Alicia was no stranger to waking up in a disorienting haze, her mind still tangled up in the webs of her dreams. This time was no different as she rubbed her puffy eyes, trying to make sense of the dream she had just experienced. A strange, multi-layered dream.
First, she saw a glimpse of her bizarre life ten years from now, a life that was nothing but a figment of her imagination after being awakened from Ailsa, her mother. Then, another strange event followed; her grandfather transformed into a monstrous creature and demolished the entire villa before she woke up again in the middle of Camelot magic academy, where everyone was suddenly scoffing at her. Another illusion, as she woke up again to find herself in her lounger.
But the nightmare did not end there. She witnessed her family surrounding her, only to see her cousin Spencer brutally decapitate her in front of everyone. Through all the visions, one fact remained constant: Alicia had failed to become a magical academy student and would be a commoner in a common academy, common job, common life for the rest of her life. Adding insult to injury, she had been unofficially disowned by her own family. Her sobs echoed through the silent room again.
Her cries went unanswered for ten long minutes. Her little brother would have been at least banging on the wall to keep her quiet. The absence of her parents' heavy footsteps only added to the eerie silence of the room.
"Mama!" Alicia called out in desperation, her voice cracking with emotion. There was no response. "No, dinnae tell me Mama's gone in the dream is a reality too! Is that a dream too? Please dinnae tell me she's really gone! No, no, no. Please let this not be another dream!" Alicia shook her already dizzy head. She felt a throbbing pain in her head, implying that she was awake. However, the pain in the previous dreams was just as real.
Alicia decided to rush outside, to find out the truth for herself. Just as she grabbed the doorknob, she heard a clamour of voices that further disheartened her. Her feet snuck through the hallway and leaned against the kitchen wall.
"Why can't you just tell the truth, Ailsa?" The voice was like a needle in Alicia's ear. the voice that belonged to her father, Donar.
A counterstatement greeted his question. "Why, you say? I thought you were smarter than the rest of my clan!"
That voice! Mama is still around! At least a relief for Little Alicia.
"Just tell me you've had a relationship with someone in our marriage!" Donar’s voice was strained.
"Ye eejit, Donar! Absolute, bleedin' eejit! In the midst of everyone antagonising me and our lassie, you defected tae them! I... never once... lied tae ye! I didnae have an affair with anyone..."
Donar's voice dropped to a low murmur. He exhaled and sank into a chair. "Explain why our daughter is the only Crimsonmane in history who lacks the ability to use magic then."
Ailsa was quick to respond, "Whit more dae I have tae explain? Just because she cannae cast magic right noo, doesnae mean she's lost the chance tae becoming a mage. I never backed the use of Western magic scanning gear. They're nae reliable and only serve tae pit those who develop at a slower pace intae a second-class society!"
"Ailsa, come now! Western thaumaturgical technology is one of the most advanced. How can you even prove that theory?"
"I studied Eastern mystic arts, for the sake of the Silent Divine, Donar! I saw it and experienced everything with my own eyes—"
"That doesn't explain anything—"
"Mama! Papa! Please stop!"
The couple was shocked to find that their little daughter was already rubbing the tears from her eyes. Ailsa ran over and hugged Alicia. "Wee Mare, why are ye still awake? Go back to yer room, hen. Nothing to worry here," she said. "It wasnae a big deal."
"How is it not a big deal if you two are fighting about me? I'm not like you!" Alicia gripped the back of her mother's white shirt. Both her parents were already speechless. They looked at each other and then away, because the face embarrassment was never pretty.
Ailsa soothed her daughter's forehead with her hoof, and Alicia's sobs subsided, turning into sniffles. "Oh, Wee Mare. Hear me now. Quit dwelling on those past events, will ye?" However, when Alicia's face fell and wanted to cry again, Ailsa quickly raised her chin and soothed her. "Hey, hey, hush, hush, hush. Look at me, hen, look at me. Yer my lassie, aye? Yer the lassie of the great witch of Crimsonmane, and as the great witch of Crimsonmane, I ken, o, I ken, ye'll have a great future ahead in the world of thaumaturgy! But ye dinnae let those scunners bother ye. It's alright if ye cannae cast magic now, no worries there! Yer nae yer kin and ye dinnae need to be like them! Think only aboot how ye can put an effort tae bring joy and ease tae everyone, just like ye've always dreamed of. Can ye be a sweet lass and dae that for me?"
