Soon enough Elysia finished. “That will have to do for now.” she said, her voice left her with more than a slight strain to it. Sweat fell from her brow as she reminded her commander of her ability. “I’m not this kind of mage. Battle mage. Destruction not repair.” she huffed as she caught her breath.

The girl looked at her worriedly, feeling much better because of her efforts. Her healing touch had eased the pain, allowing her to move and relax with newfound ease. However the woman who healed her seemed to be exhausted somehow.

Varis only gave her a nod of acknowledgment. “Take a break,” he offered.

“Yes!” seemingly revitalized, she bounced on her feet. “The battle’s over so there is nothing important for me to do.” Elysia Cheered. Before her commander had a chance to change his mind, she had already fled from the tent.

Now the knight was alone with the girl. He sat back down beside her. “How are you feeling?” he asked in a calm, gentle voice.

“Better,” she admitted, the soreness was gone and she felt just a little fatigue from the injury. It was amazing how quickly she had healed; in another lifetime, it might have taken months, if she survived at all. Now, she could envision herself running around as soon as tomorrow. Ohh… tomorrow. Everything sounded better tomorrow right now. Finding the blanket a little warm right now she loosened her grip on it, allowing her neck to feel the cold air. With a breath she took in the clean air and enjoyed it.

Varis nodded, satisfied at her answer. “That's good.” He hesitated for a little bit before continuing. “While I'm sure you have a lot of questions I hope you wouldn’t mind answering mine first.”

Ravina's heart jumped. She knew this was coming but it felt a little too soon. She had never been interrogated before and wouldn't know how she would handle it. However, it made sense considering. "Okay," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. She hadn't done anything wrong, she tried to convince herself, and neither had Ravina. It was true, so why did she find it hard to believe herself?

As she worried about what would happen to her once they decided she was a part of this tower, Varis started on his question. Confusing her. "Are you familiar with Count Ravenshield?"

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She blinked, trying to place the unfamiliar name. Her mind whirred, making connections. "Ah," she breathed out. He must be related to her situation in some way.

Varis seemed to interpret her mumbling as affirmation and went on. "He's quite influential. Around twelve years ago, his wife bore a child, who was kidnapped shortly after her birth."

Ravina's nod was almost automatic. She saw where this was going. The cult, the ritual, the fanatical man wanting his deceased child back. She braced herself for the inevitable question—would she stand witness against him? Even though she knew nothing, his desperation might force her to fabricate evidence. Healing wasnt free after all - this room, her treatment? Of course he wanted something in return.

She could already guess what had happened. The count hired or abused his authority to have the tower conduct a ritual that would bring his wife and daughter back. She was grateful. After all it would have been a painful road to recovery and the only place she could return to was a crappy hut in a backwater village trying to pretend it was a town. A single room house would have been torture to her recovery.

Her hands tightened into fists as she contemplated her response. Fabricating the truth could prove beneficial, yet the term 'prominent figure' reeked of danger. Counts were not second rate villains but powerful men. Who was she to be compared? A missing village girl wouldn't warrant even a passing glance.

"House Ravenshield bears a distinctive feature—eyes dark as their shadows, with an amethyst core and equally dark hair, as black as a fresh raven’s feather" Varis continued. Ravina furrowed her brows. It sounded like a character description straight out of a video game. Who talks like that? "But there's more to their eyes than meets the eye. In the right light, you'll see more than a hint of this fine purple glow. Some of them, like the Lord Ravenshield himself, have vibrant purple eyes that almost glow."

That's it, she thought, this guy's definitely a video game boss. The tent plunged into a brief silence. She waited until Varis asked her to do the impossible. "His daughter… disappeared twelve years ago," Varis repeated softly, his gaze flickering towards Ravina.

"Yes…" Ravina replied, her mind still wrestling with the decision of whether to act as a witness. The risk was enormous in both her world and this one. Mob bosses like Al Capone were notorious for their ability to keep someone quiet, for good. She didn't need new shoes that badly.

"She had purple eyes, a rare color in our world."

"I see…"

"And black hair, identical in shade to yours."

"Mhmm."

"You even bear some resemblance to Lord Ravenshield."

"Okay."

"..."

"..."

"I believe you might be the lost daughter of Lord Ravenshield."

"I can't do it."

They spoke in unison, words colliding mid-air.

A moment of confusion followed as they processed what the other had just said.

"Can't do what?"

"You believe what!?"