《Sealed by Heaven》 Chapter One: No Respect Under Heaven A conspicuous lack of a lace canopy was the first thing that she noticed when her eyes opened. This was not her bed. Inside she swore and hoped it wasn¡¯t Auric¡¯s bed. The last thing she wanted was a drunken one night stand with that pompous War God. If she really did sleep with the pompous jerk she¡¯d need to make a special note to never drink eight casks of wine again. ¡°Miss Emaliana?¡± A voice like a gentle lullaby broke her tangled thoughts and scattered them into the ether. Auric¡¯s room this definitely was not. She turned her eyes towards the voice, not wanting to move her head to placate the thundering migraine that radiated down into her neck. Next time she would definitely stop at the seventh cask of wine. The voice¡¯s owner was a young woman with flowing crimson curls that flowed out from a white cloth that was tied on her head and a pale expression like she hadn¡¯t slept in days. Did she actually make the trip into the Mortal Realm in a drunken stupor? It was a whim to say she was going to go, but it wasn¡¯t one she expected her drunken self to actually do. It was clear that she may want to stop by the sixth cask next time to keep from doing something this stupid again. Her thoughts paused as her forehead smoothed out in realization that she had missed something in her migraine laden thought process. ¡°What did you call me?¡± Her throat was dry and hoarse and burned when she spoke, but the traces of a voice that wasn¡¯t her own lay under the disguise of illness. The girl almost seemed to fly across the small room in response to the unusual question ¡°Miss Emaliana, are you still with fever?¡± A cool hand pressed against the bedridden occupant¡¯s forehead, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re still a little warm. Just rest Miss, I¡¯ll fetch you some warm soup to help ease your fever.¡± Without waiting for a response the young woman was gone, her trailing curls almost looking like a trail of fire that chased her out. Her head creased again as she tried to think of how she would know this mortal. It¡¯d been tens of thousands of years since her birth in the Heavens by the creation of medicine as the Goddess Argent, and despite the information that filled her brain on treatments, diagnosis and prevention accumulated over the course of the span of mankind she rarely did anything relevant to her job. It was more common that she¡¯d spend her time drunk passing the time than actually bothering to answer prayers. And there was the fact that she hadn¡¯t actually descended to the Mortal Realm before now, so the chances of her knowing a mortal were even slimmer. Could the girl be a reincarnation of someone whose prayer she answered before? But if so, why the unusual name? The migraine only got worse the more she tried to think about it. So she stopped thinking and chose to slowly push her way off the bed, her feet slipping out of the wool cover and onto the old wood floor. Ignoring the fact she had a mole on her left shin on what should have been her flawless skin, she chose to notice that she was a fair amount shorter than she remembered. That or mortals were a lot taller than she was. The latter possibility made her a little uneasy as if she was so short as a deity that would only mean that any mortal she did meet could literally look down at her. And even if it was only literal and not symbolically, it still annoyed her to consider. Pushing the idea out of her mind she plodded over to the nearby vanity and took a look into the polished copper mirror. The lack of the grand polished silver and glass mirror cemented her assumption that this was not the Heavenly Realm. With a frown she took a look into the mirror and found it to be a face she¡¯d never seen before. It was round and still bore the hallmarks of childish roundness in the cheeks, though there were some signs of malnourishment in the cheeks. Long black hair, the trade mark of a noble bloodline in the Mortal Realm, hung straight down her back and framed her face. But what caught her the most was that the girl had gold eyes. Eyes of that color were the mark of a divine intervention. Could this girl be someone she¡¯d actually helped at some point? If so, why was she now in this girl¡¯s body? Confusion was only making her head pound worse as she let herself fall onto the stool in front of her vanity. Something was wrong here. She was in the mortal realm with no memory of how and she had somehow managed to end up in a young girl¡¯s body. Just how much did she drink last night to screw up like this? Did she drink nine casks? Ten? Her lips pulled into a deep frown as she tried to remember exactly how much she did drink. Mulling over everything only lead her in circles, causing her to only regret ever agree to challenge Ferric¡¯s wine cask drinking record. Challenging a God of Alcohol to a drinking contest was an unforgivable foolishness, even for someone who had a divine liver. Sadly it seemed the lesson that was a little late this time. In her bout of frustrated concentration she didn¡¯t notice the door behind her open as the girl entered again with a tray and a bowl of steaming soup on it. ¡°I apologise Miss, the cooks still won¡¯t give me more than a thin broth with a couple of chicken bones. Ungrateful bastards are truly going too far this time! I really think you need to talk to your father about this Miss. If this keeps up, how will you ever recover from that fever?¡± The small head flicked up in confusion as she tried to settle her thoughts. Not only was she trapped in some girl¡¯s body, but the servants wanted to take advantage of her? The pain in her head was slowly being replaced by a seething anger that pushed it aside. Her mistakes she would tolerate, but by no means was she going to permit someone to just walk over her now that she was stuck like this. ¡°Forgive me as I feel the fever has made me a little muddleheaded. What was that about the cooks exactly?¡± Despite her boiling anger the tone that escaped her lips was colder than even the darkest winter night. ¡°Ah, forgive me Miss, I didn¡¯t know that the fever had been so hard on you. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re feeling better. Last night I thought you¡¯d die on me after you fell into that river and I wasn¡¯t sure how I could continue on if you did. We can ignore the matter about the cooks until you¡¯re feeling better.¡± The girl was quick to back peddle now that she could sense something in her young miss¡¯es tone she¡¯d never heard before: anger. The young girl only shook her head as she stood, ¡°No. I had a dream last night. A dream where a woman with golden hair and a silver dress came to visit me. She said she would give me a second chance at life, but I need to live well. I can¡¯t be sure of how I used to live, but I can¡¯t let her gift be squandered.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The young woman¡¯s eyes were almost the same size as the bowl on the tray she held, ¡°Truly Miss? Do you know her name?¡± Putting on an expression of concentration the young miss paused for a moment before hesitantly responding, ¡°I think she said she was Argent.¡± Needless to say this was a lie as the Argent in question was living in that young girl¡¯s body now, but better a lie about yourself than someone else. ¡°Oh thank the Gods! I never thought the Maiden of Healing would visit you a second time Miss! You truly are blessed by the gods!¡± It was a good thing that the young girl couldn¡¯t smile any wider, or the top of her head would fall off. A second time? So she truly had helped this girl before. This was a mystery that kept getting deeper it seemed. ¡°Well let¡¯s go to the kitchen. I am not wasting a single minute of this life being mocked by someone who can¡¯t understand their place in life.¡± The girl¡¯s excitement faded, ¡°Like that Miss? You¡¯re not decent.¡± The gold eyes rolled in their sockets as she walked past the maid, ¡°And wait for those lazy bastards to get a chance to try and say you stole some of the food and watered the soup down to blame them? No, the sooner we go the better.¡± ¡°Yes Miss.¡± The trip from the small building that the pair were in to the main building of the manor wasn¡¯t far, but almost immediately Argent was regretting not putting on a pair of boots at least. She could care less about the wind, but the snow was numbing her legs up to her knees and only drove her mood down further. She didn¡¯t know why she was living in what appeared to be servant¡¯s quarters behind the family manor, but that matter could come later. Right now she wanted to deal with some servants who wanted to lord over someone they were rightfully under. The scene told later by the servants was as if a small, angry god exploded through the rear door of the kitchen, the bang of the wooden door against the wall causing many of them to start and all of them to stop what they were doing as the Eighth Daughter stormed in like the War God himself. ¡°Which of you sent my her over with a bowl of amber colored piss water and a couple of chicken bones?¡± The voice was still hoarse, but it was not soft. As the girl spoke, she padded through the kitchen in her night dress, reddened feet silently crossing the brickwork that made up the floor of the room. There was some confusion amongst everyone present now. Was this truly the Eighth Daughter who was known for never raising her voice, never getting angry and never daring to confront the servants? The girl paused and picked up one of the large carving knives from a counter as she looked about the room where four pairs of shocked eyes looked at her. Casually she waved the knife around as if she were gesturing more with a stick than a blade, ¡°Well? Who among you thinks they have the guts to take advantage of a sick person, much less a sick person who is part of the family that you all serve?¡± The knife was gesturing harder now as she pointed the tip at each of them in grand sweeping arches. None of the cooks dared speak in face of the young girl¡¯s anger and dangerous knife play, only causing her ire to grow. With a slam she drove the tip into the wood slab that served as a counter, burying the blade nearly three finger widths deep. ¡°Next time it happens I¡¯ll be sure to show you how servants who try and kill a sick noble are treated.¡± With that promise she was gone, leaving her maid standing in the entryway holding the ruined bowl of soup she¡¯d been given earlier. After she left there was a collective gasping for air as the four men, each at least more than twice that young girl¡¯s age, found they could breathe again. Not even the Baron had that kind of pressure when he was angry with them. Was it truly the young miss they knew, or had some angry demon taken over her body to punish them? None of them were sure, but almost immediately the maid¡¯s bowl was replaced with a proper bowl of chicken soup with a whole chicken breast in the thick broth and a cover was provided to keep the soup warm. Better to give the young miss more than what she wanted than risk her making good on that promise. Despite their advanced age the men were still servants at heart and knew that even lifting a finger to try and defend themselves against anything she did would only end in death, so it was better to placate the fiery temper than risk the outcome. Sometime after the young miss had eaten and been forced back to bed in her small room a knock occurred on the Baron¡¯s study door. ¡°Enter,¡± the voice had the bass of a bear¡¯s growl with a humor to match. Pushing open the door the young misses¡¯ maid entered, bowing to the graying man who sat at his desk, ¡°My Lord, I¡¯ve come to report to you about the Eighth Miss.¡± He paused and put his pen down, taking a good look at the woman, ¡°Ah, Amelia, good to see you. If you¡¯re here than she really must be feeling better.¡± She raised her body a little and nodded, while not raising her head high enough to actually look at the man behind the desk, ¡°She awoke earlier and her fever has gone down but it seems that her memory might be damaged. She didn¡¯t recall the bullying she¡¯s been getting from the servants and her personality was a lot less timid than before.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± His bearded face drooped a little as his arms folded across his body, one hand cupping his chin as he considered something, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised I suppose, she did stop breathing last night. It¡¯s frankly amazing that she¡¯s still alive after falling through the ice. In comparison to that, a little extra boldness isn¡¯t really a problem.¡± Amelia pursed her lips before continuing her report, ¡°She says she say Lady Argent in her dream last night as well.¡± The frown changed to shock as his palms slapped the desk, knocking some of the papers off, ¡°The Lady of Healing personally visited her last night?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the young miss said. She described a woman who looks like the Healing Maiden and said the woman claimed her name was Argent and that the woman was giving her a second chance to live a good life.¡± She paused for a moment, ¡°She also used that as justification on why she wasn¡¯t going to let the kitchen slide anymore.¡± ¡°Interesting. Very interesting. For the Lady of Healing to cure someone from a life threatening fever twice in their life is truly remarkable. This child of mine must have been a saint in her last life to get this kind of favoritism.