After receiving my gold, me and Sophia go for a walk to calm her mind down, then find a quiet place to talk. There’s no better place than the garden at the Library. We sit on a bench near the pond. The scenery is peaceful. No one else is here, just beautiful flowers swaying in the gentle wind and colorful butterflies swarming around.
“Life is so full of coincidence, right?” Sophia mutters after staying silent for so long. She looks up, then closes her eyes, inhales exhales deeply and slowly. “Ariella… I never thought that I would meet her again, like this.”
“How are you feeling now?” I turn to her.
“A lot better,” she responds. “My mind was a mess back there, I couldn't think straight.”
“But you know what? You did a good job. It’s not easy to stay calm in that situation, but I’m glad that you got through.”
“Thank you,” Sophia offers a faint smile. “But still, if it wasn’t for you holding my hands, I would have lost my cool. There was so much anger and hatred that I felt. And since we left the Guild, memories of my family, of that tragedy, kept coming back”
“I see,” I pause, then ask her the most important question. “Ariella Harrow, you want to kill her too?”
Her expression falters for a moment. “Yes.”
…
“You’re lying.”
…
”Huh?”
“Your eyes told me everything, Sophia. When I mentioned her name, there wasn’t much hatred in them, but sadness. So my guess, she was your friend before?”
“Ah…” Sophia sighs deeply. “I really can’t hide anything from you, can I?”
“And why would you have to? I thought we are in the same boat?”
“Right…” Sophia's voice trails off, and she leans back. “That girl, she was more than a friend. She used to be like a little sister to me, the one I cherished the most.”
-----------------
Years ago, before Sophia’s tragedy happened.
Sophia’s father, Lord Esteban Valeraine and Archduke Eldric Harrow were both famous mages and Grandmaster Enchanters. The two families had strong ties. Every week, Eldric would visit the Valeraine household for magic studies, always bringing his children along. Among them was Ariella, his youngest child, who adored spending time with Sophia.
One day, Ariella arrived while Sophia was deeply engrossed in studying basic enchantments.
“Big sis Sophia, what are you doing?” Ariella’s eyes sparkled as she saw Sophia at the enchantment table.
However, Sophia couldn't immediately respond. Writing Arcanum required intense focus and accuracy, and she was fully concentrated on her task.
Patiently, Ariella waited, but after only a brief pause, her curiosity couldn't be contained anymore. "What are you doing?" she asked again.
The rock Sophia was working on suddenly glowed, then dimmed almost instantly.
"Aaaa! Failed again!" Sophia exclaimed in frustration.
However, as she turned to face Ariella, her expression softened. "I'm trying to apply a weight reduction enchantment to this rock. But it's proving to be quite challenging... " she sighed.
Although weight reduction was a basic enchantment, applying it to a small object like a rock posed a significant challenge for a beginner like her.
"But why are you doing that?" Ariella asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"It's to practice my Arcanum, Arie," Sophia said. Then, holding a rock in her hand, she began to explain. "To learn an enchantment, you have to practice thousands of times. There are no shortcuts. Dad's enchantments can make even the heaviest sword fly in the air. So, to do the same, I need to practice more. I need to make these rocks levitate first, then, step by step, I'll eventually be able to make swords fly."
"But... why would you want to make swords fly?" Ariella asked, puzzled.
"Swords are just the beginning. Don't you want to fly too?"
"Me? Flying?"
“Yeah!” Sophia exclaimed. “Dad told me that the power of Arcanum is limitless. Not just objects, but living bodies too can be enchanted. There was once a powerful hero, the best enchanter in history, who could even enchant her own body to fly. She could visit anywhere, race with the fastest dragons, explore the place of stars, and charge into battlefields like an arrow, striking terror into the hearts of demon armies. I want to be like her too, Arie.”
“Woaahh…” Ariella’s eyes lit up with newfound enthusiasm. “Now I want to learn enchantment too!”
“Then why not learn together? You can just ask your father!”
“Yeah!” The little girl with snowy hair immediately ran to her father.
And since that morning, Ariella would come to the Valeraine estate every day, practicing enchantment. Just like that, they grew up together, learning together, like real sisters.
---------------------------
"But everything changed when her father murdered my family. Now, I can't see Arie the same way anymore..." Sophia’s voice is heavy.
They were once so close, but now they are enemies. The emotional turmoil Sophia must have felt upon seeing Ariella again is unimaginable.
Now I’m thinking. Would avenging her family mean having to kill that girl? After hearing her story and seeing the way she spoke of Ariella, I highly doubt she could do it.
Yet, getting close to Ariella might open a chance to confront her father.
“Then what do you think? About me becoming her mentor?”
Sophia hesitates a little bit, then “Let’s do it,” she answers.
It seems meeting Ariella hasn't deterred her from seeking revenge. Good for her.
As for me, becoming Ariella's mentor could be advantageous. The Harrow family can be a great stepping stone for me to grow stronger and find my Anna.
"Alright," I say, standing up and stretching. "Let's go to the black market."
"Huh, why?" Sophia asks, confused.
Initially, the plan was to continue my enchantment studies. But now, I need to prepare something first if I am to take the Archduke's daughter as my student.
"We need new chameleon gems," I reply. “The ones we're wearing aren't good enough.”