Along with the sniffles, Alicia said, "I'll... try."
Ailsa hugged her once again. "Oh, my wee darling mare. My braw treasure frae the Divine."
Donar's index finger and thumb were preoccupied with twirling his bushy moustache as he glared at the tiled floor with a sombre expression. He was about to reach for his tobacco pouch in his pocket when he caught sight of Alicia nestled in his wife's embrace. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly joined in the family embrace.
"The family meeting later," Donar said, "you need not be afraid, hen. Mama and Papa will make sure they act with reason."
"No!" Alicia's cry was shrill with fear. "I dinnae want to see them! They want to chop off my head! I only want Mama, Papa, and Leith!"
"Chop off yer head?" The mother visibly flinched. "Alicia, how dae ye ken such words? Nonsense, they wouldnae go that far!"
"I dinnae want tae see them!"
"I'm sorry, Alicia." Ailsa's expression turned vacant. "But it's too late now."
"T-too late?"
The kitchen space shot out at the speed of light. From the void, out came the red-robed Crimsonmanes. When the illumination returned, Alicia’s family found themselves in a grand hall with a long table, surrounded by the rest of House Crimsonmane. Alasdair was already seated on a throne chair at the head of the table.
"What are you doing?" Alicia cried. "What's happening? Why are we suddenly here? Mama, please! I just want to be with you at home!"
But Ailsa stood her ground, her eyes glaring at the patriarch on the throne.
Old Alasdair's face was a beacon of rage, with a pair of eyes literally bursting into flames. Everyone's eyes were also aflame. Alicia's own spirit was shaken, the ringing in her ears refusing to subside even as her mother tried to comfort her.
"I have summoned you all here because we have a problem that needs to be addressed," Alasdair bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls of the grand hall. "House Crimsonmane has been infiltrated by an impure taint, the Magicless Crimsonmane! The most blemished record, the first since The Ancient Mage Crimsonmane himself! The Silent Divine has entrusted this sacred trust to an entire generation of Crimsonmane and yet someone has corrupted that trust, leading to the withdrawal of the Divine's blessings upon our house!"
Alicia squeezed her eyes shut, seeking refuge behind the comforting veil of her mother's cloth. "Mama, you are a powerful witch! Please, take us home!"
Ailsa's palm caressed her daughter's head, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the cold-faced, hot-eyed kinfolk who surrounded her. "Yer words make nae sense, Father."
"How dare you defy divine decree!" Alasdair thundered. "We have guarded and preserved this gift from Crimsonmane to his descendants, ensuring that our family remains one of the few pureblood wizard houses that Camelot can rely on!"
"Ye dinnae bring the Divine into this affair! Silent Divine has nothing to do with who can do magic and who cannot!" Ailsa retorted. "Genetic mutations and abnormalities can happen to anyone! My daughter just needs time! Bloody clipe, even if she does not possess the gift of magic, I dinnae care! She’s still my daughter, my own flesh and blood, as well as that of all of you through legal marriage!"
The Crimsonmane kinfolks gasped and expressed that decisive statement with expressions of disgust as they spat on the floor, beat their chests, and banged their heads against the wall. Alasdair's face was a deep shade of crimson. His hands were torn between staying where they were or lashing out at his daughter with magic.
But would he dare?
"Have you gone mad, Ailsa?" Alasdair growled. "Your mind has been polluted by the free-thinking dogs of the Magisterium! Have you forgotten the wisdom of the Silent Divine? Do you now consider Him to be merely one of many guardian gods, like the polytheists who worship false idols?"
"No, yer mad! All of ye! I dinnae disobey divine wisdom. I dinnae trust the dictates of mere mortals."
"Lo and behold, father! That bairn of yours has gone aff her heid!" echoed Ulyssess, Alasdair’s other son, his index finger tapping his temple. "Her mind has been twisted since birth. Woe to us for letting her be so all these years!"
However, Alasdair rounded at him, snapping, "Shut your mouth!" Then, his lips snapped back at Ailsa. "The Silent Divine has bestowed upon our family a greater magical ability than any other in Camelot, so that our talents may be used for Camelot's order. That the people would listen, and seek that order with us, for they are fools like sheeps, frightened only when great powers beyond their ability are revealed to them! The Crimsonmane are Divine instruments, His watchhorses. This blessing is an honour above all else. You, on the other hand, seem to no longer have any regard for such honour..."