¡± He forced himself to calm a little, but the excitement didn¡¯t leave his eyes, ¡°Do we know anything about the other matter she has?¡± Amelia shook her head, ¡°Nay Lord. Without a doctor I couldn¡¯t determine if her body can cultivate Martial Force. I¡¯ll try and see if I can approach it with her when she¡¯s completely well though.¡± Nodding he waved to dismiss her, ¡°Very good. Keep me informed of her movements. Perhaps the promised destiny she was born with hasn¡¯t been lost. If that really is the case I can rest easier, even if it angers the other children.¡± His face was fairly pleased as he cleaned up the mess he made moments before. ¡°Indeed my Lord.¡± And she was gone, almost as if she hadn¡¯t been there. Not even the sound of the door closing could be heard in study. Turning towards the window the Baron couldn¡¯t help but smile. If his daughter was truly given a second chance then there family would be set to rise the ranks of the nobles as it should have been able to years ago. Chapter Two: Counting Sins ¡°Miss, I was wondering why you decided to handle the cooks that way?¡± Amelia¡¯s tender hands scrubbed the younger girl¡¯s hair as the other rested in a wooden tub full of steaming water. ¡°I mean, did you really need to go there half clothed and wave a knife around?¡± The concern in the redhead¡¯s voice failed to completely masked the clear disapproval of the girl¡¯s actions the night before. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the girl was still recovering she¡¯d gone with having this conversation last night instead of waiting. Emma didn¡¯t notice, or at the very least pay attention to, the tone of the maid¡¯s voice and instead answered with an indifferent tone, ¡°Tell me, do I have money?¡± ¡°No Miss.¡± Amelia¡¯s forehead creased as she tried to figure out where the girl was going with this. ¡°Do I have authority over the entire staff?¡± ¡°No Miss.¡± ¡°Then do I have the respect of the manor?¡± ¡°No Miss. But what-¡± With a small wave the girl silenced the woman behind her, ¡°I don¡¯t have money, power, or respect. All that I can use then is fear to cow them into behaving properly. It won¡¯t work as a long term solution, but for now it¡¯s more than enough to ensure we get some proper treatment.¡± The maid didn¡¯t say anything as she realized that despite the Young Miss not being aware of the past she still had a firm grasp of her position. It gave her a little more respect for the girl that she didn¡¯t have before. She silently finished washing the black hair and began drying it gently. ¡°Also, please stop calling me ¡®miss¡¯ all the time. Emma is good enough. This goes double if we leave the manor.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t-¡± Ignoring the attempt of protest the girl kept speaking, ¡°So what did you tell Father last night?¡± Her hands stopped for a moment before continuing to work the hair dry, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean Miss.¡± The girl¡¯s golden eyes rolled in their sockets to look up at the woman, ¡°Don¡¯t lie. You left around half an hour after you thought I was asleep. Considering that you have gone as far as neglecting to sleep while I was sick in a house full of servants who treat me as lower than they are means that either you have a high sense of mortality or you were instructed to take care of me. Seeing as you slipped out last night and didn¡¯t come back with anything, I can only imagine that you went to report. And seeing as Father is the one in charge of the manor I naturally assumed it was him.¡± Amelia¡¯s hands stopped again as she stared at the girl in front of her, the shock written clearly on her face. Was this the same young miss she¡¯d been taking care of for the last twelve years? Did the Goddess give her more than just curing her fever? The gold eyes traced back down to the water in the tub, ¡°So, seeing as you wear your emotions so openly I can only gather it really was my Father.¡± ¡°Yes Miss,¡± the voice was barely a whisper, the shock flashing across the redhead¡¯s face like a bolt of lightning before the woman suppressed it. ¡°And you talked about me, correct?¡± ¡°Yes Miss.¡± There was a trace of a smile on her face now, ¡°Good. That means that he actually has some level of love for his own flesh and blood. Living out here in the servant¡¯s quarters and allowing me to be bullied by the servants had me concerned that he didn¡¯t see me as his own daughter. This will make things easier later.¡± Amelia didn¡¯t respond, only because she didn¡¯t know how to. In a single night the girl who had been oblivious for years suddenly knew the truth that her own father was actually watching over her. The changes the girl was showing were just too many to keep up with. Was it just her memory loss that had lead to her personality change? Was there something more that was influencing her? Did the goddess do it? The pair finished the girl¡¯s bath in silence, but the quiet was broken as the woman toweled the girl¡¯s back dry. ¡°Miss, there is something on your back.¡± The tone was an anxious one, and it softened the coldness the girl was feeling towards her maid a little. It seemed that the maid didn¡¯t help her completely out of orders. Emma frowned as she thought of something. ¡°What does it look like?¡± ¡°A series of layered gold rings filled with symbols I¡¯ve never seen.¡± Something flickered in the girl¡¯s eyes but she didn¡¯t voice her thoughts, ¡°Is it about the size of a plate?¡± ¡°Yes Miss.¡± ¡°Then you can ignore it. It¡¯s just something the Goddess left me to help me learn medicine.¡± Learn medicine? The redhead¡¯s mind swam desperately as it drowned in its own shock. The goddess had passed along medical knowledge to the girl too? Just how favored was this child? The maid quickly dressed the girl in a faded green dress, braided the long black hair before coiling it into a bun atop the young maiden¡¯s head. She was fastening the hooks on the eyes of the girl¡¯s pair of worn brown boots when the door was swung open without even a knock. Amelia was the first to look, her expression turning dark as she recognized the perpetrator of abuse on the already rickety door. Julianna, the sixth child of the manor, and the main abuser of her miss. The person in the door was a girl only a few years older than the one sitting in front of the vanity, but her face was shaped more like an overly ripe plum than the leaner look of the girl on the stool. Her eyes where the family blue instead of Emma¡¯s gold ¡°So you really aren¡¯t dead. Good, good.¡± An eyebrow raised over the emotionless gold eyes, ¡°And why would I die?¡± The arrogant expression on Julianna froze a little, before softening a little in mockery, ¡°It seems you don¡¯t remember running out onto the pond after your shawl then.¡± Emma switched legs to allow Amelia to do up the other boot, ¡°Even if I don¡¯t remember it that doesn¡¯t change that you haven¡¯t answered my question. I¡¯m someone who has been saved by the Goddess of Healing once in my life, why should I just die so easily later?¡± The older girl¡¯s mouth flapped as she saw the confidence on her younger sister¡¯s face. That gentle mocking smile the girl wore only made the anger in her heart grow. The useless cripple had the gall to not die and then mock her over it? This wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d let slide so easily. ¡°So you think you¡¯re so loved by that goddess? Then why can¡¯t you cultivate Martial Force?¡± A pressure erupted from her as the girl stomped across the small room, threatening to press the young miss and her servant into the floor. ¡°You¡¯re just some trash that got lucky once and want to hide behind it now.¡± ¡°Only the Fifth level of body refinement and you think you have the right to bully me?¡± The gold eyes hardened as the girl rose to her feet. There was no energy emanating from her body as she stood in front of her sister, but she stood straight and firm like a pillar as her eyes meeting the other girl¡¯s, ¡°The ocean is far vaster and the mountain is much taller than you are. Don¡¯t regret your choices later. Whatever enmity was between us before is forgotten, but if you want to start a new account I¡¯ll gladly tally your sins for you.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Julianna¡¯s face was turning red as her blood pressure soared. ¡°What sins you crippled little slut? Strength is king and the weak are only beggars. And a king never sins.¡± The sound of bubbling laughter from the younger miss caused both women in the room to look at Emma in shock. Who was this crazy child? ¡°True, ¡®might makes right¡¯ in the eyes of most, but when someone stronger comes along the unjust always regret it. You may see yourself as strong now, but remember this: I will surpass you and you will regret it¡± ¡°Surpass me? Make me regret it? Ha! A cripple like you can¡¯t even strangle a chicken much less pass me!¡± The sound of a slap was like a crisp whipcrack in the small room, as the younger girl bent to one side from the blow. Her feet didn¡¯t shift though despite her waist folding nearly in half sideways. Blood was trickling from the split in her lip from the blow, but the eyes didn¡¯t show any of the fear that they used to hold only a few days prior. ¡°The next time such filth comes out of your lips I¡¯ll gladly beat you until you remember your place.¡± Emma still didn¡¯t show any emotion on her face as she slowly righted herself, though there was something in her eyes that made Amelia step back in fear. ¡°That¡¯s your first sin. Remember, I¡¯m counting them now.¡± Without saying anymore the girl pushed past the older child and left the room, her boots plodding through the snow. Away from the frightened maid and the loud swearing of her sister the girl¡¯s face softened into a grin, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the peaks of heaven and she wants to frighten me with that pathetic show of strength? She might as well be an ant trying to frighten a dragon.¡± Without waiting for Amelia to follow her she turned along the walking path away from the manor and aimed herself towards the residence of Doctor Leigh that lay near the eastern part of the manor to see the old man who handled the family¡¯s medical needs. While Amelia was gone the night before she¡¯d gotten a good look at her body¡¯s condition and while she was willing to leave it before, the show her sister just tried to give made it clear that to keep her pride as a goddess intact she needed to regain her strength. The only problem was she couldn¡¯t wield her Divine Force. Divine Force was an innate part of a deity¡¯s soul and something they could use and manipulate effortlessly but she couldn¡¯t use it. Today¡¯s discovery of the Heavenly Binding Seal on her back had solved that mystery but created new ones. Was it needed for her to hold a mortal body, or was it something placed on her? Usually such a seal was only used as a punishment for a major crime amongst the deities, but her only crimes in the tens of thousands of years she had existed were only sloth and drunkenness, something that was pretty common amongst many of the gods. There was some hope to be found though as the body she had gained was unique as far as she knew in that it had both the Blood Gates of a Martial Force practitioner, but it had the Mage Gates of a Sage as well. The first were a series of over a hundred small gates that existed in the veins and when activated in specific sequences could increase the body of the user. The most common amongst mortals with as many as thirty of every hundred having them. The latter was a series of eight large gates in the spine of a sage, each allowing the person to control stronger forces than the one before it and use that force to alter the world around the body. Only one in several thousand held those gates inside of their body, giving them access to world shaking power that was only restricted by the need to chant to cast spells. As far as her knowledge went, the existence of both inside of one body was supposed to be impossible because it was too similar to the Divine Force that was wielded by the gods. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but merging the two forces was very close to the perfect energy used by the deities. And yet this child had both. Was that why she almost died as an infant? To prevent a heaven defying body from existing? Was this why she was inside of the child¡¯s body? The questions only piled up further and further and it made her head ache. But the questions could wait. For now she needed to fix the dried out and cracked condition of those gates. And for that she needed herbs to make medicine with. Which led to her visit to Doctor Leigh. She was supposed to see him as a follow up to her fever according to Amelia, but to her the only important thing now was fixing the wrongs piled up against this body. Though the list of things she needed to do got a little longer thanks to the internal damage her sister gave her with that slap. Doctor Leigh was the only one in his small home when she arrived but he still greeted her like he was greeting the Duke himself. That small kindness was enough to make her like him immediately. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you up and about Little Miss. I wasn¡¯t sure you¡¯d make it through the night with that fever, but here you are safe and sound!