PENELOPE KALLIS:

“Surround her!” yelled out a knight wearing breastplate armor, channeling mana into his longsword. He slashed away at the pillar of ice blocking his path while his allies evaded countless icicles that flew through the air. They were struggling to close the distance as every spell I cast made sure to zone them out. “Haste!”

Mana engulfed him as he cast a third circle spell capable of nearly doubling one’s speed over a short period of time, a utility spell that knights like him learned so they could battle mages like myself. He was suddenly able to get within range to thrust his sword, but that wasn’t enough to defeat me.

“Ice Shield!” Clapping my hands together, a barrier made of ice formed between us, deflecting his mana-infused attack as it failed to pierce through. “Shatter.”

I counterattacked swiftly by breaking the ice apart and sending dozens of shards flying toward him. While he had an easy time dodging, it allowed me to switch focus on the two knights charging from my flank.

“Jump,” chanted the knight to my left as he leaped into the air, attacking from above.

“Firebolt!” The third knight channeled crimson mana, forming a transmutation circle out of which fire blasted toward me.

“Pillar of Ice.” I pointed my arm toward the man above, creating a turquoise transmutation circle on the ground with ice bursting out. Summoning it at an angle allowed me to block the firebolt and counterattack as the pillar smashed into him, knocking him to the ground.

Proudly smirking that I managed to defend against their combo, I foolishly relaxed for a split moment, allowing the hasted knight to sneak up on me. Despite being lucky enough to spot him before his sword hit me due to the reflection on the ice, I still failed to maintain balance as I dodged backward, falling over on my bottom. He loomed above me with his sword pointing to my chest, marking the end of our training session.

Letting out a sigh, I allowed my back to hit the ground, exhausted from having to fight three people at once.

“You’re getting better and better, Lady Penelope,” he said, sheathing his blade before giving me a hand to get up. “To think you managed to reach the third circle only two weeks ago, and at such a young age. . .”

“It’s not enough,” I said, accepting his help as I got back on my feet. “Thank you for the training session, Sir James.”

“It’s our honor to serve, my lady.”

Ser James was the newly appointed commander of the Knights of Kallis following the death of Sir Kalandor two months ago on the day of the ambush. Being one of the few capable of using magic, and like Kalandor, possessing a fourth circle core, made him invaluable to our family. Not to mention that he was only in his late twenties, giving him more room for growth.

The two behind him were his academy friends, Sir Daniel and Sir Bran, who managed to reach the second circle. They were all appointed to look over me while my parents stayed at the Capital. Now that Eliot was attending the Academy, only Elena and I stayed in the Kallis mansion, leaving me responsible for managing the family affairs. Of course Father made sure I had an advisor beside me, Lord Gregor Claus, an old friend of his.

“You were amazing, my lady,” said Daniel, the knight who got hit by the pillar mid-air.

“Thank you for the praise, but I still lost.” I looked back at James, a man capable of beating me in a duel with ease if he went all out.

“It was three against one,” Sir James defended me. “When I was my lady’s age, beating even one of them in a duel would’ve been a serious challenge. Besides, it hasn’t even been a month since you picked up combat training, and you can already best them on your own.”

He wasn’t wrong. Fighting the two alone wasn’t enough as they struggled to keep up with the intensity, but finding one more to join them was difficult, so we had James fight alongside them. He restricted the use of third circle spells and above apart from Haste which I insisted upon, making him magic-wise only slightly above the two. However, his experience and leadership allowed Sir Daniel and Sir Bran to fight at their peak.

Unlike Eliot’s master that criticized him for every mistake he made, these three were too lenient toward me. While I understand that I recently picked up fighting, if I don’t criticize myself, I won’t progress as far as I want to.

“Ser James, you and the men can take the rest of the day off. I’ll be in my father’s office if you need me for anything.”

“Yes, Lady Penelope.” He bowed respectfully.