As Ailsa ran her fingers through Alicia's hair, a look of discontent etched itself onto her features. She grimaced and cast her gaze downwards, unable to bear the sight of these wild horses any longer. At the same time, a yoke from the sky slammed upon her shoulders. A yoke that melted into the idea that in a moment, Ailsa would have to turn that familial bond into a hostile chain to fend off enemies.
Ailsa nodded slowly, then lifted her head to meet Alasdair's gaze once more. "Cheap propaganda. The world has moved on. More and more are being enlightened from that ignorant mind. To Hades with blessings. I dae everything on my own, always have."
Peering out from behind her mother's cloth, Alicia saw that the fire in the patriarch's eyes had faded, concealed by his hand for some time. Alasdair rubbed his face, revealing a wrinkled countenance that was no longer red, but his eyes still remained reddened. Red, not from flames, but from tears.
"You have been the most exceptional wizard among the purebloods of Crimsonmane for the past century. However, it appears that your accomplishments have engendered conceit. Have you forgotten that your growth was made possible by your standing in the Crimsonmane clan and the benefits it afforded you?"
Without waiting for a response, the Patriarch Crimsonmane rose from his seat, wand in hand. Ailsa was already on guard, her wand drawn from its sleeve. The sound of gnashing teeth echoed through the room, as all those who were pureblooded pulled out their magical equipment.
"Ailsa, I don't know if you've really tarnished your chastity through another relationship or not," Alasdair said. "In any case, your arrogance and all the statements you have uttered from your mouth are manifestations of the ungodly deeds you have committed long ago. In doing so, you have failed the Silent Divine and failed me. We must all pay this consequence for the Divine to once again turn its gaze upon us. Thus, I, Alasdair Crimsonmane, Father of Crimsonmane Now, issue an order: Ailsa's daughter shall be surrendered back to the Silent Divine. May sorrow and bitterness be our reward for a clean state! Separate Ailsa from her daughter!"
"Dinnae come near! Dinnae ye dare come near!" Ailsa brandished her wand, and her husband Donar protected her by pushing their family members back.
Yet, even for a powerful witch like Ailsa, facing multiple mages at once proved to be a daunting task. Particularly when those mages were her own flesh and blood. Presumably aware of her plight, they continued to surround and hold off that little family. Alicia was plucked out of the formation, seized by a Crimsonmane who clutched her hair and dragged her away! The burning gazes of her kin seared into the young girl's eyes.
"Mama! Papa!" Alicia wailed. Her tiny hand was still clutching her mother's garment. Suddenly, another Crimsonmane grabbed her other hand and attempted to pry it free.
"My daughter!"
Ailsa forgot about everything else. Her only family now was herself, her husband, and their two children. She cast aside all restraint, raining blows upon the ranks of the Crimsonmane mages with her boots! She shattered the siege at the left and front flanks, employing a flurry of Omen Lucem and acrobatic martial arts that were foreign and repulsive to the West. To the extent that she did not hesitate to draw her dagger and carve her way through the bodies of her own kin with swift slashes!
How foolish of the Crimsonmane to be unprepared for Ailsa Crimsonmane as their opponent. How foolish of the Red Horse mages to believe that sheer numbers could subdue Ailsa Crimsonmane. In fact, the dungeon nearly collapsed when Ailsa pulled one of the pillars with the spell Distantio Pervenire! Ailsa rushed to find Alicia while her husband shielded her in the front.
Unfortunately, Uncle John and Aunt Aimee outwitted the little family from behind. With a twirl of their wands, they chanted, "Bombardarrum!"
Ailsa turned and shielded little Alicia as they were both engulfed by the explosion! Donar, who was in front, also felt the brunt of the magical blast, crushed by his wife and child.
Alicia was the first to get up. She shook her mother's body as the witches slowly closed in on them. Just as her hand was patting her mother's back, the girl felt a wetness on Ailsa's dress.
Alicia was horrified. Her hands were smeared with blood, as was her mother's dress.
A bolt of inspiration suddenly struck Little Alicia, causing her eyes to widen. What’s happening to me? No, this cannot be! This isn’t happening! Mama faced this same moment with strength! she thought. Nevertheless, her little heart pounded with fear at the sight of her mother's condition. The battle did not end like this! We ended up just being separated and exiled!