¡± His smile was warm and infectious as he poured her a cup of tea before pouring another for himself, a book set aside on the table between them as they spoke. Tactfully she didn¡¯t bring up the matter of the original Emma most likely having died that night, nor of her ¡°dream¡± of Argent, but instead smiled back just as warmly, ¡°Indeed. I must thank you for your efforts Doctor.¡± He waved a hand to dismiss her statement, ¡°This old man didn¡¯t do much. It¡¯s the kindness of the gods and your own will that turned that around more than my simple medicines. Now what can this old set of bones help Little Miss with?¡± She didn¡¯t answer immediately, choosing instead to sip the tea she¡¯d been given, only to find eyebrows shooting up as she found the drink strangely delightful. It was naturally slightly sweet but it was mostly minty. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Sweet Mint. It¡¯s good for circulation and eases joint pain. I find it helps my old bones in the winter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s delicious. I can¡¯t remember anything like it.¡± She looked up at him with an excited gleam in her eye, ¡°You can use medicinal plants like this?¡± The smile gained a touch of amusement at her excitement, ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not really a true medical skill, but I find this a good way to enjoy the Sweet Mint without chewing on it as the leaves themselves are bitter even though the sap inside isn¡¯t.¡± She was on her third cup before her excitement in the new discovery finally settled enough for her to bring up why she came, ¡°I need some medicinal ingredients.¡± His white eyebrows barely twitched upwards, ¡°Oh? Has Little Miss fallen in love with my tea?¡± His tone was playful, but his jab wasn¡¯t too far off the mark as her cheeks turned a little red in response to his teasing. ¡°While I do indeed want some of your tea, I feel you need it more than I want it. I¡¯ll just ask for the recipe instead. No, I need the ingredients for Blood Cleansing Powder as well as seven stalks of Serpent Grass, two Jackalope livers, three lengths of Dragon Ivy and a Bleeding Toadstool.¡± The amusement faded from the old man¡¯s face, ¡°Little Miss, half of those are poisonous. While I can give you some Blood Cleansing Powder, I can¡¯t rightfully give you poisonous plants.¡± She didn¡¯t respond at first, choosing instead to indulge in a little more of the tea first. ¡°I know they¡¯re poisonous. I¡¯m actually counting on those poisons to help repair the damaged gates in my body.¡± The teacup that had been held so firmly in the doctor¡¯s wrinkled hands slipped free, tumbling out of his hands and onto the floor. ¡°You mean to say you found a cure Little Miss?¡± Instead of answering she just smiled, ¡°I trust you can keep this between us for now as it may not work as well as I hope. In all honesty this is my first time trying this and as such I wanted someone reliable to monitor me when I do it just in case it fails.¡± The expression on his face was dark, but the light in his eyes betrayed his excitement. A medicine that could repair damaged gates in the body? He¡¯d read about such things while trying to treat the Little Miss, but could never uncover an actual recipe for that kind of medicine. And now she was claiming to have it? His heart was full of concern but at the same time he had hope for her to be right. She was finishing her fourth cup, as well as the pot of tea, when he finally spoke, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do it, but only if we prepare two sets of medicine and I take it first. I need to ensure that this won¡¯t actually kill you before I can agree to letting you do such a thing.¡± The smile on her face had a level of confidence he¡¯d never seen before on her face, ¡°Of course it¡¯ll work, but if it makes you feel more at ease we can approach it as you requested.¡± Doctor Leigh¡¯s face lightened considerably as his usual smile returned, ¡°Very good. Let me get you the Blood Cleansing Powder now.¡± Emma was only halfway back to her small home when Amelia found her, as well as the pouch of Blood Cleansing Powder that she carried, a frantic look on the maid¡¯s face. ¡°Miss!¡± Seeing the look on the older girl¡¯s face a frown crept onto the young face, ¡°Calm down. Now what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Jeffrey Darton is here to see you.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Your fiance!¡± Emma¡¯s frown darkened a little more, ¡°I have one of those?¡± ¡°Yes! But he says he¡¯s here to talk to you about the engagement. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s here to break off the engagement!¡± Amelia¡¯s concern was mounting. Her miss had changed so much in only a day but had forgotten her own fiance. What did that mean? The frown vanished immediately, and bloomed into a smile, ¡°Oh? Well that¡¯s fine then. I¡¯ll see him if that¡¯s all he wants. I mean I can¡¯t keep a fiance that I don¡¯t even love enough to remember after a little fever.¡± The pouch moved from Emma¡¯s hand to the hands of her confused maid. ¡°You can¡¯t break off the engagement Miss! This was arranged by your father with the Count of Trell before you were born. If you break this off it¡¯s like you¡¯re slapping both your father and the Count¡¯s reputations!¡± The cold look that she¡¯d worn when Julianna slapped her came back when Amelia said this, ¡°It¡¯s my marriage. Of course I can.¡± Before the redhead had a chance to say anymore the girl was gone, her boots stomping towards the manor. ¡°Oh please let the Miss not do anything foolish.¡± A quick prayer by a flustered woman was just as quickly ignored in the heavens. What god has time to reign in some little girl? Chapter Three: Not Even Housebroken ¡°What is taking her so long? I mean does it really take that long for her to walk from her room here?¡± A voice still tainted with youth griped as it¡¯s owner sat with his arms crossed, a frown carved on his face. His brown hair was modestly styled which clashed with the clothing he wore. The dark blue pants and jacket were seemingly covered in gold thread, silver buttons and other ornamentation. ¡°Jeff, calm down. Maybe she needed to dress herself up a little?¡± the white clad youth next to him spoke as he set his teacup down. His look was much more subdued, especially next to his friend. Simple white samite cloth pants and jacket with a tasteful embroidery of silver vines and leaves that spread a palm-width from the the edges of the cuffs and seams. If it wasn¡¯t for his black hair one may mistake him for a manservant instead of someone of noble blood sitting next to the other boy. Jeff only snorted through his nose, ¡°We¡¯ve been engaged for the last fourteen years and I¡¯ve yet to see her wear makeup, or even wear something modern. I swear she goes out of her way to dress like a peasant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because you dress so much like a peacock that no one would choose to compete,¡± the voice floated into the room from the door behind them. They looked back in surprise as it seemed familiar but it sounded more prideful than they were used to. ¡°So which of you two is the one who is breaking off the engagement exactly? I¡¯ll be honest, after taking that ice bath in the pond a few days ago I¡¯ve forgotten pretty much anything unimportant.¡± Jeffrey''s face turned a deep shade of red as veins started to bulge in his neck. He stood with the speed of a thunderbolt, ¡°Who are you to talk about importance you shameless cripple?¡± ¡°Jeff-¡± the black haired boy started before Emma¡¯s hand waved to silence him. ¡°You¡¯re a visitor to this manor and yet you yell like a braying ass and claim I¡¯m the shameless one? I can see the blood must run thin in your house to produce such a waste of a noble.¡± The red face started flapping like a dying fish while the boy next to him suppressed a chuckle. The two had known each other for years but it was rare that Jeffery was scolded, especially so harshly. ¡°You ungrateful cripple! I came here out of respect for your father to handle this properly and yet you only know how to insult me and shame my family¡¯s bloodline!¡± He circled around the couch to approach her directly. The smile on Emma¡¯s face was one of someone looking down on a small dog, ¡°You claim I don¡¯t know how to dress like a noble, call me shameless and have twice now called me a cripple yet only know how to claim to be the victim. Such a poorly trained dog.¡± ¡°You fucking whore!¡± He was closer now, only a pace away when he began to holler. ¡°I came here only because your father¡¯s name. No noble would ever want to marry such a crippled girl like you and yet you act like you actually have some authority here! I should beat some sense into you!¡± His hand raised to slap her, but she was quicker by a hair. The sound was like a lightning strike when she slapped him. There wasn¡¯t the power in it, but it was faster than his movement and made his head spin as his eyes goggled in shock. ¡°This isn¡¯t my father¡¯s marriage, it¡¯s mine. As such I¡¯m making the choice here not him. And frankly no woman should have to marry such a poorly trained mongrel like you. You bark and bite far too much. Frankly I¡¯m doubtful of the fact that you¡¯re actually house trained.¡± The sound that escaped his throat was like the roar of an enraged beast when he turned back and slapped out with all his power, the surge of a sixth Refinement level power surging through his hand when it struck her, knocking her sideways across the floor. Her body had gone limp the moment he struck her, the force of someone who¡¯d completed the refinement of their muscles more than she could stand up against. Shaking heavily she stood up, her movements like a newborn deer as her body tried to stand under the rattling it¡¯d gotten. After a moment she stood just as straight and proud as she¡¯d before he struck her. Blood was pouring from one side of her mouth as the cuts in her mouth opened wide to bleed freely. Her eyes met his with a clear sense of suppressed fury. There was no fear of the man who¡¯d struck her, just plain anger of his attacks on her pride. ¡°Since we only seem to come to blows, I believe we can now count this engagement as broken. Please remove yourselves from my house before I have you thrown out with the rubbish.¡± His eyes glared murder at her, but the gold eyes didn¡¯t falter under his pressure. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this.¡± A smile like a blood splattered flower in bloom crossed her face as her red-stained teeth became visible, ¡°I¡¯ll return your words to you because you¡¯re the one who needs the reminder more than me.¡± The black haired youth followed behind Jeff with an amused expression, only pausing to bow to Emma. ¡°You¡¯re quite the woman.¡± She frowned as he left, ¡°What in the three realms did that mean?¡± Shaking her head she chose to forget the strange comment and walked back to her living quarters, nursing the swollen palm print on her face. That night she ate dinner slowly and with a lot of swearing as the slightest brushing of food inside of her mouth caused her face to throb in pain. When she finished she placed her fork down and looked at the maid who stood nearby, ¡°Tomorrow I need to see Father as I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll want to discuss the annulment. Please ask him for the best time to see him.¡± Amelia looked at the girl with surprise but didn¡¯t refute her, ¡°Yes Miss.¡± It was half past breakfast when she stood outside her father¡¯s study, her hand hesitating to knock for a moment as she mentally prepared herself. She knew she wasn¡¯t the same child that the man inside that room had raised, and it made her a little nervous. Would he see through the fact that she was a different person who was only trying to be Emma despite not having any memories of the poor girl¡¯s life? Would he even notice or care? The latter thought made her heart twist a little as she considered the thought of a parent not even noticing that their child had changed. It was a feeling unknown to her before that moment and it pressed guilt the size of a mountain down on her. Could she ever be forgiven for pretending to be that girl? Could she really even explain it if she tried? Forcing her emotions back below the surface her face smoothed back out into an expressionless mask as she gently rapped the door with her slender hand. ¡°Enter.¡± The room was well lit by a large window on the far wall. A broad shouldered man with a heavy beard sat at the desk that faced her, his eyes focused on the papers on his desk. ¡°You cancelled your engagement?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Her voice did not waver as she spoke, her voice sounding more like she was agreeing about the weather than her now cancelled marriage. His pen stopped writing as if the response surprised him. His deep blue eyes looked up into hers, trying to figure out if the girl in front of him was the shy and timid daughter he knew. ¡°Why?¡± The question was simple but his voice was full of weight as if he was trying to pressure her with just his voice. ¡°A man who can¡¯t respect me doesn¡¯t deserve to even warm my bed, much less be my husband.¡± The tone was as if it was just quoting a simple fact and caught him off guard. Losing her memories really had changed her more than he expected. A moment later he chuckled, ¡°Interesting reasoning.¡± With a small wave of his hand he motioned her to continue, ¡°Expand on your logic for me.