale veils obscured their eyes, lending an air of ethereal mystique. Golden embroidery on their attire caught the firelight, revealing intricate runes that seemed to dance between form and formlessness - more akin to ancient glyphs than mere decoration.

Baba watched, intrigued by the patterns whispering of old, forgotten lore. A single, dark thought furrowed her brow.

'The Church of the Golden Dawn'

"The child is safe..." one voiceless figure intoned.

"But for how long?" another replied.

"Whether or not milady succeeds in the coming trials of fires, the child is in danger."

"Then what does the holy mother suggest we do?"

There was a heavy pause. "...Seal the inheritance away. For good."

"B-but his bloodline rite?"

"It matters not if the Patriarch...his grandfather wills to see him dead."

"Until milady returns, I'll cast a ward of deception over the boy. But sisters...we must start the sealing ritual soon as we can."

"Are we sure milady won't object? It is her son, after all."

A sigh . "I'll shoulder the responsibility...but for now, we must act."

"Sister, they might detect what we've done. Let us add a warding layer to deter any trespassers."

"Hmm, what do you suggest?"

"How about we use...Ice. I know of something incurable. Come, follow my lead."

The six figures encircled the sleeping babe. Extending hands from beneath their garments, one by one outstretched palms hovered over the child as, in unison, their mouths began to chant.

The gold runes against their arms started to move. Baba braced herself, slowly angling her index finger between her teeth again. A profound golden light was created from a space just above the infant. The sounds of a wailing infant filled her ears, right up until a blinding white light covered the entire room. Baba bit down ferociously against her last ruby jewel.

The scene faded again.

***

"Suta...hey Suta, stop ignoring me!"

"Huh? Oh, it's you Demoria. I thought I heard something..." A childish-looking Suta rubbed tired eyes, seated on the grassy hill.

"Ehh, like what? Tell me, tell me!" An even smaller, chubbier Demoria pressed.

"It's weird, but I could've sworn I heard a bunch of women's voices repeating the same thing over and over...dressed in white with strange golden things on their arms."

"Ouch! Hey, why'd you hit me?" Suta yelped, rubbing his arm.

"Hmph! What kind of guy dreams about other women when his best pal's telling him about her day? You're the worst sometimes, Suta."

The childish Suta rubbed the bridge of his nose shyly. The two sat beneath a large sycamore tree, bathed in the new morning's sunlight.

The scene soon shifted, Suta and Demoria now older - the high-spirited girl showing off her newly awakened magical abilities. Demoria levitated a group of stones, trapping them in a whirling ball of contained wind between her hands. Suta watched quietly from a raised boulder, chin resting on his palms.

Baba kept a safe distance, curious when exactly Demoria had unlocked her arcane talents. From the mischievous grin, it seemed she'd kept this awakening secret for some time.

"Hey Suta, I need help..." she called impishly.

"Hm? With what? You know I can't do any incantations."

"That's fine, just stand over there and move when I signal."

With a sigh, Suta hopped down and positioned himself ten meters across. "Okay, now what?"

"J-just hold on, I'm concentrating..."

Demoria showed great discomfort across her face whilst she tried steadying the focused power between her hands. The sharp stones had started to violently orbit around the profound sphere, a mixture of her blueish mana and the very air itself.

The increase in pace invoked a sharp-sounding screech to sound. Before any of the two children realized it, the ball of power containing a dense accumulation of wind and earth magic was fired straight at the helpless Suta.

"Arghh!" he took several blows head-on and was sent flying back until he met the full impact of a nearby tree.

For the first few minutes, Demoria could only stand gape, stunned, before a smile of triumph creased across her face.

"I-I did it!"

It took her several minutes more to quickly realize she had hurt Suta, quite badly.

He was wheezing against a tree with blood trickling down the side of his mouth. Baba frowned at this, how could she be so reckless to practice arcane magic on him? Her fury might've boiled over if this wasn't a memory she was witnessing.

And of course, if Demoria hadn't left to attend one of the unseen colleges.

To this Granny Baba could only sigh, rubbing the side of her temple.

In truth, this memory only showed where she had failed as a guardian.

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‎"H-h-hel-lp..m-m-m..." the helpless boy spluttered weakly

"Don't be so dramatic Suta, plus you deserve it a little for being inconsiderate, but fear not I, the great Demoria your best-best friend shall save you." Demoria knelt against the ground and held her two palms over Suta's chest.

Her brows furrowed with concentration as she spoke,

"Helmur" She versed in the Valgeara tongue

In response a green light slowly started to coat her hands, then the light moved towards Suta's chest. A green flat circle of bright smoky light covered his entire chest. In moments Suta was starting to feel better again.

His eyes filled with watery tears were slowly beginning to be filled with vigor.

3 minutes later and his breathing had relaxed.

"Next time don't make me angry like that again Suta." Said Demoria whilst she kept her palms firmly centered in the middle of his chest.

The scene faded again.