“Father, do I need to wait somewhere or announce myself?” I whispered, questioning him quietly as everyone looked towards the podium.
He took notice of me and answered back, “You can stay with me for the time,” he told me, “you will most likely be the last to show your magic, I’ll tell you when to take the stage.” Nodding at him, I waited for my turn by his side.
I followed the nobles gazes and watched the show. The first noble to took stage was a young man, probably 16 years old as that was the age limit. He walked confidently up the steps and took his position.
He raised his hands and called on his mana while the air in the surroundings dropped in temperature. A palpable aura of power radiated from him as he started gesticulating with his hands, seemingly composing, forming balls of shimmering white energy. The balls took form, turning into long deadly ice lances.
With a look of intense concentration on his face, he unleashed his spell, and a shower of enormous ice lances descended upon the target dummies. The ice lances slammed into the dummies with incredible force, each one hitting its mark with deadly accuracy and taking their heads with the magic.
The audience gasped in amazement as they watched him easily control the power of ice. The grand duke nodded in approval, impressed by the young man's mastery of his magic. The young man's face relaxed as he finished the spell, and the temperature in the room returned to normal.
As the guests continued to clap and cheer, the young man smiled, bowing in gratitude and stepped off the stage. The next young noble stepped up, ready to display their own unique magical abilities. The night continued with each young noble showcasing their own talents and captivating the audience with their mastery of magic.
I even recognized some of the spells that were being used. ‘Blade Tempest’, a spell that created a whirlwind of slicing wind, the usual ‘fireball’, even someone using my favorite spell, ‘Lightning Discharge’, though mine was a whole lot stronger, I thought proudly.
As evening turned to night, the spells got weaker and weaker and the performers turned younger too. The nobles resumed talking amongst each other, not paying the performers any attention. The grand duke noticed with a frown, he didn’t say anything though.
As the show came to an end, father told me to walk up to the podium, my turn would arrive shortly. As I waited in front of the podium, a young girl around the age of sister walked up. she glanced at me in confusion, before she made her way up.
The talking nobles suddenly turned quiet and gave their attention to the podium once more. Huh. I looked at her confused, then came to realization. The blond hair and brown eyes, just like the Grand Duke. Must be his daughter then.
I watched on as she cast her spell. She raised both her hands, and started focusing. I could feel the air around us stir and watched on as it pooled in front of her hands, turning into a ball of wind. It grew in size, getting bigger and bigger until it turned into a head-sized windball.
She let the spell fly and the windball arced through the air. It exploded on contact with the dummy, sending it flying into the wall and the dummy broke into pieces as it made contact. The effect of the explosion reached me, ruffling my hair a little.
The girl looked at the dummy with a satisfied expression and smiled. She took a glance at her father who nodded at her and made her way back down. My turn. My hands started sweating and my heartbeat picked up.
I took a deep breath and made my way up to the stage. I looked into the audience, to see if I had their attention. Almost none of them were looking at me as they were all busy with their conversations. Those that did look at me, started snickering, pointing at me with their fingers. “What is a brat doing up there?” I couldn’t hold it in, as my face scrunched in anger. They’re making fun of me! I balled my fists.
I noticed father in the audience, he was gritting his teeth. As we met eyes, he gave me a severe nod. They want to make fun of me? I’ll show them fun! I took a deep breath and prepared to cast the most powerful Electrical discharge yet. I’ll make them regret!
I raised my hand towards the dummy and called upon all my mana. I followed the same procedure as I always did. I let all the mana flow through my arm and into my hand, forming a big glowing ball. Through my anger, i felt the energy leaving me quickly as I thought back to their ugly faces, laughing at me.
My eyes widened in panic as the bright ball of lightning switched color to an ominous dark red. The spell suddenly started sapping more mana than I had and I felt fear. My vision went slightly dark around the edges but I held on. I quickly released the spell on which I had any barely control over. Hopefully it doesn’t hit the audience.
I let the spell rip, a blinding flash of massive crimson red lightning erupted from my hand, arcing uncontrollably in front of me, only following the general direction of my hands. The intense energy struck the ground and the dummies, causing a deafening explosion that shook the entire hall. The ground cracked beneath the impact, and the dummies exploded in a shower of sparks. The sound of the explosion, like a thunderous flashbang, echoed loudly, causing everyone to cover their ears and shield their eyes.
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As the spell ended I took in the silent audience with my blurry vision. Feeling something wet flow down my mouth, I licked the substance. Metal? I thought deliriously. I touched my nose and looked at the flowing deep red that painted my hand as my vision went dark.
----------------------------------------
I woke up with a pounding headache, slowly opening my tired eyes. Ugh, My head hurts. I shouldn’t have used so much mana. And why did the spell change colors? I tried to get up into a sitting position and take in my situation.