¡± One eyebrow raised, perfectly accenting her gold eye, ¡°It¡¯s simple Father: as the youngest child I¡¯m not in the position to inherit the estate or the family; additionally I¡¯m not a person who has great wealth, nor am I someone with great martial prowess. After losing my memories in the fever I can¡¯t even claim to be someone with great scholarly knowledge, nor am I someone who even knows how the world works. Even with the gift of medicinal knowledge I have it¡¯s more like having the greatest collection of recipes but not the understanding of how to actually prepare a meal. All I have is my pride as the daughter of this house and family and as such I must uphold that pride at any cost.¡± It was the truth. Well most of it. In the last few days she realized her choices in the past to never get involved personally in the world had left her sheltered and uneducated. Her lack of practice involving the actual use of the medical knowledge she possessed left her unable to properly use it herself, and her lack of martial practice has left her without the skills to fight even if the body she was in was healthy. She was basically a blank sheet of parchment with only the pride of a goddess to guide her and as such she chose to uphold that pride no matter what. It was all she had and she couldn¡¯t just abandon it for anything. Inside she could feel relief as she noticed he was smiling at her. ¡°It seems there was some blessing in your lost memories then. You aren¡¯t bound by your old timid nature and it¡¯s pleasing to see you finally adopt the pride of a noble. As such I¡¯m giving you the free reign you need to grow from here for as long as you show actual progress. I can¡¯t promise you large monetary support as this is not a rich house, nor can I offer you great protective strength as we don¡¯t control an army to do so. But if it¡¯s in my means I¡¯ll fully support you as long as you can grow.¡± Her brow creased slightly as she was puzzled by the man she was calling ¡®Father¡¯. Had familial love really that strong between them in the past? It seemed doubtful since she was consigned to the servant¡¯s quarters to live and even her own sister was allowed to run amuck without being restrained. So was he looking for something else from her? No matter. With no love of her own to give him she didn¡¯t see a need to push the point further as she couldn¡¯t allow herself to grow old and do nothing. There was a reason she was a mortal now and even if she didn¡¯t remember it, she needed to push forward to unravel it. The only way she could do that was if she began training and awoke the talent buried in the body she was confined in. Only then could she merge the powers of magic and blood to create Divine Force without facing the wrath of the Heavens. Only she didn¡¯t yet know how to yet train those powers, only that by fusing them in her body could she unleash the divine abilities she used to have innately. It wasn¡¯t even clear at what level she could begin to fuse the abilities, nor when they could actually allow her to once again act in the manner of a goddess. As such she needed to study everything. She was too ignorant about everything. It was easy to be fearless without knowing anything, but that was a short path towards death. She needed knowledge to allow her to support her own pride, lest it get her killed before she could complete her goal. ¡°I only request access to your library, and to join the martial training with the house guards. My current level is too low to require anything else at this time.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Naturally you may borrow any books you wish, but without Blood Force how can you train?¡± It was her turn to smile, her lips turning up just slightly, ¡°Since waking I¡¯ve started working with Doctor Leigh to create a medicine that can soften the scar tissue on my Blood Gates so they can finally be opened and allow me to train properly. To stimulate them so late in life I¡¯ll need to push myself far beyond what I can currently do, so at the cost of looking like a fool I wish to train with the Guard. Each of them are at least first Bronze rank and only by putting myself against the wall can I exceed the limits of my current self.¡± His eyes flashed with excitement but he forced himself to be calm. If she could really begin to train properly then he may have a true hidden chess piece to use to increase the family¡¯s power. Yes, nurturing her would be good as long as she showed results. He had no need for anyone useless, even someone who shared his blood. He forced himself to adopt a face of concern as he probed her further, ¡°And what about your sister?¡± ¡°She¡¯s only at the Fifth Refinement stage. Her ability to harm me will be short lived, I assure you.¡± He caught himself unconsciously nodding to her matter-of-fact tone before he caught himself and stopped. ¡®Only¡¯? To reach the fifth refinement stage by sixteen was considered to be peerless genius and a girl who was still crippled was saying that she¡¯d pass her in a shorter amount of time? Even with the heavenly medicinal knowledge bound in her head could she really do it? Wouldn¡¯t such a training pace defy even the heavens themselves? He found himself to be weighing her words with more seriousness than he would have ever done in the past. Was it her confident tone? The assured look on her face? The way she carried herself with pride and dignity? Or was it the fact that she¡¯d been favored by a goddess, not once, but twice in her life? He couldn¡¯t decide but he knew that regardless of the reason why he felt that she was not speaking arrogantly, but plainly and honestly made him want to bet on her abilities to match her words. He opened his desk and took out a small lock box before counting out a few bills. ¡°In that case here are a few Gold Leaves. Go and buy some appropriate equipment for training with as I doubt the guard equipment will fit someone with your small frame.¡± She walked forward and took the four bills from his hand, trying to determine if he¡¯d given her a lot or a little money to aid her. ¡°Thank you?¡± Catching her confusion he couldn¡¯t help but let out a deep laugh, ¡°That¡¯s right, you don¡¯t remember this do you? The currency commonly traded are known as ¡®Leaves¡¯ from the fact that they were once made of paper covered in a thin leaf of precious metals which helped replace the use of heavier coins. Now the leaves are backed by a kingdom¡¯s treasury and only represent the original currency and are made of an enchanted paper and written on with the use of copper, silver or gold, each representing a different amount. One hundred copper leaves is the same as one silver leaf and one hundred silver leaves is the same as one gold leaf. For an example of cost, typically the average meal of beer and a slab of roasted meat only costs about ten copper leaves.¡± Her expression regained its previous almost expressionless look as understanding made the matter of the money clearer. ¡°Are there different denominations of bills as well?¡± He nodded, ¡°Indeed. One, five, ten, twenty and fifty leaf bills exist for all three currencies, and hundred leaf bills exist for the gold bills. Furthermore the leaves are generally equivalent regardless of which kingdom you spend them in, but depending on a number of factors the exchange rate between kingdoms may change.¡± She gave a slight bow in respect of his time, ¡°Thank you for the lesson Father. I¡¯ll depart to the market then as I seek to start as soon as Doctor Leigh has the medicine ready.¡± After she left his firm face softened, ¡°She resembles her mother so much more than she used to. It¡¯s a shame that she had to lose herself to become stronger though. Ah, this old man is looking forward to seeing how far she can take this family.¡± Not everyone who knew appreciated the changes of the Eighth Miss though, chief amongst the household being the Sixth Miss, Julianna. Several feather pillows, plates and even he top half of one of her bed posts had been destroyed in her rage in the last day. The shame of the family not only had the spine to talk back to her but to break off her own engagement without discussing things with Father? Who in the heavens did she think she was? ¡°Such a shameful waste of our family¡¯s bloodline wants to challenge me? Fine. We¡¯ll settle this permanently. I can¡¯t continue to allow a cripple to drag our family down anymore.¡± Seizing her sword she left her room to go practice. If she was going to teach the wretched girl a proper lesson it needed to be one that would leave her unable to ever try and stand up against her and the family name again. For that she needed to push herself to the Sixth Refinement level and complete the tempering of her muscles so she could crush the hateful waste completely. As Julianna was beginning to plot and train, Emma was not standing in the market, but in front of the Temple of Healing. Her temple. Or rather one of them. The market was still an important errand but deep down she hoped this place could give her some answers on why she¡¯d been sealed into a mortal body. Her booted feet strode with confidence into the large building of marble and gold, ignoring the scurrying form of Amelia who was desperately trying to keep up without exposing her own Blood Force. Since when did the Young Miss have so much speed? The look on her face was one of confusion and concern as she watched the way the girl looked unhurried despite moving quick enough to cause her skirt to flutter as if she was floating along above the ground. As she was ultimately left standing behind at the entrance in confusion at the upright and straight back that the girl had compared to the slouched and timid look she once carried. The inside of the temple was simple, with several rows of oak benches filling most of the open floor space, a deep blue carpet running down the center breaking the rows in half and the front of the room containing a simple marble altar below a statue of her. Or at least an artist¡¯s interpretation of what she looked like before she was bound into Emma¡¯s body. Needless to say she didn¡¯t approve of how large they made her chest and hips, or the fact that she was depicted half shod like a girl working in a brothel. The face was a close match though, at least as close as it could be. She could guess that it was based on descriptions of her visage from her scant appearances to mortals. While she never personally visited the mortal realm it didn¡¯t stop her from sending a small portion of herself down into their dreams to visit them with either knowledge of a cure, or personal healing when she felt like performing her role. This had undoubtedly created a reputation of being a fickle goddess who preferred to not meddle in the mortal realm, but that was unimportant now as she was being forced to increase her meddling to a level never before seen by any of the deities. Her feet finally stopped at the altar as she looked up into the stone eyes of the statue of herself and tried to sense something. Anything that could help answer her questions. A candle that marked the hours slowly burnt down in the corner and after staring for an hour did she turned her eyes away as she bowed to the statue. Her face that was hidden by the motion hid the look of longing on her face for a moment before she was able to force it away and finally raise her head. As she turned to leave the soft mewl of a cat stopped he, and she turned back to see the misty white body of a Ghost Cat on the altar, it¡¯s own gold eyes staring into her own. Those eyes were unmistakable, as only the servants of her sister, Delia, ruler of the underworld, had the gold eyes of a deity. Only in this case they were changed from the nearly ethereal feline to an unaging existence that worked to convey messages to and from the underworld and the heavens. For one to appear in the mortal realm, much less in her own temple was no small accident, but rather something deliberately done by her sister it seemed. ¡°Greetings to the messenger of my Sister.¡± Her voice spoke not the mortal tongue, but the ancient language of the gods as she bowed to the cat whose edges were more like the wisps of mist on a lake than a solid outline making it hard to see where the cat ended and the surroundings began. The cat likewise bowed back, but did not present a message. Instead it jumped into her arms in a trail of white mist that followed it like the trail of a comet. The creature was surprisingly light in weight, but the touch of it¡¯s body had the chill of the grave in it, that made her mortal body unconsciously tense up. Taking advantage of Emma¡¯s moment of surprise it immediately bit down on her wrist with enough force to drive it¡¯s teeth through her skin and drained her of a mouthful of blood, forming a blood contract. The simple act of blood sharing was used mostly by beast trainers to form bonds with their beasts allowing them to communicate, though in that case it was usually done by draining a small amount of blood into a container and mixing it into the food of a beast while performing a ritual of sealing. It was rare for a beast to drink from the body directly to form the contract, much less for one to initiate the ritual on their own. A brief red glow passed over them and the ritual was completed without any input of her own. The voice was soft as it brushed past her mind. It was as ethereal as the creature it belonged to. It was the language of the gods, just as she had greeted the Ghost Cat. ¡°What is the meaning of initiating a blood contract?