A piercing voice sliced through Alicia's thoughts, as if it knew what was running through her mind. "Nay! This is what happened! This is what is happening now!"
Alicia instinctively turned her head. Alasdair was still seated on his throne, now joined by a figure next to him. A deer, with white eyes and drool dripping from its toothy grin, its body standing unnaturally upright like a human.
"Alicia! Alicia!" Ailsa broke into her daughter's reverie.
"Mama! Hold on, Mama! This isnae meant to be! We will escape from here!"
"Many things we do not expect will come to pass, my wee mare—"
"That’s not what I meant!"
"You must save yourself! Seek refuge with the Civil Guard immediately! Nae, not them. Seek shelter with the Magisterium! Find a Grand Magus named Lachlan Haddock, and recount everything to him!"
"No, Mama, listen! I understand now—"
Her wand glimmered. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind yanked Alicia through the tunnel's entrance. Her mother's face was obscured by the legs of the Crimsonmane mages, and their hands clutched their wand blades!
"Mama!"
Alicia's world crumbled as her own kin mercilessly slaughtered her parents. In an instant, they transformed into blazing red horses with forked horns. Their eyes remained flames of fire. Their throats emitted a thunderous roar, even materialised as lightning. A series of relentless gallops neared Alicia, who also fled down an endless hallway with doors leading to unknown destinations.
She did not care where she was anymore, nor did she care about finding out that the place she was in was not actually her home. The wild horses were already clattering her behind, leaving behind tongues of flame that devoured everything in their path. Desperate, she flung open a door and crossed the threshold, feeling unclean.
Alicia often pondered on the thought of what would happen if all the tragedies that had befallen her had ended in doom. It was as if the Deer Man had a thorough understanding of the girl's life and was determined to bring it all to fruition.
And there she was now. One summer day in Eidyn, a glimpse of herself lying lifeless and trampled on a green field at the outskirts of town, accompanied by her mother who had suffered the same fate. She remembered it as the first attempt on her life by a secretive wizard, and in that parallel reality, it had succeeded.
In that parallel reality as well, the assassin was someone donning a deer's head, white-eyed and saw-like teeth, standing atop the girl's dead body as burly creatures twisted their veined hands and launched a metal ball into the faraway sky. In those times, it was not unusual to use corpses as foot mats in the Highland Games when the world was filled with deer-headed humans.
The deer-horned horses grew nearer and nearer, but every time Alicia tore down another door, the urge to vomit or end her own life surged within her. Each door held another assassination attempt, each one aimed at wiping out the Crimsonmane family from existence. She witnessed vampires draining every last drop of her blood, leaving her with a pale complexion and clinging to her bones. She also saw townsfolk and children who repeatedly bullied her, finally resorting to stoning her to death.
As the nightmares persisted, Alicia's footsteps began to slow. Her body was not weary, but her chest felt empty.
A sense of despair.
A revelation that even in her dreams she had no control.
She was isolated, abandoned, and unwanted in both her conscious and subconscious worlds. The pain in her chest refused to subside, and the more she attempted to escape, the more her chest ached. Ached from longing to be filled again.
Alicia decided to stop her frantic running and knelt down. Her eyes saw nothing but the black canvas. The clucking of the wild horses had faded away. Alicia was alone again. However, she could not be grateful. This was not the solitude she yearned for.
Suddenly, a gruesome sight caught Alicia's attention. Her mother, Ailsa Crimsonmane, was covered in blood, her face disfigured beyond recognition. Countless iron blades of magic wands were already piercing through her flesh.
"Why...why are you still without magic?" Ailsa's voice was barely audible. "How much longer do I have to suffer before you learn to cast spells? Do you enjoy seeing me tortured until I am beyond the shape of a person...?"
"Mama... don't ...."
"Shame. I'm ashamed that you call me Mama. What did I do to deserve this misfortune, Silent Divine? To deserve this outcast scunner?" Ailsa dragged her feet away from Alicia. "My family is ruined. My life is ruined. My reputation is ruined. My self-respect is ruined! Stay here. Stay in this darkness. I wish ye had never been born in the first place. I wish ye never existed..."
"Please..." Alicia's body trembled with sobs, and she collapsed to the ground, unable to move her legs. Her mother's figure receded into the darkness, fading away. "I don't want to be alone here. Don't leave me, Mama... Don't leave me, Mama... Don't leave me... Don't leave...
