“Is something the matter with our help, young master Loyd?” Welkin asked, taking Ark from his stupor of the sight of so many of them cultivating the crops that surrounded the manor.
So much for ending slavery… Ark’s face twitched, barely able to hide the disdain of another lie told to him.
A slave turned his head, making eye contact with Ark and immediately paling with the former not realizing he was staring at a singular person.
“No… nothing is wrong. Show me to my room,” Ark replied, eager to be alone and plan his next set of actions.
Of course, beneath the veneer of a troubled youth, Welkin couldn't see that Ark, in fact, did have a problem with the slaves as his hand subconsciously touched his neck.
The old man looked at Ark inquisitively but did as ordered, limping forward towards the towering oak-like doors of the gilded mansion as Soliloquy climbed onto Ark’s back to stand on his shoulder.
Bit much for a baron… With this much gold you could buy out an entire town. Ark frowned, astonished at the exterior of the lavish building supported by pillars of solid gold.
However, his impression of the building quickly faded as he entered the interior.
Within the mansion wrapped by gold and silver, was a barren and empty house, completely devoid of furniture, paintings, or any of the amenities of a home. In fact, now that Ark was up close to the building, the gold columns were worn, almost chipped in some places that were unnoticeable from a distance.
It seems they must not get many visitors. Ark noted, following the old knight through the halls of the cream-colored facade marred by occasional water stains and chipping of paint.
Finally, the pair arrived at a door of the west wing of the building that had the words, KEEP OUT! written in with white paint.
Is House Fey in debt? What kind of noble household is this…
“Is there anything else you require of me milord?” Welkin asked, the old man’s eyes seeming to study Ark.
“Nothing, I would like to be alone,” Ark replied before opening the door of “his” room.
Within, Ark scanned the decrepit quarters, his gaze darting around the room littered with clothes, papers, and books strewn about in an unorderly manner. There was also an… odor. A scent akin to mildew or wet blankets that had been left to stew too long.
Ark wrinkled his nose, his eye twitching as he took in the life of his body known as Loyd Fey.
“Disgusting, how could any creature allow their nest to be so polluted.”
“Well… it's clear he was depressed,” Ark muttered, leaning down to pick up a book titled Ki 101. A learning manual that Ark had no use for, “Neither of us know his life, but if this is who we are we’d better learn it.”
Ark tossed the tome to the side and wadded through the garbage on the cluttered floor to sit upon the king-sized bed whose wooden frame appeared to be rotting in certain places.
“So… chicken, what do you have to offer me in your current state?” Ark asked, moving the sheets of crumpled paper on his bed that held various complex equations and occult symbols.
Soliloquy twitched at being called a chicken with her talons nipping into Ark’s flesh. “I dislike being called a chicken, monkey.”
[IDIOT INTERFACE FOR HARNESSING MY POWER]
[Level 0]
[EXP: 0/100]
-[HP: 25/25]
[Phoenix Points: 0]
[Stats]
-[STR: 7]
-[DEX: 5]
-[VIT: 5]
-[WILL: 18]
-[SENS: 7]
[SPELL USES]
T1: 3/3
[Spell Book:
[T1 Grasp Flame: Bind and move targeted flames(Fire)]
[T1 Spark: Light a flashing spark of fire, the more ambient fire mana in the air, the bigger the spark(Fire)]
[T1 Push: Harness wind to push targeted object(Wind)]
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
[T1 Slow LvL 1: Slow down targeted object(Time)]
[T1 Restore LvL 1: Rewind the flow of time to restore an object to previous form(Time)]
Ark flinched as the translucent words suddenly popped into existence.
“What is this?” Ark frowned, looking over the interface before him and spells.
Time magic?
“A compilation of your abilities I have simplified in a way you may adequately perceive, I believe your world calls it a character sheet,” Soliloquy explained with Ark unsure about the Phoenix diving through his memories, “After looking over your memories, it's clear to me that you lack the intellect required to actually process magic. Nevermind the talent. So I will be your focus.”
“Are you calling me stupid?”
“Yes.”
The pair sat in silence for a moment, neither speaking as they stared at one another.
A knock at the door finally interrupted their staring contest.
“Young master Loyd, Vermel is preparing dinner, what would you like?” Welkin asked.
“Chicken,” Ark replied, swatting Soliloquy off his shoulder.
“Very well sir,” Welkin said with Ark waiting for the sound of the man's trailing footsteps to cease before focusing on the system.
“So how does this work? I kill things? Gain experience? Unlock new abilities? Seems very gamified.”
“In simpleton terms… yes. I will handle casting magic and act as your focus. In return, you will hunt and steal the time from your foes to augment my reservoir. The more time you consume, the more of my magic and abilities you'll gain,” Soliloquy explained before suddenly vanishing as Ark reviewed the list of spells available to him.