----------------------------------------

Sitting in the office and making sure the Kallis Estate was up and running became a norm as endless paperwork piled up while we were gone. I’ve gained respect for my father who did this every day without complaining, but I was fine since it served well as a break between training and the investigation I started upon my return regarding the ambush.

“Alex. . .” I mumbled, sighing as I leaned against the table with my elbows, looking at the turtle figurine he bought me before we left.

We’ve sent dozens of search parties and even hired mages to try and find him, but Alex and the men that took him disappeared without a trace. We tried looking with scrying orbs, but it didn’t work, making many believe he was dead. Despite that, we still hadn’t given up hope.

To never have to go through that again, I dedicated myself to rigorous training. Helplessly running away and leaving someone I cared about behind tore me apart as I’ve spent countless nights crying myself to sleep. I remembered the moments we shared, stuck thinking how dumb I was for holding back all those years. Rationally I knew Alex was likely gone, but I was too afraid to accept that, fearing that I’d break down completely. To prevent those thoughts from haunting me, I kept exhausting myself so that I didn’t have enough strength to cry, which probably wasn’t healthy, but it beat not doing anything.

I hadn’t told my father about the investigation as I had nothing to show yet, but as soon as I did, I was going to ask for his support. However, no matter how I looked at it, all signs pointed at a potential Notish Invasion. It was obvious we were targeted so they could get to our parents.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Cupping my face I gazed into the corner of the room, exhausted from giving all I had during training. Luckily, my mana pool was drastically higher ever since I broke through into the third circle, but my control over it remained shaky as it was in an unstable state. Typically it took a month or so before a mana core stabilized after achieving a new tier of power, allowing the body to adjust to the changes. It wasn’t dangerous, but it affected my already weak stamina, something I needed to work on before enrolling in the Academy next year.

My eyes started to close, but a sudden knock on the door shook me awake.

“Who is it?” I asked as the door slowly opened.

“Me,” said Ellie, peeking inside, making sure nobody else was there. “May I come in?”

“Come here, you. . .” I smiled, pushing my chair away from the table. She walked in holding a cup of water, carefully going around the table before giving it to me. “What’s this?”

“You’ve trained hard and I didn’t see you drinking water, so I wanted to make sure you did.” Elena lowered her gaze, looking worried about me. “But I ended up spilling some of it on my way here. Sorry. . .”

She made me smile as I took the cup and placed it on the table before gently tapping my thighs. Elena looked up as she shyly smiled, wrapping her arms around me and sitting on my lap. I embraced her tightly before planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “Want to see a magic trick?”

“Yes!” Ellie looked excited.

“Okay. How about this?” I looked at the cup, hovering my hand above it. “Shape Water.”

Manipulating the water with mana, I made it float mid-air before altering its shape to match the swallow figurine Alex bought her. Ellie gasped as she watched me guide it using my finger, making it look like it was a living bird flying around. To her, nothing was more magical than spells that achieved such simple yet enjoyable effects. After the bird did a few laps around the office, I allowed it to land on Ellie’s tiny hands before freezing it.

“Woah. . . I wish I could do that,” she spoke in a hushed, awed whisper.

I chuckled, unfreezing the water by making it look like the bird was shaking off a thin layer of frost before guiding it back into the cup.

“Did you like that?”

“Yes! Can you teach me how to do that?”

“When you awaken your core, we’ll work on it, okay?”

“Okay!” She was adorable, hugging me tightly before mumbling, “But. . . How do you know I’ll make a core?”

“That’s because-” Loud banging suddenly interrupted us, making my heart jump. “Who is it?”

The door slammed open as my advisor Lord Gregor stormed inside, heavily breathing while holding a sealed letter.

“Lady Penelope! You’ve received a letter,” he said, trying to catch his breath as he was an older man who wasn’t in good shape.

“Who’s it from?”

“The Royal Family of Thysa!” Ellie and I glanced at each other before looking back at Lord Gregor as he wobbled over to the desk, setting the letter down. “I’m not sure what it says, but it’s of utmost importance. We should inform your father about this.”