Don't..." []
Alicia was no stranger to waking up in a disorienting haze, her mind still tangled up in the webs of her dreams. This time was no different as she rubbed her puffy eyes, trying to make sense of the dream she had just experienced. A strange, multi-layered dream.
First, she saw a glimpse of her bizarre life ten years from now, a life that was nothing but a figment of her imagination after being awakened from Ailsa, her mother. Then, another strange event followed; her grandfather transformed into a monstrous creature and demolished the entire villa before she woke up again in the middle of Camelot magic academy, where everyone was suddenly scoffing at her. Another illusion, as she woke up again to find herself in her lounger.
But the nightmare did not end there. She witnessed her family surrounding her, only to see her cousin Spencer brutally decapitate her in front of everyone. Through all the visions, one fact remained constant: Alicia had failed to become a magical academy student and would be a commoner in a common academy, common job, common life for the rest of her life. Adding insult to injury, she had been unofficially disowned by her own family. Her sobs echoed through the silent room again.
Her cries went unanswered for ten long minutes. Her little brother would have been at least banging on the wall to keep her quiet. The absence of her parents' heavy footsteps only added to the eerie silence of the room.
"Mama!" Alicia called out in desperation, her voice cracking with emotion. There was no response. "No, dinnae tell me Mama's gone in the dream is a reality too! Is that a dream too? Please dinnae tell me she's really gone! No, no, no. Please let this not be another dream!" Alicia shook her already dizzy head. She felt a throbbing pain in her head, implying that she was awake. However, the pain in the previous dreams was just as real.
Alicia decided to rush outside, to find out the truth for herself. Just as she grabbed the doorknob, she heard a clamour of voices that further disheartened her. Her feet snuck through the hallway and leaned against the kitchen wall.
"Why can't you just tell the truth, Ailsa?" The voice was like a needle in Alicia's ear. the voice that belonged to her father, Donar.
A counterstatement greeted his question. "Why, you say? I thought you were smarter than the rest of my clan!"
That voice! Mama is still around! At least a relief for Little Alicia.
"Just tell me you've had a relationship with someone in our marriage!" Donar’s voice was strained.
"Ye eejit, Donar! Absolute, bleedin' eejit! In the midst of everyone antagonising me and our lassie, you defected tae them! I... never once... lied tae ye! I didnae have an affair with anyone..."
Donar's voice dropped to a low murmur. He exhaled and sank into a chair. "Explain why our daughter is the only Crimsonmane in history who lacks the ability to use magic then."
Ailsa was quick to respond, "Whit more dae I have tae explain? Just because she cannae cast magic right noo, doesnae mean she's lost the chance tae becoming a mage. I never backed the use of Western magic scanning gear. They're nae reliable and only serve tae pit those who develop at a slower pace intae a second-class society!"
"Ailsa, come now! Western thaumaturgical technology is one of the most advanced. How can you even prove that theory?"
"I studied Eastern mystic arts, for the sake of the Silent Divine, Donar! I saw it and experienced everything with my own eyes—"
"That doesn't explain anything—"
"Mama! Papa! Please stop!"
The couple was shocked to find that their little daughter was already rubbing the tears from her eyes. Ailsa ran over and hugged Alicia. "Wee Mare, why are ye still awake? Go back to yer room, hen. Nothing to worry here," she said. "It wasnae a big deal."
"How is it not a big deal if you two are fighting about me? I'm not like you!" Alicia gripped the back of her mother's white shirt. Both her parents were already speechless. They looked at each other and then away, because the face embarrassment was never pretty.
Ailsa soothed her daughter's forehead with her hoof, and Alicia's sobs subsided, turning into sniffles. "Oh, Wee Mare. Hear me now. Quit dwelling on those past events, will ye?" However, when Alicia's face fell and wanted to cry again, Ailsa quickly raised her chin and soothed her. "Hey, hey, hush, hush, hush. Look at me, hen, look at me. Yer my lassie, aye? Yer the lassie of the great witch of Crimsonmane, and as the great witch of Crimsonmane, I ken, o, I ken, ye'll have a great future ahead in the world of thaumaturgy! But ye dinnae let those scunners bother ye. It's alright if ye cannae cast magic now, no worries there! Yer nae yer kin and ye dinnae need to be like them! Think only aboot how ye can put an effort tae bring joy and ease tae everyone, just like ye've always dreamed of. Can ye be a sweet lass and dae that for me?"