“Sounds easy enough…” Ark muttered and he closed his eyes, attempting to awaken his mana circuits to no avail. But there was a spark. A faint feeling of muffled vitality coursing through his veins. A telltale sign that he'd been-
“Poisoned…” Ark frowned, finally sensing the level of damage that plagued his host.
Half of my mana circuits are necrotic and poorly developed… months of damage? No… years.
Ark opened his eyes and gazed down at the score of books around him on how to utilize ki. “Poor bastard never stood a chance…”
Someone had sabotaged Loyd, robbed him of whatever potential he may have had and stunted the boy’s growth.
But why? The level of poison this advanced to destroy ki channels while leaving the host alive was too costly to use on a mere baron's brat.
Punishment?
No, if it were the case why bother with so many books? Who studies so hard to try and awaken your ki if you knew you'd been punished and your circuits were destroyed?
A picture was forming of Loyd's life in Ark’s mind with the culprit pointing towards that white-haired princess…
“Even his seed is tainted…” Ark hissed before the door of his suddenly burst open.
“YOU!” Baroness Fey shouted, red in the face and marching through the refuse upon the floor and suddenly smacking Ark. “DON'T YOU EVER TRY TO KILL YOURSELF AGAIN! What were you thinking?! Why would you try to kill yourself? Do you have any idea how selfish you were?!”
Ark sat stunned, holding his red cheek as the woman screamed at him with tears streaming down her face.
The baroness went wide-eyed, realizing what she'd done and moving in to try and comfort Ark.
Then she coughed, spewing blood, her hand catching the spittle before it could run down her thin chin.
“I…” Ark began, at a loss for words and dry swallowing before the baroness hugged him. “I'm sorry mom.”
The woman abruptly released him, backing away with her eyes quivering as she stared at Ark who couldn't meet her gaze.
“I've wanted to hear you call me that for so long,” Lady Fey said, embracing Ark once more and sobbing between her coughs. “But please, please tell me why? Speak to me.”
Is… she not Loyd's mom? Ark said to himself, realizing he'd made a mistake.
“I… I'm just going through a lot…” Ark said, giving a generic response which wasn't quite a lie.
“Is it your sister?”
Ark blinked, Sister?
Unsure of how to respond, Ark looked away.
“I know… that seeing Cecilia can be hard given your status. You have none of the protections or amenities of your siblings, and that you're struggling with your ki. But Loyd, I promise you! That suicide isn't the answer,” Baroness Fey said, dabbing her mouth with a cloth. “Whatever you're going through, whatever is hurting you, you are not alone. I'm here for you. Please, please promise me you won't ever do anything rash like that again. You have an entire life to live. Please...”
Ark finally made eye contact with the woman, “I'm sorry…”
“Promise!” Fey snapped, her sunken eyes moving something in Ark who found himself overcome with guilt.
“I promise,” Ark said, taking the hand of the woman completely unaware that the boy she knew was gone.
He rubber hand callous hands, skin that was rough and unbefitting of the nobles he knew.
“Okay… I'm sorry for striking you,” Fey said, rubbing Ark's face where she had hit him.
“It's fine… I'm okay,” Ark said, attempting to placate the woman.
“What do you need from me to make this better?” Fey asked, her eyes full of sincerity that caught his attention.
“Just… time,” Ark said after careful consideration.
The Baroness stepped back, examining Ark for a moment who had numerous questions plaguing his mind.
“Okay, I can do that. I talked with the Headmaster and we've agreed that you can spend your summer off campus. Away from the academy. If you want to continue you're enrollment at a later date, you'll be allowed to,” Fey explained.
“I think… I'd like that,” Ark replied.
With time to be in isolation, he could get a better grasp on the situation and maybe find a fix to unlock his ki.
“Okay, I'll give you some space,” Fey said, hugging Ark tightly as her bodily aroma akin to tea leaves entered his nose and seemed to soothe his tension.
“Thank you,” Ark said, watching the baroness leave.
As the door closed Ark wasted no time and turned back to the translucent screen that was unseen by his guardian.
***
Elsewhere, a woman with curly black hair, and bushy eyebrows wearing cured leather armor observed the manor from the tree line of the shrubbery and forests that concealed her group of bandits. Her eyes were dark with no ounce of light as they in took in the plantation filled with slaves being watched by their overseers.
“I don't know about this boss, mugg’n’s one thing, but kill’n nobles?” A brigadier asked, the ruffian one of six that followed the black-haired barbarian woman.
Karlja licked her lips stained with pink gloss, before rubbing her tongue piercing using the tip of her teeth.
“Contractor wants em dead so they gotta die. Just make sure to leave the girl alive otherwise it's all us's heads,” Karja said, the large woman signaling to her scouts. “Circle the perimeter, I want the numbers of all the guards, overseers, and knights on the premises.”
“Aye boss,” The ruffian said, blending into the forest as Karja watched a carriage unload another group of slaves onto the Fey property.