¡± She frowned as she looked at the creature that was curled in her arms, noting that the chilled feeling wasn¡¯t there anymore. Baby sister proved it was Delia who sent the cat to her temple. Only someone like her could call a tens of thousands year old woman ¡®baby sister.¡¯ And while it didn¡¯t answer any of her questions it felt good to know that there was someone looking after her in some fashion. ¡°Remind me to thank her in the future then. Now I¡¯d rather you sat on my shoulder as pushing you into my bosom like this only looks like neither of us has any sense.¡± Without a word the cat climbed up onto her shoulder and rubbed its cheek against her face. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± She puzzled over it for a moment before deciding, ¡°Well Ghost Cats aren¡¯t really male or female so a name based on gender seems rather pointless.¡± She tapped her chin with one of her slender fingers as she puzzled over it for a moment before just going with the first idea that came to mind, ¡°How about Spook?¡± just a simple agreement with her choice made her happy. She¡¯d never actually gotten to name something before and it felt rather good to do so for some reason. It was a small happiness, but a happiness all the same. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go. I need to go and purchase some equipment to train this body with.¡± She¡¯d switched back to the common speech of the mortal realm, but Spook still understood her the same, which would help her not stand out as much. Though having a contracted Ghost Cat was going to be fairly noticeable regardless what she did as not many, to include those who studied Death Magic, would actually contract a low level beast like a Ghost Cat. Even the most debauched noble tended to leave them out of their collections only for the fact that the creature was formed from the energy of the dead and lived in graveyards and ancient battlefields where they would chase the Spirit Mice that tried to eat the dead bodies, and attack any mortal who tried to defile the graves. It was rare to see them anywhere else and with such a negative association of death and the grave they tended to be looked down on as being useless as a contracted beast who only carried ill fate for any who had them. The partially ethereal creature suited Emma just fine though as she was widely known as a crippled waste in the capital and even if the choice in beast was odd, it wouldn¡¯t attract as much attention as having a more powerful beast would. Instead a beast that could hide in the shadows, and slip through even the smallest spaces would suit her better. With Spook at her side she could gather information and reach spaces that she couldn¡¯t normally, which suited her far more than something that only knew how to fight. Right now she didn¡¯t need something that only could fight. Something that could help her watch her back was better right now. As she left the temple Amelia stared at her in shock, ¡°Young Miss, there¡¯s a Ghost Cat on your shoulder!¡± The poor maid¡¯s eyes were turning red as she restrained the tears of worry that threatening to form. ¡°I know. The Goddess Delia sent it to be my contracted beast.¡± ¡°But Miss, to be marked by a Ghost Cat is a sign of death!¡± Her gold eyes pierced into Amelia¡¯s, ¡°Are you saying a Goddess would gift me a contracted beast only to kill me? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Besides, everyone besides the deities dies eventually, why should I bother with worrying about it?¡± Amelia¡¯s mouth flapped open and closed twice before she could speak, ¡°As you say Young Miss.¡± Emma chuckled at the creature¡¯s mocking of her maid without explaining it to the woman as she turned onto the road to head towards the market. Chapter Four: Shameless ¡°That ignorant cripple!¡± An empty stein slammed against the table to punctuate the shout as Jeffrey, once again dressed in an outfit of dark blue that was trimmed with gold, continued to complain to his drinking companion, a black-haired boy who dressed in a white linen tunic and pants. Early on people had paid attention to his complaints about the city¡¯s famous crippled girl but going on his third hour even the most interested parties had long since tuned him out. The boy sipped his own drink, a spiced beer that had a hint of heat to it, before he bothered to respond, ¡°Jeff calm down. You wanted to break off the engagement anyway, so why is it a problem that she tried to do it first?¡± The boy rose to his feet as his voice rose once more, ¡°You just don¡¯t get it do you? Maybe it¡¯s the fact you don¡¯t seem to be interested in women, pride or anything to do with your right to the throne-¡± A sharp glare stopped the ranting boy, causing his words to die in his throat, ¡°Just because I prefer a free life far away from the restrictive trappings of my family doesn¡¯t mean I lack pride. I just choose to not lash out just because mine gets a little bruised now and then.¡± Jeffrey slumped down into his seat and mumbled something under his breath but his companion ignored the obvious complaint. ¡°Now, you didn¡¯t want to marry her did you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lifting up the pitcher of beer on the table the boy offered to pour a refill for his childhood friend, ¡°Well then regardless who breaks it off isn¡¯t this fine? I mean she said it was a mutual break so it¡¯s like you two agreed to it instead of her just dumping you out on the street. Rather nice of her seeing as you acted like a right ass.¡± More quiet grumbling issued as the boy accepted a refill on his stein. ¡°Honestly I think she¡¯s rather interesting and it¡¯s a shame you turned her down.¡± ¡°PFFFFFT-¡± Jeffrey started coughing as he nearly choked on his drink, his face turning nearly as blue as his clothes. ¡°Since when did you find any women interesting?¡± Looking at his wet clothes the boy didn¡¯t bother to shake the liquid off, but closed his eyes for a moment as a warmth spread from his mage gates, spreading out like a ripple around him as it dried the liquid off of him and his clothes before fading away. Opening his eyes he smiled, ¡°Since she stood up to you yesterday without any level of power. It takes a lot of courage to stand your ground like that, especially when she could have just lay on the floor and cried when you slapped her. I¡¯ve never seen a woman so proud, or have the courage to support that level of pride before. It¡¯s rather interesting.¡± ¡°Pride is the only thing she has though. She dresses like a peasant and-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I dress far too plainly for my position as well? Besides, something about her looks good dressed simply. Kind of like a simple vase for a bouquet of flowers, it highlights her natural beauty instead of overpowering it or clashing with it.¡± Jeffrey slowly lowered his stein and stared at his friend as if he was looking at someone who was suffering from a fatal illness, ¡°You aren¡¯t seriously thinking what I think you¡¯re thinking are you Charles? I mean she¡¯s not just any cripple, she¡¯s THE cripple. The only noble famous for being given a prophecy of having immeasurable talent but ended up a cripple before she even learned to walk. You can¡¯t possibly be thinking of trying to pursue her are you?¡± The boy smiled as he lifted his own stein to his lips to drink, ¡°Who knows?¡± With a swift motion he drained the rest of the drink before standing and placing a couple of silver leaves on the table. ¡°Now if you excuse me, I see something interesting walking past the window.¡± Jeffrey¡¯s eyes were threatening to roll out of his head as he watched his friend leave, ¡°I never thought he¡¯d be a person to actually chase a skirt. Did the sun rise in the west this morning?¡± At that time the ¡®interesting thing¡¯ that Charles had seen was walking with her maid as her gold eyes kept looking everywhere like a lost foreigner. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she rarely left her home in the past the locals that walked past her might have thought she¡¯d gone daft instead of just being a little lost. Though the fact she had a Ghost Cat on her shoulder was doing a lot to convince them that maybe there was something wrong with the girl after all. ¡°Lost are we?¡± A familiar voice from behind her caught her attention, causing Emma to pause in her tracks and turn to face the boy she¡¯d seen yesterday. ¡°A little, yes. It seems I just don¡¯t remember enough to find what I¡¯m looking for.¡± There was no embarrassment in her voice as she understood her own shortcomings and refused to make excuses for them. The boy¡¯s face broke into a smile, ¡°Well then, I¡¯d be happy to guide you then.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. Amelia is sufficient enough to reach an armorer¡¯s just fine.¡± Her eyes traced past him to see if the boy she insisted looked like a peacock was behind him. A soft chuckle escaped his lips, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jeff isn¡¯t with me. He¡¯s too busy drowning his bruised pride in beer right now. And while I¡¯m certain your maid is an adequate guide I¡¯d like to think that I can provide to be useful as well.¡± An eyebrow was raised, ¡°Your usefulness remains to be seen. That said, you know me, but I don¡¯t know you.¡± ¡°Charles,¡± He bowed with a slight flourish. ¡°Indeed.¡± Without a word she turned and continued on her way, leaving him feeling both surprised and amused. Where in the world could he find a woman half as interesting as this girl? He fell in behind her like a servant following his master as she continued to walk deeper into the market. Amelia followed behind the two, not sure if she should raise a voice to her young mistress about the boy¡¯s identity. Just as she was about to say something the boy turned back to her with an amused look on his face as he motioned to her to stay quiet about the matter. ¡°So what are you looking forward today my lady?¡± ¡°I need some training equipment.¡± The famous cripple was planning on training? She was getting more interesting the more he knew about her. ¡°Any preferences?¡± ¡°If I had any I wouldn¡¯t have to be shopping now would I?¡± The smile on his face didn¡¯t falter at the harsh bite of her words, ¡°You speak the truth rather plainly. It¡¯s refreshing to not hear it dressed up.¡± ¡°You are the second most shameless flatterer I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± His grin grew a little bigger, ¡°Oh, who is the first?¡± ¡°Gale, the God of Poets.¡± Charles¡¯ laughter could be heard from more than a hundred paces away as he struggled to stay on his feet as he doubled over in pain. After a long time he finally began to calm down, breathing in deep gasps as tears dripped from his eyes. ¡°Are we done making a spectacle now?¡± Slowly nodding he gasped as he stood, ¡°Being second only to a god isn¡¯t too bad of a position I think. I thank you for the compliment.¡± Her eyebrows pressed together as she tried to figure out the strange boy, ¡°Take it how you want to then.¡± Turning away from the boy she didn¡¯t understand she made her way towards a large building with a signboard showing a pair of crossed swords behind a shield. Amelia followed behind her young mistress with a pale face as she sure that the girl had been insulting the boy, and he wasn¡¯t someone that should be casually insulted. Of course neither party knew that the young girl actually did know Gale and did consider him the most shameless flatterer and flirt in existence and was ranking Charles behind him not out of malice, or as a compliment to his prowess with words, but as a sincere assessment of his behaviour. Not that this fact would change anything she felt about the boy if it was actually explained to either of them of course. The trio spent a little while wandering before an outfit made of turquoise scales caught her attention. Turning, she looked at the other two beside her and asked, ¡°What is this made from?¡± Amelia looked at the boy who motioned that he¡¯d allow her to handle this one, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s made from the hide of a Scaled Deer, a kind of Dragon Beast.¡± Confusion was evident on her face as the girl brushed her hand over the smooth scales. Not giving her a chance to ask Charles spoke up, ¡°Dragon Beasts are a subclass of Beast that have Dragon blood in their veins. Jackalopes, Fire Fish and Scaled Deer are the most common of these creatures but have the weakest amount of blood in them and are often used as food while their hides are sought after for clothing or equipment. Fire Fish scales are often used in jewelry due to their prismatic appearance that is known to accent the jewels they¡¯re next to.¡± ¡°But what happened to the dragons? Why is their blood in a bunch of beasts?¡± The concern on her face was evident, though only she knew that was because she remembered the dragon race specifically and hadn¡¯t known how this new type of beast had come about.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Amelia shifted a little as she sensed the girl¡¯s feeling of concern, ¡°Around six thousand years ago there was a massive war between mankind and the dragons. Eventually dragons were completely wiped out, but their influence on the world didn¡¯t die with them as the blood in their bodies made its way into plants and animals that came in contact with it. Anyone who ingested it was affected too leading to a few families that have dragon blood in their veins. The effect on people is very thin though and usually only shows up very faintly every dozen generations. In beasts and plants though it has caused a series of changes that have caused new subspecies to occur, such as the Scaled Deer which has the scales and clawed feet of a dragon but is still a deer.