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Chapter 2 - [Observe]

The white text hung ominously in the air for a few seconds before it faded away. Then, in the same manner as the initial text had been created, four more lines of text appeared, completely blocking my vision.

Talent Acquired: [Observe]

Talent Acquired: [Hellfire]

Trait Acquired: [Intelligent]

Trait Acquired: [Sickly]

Talents? Traits? Those were the names used by the game to describe unique attributes that certain characters were born with. It was impossible to learn a Talent or Trait. You were either born with them, or you weren’t.

Seeing the lines of text in my vision jogged my memory of Thale’s character sheet. I had read his wiki page, and I knew what all of the information in front of me meant.

Before I could start thinking about the meaning behind the lines of text that had just disappeared from my vision, something else caught my attention.

A man's voice rang out in my head. It spoke in the same vaguely European language that Armond and Miriam used. The voice did not sound malicious. It sounded desperate.

ᚬᚭᛢᚯᛛᚧᚯ ᚣᛔ (skydda henne)

As the voice spoke, several inscrutable runic symbols appeared at the top of my vision. Unsure of what to do, I tried to send a message back. I formed a sentence in my mind, and I willed it to be sent to the other entity inhabiting this infant’s brain.

I don’t know what you’re saying. Do you speak English?

The voice came again. This time, it was quieter.

ᚬᚩᛩᚸ (behaga)

Who are you?

There was no response. I mentally called out a few more times to no avail.

I tried to shake my head to clear it, but my infant neck muscles would not move. Instead of lingering on the voice, I decided to consider the lines of text that had just appeared in front of me.

Just like the original Thale Feldrast, I had the Talents known as [Observe] and [Hellfire]. Talents were distinct from Traits in that Talents were explicitly supernatural abilities that people were born with.

[Observe] allows the user to gain information from any creature. This Talent can be used at different levels. When utilized at level 1, this Talent allows the user to learn the target’s name. At higher levels, this Talent can be used to gain additional information about the target. The user must have a direct line of sight to the target to use [Observe]. Any [Character] with 5 or more levels will be able to detect when this Talent has been used on them, what level it was used at, and who used it on them. Certain simple wards and magic items can be used to prevent the use of this Talent.

That’s the description of the Talent that I had read when I played [Ferrum Online]. As far as Talents went, [Observe] was not that impressive. About one percent of all people could use it, and the culture of Ferrum had adapted to this fact. In the original game, anybody with levels in a Class knew when they were targeted by [Observe]. The original Count Thale Feldrast, like most nobles, wore a magic ring that prevented him from being targeted by that Talent.

My mother entered the room while I was thinking about the words that had appeared in my vision. She walked into the room weakly, supported by a teenage girl wearing a maid’s uniform. The girl couldn’t have been more than thirteen.

I focused my gaze on my mother and willed [Observe] to activate. Immediately, new text appeared at the top of my vision.

[Observe, Lvl. 1]

Name: Tabitha Sellack Feldrast

My mother’s name was Tabitha Feldrast. Considering that I was completely dependent upon her for survival, confirming her identity was probably a good idea. I turned my eyes toward the maid and activated my Talent.

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[Observe, Lvl. 1]

Name: Melissa Thorn

I had definitely never seen this girl when playing [Ferrum Online]. Though, she would be thirty-three by the time the game was set to start. Either way, “Melissa Thorn” was a very common name in the Northern Realms. “Melissa” was a very common name for women, and “Thorn” was essentially a placeholder name in this part of the world. The surname “Thorn” was most commonly used when parentage was uncertain.

Tabitha Feldrast sat down on a chair near my crib. She reached into my crib and grabbed my entire hand in her fist. Her complexion was just starting to regain a little color, and she smiled brightly at me.

Winter, 616 CA

Six months passed without incident. They must have been the most boring months of my two lives. The only activities I had the capacity to engage in were nursing, sleeping, defecating, learning Common using the words said by people near me, and using [Observe] on people.

