[Chapter 2 part 1] Astra – Restless Introductions

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Anger swept Astra’s mind. They didn’t… Her eyes darted up.

“I’m sensitive to the presence of life, especially in this place.” Simon explained. Astra absorbed the words in resignation. Lying was impossible for necromancers. It’s why they’re used as messengers.

She cursed internally. The Dark Age had taught her to hate the unexpected. I should’ve frozen them underground. She’d guessed they might sneak a peek, but who could’ve predicted their visitor would be so discerning? Calm down. She’d meant to deal with this here, but that plan was shot.

“Let’s head inside.” She said tersely. Dammit, Lily, it’d better be important or I’ll wring your little neck. With a wave, the doors swung open. Before entering, she looked back. “Do you hold any ill-intentions?”

“None. As an aside, I’ve deduced their origins. You needn’t worry, I’ll not harm them.” Simon answered. So he’s puzzled it out… I guess she wouldn’t send an incompetent.

Astra strode in, glancing upwards at the skyways and interconnecting staircases of the twenty-storied space. No point in hiding them. She raised a hand, forming a white vortex, and a host of small figures emerged, wings fluttering.

“Please gather everyone,” she said. The fairies circled once and dispersed, flying up and disappearing down dark corridors. Keeping the entire fortress lit was too much of a hassle so only the alcoves in the entry hall burned bright with frost fire.

This won’t be pleasant… She frowned, imagining Simon meeting her children. If my aim is to convince him they’re well-adjusted…

Astra believed in facing hard truths. Her parenting skills were suboptimal. Not that I’m in a position to judge, but… Even her vague concept of ‘normality’ told her there were issues. It was unavoidable. She was the last person for the job.

She remembered finding them fifteen years ago. The first day had been spent in panic before the eight screaming infants. Thank god Nero arrived with supplies. Once they’d finally quieted, she’d grappled with her new circumstances. Abandoning them at an orphanage wouldn’t have worked since their appearance and abilities would be too recognizable. Other options were invalid for similar reasons. Begrudgingly, she’d determined it safest to keep them at Earth’s End. Which is a terrible environment for children…

Four young men and four young women appeared on the top floor. As they descended disjointed stairways, ice sprites coalesced around, meandering like fireflies. Do they believe I’ll calm myself if they dawdle? Despite her irritation, her rage gradually subsided. They’ve a right to be upset too.

Her expertise was leading armies. During the latter half of the Dark Age, the casualties had been staggeringly high. It was we seven who maintained morale. She and her brother, Ethan Skyfell, had led by example on the front lines. Arther Bard and Barsal Farran had inspired with their boundless charisma. Jenna Crystal had acted the pop idol, using too much sex appeal at times. Lily Morgana had shamed adults into fighting with her mere presence. Nero Ebonwood had provided confidence with his unfailing guidance.

It’s an atrocious basis for rearing children. Astra knew about suppressing trauma, not overcoming it. When survival is a dim prospect, what concern is the long run? Her only interaction with the young was when she’d found Lily catatonic after her home country’s destruction. Under her guidance, the girl had refocused grief into anger, transforming the battlefield into a hellscape with long range bombardments. I fashioned an instrument of war.

Astra sighed. From the moment they could walk, she’d trained them in martial arts. When they were seven, they’d moved on to sessions in the deathless coliseum. Once they were nine, she’d had them duel and assigned worth based on the results. In the subsequent years, she’d pitted them against her ice creations and even the undead. They’ve spent their lives learning to fight. The results were decent… From a military perspective.

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Having completed their task, the fairies waved goodbye and faded away. All but one. A small sprite had settled on her silver-haired daughter’s head, appearing quite happy on its perch. Ignoring the traitor, she inspected the lined-up. At least personality quirks aren’t visible at a glance. They were dressed in white, some wearing more layers than others.

“I believe I told you stay out of sight…” She said coldly.

Eyes darted downward. The tallest boy, sporting black dreadlocks in a ponytail and a scarf covering his face, muttered in protest, “We WERE out of——”

The black-haired girl besides him threw a fireball, which he dodged. Glaring fleetingly, Rose turned with a smile, “Please forgive us, Mother. We couldn’t help but be curious about our first visitor…”

Astra wasn’t inhuman. However, while she sympathized, actions needed consequences, “That doesn’t change you disobeyed instructions. Now this man knows of your existence——”

“Why is that a problem?” A Silver-haired boy interrupted.