¡± Feeling the smooth scales once more the girl felt the wall that separated her from the common sense of the world was even greater than what she had thought it was. Just how many more surprises were there for her? Moving on they eventually found a cheaper padded tunic and pants made of heavy cloth that could help lessen the force of blows. It wasn¡¯t truly effective against sharp weapons or arrows, but for the sake of training it was perfect. With that, fifty silver leaves were quickly spent and they turned their attention to the second floor to look for an appropriate weapon. They passed racks of swords and bows as she didn¡¯t feel a draw to them as something was guiding her further across the floor. Likewise she passed by the racks of staffs and maces for the same reason. It wasn¡¯t until she was in front of a rack of halberds did she feel a pull that the other weapons didn¡¯t give her. It wasn¡¯t because the weapons were particularly beautiful or even showing signs of masterful craftsmanship, but instead because something inside had been pulling her towards the rack since she¡¯d made her way to this part of the store. Sorting through the weapons she found a halberd in the back of the rack that was made completely out of a dark metal. Before either of the two next to her could stop her from grabbing it she¡¯d already lifted it out and effortlessly grasped it in both hands, feeling that it was somehow light in weight but threatened to crush anything in its path. ¡°Miss-¡± Charles cut the maid¡¯s concern off as excitement lit up in his eyes, ¡°How does it feel?¡± Her eyes didn¡¯t come off the halberd she was holding as she tried to study the plain looking weapon, ¡°Strange. It feels light, but at the same time I feel like its blows would be very heavy.¡± ¡°Interesting. That should be Star Metal, which is renowned for being unreasonably heavy. May I?¡± With a nod she handed the weapon to him with one hand, the bladed head standing upright as he grabbed it. Almost immediately as she let go his face flushed and the veins in his neck bulged as he struggled to hold it, pushing it back into her hands almost immediately. Gasping as sweat dripped from his forehead he stared at her, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not already using Blood Force? That thing should crush a slight girl like you!¡± ¡°Really? It doesn¡¯t feel that heavy. Are you playing with me?¡± ¡°Miss, Star Metal is a kind of iron only found in fallen stars and is exceptionally dense and heavy. At most people use it to make knives, daggers and arrowheads. Rarely it might even be used to make a spear head. Using it to make an entire weapon is a feat that could only be seen as utter madness and the fact you can even hold it is even more insane. If I hadn¡¯t raised you for the last fourteen years I¡¯d almost wonder if you were some kind of powerful cultivator or perhaps a high ranked beast that had become human.¡± Surprise was an emotion that Emma was not prone to, not since her body had been given over to a goddess as old as the concept of medicine at least, but now the expression was clear on her face as the noon sun. ¡°Then how in the heavens does it feel so light?¡± ¡°Let me check your elemental affinity. Maybe that has something to do with it. Sometimes a person with a very high affinity for a particular element can wield certain weapons or wear certain armour with less effort than others.¡± A hand reached out towards the wrist that was holding the halberd, but not touching it before she gave him permission. With a nod she let him put his hand on her wrist, and he gently wrapped his hand around it, putting two fingers over the pulsing vein in her arm, his pride taking a small blow that he didn¡¯t feel it quicken when he touched her. Was he really not even a little attractive to this strange girl? With a small sigh he closed his eyes as he pushed a small thread of Mage Force into her body, not noticing the glare that the Ghost Cat was giving him for touching its mistress. The tendril of energy pushed past her Blood Gates, and even past her Mage Gates with a small twitch of his eyebrow as he noticed the strangeness that was hidden in her body, before he found the answer near her heart where a black flame flickered and snapped. As his Mage Force reached out to brush against it he felt as if he was being swallowed entirely into the flame as stars bloomed into view, spiralling out to countless galaxies. It was as if the entirety of the universe was beneath his feet and he could see every star that filled the sky. In comparison to the vastness he was facing it was as if he was a speck of dust floating in the deep of a much greater void. The two women, and one partially ethereal cat, watched as his face blanched in the face of whatever he was witnessing while pearls of sweat started to form on his forehead. His hand grew cold as ice around her wrist and if it wasn¡¯t for the slight flare of his nostrils it¡¯d be almost impossible to see that he was even still breathing. After what seemed like an eon to the young mage he let out a deep gasp as his body stumbled back, his hand barely peeling itself from her wrist, cutting his connection to the vastness he felt. The boy¡¯s eyes met their puzzled expressions with shock and amazement, ¡°You¡¯re a single element specialist of Space. To add to that rarity your affinity is at least as twice as strong as it should be.¡± His face began to regain color as he took a moment to breathe and slow his heart¡¯s pounding a little. At the same time he took out a perfectly white handkerchief to wipe his forehead before continuing, for the benefit of the girl who seemed to have more secrets than he was prepared for. ¡°You see, a normal person would have ten parts divided amongst the elements of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Mind and Space. Usually it¡¯s a rather even distribution with everyone having at least one part of each element. Sometimes there are people who are more unbalanced towards one or more elements but will be lacking one of the others. The rarest are people who are ten parts of a single element and none of the other.¡± He paused to let the explanation sink in for a moment before continuing, ¡°The most common unbalance in that nature is someone who is ten parts fire, with the others coming in behind it in decreasing order from Water, Earth, Mind and with none having Space. In fact, normally, when a person is missing an element Space is the first to be missing, followed by Mind. Even when they are present it¡¯s rare to have more than one part in either element, though I have the distinction to having four parts Mind as my affinity so it¡¯s not too rare to say it¡¯s impossible. What is impossible is the fact that you have at least twenty parts Space. Not only does this exceed what the body should be able to contain in terms of an element, but you exceed it with the least studied element!¡± His hands started to punctuate his words as his voice began to rise a little, drawing the attention of some of the other patrons who began gossipping about what he was saying. ¡°Is that the cripple next to the second prince?¡± ¡°Did he just say she had a large affinity for Space? What would a cripple need to know her affinity?¡± ¡°Wait, is that cripple holding a weapon? Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s getting that for herself.¡± ¡°Is that a Ghost Cat? Is she being marked by the Goddess of Death as soon to be passing?¡± The small group didn¡¯t notice the chatter as Charles kept speaking, ¡°Normally people who study magic use their Space affinity to create a tiny void in rings or other jewelry to store items in. Those who practice Blood Force have even less use for it, usually only being able to store a single weapon in a space inside of their bodies. But you¡­..well you have either won or lost a major lottery here and I can¡¯t be sure of which.¡± No one in their group spoke for some time despite the many whispered conversations going on around them, until Amelia broke the silence, ¡°Miss, do you think it has to do with the Goddess?¡± Emma¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up in thought as she considered the possibility of a divine tampering of her elemental affinity, ¡°Perhaps.¡± Charles raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t say anything as he listened to Emma speak, his knowledge of her rumors deep enough to assume it had to do with her miraculous recovery from the brink of death as an infant. The same recovery that left her crippled and unable to train her Blood Force, something that had set her apart from the rest of her family and their overwhelming talent. Her mind didn¡¯t match the words coming out of her mouth though as she silently cursed Sol. If she found out that that pointy hat wearing jerk was the one who restricted her affinities down to the least useful element she was going to make him eat that staff he was so proud of. Who gave that pompous god the right to give her such an overwhelmingly useless amount of power for an element no one really knew how to use beyond as a storage space? Pushing the thought, and her rising ire that was coming out of her assumption, aside she looked at the halberd once more and knew it felt right in her hands. The question was if she could afford something made completely out of such a strange metal. As she peeked at the price tag her eyes felt like they were going to fall out of her head, ¡°Four hundred gold leaves? What, does it cook and clean for you too?¡± There was a roll of laughter through the room as everyone who heard her her reaction thought it was more like some country bumpkin than a nobleman¡¯s daughter. Did this girl know anything at all or was she stupid as she was uselessly crippled? With a small chuckle himself Charles spoke, ¡°Nothing of the sort. Star Metal is fairly rare to start with, and the amount of work needed to refine it causes the price to increase substantially. It¡¯s not without cause though that it sees use despite the price as it¡¯s incredibly resilient, and known for holding an edge finer than a butterfly¡¯s wing.¡± Her lips let out a rather reluctant sigh as she realized that there was no way she would be able to afford such a weapon with her meager budget. As she started to turn to return it to its home at the rear of the rack he noticed her expression and smiled, ¡°Let me gift this to you for showing me something so interesting.¡± The murmurs began again as a wave rushed through those watching the small group. The second prince gifting something to a woman? Much less the woman who¡¯d just been dumped by the Heir of Blackwell? Was she some kind of supreme seductress to have captured him? The theories began flying and it didn¡¯t take long for the rumors to leave the building and slowly ripple through the city without any of the group noticing what was happening. Her eyes brightened a little as she looked at him, ¡°Then I won¡¯t pretend to be modest and will take you up on your offer. Such an interesting weapon is too good to let go for the sake of pretending to be modest.¡± Spook¡¯s voice almost shouted in her mind, With a finger she lightly admonished the Ghost Cat with a thump across its forehead, ¡°Hush you. If he wants to spend his money then it¡¯s no reason for you to bad mouth him. I hardly doubt he¡¯s trying to take liberties over something so small as this.¡± Charles had to fight to contain his laughter. Did this girl ever stop with the surprises? Her shamelessness alone was the most amusing thing he¡¯d seen in a long time and it was driving a new urge to see how spoiled she¡¯d let herself be if given free reign to spend his money. Resting the weapon across her shoulder she looked at him with eyes that spoke of her hope that he wasn¡¯t simply toying with her, ¡°I hope the disrespect of my beast hasn¡¯t made you change your mind.¡± ¡°Nothing of the sort! Come, let¡¯s get that thing paid for! I¡¯ll walk you home after. That is, unless you want to take a carriage.¡± His smile was polite, but his eyes were sincere as he made his offer. ¡°Walking is perfect. Besides, it¡¯s good for your health to move about a little.¡± Charles¡¯ laughter followed them down the stairs as they left the second floor and the confused gossipers inside. None of them knew what the boy could be thinking in his involvement with such a useless girl, much less how she could entertain him so much. Chapter Five: Touched A heavy knock on the door resounded through the large office, echoing off of the polished marble walls and sculpted visages of saints long forgotten. In the center of the room a man dressed in soft white cotton robes with a gold sash sat at an ancient oak desk that seemed to dominate the room. His wrinkled skin looked like old paper and a chaplet of thin white hair covered the sides and back of his head, but his green eyes were still young and alert as he looked up from the parchments in front of him before speaking, ¡°Enter.¡± The voice wasn¡¯t loud, sounding like the air escaping from an old crypt as it carried through the room, the pressure rolling into every corner. A auburn haired man dressed in a crimson robe with a face as pale as new parchment entered, ¡°Your Grace, the nuns have reported the presence of a Divine in the church.