Bluebery
After receiving my gold, me and Sophia go for a walk to calm her mind down, then find a quiet place to talk. There’s no better place than the garden at the Library. We sit on a bench near the pond. The scenery is peaceful. No one else is here, just beautiful flowers swaying in the gentle wind and colorful butterflies swarming around.
“Life is so full of coincidence, right?” Sophia mutters after staying silent for so long. She looks up, then closes her eyes, inhales exhales deeply and slowly. “Ariella… I never thought that I would meet her again, like this.”
“How are you feeling now?” I turn to her.
“A lot better,” she responds. “My mind was a mess back there, I couldn't think straight.”
“But you know what? You did a good job. It’s not easy to stay calm in that situation, but I’m glad that you got through.”
“Thank you,” Sophia offers a faint smile. “But still, if it wasn’t for you holding my hands, I would have lost my cool. There was so much anger and hatred that I felt. And since we left the Guild, memories of my family, of that tragedy, kept coming back”
“I see,” I pause, then ask her the most important question. “Ariella Harrow, you want to kill her too?”
Her expression falters for a moment. “Yes.”
…
“You’re lying.”
…
”Huh?”
“Your eyes told me everything, Sophia. When I mentioned her name, there wasn’t much hatred in them, but sadness. So my guess, she was your friend before?”
“Ah…” Sophia sighs deeply. “I really can’t hide anything from you, can I?”
“And why would you have to? I thought we are in the same boat?”
“Right…” Sophia's voice trails off, and she leans back. “That girl, she was more than a friend. She used to be like a little sister to me, the one I cherished the most.”
-----------------
Years ago, before Sophia’s tragedy happened.
Sophia’s father, Lord Esteban Valeraine and Archduke Eldric Harrow were both famous mages and Grandmaster Enchanters. The two families had strong ties. Every week, Eldric would visit the Valeraine household for magic studies, always bringing his children along. Among them was Ariella, his youngest child, who adored spending time with Sophia.
One day, Ariella arrived while Sophia was deeply engrossed in studying basic enchantments.
“Big sis Sophia, what are you doing?” Ariella’s eyes sparkled as she saw Sophia at the enchantment table.
However, Sophia couldn't immediately respond. Writing Arcanum required intense focus and accuracy, and she was fully concentrated on her task.
Patiently, Ariella waited, but after only a brief pause, her curiosity couldn't be contained anymore. "What are you doing?" she asked again.
The rock Sophia was working on suddenly glowed, then dimmed almost instantly.
"Aaaa! Failed again!" Sophia exclaimed in frustration.
However, as she turned to face Ariella, her expression softened. "I'm trying to apply a weight reduction enchantment to this rock. But it's proving to be quite challenging... " she sighed.
Although weight reduction was a basic enchantment, applying it to a small object like a rock posed a significant challenge for a beginner like her.
"But why are you doing that?" Ariella asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"It's to practice my Arcanum, Arie," Sophia said. Then, holding a rock in her hand, she began to explain. "To learn an enchantment, you have to practice thousands of times. There are no shortcuts. Dad's enchantments can make even the heaviest sword fly in the air. So, to do the same, I need to practice more. I need to make these rocks levitate first, then, step by step, I'll eventually be able to make swords fly."
"But... why would you want to make swords fly?" Ariella asked, puzzled.
"Swords are just the beginning. Don't you want to fly too?"
"Me? Flying?"
“Yeah!” Sophia exclaimed. “Dad told me that the power of Arcanum is limitless. Not just objects, but living bodies too can be enchanted. There was once a powerful hero, the best enchanter in history, who could even enchant her own body to fly. She could visit anywhere, race with the fastest dragons, explore the place of stars, and charge into battlefields like an arrow, striking terror into the hearts of demon armies. I want to be like her too, Arie.”
“Woaahh…” Ariella’s eyes lit up with newfound enthusiasm. “Now I want to learn enchantment too!”
“Then why not learn together? You can just ask your father!”
“Yeah!” The little girl with snowy hair immediately ran to her father.
And since that morning, Ariella would come to the Valeraine estate every day, practicing enchantment. Just like that, they grew up together, learning together, like real sisters.
---------------------------
"But everything changed when her father murdered my family. Now, I can't see Arie the same way anymore..." Sophia’s voice is heavy.
They were once so close, but now they are enemies. The emotional turmoil Sophia must have felt upon seeing Ariella again is unimaginable.
Now I’m thinking. Would avenging her family mean having to kill that girl? After hearing her story and seeing the way she spoke of Ariella, I highly doubt she could do it.
Yet, getting close to Ariella might open a chance to confront her father.
“Then what do you think? About me becoming her mentor?”
Sophia hesitates a little bit, then “Let’s do it,” she answers.
It seems meeting Ariella hasn't deterred her from seeking revenge. Good for her.
As for me, becoming Ariella's mentor could be advantageous. The Harrow family can be a great stepping stone for me to grow stronger and find my Anna.
"Alright," I say, standing up and stretching. "Let's go to the black market."
"Huh, why?" Sophia asks, confused.
Initially, the plan was to continue my enchantment studies. But now, I need to prepare something first if I am to take the Archduke's daughter as my student.
"We need new chameleon gems," I reply. “The ones we're wearing aren't good enough.”
Bluebery