Along with the sniffles, Alicia said, "I'll... try."
Ailsa hugged her once again. "Oh, my wee darling mare. My braw treasure frae the Divine."
Donar's index finger and thumb were preoccupied with twirling his bushy moustache as he glared at the tiled floor with a sombre expression. He was about to reach for his tobacco pouch in his pocket when he caught sight of Alicia nestled in his wife's embrace. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly joined in the family embrace.
"The family meeting later," Donar said, "you need not be afraid, hen. Mama and Papa will make sure they act with reason."
"No!" Alicia's cry was shrill with fear. "I dinnae want to see them! They want to chop off my head! I only want Mama, Papa, and Leith!"
"Chop off yer head?" The mother visibly flinched. "Alicia, how dae ye ken such words? Nonsense, they wouldnae go that far!"
"I dinnae want tae see them!"
"I'm sorry, Alicia." Ailsa's expression turned vacant. "But it's too late now."
"T-too late?"
The kitchen space shot out at the speed of light. From the void, out came the red-robed Crimsonmanes. When the illumination returned, Alicia’s family found themselves in a grand hall with a long table, surrounded by the rest of House Crimsonmane. Alasdair was already seated on a throne chair at the head of the table.
"What are you doing?" Alicia cried. "What's happening? Why are we suddenly here? Mama, please! I just want to be with you at home!"
But Ailsa stood her ground, her eyes glaring at the patriarch on the throne.
Old Alasdair's face was a beacon of rage, with a pair of eyes literally bursting into flames. Everyone's eyes were also aflame. Alicia's own spirit was shaken, the ringing in her ears refusing to subside even as her mother tried to comfort her.
"I have summoned you all here because we have a problem that needs to be addressed," Alasdair bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls of the grand hall. "House Crimsonmane has been infiltrated by an impure taint, the Magicless Crimsonmane! The most blemished record, the first since The Ancient Mage Crimsonmane himself! The Silent Divine has entrusted this sacred trust to an entire generation of Crimsonmane and yet someone has corrupted that trust, leading to the withdrawal of the Divine's blessings upon our house!"
Alicia squeezed her eyes shut, seeking refuge behind the comforting veil of her mother's cloth. "Mama, you are a powerful witch! Please, take us home!"
Ailsa's palm caressed her daughter's head, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the cold-faced, hot-eyed kinfolk who surrounded her. "Yer words make nae sense, Father."
"How dare you defy divine decree!" Alasdair thundered. "We have guarded and preserved this gift from Crimsonmane to his descendants, ensuring that our family remains one of the few pureblood wizard houses that Camelot can rely on!"
"Ye dinnae bring the Divine into this affair! Silent Divine has nothing to do with who can do magic and who cannot!" Ailsa retorted. "Genetic mutations and abnormalities can happen to anyone! My daughter just needs time! Bloody clipe, even if she does not possess the gift of magic, I dinnae care! She’s still my daughter, my own flesh and blood, as well as that of all of you through legal marriage!"
The Crimsonmane kinfolks gasped and expressed that decisive statement with expressions of disgust as they spat on the floor, beat their chests, and banged their heads against the wall. Alasdair's face was a deep shade of crimson. His hands were torn between staying where they were or lashing out at his daughter with magic.
But would he dare?
"Have you gone mad, Ailsa?" Alasdair growled. "Your mind has been polluted by the free-thinking dogs of the Magisterium! Have you forgotten the wisdom of the Silent Divine? Do you now consider Him to be merely one of many guardian gods, like the polytheists who worship false idols?"
"No, yer mad! All of ye! I dinnae disobey divine wisdom. I dinnae trust the dictates of mere mortals."
"Lo and behold, father! That bairn of yours has gone aff her heid!" echoed Ulyssess, Alasdair’s other son, his index finger tapping his temple. "Her mind has been twisted since birth. Woe to us for letting her be so all these years!"
However, Alasdair rounded at him, snapping, "Shut your mouth!" Then, his lips snapped back at Ailsa. "The Silent Divine has bestowed upon our family a greater magical ability than any other in Camelot, so that our talents may be used for Camelot's order. That the people would listen, and seek that order with us, for they are fools like sheeps, frightened only when great powers beyond their ability are revealed to them! The Crimsonmane are Divine instruments, His watchhorses. This blessing is an honour above all else. You, on the other hand, seem to no longer have any regard for such honour..."