One small saving grace was that the System recognized me as a [Character], so I could at least make use of my Talents. Most children were not considered [Characters] until their [Intelligence] score hit 8 or, in the case of low mental acuity, they turned 15 years old and thus legally became adults. Once a child became a [Character], they would immediately gain a level in a [Class] such as noble, commoner, adventurer, or merchant. A non-[Character] did not have a [Class].

Most children were first recognized by the System as [Characters] somewhere between 10 years old and 15 years old. Children not recognized as [Characters] could not use abilities granted by the System, but they had the advantage of being immune to many types of System-enhanced attacks.

[Observe]: Lvl. 1 → Lvl. 5

By the time my body had developed enough to crawl, I had learned enough Common to follow most conversations and increased [Observe] to level 5, though I was careful to only use my Talent on children and other people who I was sure didn't have Class levels. I would prefer that my identity not be revealed until I was strong enough to survive an assault by someone who believed I was a demon possessing an infant's body.

A fireplace glowed comfortably in front of me, and I sat upright atop a comfortable woolen rug. To my right sat Solana and Armond. They were both staring intently at the fire in the center of the fireplace. Several lit braziers lined the walls of the room, giving the room ample light. As I watched my father and sister, I turned a small brass cup over in my hands. Mother and the maids thought that it was my favorite toy, but I just played with it to increase my manual dexterity. It wasn’t working too well so far.

“You can do it, Solana,” Count Armond Feldrast said in a reassuring voice as my seven-year-old sister squinted at the fire.

My eldest sister had inherited our father's black hair, and our mother's green eyes. Her hair was tied back in a short ponytail, and she was wearing a casual blouse and riding skirt. In the Northern Realms, it would be seen as scandalous for the daughter of a Count to dress so casually. Solana never acted like a "proper" noblewoman in [Ferrum Online], so I didn't think she would care much about such a scandal.

Seeing Solana with her hand outstretched to a burning fire caused a new memory to flash before my eyes. A woman in a long scarlet dress slowly turning in the center of a frantically twirling ring of fire. Four powerful adventurers armed with swords, bows, and magic tried their hardest to wound her, but the inferno burnt the arrows, fizzled the spells, and drove the melee fighters back. When one of the adventurers attempted to circle around behind her, she effortlessly altered her attack and forced him back. It was one of the hardest fights in the early game.

I turned my red eyes toward Solana and activated my Talent.

[Observe, Lvl. 5]

Name: Solana Feldrast

Class: None

HP: 4

MP: 5

Fortitude: 5

Strength: 4

Agility: 8

Intelligence: 6

Willpower: 5

Charisma: 6

Talent: [Hellfire]

Solana was trying to utilize her Talent, and she had been trying for more than a year. Considering her stats, I knew what her problem was. Her [Intelligence] score was simply too low. She didn’t have the presence of mind or strength of will to activate [Hellfire]. It was understandable, though. Almost no one had high enough [Intelligence] to use their Talent before they were ten-years-old.

“Ugh! ᚤᛟᚧ (avfall)! I can’t do it!” Solana shouted in annoyance. I had not previously heard the second word she said.

“Language!” Armond chided his daughter. “But…” he sighed and put a hand on Solana’s shoulder. “You’ll get there eventually. I’m sorry; I’m asking for too much. And... uh... just between you and me,” the Count leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to Solana, “I couldn’t use [Hellfire] until I was thirteen years old.”

As my father spoke, I started to frantically crawl away. It sounded like their conversation was ending, and I didn't want Armond to carry me back to my crib just yet.

“Really?” Solana giggled.

“Yes, your grandfather thought I was faking,” Armond laughed at his own joke. “Even if you never learn how to use your [Hellfire], know that I’ll always be proud of you, okay?”

“Yes, Dad,” Solana said with a smile. I heard rustling fabric as Solana hugged Armond.

The two of them stood up from their seats by the fire as I crawled under a dresser in the hallway.

"Now, where did Thale go?" Count Armond Feldrast asked as he stepped out into the hallway.

"Melissa might have come and got him," Solana suggested.

After a long period of silence, Armond said, "You're probably right. Come on, let's get some ᚧᛕᚠᛞᚩ (bakverk) from the kitchen."