“The practice of selling the rights to one’s Build is often contested, even though the potential benefits it could provide to academic fields cannot be denied. The dispute is a moral one, since there is not an accepted standard for the agreements and relevant pay structures. Even though one certainly can put a price on such an intimate part of a person’s being, there are many who question whether we should.”
-Unknown
With promises of a forthcoming explanation, Bella settled down enough to let Tina and Figuello escape contemplation with conversation. Figuello revealed the details of Bella’s Core Skill. Tina shared the details of mine. Hwan had apparently known about Bella and I both, and the fact that he’d kept that a secret did much to improve my impression of the man; he knew how to keep something on the hush-hush.
“Apparently Perseverance helped me mature faster than normal,” I noted to Figuello when the revelation of my Core Skill prompted him to look at me as if I’d sprouted a diamond-encrusted horn. In all fairness, Tina had a similar reaction when Bella’s Perception [Social, Truth] Skill came to light.
I wonder if she’s replaying every lie she’s ever told Bella. It was an amusing thought in a situation that was otherwise devoid of that particular emotion.
Tulos rejoined us after Marco’s needs had been seen to; presumably he’d gone back to sleep and was cozy in his crib. I noticed Bella looking increasingly smug as yet another person was amazed by her Core Skill.
“The System also said I am ready to Advance,” she said, practically preening.
“Bella!” Figuello chastised his daughter, who had gotten so absorbed in the moment she’d forgotten that information was supposed to be a secret. Bella’s mouth rounded like that of a startled fish before she clasped her hands over it, as if doing so might prevent the words from having escaped in the first place.
“It is fine,” Tina said reassuringly. “At this point, it is not as if we will tell anyone else.” She turned to me and raised an eyebrow, and I could see the question in her expression.
“Go ahead,” I said, grateful that she’d asked permission.
“Will already Advanced. He has been in the first Tier for some years now,” Tina bragged, and I was tempted to roll my eyes. The pride in her tone was unmistakable. “He-”
“He what?!” Bella’s voice cracked and she glared daggers at me. “No! That is not fair!” Figuello gave me an apologetic smile and tried to comfort her, but Bella was committed to her petulant response. Her complaints seemed focused on the fact that Advancing before me was supposed to be her thing to show off and that I was cheating.
Standard upset child fare, really. If not for the larger issues at hand, I might have found it amusing. As it was, I just felt sorry for Bella. By all accounts, her day was only going to get worse.
The discussion died down somewhat after that, with Figuello scooping Bella onto his shoulders and taking her for a quick walk to calm down. Tina pulled me into a hug and the faint shudder of her shoulders stabbed me like a blade wrought from permafrost. Fudge, having picked up on my feelings, wandered over and inserted himself into the embrace. His antics gave us both a precious moment of respite in the way only a dog’s affection can.
When Vigil returned, there was a collective sigh of relief when we saw Lianda hunched over his back. Even Tina, who likely had an impression of the situation through the Tamer Bond, seemed to appreciate the visual confirmation. Strands of Vigil’s metallic fur had grown up and around Lianda, keeping her in place like some kind of living harness. Given the ease with which Vigil could tear up the distance, I was impressed by the safety measure.
It occurred to me that, in our haste, we hadn’t thought to attach a note to Vigil. I couldn’t help but wonder how Vigil convinced his passenger that the situation was urgent.
Maybe it’s an intuition thing. I’d ask about it at some point, probably, but it wasn’t the most pressing issue occupying my mind.
When Vigil skidded to a stop and loosened his hold on Lianda, she wasted no time rushing to her family and pulling them into a hug. A hushed exchange followed, and I did not care to strain my ears or mana to overhear it. I could imagine the broad strokes well enough; the pained look on Figuello’s face as he delivered the news spoke volumes.
I didn’t know Lianda as well as I probably could have; compared to the other adults in my life, our interactions were often in passing. Whatever emotions she felt in that moment, her face did not betray them - not to me, at least. If anything, she seemed to exude a quiet strength. She knelt down to speak softly to Bella, and it was then I decided to turn away entirely.
Whatever they are speaking about, it is not for me.
Time was running out. Despite our preparations with Lionel, there was a sense of finality hanging over my little family.
After today, things will never quite be the same. A true enough statement for most days, if one wanted to get semantic with it. Instead, that thought was enough to rattle the forced stoicism I’d poorly wrapped myself in.
“I will definitely come and visit when I can.” Tina and Tulos - my parents - turned to me as I spoke, each wearing their own mask to help them handle the situation. “It will probably be fun to share stories about my time away, and I know Fudge will want to visit as well…” I trailed off, the words were supposed to be comforting, but even I could tell they sounded hollow.
This sucks. That was all there was to it, really.
Tina forced a chuckle out, but decided to join in on the charade. Sometimes simply saying the words was important, even if it might be hard to believe them at the time.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“You had better come visit,” she said with faux-outrage as if the very thought that I wouldn’t was tantamount to heresy. “Once your brother is a little older, we will all come visit you, as well, see? Right, love?”
“Yes,” Tulos added, before taking a knee so he could get closer to my eye level. “We are proud of you, Will. Do not forget that.”
I sucked in a quick gasp of breath.
Fuck, that one hit hard - keep it together, Will. Unconditional love really had a way of slamming into a person like a battering ram. It took me a long beat to reclaim my composure.
“I will not,” I said seriously. “I love you both. No matter what happens, that is the truth.” They’d both given so much for me, even as I took selfishly from the both of them. Even though I planned to one day return to my old world, it did not change the depths of emotion I felt for my second family. That dissonance, made stark by the situation, threatened to break me. If not for a burst of mana from Perseverance, it very well might have.