¡± Setting the quill he was writing with back into its holder the older man looked at the younger man with a small smile on his face, ¡°Do we know which one?¡± ¡°Not yet your Grace. We believe it was a girl who was here this morning for about an hour. She left with a Ghost Cat that appeared on the altar after making a contract with it.¡± ¡°And her name?¡± ¡°Emaliana, the eighth child of the Wrightson house.¡± ¡°Ah yes, the Touched child of that minor Baron¡¯s house,¡± his fingers steepled as he began to think about the situation. ¡°Now, it¡¯s possible that a Touched can carry a spark of Divinity on them from their encounters with a Divine,¡± his voice trailed off for a moment as he fell deeper into thought before continuing, ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t assume she¡¯s carrying a Divine in her body just yet. To seize a noble, even a cripple like that Touched in the capital would be too bold at this point. We need to make sure she¡¯s actually carrying a Divine in her first. Keep an eye on her and use a larger device to do so. If she really is carrying a Divine in her body it¡¯ll become a lot more apparent than just setting off those small ones the nuns have.¡± ¡°Yes your Grace.¡± The man bowed slightly and turned to leave before the man¡¯s voice stopped him. ¡°One more thing before you leave Cardinal: good work today. Go to the treasury and take some gold leaves out for you and the nuns who brought this to your attention.¡± The man¡¯s voice was suddenly as gentle as a fresh breeze through a crypt, and just as out of place, catching the Cardinal off guard but his smile only grew larger as he bowed once more. ¡°Thank you for your kindness your Grace.¡± As the man left the older man leaned back in his chair with his fingers folded together, almost as if in prayer. It was always good to reward others for their hard work. ¡°So which Divine might you be? Argent perhaps? Certainly one of you can¡¯t be so vain to just walk into your own church can you? Dalia then? She did leave with one of those damnable Ghost Cats.¡± Slowly he fell into thought as he considered which Divine it was that graced his church. While the Archbishop was contemplating the natures of the Divine, Frederick was doing the same. Only his question regarding them was much more basic: ¡°Which god was it that made the Prince kiss my worthless sister!?¡± It¡¯d happened only moments before as he was returning from the fighting pits where he¡¯d won a sweet sum of twenty gold leaves after a day of rather successful betting on fighters, dogs and even beasts. He¡¯d turned the corner from a smaller side street to the main street leading up to his family¡¯s manor when he say the three of them standing outside of the gate: Prince Charles, his cripple of a sister, and the cripple¡¯s maid. It seemed like the cripple was carrying something wrapped in a heavy cloth and talking to the second prince about something when the white clad boy leaned in and apparently kissed his sister on the cheek. Where the gods toying with him for his gambling? How could such a worthless girl ever catch the eyes of a prince? Granted the second prince was hardly known for upholding normal royal conventions with his living in a small manor away from the palace with only a couple of servants and his insistence of dressing so plainly as if he was a peasant or a priest. And there was the way he managed to shun every eligible noble lady in the country that had many wondering if he was celibate, while less generous people accused him of fancying men, but to kiss his worthless little sister? Surely there must be an explanation for this. Something that could explain how the world could turn itself over and defy all common sense. Stumbling through the gate he made his way towards the training grounds. Maybe Julianna could explain the madness he saw away for his tortured mind. Amelia couldn¡¯t shake off her shock either as she asked for at least the seventh or eighth time, ¡°Miss, why did you let him kiss you?¡± Emma¡¯s face and ears burned with an intensity of the noonday sun as she struggled to deny the act of the flirtatious boy¡¯s teasing. ¡°He didn¡¯t kiss me! He was just asking, well, he wanted to know, that is he said he¡¯d help with my training once I open my first gate,¡± her stammering was not because of an inability to lie, but more a wave of confusion that had overthrown her usual senses and left her confused. She leaned the cloth wrapped halberd in the corner of the room, causing the small building to creak slightly from the shift in weight against the walls. What in the world was that boy thinking taking such liberties? Surely he was just jesting with his advances, right? Spook¡¯s lack of trust in his own contractor¡¯s ability to preserve her innocence would have been insulting if he wasn¡¯t so aware of the fact that his contractor was a goddess who knew as much about romantic relationships as she did the airspeed velocity of a sparrow carrying a coconut. That is, nothing at all. She shot the cat a glare as it sat on her bed with a smug look on its face, but didn¡¯t refute it. She¡¯d been warned that he was trying to take advantage of her and she hadn¡¯t listened. This was clearly her fault, even if that brat was the one who did the kissing, not her. She took a couple of deep breaths before looking at the still gawking maid, ¡°If you tell Father about any of your wild ideas of what just happened I¡¯ll gladly send you packing to another country. I don¡¯t mind you reporting on me, but I don¡¯t need you filling him with romantic fantasies that never happened.¡± ¡°Yes Miss.¡± Silence fell in the room as all present knew that the girl wasn¡¯t being honest but no one could convince her to admit to what really happened only a short time ago. Finally Emma broke it as she took her purse out and tossed it to her maid, ¡°Tomorrow morning take the money that¡¯s left and get a couple of wooden training halberds and a second set of padded clothes. Anything that¡¯s left is yours to keep.¡± ¡°Miss, I can¡¯t keep your money!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just money. Besides, it¡¯s a gift for staying with me despite all the changes I''ve been putting you through lately. I know adjusting to my lost memories hasn''t been easy and I want to show you a little appreciation for the effort you''ve shown despite how stressful it''s been." She slipped passed the confused and petrified maid who couldn''t adjust fast enough to her young miss'' newest side, "Now if you excuse me I¡¯m going to Father¡¯s library to try and ease your burden a little. Please let me know when dinner is served.¡± ¡°Yes Miss.¡± Her feet slowly staggered across the small room to collapse on the stool that sat near the small fireplace. How many times would the miss keep shocking her before her hair turned white? She was afraid that the surprises where going to make her an old woman before her time at this rate! While Emma made her way to the library to try and gain some understanding of the mortal realm Frederick had finished recounting things to Julianna who was standing in the family¡¯s private training ring with her longsword over her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re mocking me, aren¡¯t you,¡± the girl¡¯s tone was flat as if convinced that her brother was trying to play some trick on her. ¡°No, never! You know I would never try and play any tricks on you!¡± His forehead began to sweat as fear filled his voice. It was no lie that he¡¯d never lie to the girl, mostly because she was the most frightening thing when mad that he would rather go anger his father. At least the beating would stop when he¡¯d had enough then. ¡°So that little succubus breaks off her marriage without permission and is trying to woo the second prince? Is she trying to ruin our family name or is this just a plot to try and get in with the royal family?¡± The flat of her blade gently bounced on her shoulder as she pondered over what her useless sister could be plotting. Not once did the idea that her sister was a victim of a flirtatious prince cross her mind as all the blame solely lay on the girl¡¯s shoulders. After a moment the blade finally paused as she glanced over at her brother, ¡°Look into where she went today. I¡¯m curious on what that large object is and why she was with the prince.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he spoke with a small nod before pausing as a thought crossed his mind, ¡°And if she is really trying to seduce the prince?¡± Julianna¡¯s face grew cold as a grin broke out onto her lips, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have another reason to punish the little slut.¡± With a shudder the boy left quickly, off to catch the gossip from his favorite bars to see if anyone knew how two equally famous, though in different respects of the word, people managed to end up in front of his home. As one Wrightson heir continued his pub crawl for information downing drink after drink as the stories of what had happened that day grew more and more outrageous, and one trained late into the night as she pushed her body to the limits to hone her abilities while refining her Blood Force to become even purer, the last one was resting in her simple bed, as she digested the books she¡¯d been reading for the last few hours, her gold eyes shut as the misty outline of a gray cat could be seen resting on her chest as she slept. ¡°Argent.¡± The voice broke through her resting mind like a stone tossed into a pond, and caused the girl to bolt upright. Slowly her mind caught up to the differences that surrounded her as it began to wake up. She was no longer a short, mostly plain looking girl who had a simple bed and a contracted Ghost Cat, but she was the Goddess of Healing with her silver hair, porcelain white skin and a bed that was cloud soft. Sitting next to her on the bed was Monica whose curly hair was as the color of the night sky and her skin the red of the setting sun. With a hug the woman pulled her sister close as tears fell on the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re alright. You¡¯re alright,¡± was all that the woman managed to choke out between the sounds of sniffling as the tears fell, soaking Argent¡¯s shoulder. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Gently the younger woman rubbed the sobbing woman¡¯s back, unsure how she¡¯d been able to come back so soon. Had someone broken her seal and allowed her to return? Almost as if she sensed her sister¡¯s question the older woman forced herself to stop crying as she pulled back to look the silver haired woman with her puffy, red eyes. ¡°Sister, I¡¯m so glad to see that you¡¯re well. When I found out you were sent to the Mortal Realm I couldn¡¯t spare a moment for anything else before I found you to make sure you were alright.¡± Excitement blossomed on the younger goddess¡¯ face as she spoke, ¡°So I¡¯m back now, right?¡± The curls shook gently as the the woman looked away from her sister¡¯s hope filled eyes, as a trace of guilt flashed past her face, ¡°I couldn¡¯t break the seal. The Heavenly Punishment Seal that was used is too complex for me to unravel to bring you back. I was only able to penetrate the first layer just enough to bring you into the dream realm and talk to you here. I don¡¯t even think Sol could create such a complex seal. Whomever did this is making sure you stay in the mortal realm.¡± Color drained from Argent¡¯s face, causing her to lose the gentle glow in her cheeks, making her pale skin look more akin to that of a phantom than a goddess. ¡°So I¡¯m stuck living some brat¡¯s miserable life for her?¡± Her forehead thumped down onto her sister¡¯s shoulder as her voice became bitter, ¡°It¡¯s bad enough to be forced to lose all my Divine Force, but to live some dead girl¡¯s life is too much. I mean this child can¡¯t even get a decent meal on her own! I had to go and threaten her servants with a knife to get a decent meal my first night there.¡± ¡°Sister,¡± Monica¡¯s voice was as soft as the night air as she spoke, ¡°the girl isn¡¯t dead. I¡¯m not sure what they did but it looks like you¡¯ve been sealed in her body but instead of lying dormant like you should the girl¡¯s soul has somehow given you control of her body.¡± The head snapped up with a force almost loud enough to crack the air, ¡°So the girl is so uselessly timid she can¡¯t even protect her own body from a foreign soul? By creation I almost want to slap her myself! No good can come from being so passive to give up even your own body!¡± Her voice was just as bitter, and had begun to bite even harder as the idea of some child she¡¯d helped before growing up to be such a waste that she wouldn¡¯t even protect herself when her own life was at risk. The older goddess gently shook her head as she patted her sister¡¯s head gently with one coiled arm, ¡°I doubt it¡¯s that simple sister. I¡¯d assume that you hold such a high place in her heart that she was willing to let you have control because she feels she owes you that much for helping her.¡± The creases in the other woman¡¯s face slowly softened as the idea rolled around her mind. ¡°It¡¯s possible. Still, if she¡¯s so willing to help me the least she could have done is talk to me. Do you know how frustrating the last few days have been? I had no chance of blending into her old life much less even knowing half the people who¡¯ve I¡¯ve met. I¡¯ll claim responsibility for not knowing anything about her realm, but the least the little brat could do is keep me from looking like a mentally damaged idiot in front of her own family!