Sister?

Sister?!

Who was his sister?!

Lirya stared incredulously at the boy in front of her—she wasn’t sure that she’d heard him quite right. Had she not already been sitting on a bed, she’d surely have fallen to the floor in shock.

His sister?!

She’d been an only child for a solid 16 years until her younger brother, Richard, was born. If she’d had a brother of similar age to her, her father would have known. There’s no way he wouldn’t have known.

She narrowed her eyes and stared at him, saying, “Excuse me, who are you?”

“Eryian Herus… your brother,” He replied with a cheery grin.

Lirya frowned and insisted, “I have one brother and he’s a baby. You lie!”

At that, Eryian’s face contorted into a scowl and he turned to Garyth, saying, “I do not! You tell her, Master!”

Garyth chuckled lightly and said, “He speaks the truth, actually. Your mother gave birth to two children nearly eighteen years ago.”

He told what seemed to be an outrageous story—one of a child stolen away at birth while his mother was unconscious and placed at the doorstep of an orphanage. A tragic tale of a child robbed of his childhood and of a life of comfort. It sounded so unbelievable, yet Lirya felt something… some kind of instinct that told her Eryian was indeed who he claimed he was.

With a subtle gesture, Garyth quietly motioned for Eryian to leave the room. Eryian hesitated for a moment, then strode off, closing the door with a thud. When it was just the two of them alone, Garyth smiled and sat down in a plush armchair across from the bed Lirya sat on.

Lirya took in her surroundings, noting that it was a fairly large room they were in. The walls were sturdy white marble and there was a large window that overlooked a beautiful landscape, though Lirya hadn’t the faintest clue where they were. There was a door in one corner and the bed was opposite of it, built into a cosy nook. Facing the window was a sofa and two plush armchairs, one of which Garyth had rotated so he faced Lirya when he occupied it.

“Are the accommodations to your liking, Lirya?” Garyth asked quietly, his voice low and smooth like a sheathed blade—seemingly harmless but carrying the unmistakable undercurrent of power.

She nodded slowly and replied, “Yes, it’s very nice. Except for this shackle you have bound my wrist with.”

Lirya raised the arm shackled by the manacle, peering at him with a displeased expression.

It was like some strange sense of bravado—that was the only explanation for how she was able to have a rational conversation with this man. Deep within her lurked an icy fear—so pronounced she felt almost numb to it. She felt so strangely fine she knew something was wrong.

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Completely disregarding the fact that this man before her had unleashed a demon invasion upon Dargon and personally fought the guardians, she was sitting in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room in an unknown location having a cordial conversation with her kidnapper. The situation was so absurd it was almost funny.

Garyth laughed and replied, “Well, it’s quite unfortunate, but I assure you that the manacle is there only for your own safety. Your powers are too strong for you currently… and speaking of your powers, I have a proposal for you.”

Lirya could tell that whatever his proposal was, there was only one right answer and it probably wasn’t going to be one that she liked.

“I will train you,” Garyth began, “So you can control your powers. All I ask in return is your aid with a small matter where your power is of utmost importance. Then you will be free to go and I’ll even return you to your family. How’s that?”

That… actually didn’t sound half as bad as Lirya was expecting, and she was instantly wary.

“What exactly would that small matter be?” She asked cautiously, “I won’t have to harm anyone I care about, right?”

“Oh, of course not,” Garyth said reassuringly, “I do need you to help me kill an unholy creature that’s half-godly. Only someone with your powers can do it.”

“Half… godly?” Lirya questioned with a perplexed frown.

Though she questioned herself for even entertaining his suggestion, Lirya felt the safest thing she could do was play along with what he wanted.

Garyth sighed, “Well, it is a matter of delicacy, as I’m sure you understand. However, that creature is far more powerful than a normal mortal. That is why I require your assistance.”

Lirya decided to accept that vague response, for she was somewhat afraid of what she might learn if she did pry further.

Instead, she mulled over the conversation and said slowly, “I-I’d rather not be returned to Throeyns castle.”

For a brief moment, a frown flickered across Garyth’s face, gone in an instant. He nodded and stood up, moving to the door.

“I am glad we seem to have come to an agreement,” He said pleasantly, then left the room, shutting the door as he disappeared.

<--<< >>-->

Garyth’s smile vanished from his face the moment the door closed.

“What did you talk about, Master?” Eryian asked, having stood right outside the door since he’d been told to leave.

“I will train her so she can control her power and so her body can handle the full extent of her powers. Then, I will take her body and replace this crumbling vessel. I expect I’ll be able to harness her guardian powers in her body.”

“A splendid idea, Master!” Eryian said eagerly.

Garyth found the boy’s apparent lack of hesitation in sacrificing his long lost sister a little unsettling, but said nothing.

I’ve never been able to deny Eryian anything anyways, He thought ruefully.

He knew that the boy devoutly looked up to and followed him as if he were a god and he didn’t have the heart to plant seeds of doubt and morality in Eryian’s heart when the boy had observed Garyth’s actions for so long.

As he walked along the winding hallways of his palace, he mulled over what Lirya had said to him.

I really thought she’d be homesick, Garyth thought, I heard how she fled, but surely such trivial arguments can be easily fixed, especially if she returns home victorious as the Key guard?

Well, if she doesn’t want to return home, that’s fine.

It’s just a little strange, that’s all.

Have things really… changed that much?

He shook his head to rid himself of useless thoughts and began to draft budding training plans.

Almost as an afterthought, he absentmindedly raised his hand and uttered words of the ancient language, imbued with his magic.

Immediately, there was a ripple of mana and a semi-translucent bubble appeared over the palace, shimmered briefly, then faded away entirely.