“We love you too, my Will,” Tina replied. She exhaled, though it sounded closer to a huff, and gently smacked her cheeks. “We are perhaps being a bit defeatist, no? It is not impossible that we persuade this Crown representative to leave the children with us.” It was bravado built on desperate hope, but neither Tulos or I refuted her.
I am not quite that hypocritical. If there was anyone who could understand the desire to hold on to the slimmest slivers of optimism, it was me.
Perhaps it was fitting that, shortly after Tina’s declaration, Vigil first heard the sound of something approaching the property. He growled low in his throat, a threatening rumble no doubt born from whatever feelings Tina was letting leak through their Tamer Bond. He positioned himself to face the dirt road leading towards Elbura, and Fudge was quick to follow his sire’s example.
A pair of large shapes crested the hill separating our property from the broader farmlands.
Horses, I noted. Big-fuck-off-lads, too. They moved in disciplined unity, effortlessly hauling the large carriage they were connected to. We could hear the heavy fall of their hooves, and I quickly realized that their dark coloring wasn’t a silhouette-esque trick of the light. Each horse’s hair was pitch black; there was a uniformity to it - a wrongness - that gnawed at the lizard part of my brain.
The carriage itself was similarly imposing, bringing to mind a sort of jagged, gothic aesthetic as opposed to the more elegant pumpkin-shaped vehicles made famous in fairytales. It seemed to glide over the road, as if the irregularities in the dirt were simply not there. Interior curtains made it impossible to view any occupants, despite my best efforts.
What in the actual fuck… The entire display screamed intimidation tactics, and if the growing dryness in the back of my throat was any indication, they were working. I heard Tina let out a stifled gasp.
“Love, is that…” she muttered to Tulos, sounding suddenly shaken.
“... I think so.”
CONCERN?!
When the worry in Tulos’ voice sent ice writhing through my veins, Fudge abandoned his post to come and stand closer to me. Somehow, he determined the carriage was the source of my growing dread and redoubled his growling efforts as it steadily closed the distance.
Nearby, Bella started to cry, her breath coming out in frightened whimpers.
This has to be the work of a Skill… The mere presence of the carriage was having a visceral effect on everyone. I urged my Skills into action. Mana from Perseverance flooded my system, thawing the chill that had otherwise seized me.
Unnatural or not, this feeling is just another obstacle for me to overcome. Like kindling fed to a growing inferno, my intent fueled Perseverance and gave the mana a purpose. Almost immediately, it was like an unseen pressure lifted from my mind. Able to think with a clearer head, I was reminded of the feeling inspired by the Skill-crafted paper Lionel gave us, all but confirming my suspicions.
As the horses pulled up near the house, they came to a gradual standstill with a stamp and a snort. Despite the presence of the large, growling dogs, they did not react in any noticeable way. It was a display of rigid discipline in the face of a predator that the blinders in their tack didn’t fully account for.
“Hail to the house!” Driving the carriage was a lightly armored man whose stubbled face wore an easygoing smile as he waved in our direction. A single, scabbarded sword rested on the bench alongside him, and I noticed the white silhouette of a crown was sewn into the tabard he wore.
“Hail to the carriage!” It was Tulos who responded, though he waited slightly longer than he should have to do so. Like me, I suspect he was momentarily thrown off by the juxtaposition of the seemingly friendly driver and the rest of the retinue.
Satisfied with the welcome, the driver dropped the reins and casually hopped onto the ground with a dull thud. Moving with practiced efficiency, the sword he’d grabbed on the way down was clasped to his belt within moments. He circled around to the side of the carriage and opened the door without any additional fanfare.
Some small part of me almost expected a green, scaly tentacle to emerge instead of a human hand, oozing with some kind of green sludge and smelling vaguely of a cabbage that rolled behind the radiator where it lay forgotten for several months. The arrival of a Crown representative had been tantamount to the boogieman of my second childhood, and despite all evidence to the contrary, I could not help but let my imagination run wild.
Instead, it was a burgundy-haired woman who stepped gracefully out of the carriage. Intricate, silver embroidery hemmed what was otherwise a simple, purple gown. Like the driver, she wore an easy smile as she surveyed the people arrayed before her. Unlike the driver, the smile did not quite reach her eyes, which bore the characteristic lines of middle age.
Since the earliest days of my childhood, I’d swear that Tina hadn’t aged a day. If I met her for the first time, I’d swear she was still in her early twenties. Tulos’ youth remained similarly resilient, though not quite to the same extent given his comparatively limited Advancement.
Either this woman is much older than she appears, or her circumstances are similar to my dad’s… Judging by the confident air about her, I could only assume it was the former.
“Oh shit…” I heard Tina whisper behind me, and I decided to risk a quick backwards glance. There was recognition in her eyes, and I saw it mirrored in Tulos’. This woman was known to them, and it was enough to put them on edge.
‘Oh shit,’ indeed.
As the woman took a few steps forward, the carriage driver fell into place beside her, though there was no mistaking who occupied the position of authority. A handful of steps brought her close enough to address everyone, and she cast her gaze over all of us to ensure she had our attention.
“Good afternoon. While I am certain you may already know who I represent and why I am here, procedure dictates I announce it so that there is no confusion or cause for misunderstanding.” There was a slight lilt to her voice that wasn’t at all unpleasant. “My name is Rosita Silponyana, Grand Inquisitor and current occupant of the Third Seat. I am here as a Crown representative to oversee the conscription of one Bella of Elbura and one Will Duscall, for the Crown has determined their Core Skills to be desirable and worthy of proper nurturing. Congratulations.”