Laura woke up in a scare.

Sweat drenched her forehead, and her eyes scanned the unfamiliar room with trepidation. She bore the discomfort of her sticky clothes and stumbled from the bed, the wooden floor masking her fall to a slight bruise on her knee. Familiarity would have eased the discomfort in her head and paced her heart to help her gauge the situation carefully. She had none at the moment. New room, a new nightstand beside her bigger bed, and an unfamiliar closet.

Her eyes paused at the table opposite the door, which had books she had never seen stacked in a pile and more on the shelf next to it. She wiped her tears and moved onward to the exit.

“My lady!” Ana bowed noticeably as soon as the door opened. “Are you feeling any better?”

Laura shook her head and pushed her aside with whatever strength she would muster. The maid had been her caretaker in her mother's absence, which meant the vivid memories in her head weren’t just a dream. She rushed toward the stairs, stumbling twice on the unfamiliar way, but Ana was close to her to hold her in place.

“They are sending your mother off to Arcane Haven,” Ana said softly, holding her hand. “If you be a good girl today, the immortal sages will guide your mother to life after death. The stars, the Arcanists call it. She will become one, too.”

Laura bit her lower lip and suppressed the tears. Ana guided her through the long flight of stairs downward to an ostentatious room decked with people she had never seen before. A black casket was stationed at the apex, flowers adorning most of her mother’s lifeless body. Her brother was sitting on the chair beside the coffin, his hands fisted.

Laura went to him, her eyes pleading answers. When she got none, she burst out in tears, hugging Byrak with all her might. The scene felt familiar, but she was little bothered to heed the pain in her head. All she remembered was her mom's warmth, her bright smile, and the mischievous glint in her eyes. Everything seemed far away, and she unknowingly descended into a deep slumber.

–

[Memory Unlocked: A Comparable Fate]

[Memory Loss: Cured 1%

Underdeveloped Brain: Cured 2%]

“Asleep?” Laura asked, shaking her head to wipe off the unfamiliar thoughts.

“Two days, Lady Laura,” Ana said, wiping her forehead with a towel.

There were two disjoint memories in her head, the second one of a grown-up woman she had never seen. The lady was wearing black clothes as she sat beside a black casket similar to her mother’s. But her feelings largely overlapped with the woman's, and she could feel the grief despite not knowing anything about her.

Laura pinched her cheeks and got up from the bed.

“I need… my brother,” she said, cleansing her tiny hands into a fist.

“He has been waiting for you all this while, my lady,” Ana smiled as he held her hand and helped her get off the bed. “But I will help you clean up first. Let-”

“I can do it,” Laura glanced at her maid and bobbed her head.

“My lady?” Ana raised her brows.

“I can do it,” Laura repeated, not looking at her now.

“Oh… Yes,” Ana bowed politely and pointed at the second door in the room. “The water in the tub should be warm enough, so take your time, my lady. I will go and inform the lord about you.”

The warmth of the water eased the uneasiness, and Laura lost herself in the comfort. Her eyelids dropped more often than not, but she tried her best to stay awake and cleanse her hair. Her mom was no longer here to help her; she stubbornly bit her lips and accepted the fact. She reached for the conical bottles on the stand above the tub, but her little hands couldn’t with half her body in water. She stood up and slipped back into the tub, desperately struggling to stay afloat.

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[Memory Unlocked: A drowning death]

[Memory Loss: Cured 2%]

Laura gasped for breath, but the tub wasn’t deep enough for her to drown. Somehow, she knew how drowning felt, and the lady appeared in her head again, this time falling deeper into the dark waters. With a shiver, Laura rushed out of the bathroom, forgetting her long-drilled etiquette. Ana was ready with a towel and a black dress suitable for a mourning family.

“What was so scary, my lady?” Ana smiled, wrapping the thick fabric around her petite body.

“Not scary,” Laura puffed her cheek and let her maid dress her up. “Brother?”