As Ailsa ran her fingers through Alicia's hair, a look of discontent etched itself onto her features. She grimaced and cast her gaze downwards, unable to bear the sight of these wild horses any longer. At the same time, a yoke from the sky slammed upon her shoulders. A yoke that melted into the idea that in a moment, Ailsa would have to turn that familial bond into a hostile chain to fend off enemies.
Ailsa nodded slowly, then lifted her head to meet Alasdair's gaze once more. "Cheap propaganda. The world has moved on. More and more are being enlightened from that ignorant mind. To Hades with blessings. I dae everything on my own, always have."
Peering out from behind her mother's cloth, Alicia saw that the fire in the patriarch's eyes had faded, concealed by his hand for some time. Alasdair rubbed his face, revealing a wrinkled countenance that was no longer red, but his eyes still remained reddened. Red, not from flames, but from tears.
"You have been the most exceptional wizard among the purebloods of Crimsonmane for the past century. However, it appears that your accomplishments have engendered conceit. Have you forgotten that your growth was made possible by your standing in the Crimsonmane clan and the benefits it afforded you?"
Without waiting for a response, the Patriarch Crimsonmane rose from his seat, wand in hand. Ailsa was already on guard, her wand drawn from its sleeve. The sound of gnashing teeth echoed through the room, as all those who were pureblooded pulled out their magical equipment.
"Ailsa, I don't know if you've really tarnished your chastity through another relationship or not," Alasdair said. "In any case, your arrogance and all the statements you have uttered from your mouth are manifestations of the ungodly deeds you have committed long ago. In doing so, you have failed the Silent Divine and failed me. We must all pay this consequence for the Divine to once again turn its gaze upon us. Thus, I, Alasdair Crimsonmane, Father of Crimsonmane Now, issue an order: Ailsa's daughter shall be surrendered back to the Silent Divine. May sorrow and bitterness be our reward for a clean state! Separate Ailsa from her daughter!"
"Dinnae come near! Dinnae ye dare come near!" Ailsa brandished her wand, and her husband Donar protected her by pushing their family members back.
Yet, even for a powerful witch like Ailsa, facing multiple mages at once proved to be a daunting task. Particularly when those mages were her own flesh and blood. Presumably aware of her plight, they continued to surround and hold off that little family. Alicia was plucked out of the formation, seized by a Crimsonmane who clutched her hair and dragged her away! The burning gazes of her kin seared into the young girl's eyes.
"Mama! Papa!" Alicia wailed. Her tiny hand was still clutching her mother's garment. Suddenly, another Crimsonmane grabbed her other hand and attempted to pry it free.
"My daughter!"
Ailsa forgot about everything else. Her only family now was herself, her husband, and their two children. She cast aside all restraint, raining blows upon the ranks of the Crimsonmane mages with her boots! She shattered the siege at the left and front flanks, employing a flurry of Omen Lucem and acrobatic martial arts that were foreign and repulsive to the West. To the extent that she did not hesitate to draw her dagger and carve her way through the bodies of her own kin with swift slashes!
How foolish of the Crimsonmane to be unprepared for Ailsa Crimsonmane as their opponent. How foolish of the Red Horse mages to believe that sheer numbers could subdue Ailsa Crimsonmane. In fact, the dungeon nearly collapsed when Ailsa pulled one of the pillars with the spell Distantio Pervenire! Ailsa rushed to find Alicia while her husband shielded her in the front.
Unfortunately, Uncle John and Aunt Aimee outwitted the little family from behind. With a twirl of their wands, they chanted, "Bombardarrum!"
Ailsa turned and shielded little Alicia as they were both engulfed by the explosion! Donar, who was in front, also felt the brunt of the magical blast, crushed by his wife and child.
Alicia was the first to get up. She shook her mother's body as the witches slowly closed in on them. Just as her hand was patting her mother's back, the girl felt a wetness on Ailsa's dress.
Alicia was horrified. Her hands were smeared with blood, as was her mother's dress.
A bolt of inspiration suddenly struck Little Alicia, causing her eyes to widen. What’s happening to me? No, this cannot be! This isn’t happening! Mama faced this same moment with strength! she thought. Nevertheless, her little heart pounded with fear at the sight of her mother's condition. The battle did not end like this! We ended up just being separated and exiled!