“Sis!” my sister raised her head from my left. She looked at me with worried eyes, “How do you feel? You didn’t look so good after that spell.” She held my left hand in comfort.
She was here all this time? “I already feel better, just have a little headache.” I turned my head in confusion, “but why are you not at the banquet? Is it already over?” I asked her.
She rolled her eyes, “Isn’t it obvious why I’m here?” she sassed me, “I’m here for you dummy.” She tightened her grip, giving me comfort. “The banquet is still going on, the Grand Duke was nice enough to lend us a room for you.”
She gave me a smile, “You should have seen the reaction everyone had after that spell,” she chuckled, “They all looked so surprised. Some even started casting spells, thinking that we were under attack.” I laughed at that. They deserved it.
“The audience was so rude though!” she complained to me, “They kept ignoring you and the other performers.” Her voice got frustrated, “You would think that they care enough about their own people to treat them with respect, but I gave them too much credit.” She ended bitterly.
I caressed her hand, “Well, they paid for it didn’t they,” I said in a tired voice. She started laughing at that, “Yes, they definitely did.” She says.
“Oh yeah,” She held her finger up in realization, “You should be prepared for some angry looks by stepmother and stepbrother,” she told me indifferently, “they were reeeeaally mad when father and the Grand Duke started complimenting your powerful magic. Stepbrother looked like someone killed his favorite hamster.” We laughed at the scene.
“So, how long have I been out?” I asked her, wondering when we can go back home. Wasted enough time here. At least I made some friends. Sis contemplates, “I’m not sure,” she scratched her cheek, “I fell asleep while I was watching you,” She nervously laughed, “Maybe like 2 hours?”
Whatever, not like it matters. We’ll just stay here with the excuse that I’m not feeling well. I smiled at my sister’s clumsiness, “Not like it matters. Let’s just stay here until the banquet ends.” She gave an eager nod at that.
We sit in comfortable silence as I took in the luxurious room. The walls were adorned with rich, golden tapestries, depicting scenes of battles and royal court life. A plush red carpet covered the floor. The bed was dressed with the finest linens, and pillows of the softest down.
A fireplace crackled in the corner, casting a warm glow across the room. A small seating area with plush armchairs and a delicate tea table was arranged near the window, offering a stunning view of the grand duke's garden. The room was finished with elegant furnishings, including a gilded writing desk and intricately carved wardrobe. Am I in the right room? This seems way too much for a child.
“By the way,” sis broke me out of my thoughts, “What happened to your magic back there?” she asked curiously, “It turned red. It never did that before.” I want to know that too. The spell took so much out of me. I sighed, “I wish I knew. Just so I can avoid doing it again.” I shivered thinking back on it. I was so close to losing control completely. I’ll ask Yuna in the next lesson.
A knock sounded on the door, “Excuse me dear guests,” came the respectful voice, “The banquet is coming to and end and Lord Frey wishes for you to make your way to the carriages.” She explained.
“Understood.” My sister replied, looking bitter for some reason. We heard the footsteps receding, getting quieter with each step. “They couldn’t even pick you up themselves!” she spit out in anger, “What good family we have.” Her face scrunched in disgust.
I caressed her hand, “It’s okay sis,” I smiled at her, “I don’t really care as long as I have you. They would just ruin the atmosphere anyways.” She sighed at my acceptance.
“Let’s just go,” she said disappointedly, “are you good to walk?” she looked me over. “Yes,” I got up from the bed with wobbly steps, my sister helping stabilize me. I gave her a smile in thanks, “let’s face the music.”
We walked together as my sister lent me her shoulder. My legs still felt wobbly and I was exhausted from the day. I just followed her lead, not knowing where we were at all. The mansion is like a maze! The hallways all look the same.
Thankfully my sister could tell the way and we managed to make our way outside. The nobles stared at me as they realized I was the girl with the lightning. Some of them looked in anger and others in respect and awe. I noticed the awed face of Aliah and we met eyes. She gave me a bright smile and waved excitedly. I chuckled and waved back.
“Your friend?” my sister asked me, looking at Aliah. “Somewhat, we were talking earlier at the banquet for some time.” I answered as we made our way out of the mansion.
We walked towards the carriages, where the rest of the family was waiting for us. Stepmother was staring daggers at me, but her expression was calm, not showing any feelings. Stepbrother though, he was looking at me with pure hatred etched in his face. His fists were balled and he grit his teeth. Idiot, everyone can see your real face now. As I met his eyes he glared back and silently mouthed an insult at me. I smirked at him in return, knowing it will flare his anger even more. It worked as he seethed in anger.
Father gave me a nod, “Well done.” He looked towards the others. “I wish to speak with Amber, we will be taking the first carriage together. The rest will take the second.” He declared indifferently.
My eyebrows furrowed at his declaration and sister looked at me in worry. I don’t want to talk to him. I sighed, accepting my fate and followed father into the first carriage.