“He’s in the study with the lord,” Ana fastened the thread on the back of the tunic. “Your hair is still damp, so I won’t tie it.” Ana paused and stared at her face before continuing, “ If you don’t mind, please have some fruits, my lady. I’ve asked the kitchen to cut some for you.”

Laura nodded and walked out of the room. A maid gave her some grapes on her way, and she carried it all the way over to her father’s study. She knew the room despite never being there. Laura paused when the realization struck her. She will die before the following summer. Her pace quickened, and she rushed to the study after munching the grapes in haste and barged open the door with all her might.

The study was adorned with an array of ebony-hued furniture. Large arched windows behind the table bathed the shelves filled with books in the morning light. Two soft cushioned chairs lay opposite the table, the empty space in the pith draped with red carpet. Byrak stood beside her father, engrossed in the scroll they were reading. She had to make her presence known by knocking on the door from the inside.

“Laura!” Byrak paced toward her and lifted her off the ground. “Are you feeling better?”

Laura wrapped her hand around her brother’s neck and nodded. “Father… daughter greets you…”

Othwash nodded, scratching his stubble. His stern eyes frightened her, but Laura knew he never intended to scare her. His face appeared older since the last time she had seen her, and his eyes puffed. Perhaps he hadn’t slept peacefully for the past few days. “I will enroll you to the capital’s academy next summer. Your mother had made plans for you; she told me you’d be safe there.”

She had rarely heard her father speak more than a few sentences, so she bobbed her head quickly, tightening her grip around Byrak. “Family Heirloom… I have it.”

“Splintering it is,” Byrak sighed and helped Laura sit on the chair. Her feet dangled from the chair, and she clasped her hands nervously. “Did you see them already?”

Laura nodded.

“How many days left?” Othwash asked, extending his hand to reach for her head but stopped himself. Laura felt guilty for flinching.

“Don’t know… it’s weird. In pieces,” she said. “Valecrest, I remember.”

“Our family has been ordained with the name,” Byrak frowned and leaned against the bookshelf. “We are no longer retainers of the king but nobles. Father’s military contributions are incomparable, yet he had to relinquish his army and return to the capital…”

“Byrak!” Her father’s voice made her shiver.

“She deserves to know, Father. At least, whatever Mother planned for us, she deserves to know,” Byrak turned to Laura. “Mother had planned everything for our family till date, Laura. Everything happened according to her will, from relinquishing the army to starting a business in the capital to attaining a noble status. Except…” he clenched his hands, “except her death. Mother told us you’ll learn to talk eloquently soon, but since you are already twelve, we couldn’t wait to enroll you in the Academy anymore.”

Laura glanced at her father, her eyes resolute. “Father… I will help you.”

She saw a rare smile on her father’s face, but he didn’t reply.

“Have your mana conduits opened yet?” Byrak kneeled before her and rubbed her cheeks.

Laura shook her head.

“Then I will train you. Cutting yourself with a sword and rupturing your gut is easier than opening your conduits. Brash I am, but I will teach the way of a battle mage, the way of the army. Like how my father taught me. Noble lady or not, you have to become hard-hearted to protect yourself. If you need something, take it by force. Don’t wait for someone to give it to you-”

Byrak earned a smack.

“She’s twelve.”

“I was five, father,” Byrak stood up, aggrieved. “There should be no distinction between men and women in our family. That’s what Mother preached, and I aim to abide by it. If Laura becomes a brash woman no one wants to marry, we can take care of her for the rest of her life. But if she becomes weak and relies on other’s strength to prove her worth, there is no reason for me to be her brother in this life.”

Laura glanced between the two men for a while. To her surprise, her father gave up and walked out of the room with a sigh.

“I will assign her a maid to learn the necessary etiquette. Do what you deem fit.”

“Yes, Father,” Byrak replied and glanced at her door.

Laura saw guilt in her brother’s eyes despite his nonchalant demeanor. Some part of her knew he blamed himself for Aleena’s death.

“Mother was not your…”

“I will take care of you,” Byrak ruffled her head. “I won’t let you feel her absence, Laura.”