A piercing voice sliced through Alicia's thoughts, as if it knew what was running through her mind. "Nay! This is what happened! This is what is happening now!"
Alicia instinctively turned her head. Alasdair was still seated on his throne, now joined by a figure next to him. A deer, with white eyes and drool dripping from its toothy grin, its body standing unnaturally upright like a human.
"Alicia! Alicia!" Ailsa broke into her daughter's reverie.
"Mama! Hold on, Mama! This isnae meant to be! We will escape from here!"
"Many things we do not expect will come to pass, my wee mare—"
"That’s not what I meant!"
"You must save yourself! Seek refuge with the Civil Guard immediately! Nae, not them. Seek shelter with the Magisterium! Find a Grand Magus named Lachlan Haddock, and recount everything to him!"
"No, Mama, listen! I understand now—"
Her wand glimmered. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind yanked Alicia through the tunnel's entrance. Her mother's face was obscured by the legs of the Crimsonmane mages, and their hands clutched their wand blades!
"Mama!"
Alicia's world crumbled as her own kin mercilessly slaughtered her parents. In an instant, they transformed into blazing red horses with forked horns. Their eyes remained flames of fire. Their throats emitted a thunderous roar, even materialised as lightning. A series of relentless gallops neared Alicia, who also fled down an endless hallway with doors leading to unknown destinations.
She did not care where she was anymore, nor did she care about finding out that the place she was in was not actually her home. The wild horses were already clattering her behind, leaving behind tongues of flame that devoured everything in their path. Desperate, she flung open a door and crossed the threshold, feeling unclean.
Alicia often pondered on the thought of what would happen if all the tragedies that had befallen her had ended in doom. It was as if the Deer Man had a thorough understanding of the girl's life and was determined to bring it all to fruition.
And there she was now. One summer day in Eidyn, a glimpse of herself lying lifeless and trampled on a green field at the outskirts of town, accompanied by her mother who had suffered the same fate. She remembered it as the first attempt on her life by a secretive wizard, and in that parallel reality, it had succeeded.
In that parallel reality as well, the assassin was someone donning a deer's head, white-eyed and saw-like teeth, standing atop the girl's dead body as burly creatures twisted their veined hands and launched a metal ball into the faraway sky. In those times, it was not unusual to use corpses as foot mats in the Highland Games when the world was filled with deer-headed humans.
The deer-horned horses grew nearer and nearer, but every time Alicia tore down another door, the urge to vomit or end her own life surged within her. Each door held another assassination attempt, each one aimed at wiping out the Crimsonmane family from existence. She witnessed vampires draining every last drop of her blood, leaving her with a pale complexion and clinging to her bones. She also saw townsfolk and children who repeatedly bullied her, finally resorting to stoning her to death.
As the nightmares persisted, Alicia's footsteps began to slow. Her body was not weary, but her chest felt empty.
A sense of despair.
A revelation that even in her dreams she had no control.
She was isolated, abandoned, and unwanted in both her conscious and subconscious worlds. The pain in her chest refused to subside, and the more she attempted to escape, the more her chest ached. Ached from longing to be filled again.
Alicia decided to stop her frantic running and knelt down. Her eyes saw nothing but the black canvas. The clucking of the wild horses had faded away. Alicia was alone again. However, she could not be grateful. This was not the solitude she yearned for.
Suddenly, a gruesome sight caught Alicia's attention. Her mother, Ailsa Crimsonmane, was covered in blood, her face disfigured beyond recognition. Countless iron blades of magic wands were already piercing through her flesh.
"Why...why are you still without magic?" Ailsa's voice was barely audible. "How much longer do I have to suffer before you learn to cast spells? Do you enjoy seeing me tortured until I am beyond the shape of a person...?"
"Mama... don't ...."
"Shame. I'm ashamed that you call me Mama. What did I do to deserve this misfortune, Silent Divine? To deserve this outcast scunner?" Ailsa dragged her feet away from Alicia. "My family is ruined. My life is ruined. My reputation is ruined. My self-respect is ruined! Stay here. Stay in this darkness. I wish ye had never been born in the first place. I wish ye never existed..."
"Please..." Alicia's body trembled with sobs, and she collapsed to the ground, unable to move her legs. Her mother's figure receded into the darkness, fading away. "I don't want to be alone here. Don't leave me, Mama... Don't leave me, Mama... Don't leave me... Don't leave...
Don't..." []