“What?” Astra gasped.

“Why is it an issue that we were discovered?” Soul continued. “If we knew the answer, then we might have restrained ourselves.”

Before his reproachful gaze, Astra shied away. Damn, I hate facing him when he’s like that. She quickly changed course, “Why don’t you introduce yourselves?”

“Certainly.” Her black-haired daughter bowed curtly. “My name is Rose Skyfell. Pleasure to meet you.”

Rose’s inquisitiveness had been the source of great aggravation. Since learning to read, the girl had plowed through the library. This hunger had lead to a slew of problematic questions: “who are our parents?”, “where are we from?”, and “why are we in the arctic?”. I wish I could’ve court marshaled her. Sadly, Rose didn’t get the ‘need to know basis’ and grew bitter at her stonewalling. This resentment had somehow morphed into a rabid ambition. She might be the most balanced of the bunch.

A blond haired youth, smiling and confident, stepped forwards and made an extravagant bow, “Delighted to make your acquaintance. I’m Silver Skyfell. I hope you appreciate our mother’s naming sense.”

Astra gave her son a hard look. I let him get away with too much, but there’s no point in punishing him. The boy couldn’t feel fear and anger due to a soul-damaging incident. The abnormality was subtle. Silver was too accepting of things he shouldn’t be. Pain, humiliation, nothing got under his skin. With no fear of disappointment, he was constantly enthusiastic, all setbacks forgotten. It could be unnerving. On the bright side, it makes him a better fighter.

“I’m Free Skyfell.” The white-haired girl frowned at her brother. “What’s wrong with our names? I like mine.” Without missing a beat, she faced Simon, “What’d you think?”

If taken aback, their guest masked it well, “It might be uncommon, but there’s nothing wrong with it.”

Free was a cheerful girl who moved though life at her own immutable pace. When something grabbed her attention, nothing could distract her. She shared Rose’s passion for learning, with several caveats. Only certain areas captivated her interest, and everything else was tuned out. When answers left her unsatisfied, her first instinct was experimentation. This lead to a troubling compulsion to disassemble and dissect. In particular, her acts of self-harm in exploration of healing magic were cause for concern. After much fretting, Astra had ultimately decided to support her daughter. The girl would someday need all the self-confidence she could muster. Hopefully her upbeat personality balances out her more twisted inclinations.

“I’m Wise Skyfell.” The soft-spoken boy wore a copper headband around his short black hair. “I wish your tidings were better.”

All eyes snapped to him. Simon raised an eyebrow while Astra swore under her breath. What a blunder! If she‘d thought of it, she could’ve learned everything ahead of time.

Wise’s talent with foresight was on another level. Instead of the usual seconds, he could see days ahead, even drawing forth answers. If it was something he could learn in the next few hours, the knowledge simply came to him. No child should’ve ever possessed such a gift. In hindsight, I ought to have anticipated trouble.

Originally, Wise had been bright and optimistic. That changed once training began. Each person had certain magics they were best at channeling. To bring out someone’s true potential, this affinity had to be paired with an appropriate martial art. If magic is the fuel, then martial arts are the engine that powers the body to superhuman levels. Governed by greatly diverging paradigms, they weren’t interchangeable. The fuel must match the engine. While Astra had been able to assist most of them, Wise’s affinity lay with ‘death’, and necromancy operated on principles alien to her.

Determined not to fall behind, Wise had turned to his foresight. Pushing his limits, he reached into distant futures and borrowed knowledge from his older selves. At first, the approach had showed promise. Wise grew extremely strong in a matter of days, to the point where only Soul and Dawn could match him. Then everything fell apart.

Things other than fighting expertise began flowing back: memories, opinions, and emotions. He became unsure where or how old he was. I should’ve stopped him then. Wise had persevered, unwilling to give up success. By the time it became too much, his psyche had devolved into a scattered jumble.

She’d frozen him in an ice coffin. Three months later, Nero had sent a headband which throttled foresight, and Wise had recovered his sanity. His confidence had never returned though, and he regarded tomorrows with apathy.

Powerful channeling ripped Astra from her musing. The girl with a sprite on her head was materializing ice armor. Wise showed off, so she must do the same…

(continued in part 2)