When Leon turned twelve, the correspondence between the two slowed down. Leon had to attend a special academy for mages, one that was also to be attended by Tamyra’s older brother Kelvin. At first Leon continued to send letters, but they became fewer and far between. The content of these letters also became vaguer, and seem to lose all the heart that used to be poured into every sentence. Then, they stopped completely. From listening to the gossip among the servants, Tamyra learned that Leon’s father was having financial issues, and his mother’s health had taken a turn for the worse. The financial situation got so bad that the main family had to step in. Tamyra tried to send more letters, but they were sent back unopened.
Tamyra fell into despair when her only friend in this world had suddenly disappeared from her life. All her life Tamyra had been bullied, ignored, and generally treated like human waste. Leon was the only one who had shown her compassion. Through his stories about his family, he had given Tamyra something else to work for other than just surviving her brother’s cruelty. She wanted a family. And now that window to a happier world was gone. Tamyra was absolutely devastated.
In her depression Tamyra found solace in learning. The loneliness she felt crushed her like rock and the only thing that could distract her was her studies. However, this could only distract her so much. She was a child with lots of free time, so she inevitably found herself without anything to do. In these times, she was brought back to her loneliness. Losing the only friend in her life was devastating. “What did I do to cause him ignore me?” she wondered endlessly. However, this was soon put in the back of her mind when she heard that her brother was coming back to the estate during his school’s summer break.
The whole estate was in a buzz. The prodigal son was returning to the estate, and he was doing so with honor. He was the top ranked student of his year, both in terms of studies and mana proficiency. Kelvin Vanthar was Tamyra’s antithesis. He was strong, charismatic, and had immense talent as a mage. But Tamyra knew that deep down he was also an egotist and a sadist. Kelvin had constantly tormented Tamyra for his own enjoyment, and commanded all those he felt to be beneath him. It was now time for him to return home.
Tamyra noticed that the servants were doing more than preparing for Kelvin’s return. She overheard that Kelvin had invited some of his friends to spend the first week of summer at the Vanthar estate. None of the kids at school could afford to turn down such an offer, even if they wanted to go see the families they hadn’t seen for months. This was a source of increased distress for Tamyra, as there would be more people to potentially torment her. Tamyra noted that she had to make herself scarce during this time, as her brother would love to show his superiority over his sister to his friends. When they arrived, Tamyra grabbed a few books from the library and went out to her favorite spot in the woods.
She had seen the airship fly in and land out on the landing strip. It had a large balloon holding the carriage beneath it. The carriage itself was ornate, and had a large family crest on both sides. It blatantly show off its opulence. Gold trim had been painstakingly applied to the body. Even the balloon was embroidered with the Vanthar family crest in what seemed to be the finest fabric money could buy. Two large propellers straddled each side of the carriage, which could pivot and provided the propulsion for the airship. The propellers were powered by a mana core engine, which gave off a slight hum. It was truly an impressive sight to see a mana powered machine, but Tamyra could only think of its occupant, her cruel brother.
To take her mind off of the evil that had arrived at the main house, Tamyra doubled her efforts on her studying. The book Tamyra was reading was an advanced guide to mana techniques. They involved the manipulation of the mind and body. They included body strengthening, causing other’s body parts to come under the control of the caster, mind reading, mind reading defense, and many other techniques. Despite not having enough power to utilize the techniques, Tamyra learned the techniques to understand the nature of mana. If she wanted to somehow find a way to either gain more mana or work with it to create machines, she needed to fully grasp how it worked. She set out to accomplish this by reading all she could and practicing with her very limited mana.
While she was reading, Tamyra felt her stomach rumble. Her depression had caused her to eat a lot less, and she knew that if she wanted to practice magic, she needed energy. In her haste to escape from her brother, she had neglected to remember to bring a snack. Eventually the hunger got to her, and she decided to risk going back to the house to get food. Tamyra went garden, which was in full bloom, and made her way to the main building. When she got to the house, she hugged the wall and found her way to the servant’s quarters. Sneaking inside, she managed to locate some apples left by servant on the counter. She grabbed two, stuffed them inside her dress, and made her way back out. As she was heading back to the garden she overheard voices. She went quickly hid behind a nearby gardener’s shed as the voices got closer.
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“…and that’s why I am the student council president,” a young voice boasted. Tamyra held her breath; it was her dreaded brother.
“Of course. No one can match Kelvin Vanthar, the greatest first year Eltmar Academy has ever seen,” a nasally voice responded with the appropriate amount flattery for Kelvin.
“You truly have a bright future don’t you?” another voice chimed in.
“You flatter me boys. I still have a long way to go,” Kelvin responded smugly. “Oy, Leon. What’re you spacing out for you dope?”
Tamyra did a double take at the name. “Sorry,” Leon responded sheepishly.
“I wasn’t asking for an apology, I was asking why you were spacing out.”
“Sorry. It’s the garden. The flowers are very pretty this time of the year.” Tamyra’s heart started beating. It truly was her lost friend.
“Ppfff. They’re just stupid flowers. What are, some pansy who likes girly stuff? For you to get so mesmerized by it shows how much of a dunce you are.” Snickering could be heard after that last comment.
Tamyra’s nerves were on edge. “Why is he here?” she wondered. “Why is he friends with Kelvin?” But what she really wanted was to know why he stopped sending her letters. Tamyra peaked here head out of the side to get a glimpse of Leon. The boys were standing right outside the garden in a group. There were four of them. Kelvin was in the center flanked by two boys who were very different from each other. One was big and bulky with short brown hair atop his big head. The other was short and thin. His resting facial expression seemed permanently stuck in a slight sneer. They were facing another boy with blonde hair. Leon. He had grown a lot since Tamyra had last seen him. He was taller and had the look of someone who would grow up to be handsome. The other boys were confronting him and he had his head down.
“Sorry,” Leon muttered again.
“Sometimes you’re so fucking lame. Grow up a little bit.”
“Sorry,” came the response again.
“Stop fucking apologizing. Show some balls you loser,” Kelvin sneered haughtily.
“S-Sorry,” Leon stammered.
“S-s-sorry. You have no balls man, none at all,” mocked Kelvin.
Tamyra, however, could hardly watch the spectacle. Her dear friend being bullied and manhandled by her brother was too much to bear. When she didn’t know happiness, Leon had shown her. When she needed support, Leon was there for her. But Kelvin was just too strong of a person for Tamyra to stand up to. She shivered in fear when she recalled that day by the pond, when she had almost died.
“Seriously man, do you even have balls?”
Tamyra was torn. On one hand, her dear friend was being beaten and humiliated in front of her. On the other hand, if she went to help, she would have to contend with the brother that whose cruelty had nearly resulted in her death. Her fear prevented her from do anything. She just kept watching.
“Fucking loser!”
“Pansy!”
The other boys had joined in.
“Let’s see if he has any balls!”
“Guess he has something there.” Kelvin kicked dirt straight into Leon’s face. Leon’s mouth was open from gasping in pain and got a mouth full of dirt. He began coughing and hacking violently. Lying on the ground gasping for breath, Tamyra was reminded of the day at the pond. The terror she felt back then was too extreme for words. But looking at Leon’s face reminded her of all the stories he had told Tamyra, and all of the support he had given her. Deep down, she realized that she didn’t want him to feel the same pain she had experienced all her life. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her heart and stepped out.
“STOP!”