“Why would someone from Thysa be writing to us?” I looked confused, picking up the letter. “Let’s have a look.”

“Can you read it out loud?” Ellie asked as it piqued her interest.

“Sure.” I smiled at her, unsealing the letter and clearing my throat. “Dear Family, I’m not sure who’ll read this letter, but I’m so happy to finally have a way of letting you all know I’m alive. . .” I lowered my voice, realizing who wrote it. “If you haven’t guessed already, it’s me, Alex. . .”

My hand that held the letter dropped to the table as I was left speechless. Glancing at Ellie, I noticed her eyes staring at me, ignited with hope as she tightly gripped my shirt.

“Lady Penelope,” Lord Gregor spoke softly. “Is it really him?”

I looked back at the letter, covering my mouth with my free hand as I recognized his handwriting.

“It. . . is.”

“Read it,” Ellie mumbled, listening intently.

Looking back at her, I nodded before picking back up the letter.

“Dear Family,

I’m not sure who’ll read this letter, but I’m so happy to finally have a way of letting you all know I’m alive. If you haven’t guessed it already, it’s me, Alex.

I’m okay. More than that, I’m actually doing great. You wouldn’t believe what crazy adventure I went through to get to where I am now. To think I’d be staying in the Royal Palace of Thysa as a guest. Guess I somehow ended up at the wrong Palace, eh?

Hope you’re all doing well. Missing you kept me moving despite everything that happened. Don’t worry. I’m safe now. I can’t wait to see you all when I get back, but it might take a while as I have something important I need to do before I return. Please stay safe until then.

Tell my father I’ll make him proud when I return as I have something shocking to show.

Tell my mother I’m sorry for causing trouble as always but that she must visit Thysa one day. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, and I’m sure she’ll find endless inspiration for her paintings.

Tell my stubborn brother I can’t wait to return and clash swords with him again and that I’m hoping he’s killing it at the Academy.

Tell my kid sister I can’t wait to see her smile. I’ve missed being woken up by her each morning.

And lastly, tell my ‘older’ sister that I regret missing out on her coming of age ceremony. I’ll make sure to make it up to her and then some.

I love you all, and I’ll be back before you know it.

Alexander Kallis.”

I mumbled his name, lowering the letter.

“I told you. . .” Ellie brittly whispered before bursting into tears, grabbing me tightly. “I knew he was alive!”

My vision blurred while looking at Ellie, hugging her tightly as she finally allowed herself to cry for the first time. I was so worried when I found out she kept it all in, repeatedly saying Alex was alive; however, now that she knew she was right, there was no stopping the endless waves of emotions from overwhelming her.

Lord Gregor and I looked at each other. He knew better than to stay while I soothed Ellie, knowing our conversation had to wait.

“He’s okay,” I whispered, holding her head close to my chest. “You were right. He’s going to come back.”

We sat alone in the office as Ellie eventually stopped crying and fell asleep. The head maid came to pick her up and take her to bed while I looked over the letter again. Taking a deep breath, I glanced over the warning Alex left at the end, which I refrained from reading in front of Elena.

“P.S. Father. The people that took me are known as the Shadow Syndicate. I’m confident someone paid them to capture us, but they failed. They’re dangerous, so please be careful as I believe they’re aiming at you. I wish I knew more.”

Folding the letter, I set it down on the table. It seemed Alexander and I came to the same conclusion regarding our father being the target, giving me confidence that I was on the right track from the beginning. He even provided me with the name of the organization that took him, a massive lead I had to follow if I wanted to find whoever was behind everything. However, a deep yawn stopped me from any further thinking as the tension that prevented me from sleeping soundly suddenly disappeared.

I lowered my head on the table, resting my eyes just for a moment, never imagining that I could fall asleep so quickly while overwhelmed with joy knowing Alex was alive.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.