¡± ¡°Now I really do know you¡¯re okay. Only you could take the gift of freedom and complain.¡± The sadness in her still red and puffy eyes had faded slowly as she listened to her sister complain until it was replaced by a loving tenderness, ¡°I can¡¯t keep you here much longer sister, but I need you to promise me to be careful. When you disappeared so did Arthur and Tilly.¡± Argent¡¯s face twisted into a sour look at the names. Arthur, the god of commerce, and Tilly, the goddess of farming were not her favorite siblings. That isn¡¯t to say she hated them, but she had long grown tired of her younger siblings trying to get her to monetize her knowledge of medicine or to expand it to farm animals. She was a personification of medical knowledge, not some deity that was driven by a need for money. And the insistence that she help with the treatment of animals was a slap in her face! She wasn¡¯t born to worry about livestock. Leave that to some other god! She was bothered enough with the constant needs of those seeking healing or inspiration on curing disease. All she ever wanted to do was relax as she watched the stars pass by while enjoying some of Ferric¡¯s finest wines. She had no desire to push to be rich or to stoop to the treatment of animals. Of course that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t have any pride in her role, it was that she handled it like most gods did: subconsciously. Only when a prayer was able to break into her conscious mind did she bother to actually handle it personally. There were other gods who handled each and everyone prayer constantly and individually but such a constant need to answer them didn¡¯t fit her personality. ¡°Any word on where they are?¡± A small shake of the head was all she got in return, ¡°I¡¯ve been using the same method of trying to meet them by tapping into their dreams and feeling for their souls but unlike you I can¡¯t feel them. I don¡¯t know if this means they¡¯ve been trapped in a host body that doesn¡¯t allow them to be in control or if there is something greater going on. Just be careful sister. Dalia is going to keep an eye on you through that cat she sent but even so you know we can¡¯t directly interfere with anything outside of our respective realms. She can only observe and nothing more, so be cautious.¡± The feeling of concern that her sister was giving her kept Argent from arguing back and she gently bit her lower lip while nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. I can¡¯t sit idle though. This brat¡¯s body has the ability of training both her Blood and Magic which means it has a way for me to come home eventually if no other way exists. As soon as I¡¯ve recovered enough strength to create enough Divine Force I¡¯ll be back, even if I have to bring this child¡¯s body with me to do it.¡± Monica smiled gently before she leaned in to gently kiss her sister¡¯s forehead, ¡°Just be careful. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to talk like this with you again so please stay safe. I¡¯d rather have a mortal little sister than one whose soul has been passed onto the Underworld to reincarnate with no memory that she was once the proudest little goddess to ever grace the heavens.¡± ¡°Someone who is more than a head shorter than me should not be calling me ¡®little¡¯.¡± ¡°You¡¯re younger than me by countless eons. You¡¯ll always be little to me, even if you don¡¯t want to admit it.¡± A soft sigh left her lips, ¡°I remember when you were only as tall as my knee. You were so adorable and obedient then. The way you called me ¡®big sis¡¯ made me just want to squeeze you to death.¡± Nostalgia was taking over the older goddess¡¯ face now as her mind drifted back to when her little sister was still a young child of a goddess. A new concept that hadn¡¯t yet matured enough to even think of being as mouthy as she was now. ¡°And your spine cracking hugs is why I don¡¯t call you that anymore,¡± a teasing smile was on the younger one¡¯s lips. ¡°Stay safe for me big sis. I can¡¯t be the only one to be so careful.¡± The force of the hug she got in response snapped her wide awake, jolting the goddess from the imagined realm of her palace bedroom and to the small shack that she was currently forced to call home. As her gold eyes looked about the room she noticed that Amelia had gone, likely to talk to her father about the events of the day. Hopefully without the rubbish of claiming that she let some smelly brat kiss her. What kind of a goddess would just let some mortal kid not even a fraction of her age take liberties with her on purpose? The idea was so insulting it almost seemed to be some sort of a joke! Unable to drift back to sleep her mind instead turned inward as she tried to find and talk to the girl who was hiding in the body that they shared. ¡°Are you there brat?¡± As the city guard called the hours it wasn¡¯t only a noble¡¯s daughter that was unable to sleep, but the very same stinky brat she¡¯d cursed about earlier was stuck pacing about his room, trying to calm down. He didn¡¯t actually need to sleep. As his Mage Force had grown stronger it began to keep his mind and body in excellent condition for days on end, but even his nightly meditation on the elements was impossible as the sight of a certain girl¡¯s calm and emotionless face suddenly turning a bright crimson as his lips accidentally brushed her cheek kept causing his heart to race. He was truly innocent, at least in his own mind, as all he intended was to tease her a little but bending in close to whisper in her ear with an offer to help train her Mage Gates if she could heal them enough to open them, but he just turned slightly towards her cheek when she moved a little and his lips had accidently brushed against the girl¡¯s soft cheek. Strangely he didn¡¯t hate the accident though as the way she¡¯d turned the a brilliant shade of red driven an arrow into his heart, causing him to feel a sensation he¡¯d never noticed before. The way the girl was almost glowing red as her ears twitched when she was embarrassed was a sight that made him not regret the small accident and instead desire to tease her more. He wanted to see more of the girl¡¯s reactions to things. Her red cheeks, a trembling and pouting lip, a smile that could cause the most beautiful flower to look withered in comparison...he wanted to see it all and more. With one of his many countless sighs that night he once again crossed the large bedroom slowly, as an unfamiliar desire burned in his chest. It wasn¡¯t a desire that he understood in his young age, but he didn¡¯t shun it either. No other woman had ever prompted such a feeling in him before, and to find such an interesting girl who did wasn¡¯t a loss in his mind, even if it did throw his thoughts into chaos and make his training that much harder. A gentle smile slipped onto his lips once more as the sight of her blushing face slipped across his mind as his pacing feet slowly whiled the night away. Chapter Six: Gentle Roughness Slowly a month passed with Emma falling into a routine. First she would rise with the sun and do conditioning drills under the guidance of the lead trainer, then breakfast, then she''d spend most of the day reading to soak in as much about the world as possible, then dinner and a bath, followed by trying to coax the real Emma out of hiding once Amelia left her alone for the night. This was her fixed pattern from sunrise until well past when the moon would rise everyday. Other than the few servants she dealt with and the guard who was helping her improve her conditioning the young girl didn''t bother leaving the house, nor did she meet with anyone. And while her understanding and physical condition were both improving immensely everyday, the lack of a break was making her heart ache for her simpler routines in the heavens, not to mention some good wine. Sadly there was an obstacle to getting her hands on some good wine: Amelia. No one could fault the woman for her prudence in not letting the young miss potentially turn into a useless drunk just after she set her feet on a better path, but the relationship between them began to get a little strained as the younger woman refused to actually say anything to her for over a week in protest. It was enough to turn a servant''s hair white with stress. On the third week the schedule shifted slightly as her medicine had been prepared and tested. The effects actually startled the old doctor as he felt the bottleneck his own Blood Force had been finally crumble under the effects allowing him to finally reach the fourth stage of refinement despite his advanced age. With her own gates healing Emma¡¯s training began taking up the first half of the day with her studies being restricted to after lunch. With this new regime to stabilize her healing body and slowly trigger her Blood Force she began learning the basics of using a halberd in combat as well as pushing her body closer to opening her first Blood Gate. ¡°Damn it little girl! It''s been over a month already! You don¡¯t have to come out, but talking would be nice!¡± Her irritation turned her normal nightly talk to herself into something more of an angered growl to herself. ¡°What little girl?¡± The voice was soft, but familiar. Her eyes shot over to the corner of the moonlit room, catching sight of a familiar white clad figure standing just inside the window across the room. As she recognized the young man a ball of ice began to form in her stomach. ¡°What kind of rogue sneaks into a lady''s room at the middle of the night?¡± Her expression reflected annoyance rather than the concern she was feeling in him hearing her. Charles didn¡¯t meet her accusatory stare, his eyes looking away from where she sat on the bed as his face reddened a little, ¡°The kind who just found out that your gates have recovered and rushed over to help you open your first mage gate?¡± Her expression softened a little as his innocent excitement caught her off guard. He knew about her having both gates and didn¡¯t ask anything of her because of it but instead was offering to secretly help her? It was hard to not feel touched by his actions. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t hold it against you this time. Though I won¡¯t agree with a man sneaking into my room in the future.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t sneak in?¡± His expression seemed to improve a little as he asked the question, though his eyes still didn¡¯t meet hers. She mulled his question over. It didn¡¯t seem unreasonable, but there was a strange feeling that seemed to be separate from her that said it wasn¡¯t completely innocent. She squashed the feeling down unconsciously. What could a little brat like him do anyways? ¡°If it''s not sneaking it''s fine.¡± His wide eyes met hers as his mouth hung open for a moment before it bloomed into a smile so brilliant it caused her senses to go dull. She frowned as she spoke, a clear note of disapproval in her voice, ¡°You keep grinning like that and I¡¯ll revoke your visitation privileges completely.¡± Charles took a moment to try and regain his composure, as his face fought a losing battle against that smile. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I just thought you¡¯d chase me off with a broom or something.¡± Her eyes rolled at his barely contained excitement as she made a mental note to keep a better eye on the little brat in the future lest he try to take advantage of her again. ¡°Quit being so disgusting and explain what you had in mind when you said you could help me open a gate.¡± He fiddled with his hands as he spoke, ¡°Since I have some Space Element I thought I could share it with you to help jump start opening your first gate.¡± He paused and looked to make sure she wasn''t glaring at him again. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t he continued with a little more excitement, ¡°I mean normally it wouldn''t be enough to just open the gate directly but since your affiliate is so high I thought it might. Plus I thought I could teach you a little once it''s open?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Emma sat quietly for a moment as she considered the offer. ¡°And what do you want in exchange for this?¡± His face went pale before regaining that slight tint of a blush as something crossed his mind. He visibly struggled with the options available before finally speaking, ¡°Could I know why you were trying to talk to some little girl?¡± Her eyes seemed pained as they began to threaten to tear up. ¡°Maybe in the future,¡± her voice said softly. ¡°Somethings are just too big to say casually.¡± His chest ached to see her so torn by his request, but he forced the feeling down as he walked over to sit next to her and gently rub her head to calm her down. ¡°It¡¯s alright, just tell me when you¡¯re ready. How about we work on opening that first gate instead?¡± --- Amelia was not normally one to bother her mistress at night after visiting the girl¡¯s father with her reports, but this night she found herself standing outside the door in shock. She¡¯d only returned to relay some information from the girl¡¯s father only to hear a conversation between Emma and a male voice that sounded like familiar. ¡°It¡¯s a little lower,¡± the girl grumbled. ¡°Here?¡± His voice wasn¡¯t loud, but standing next to the door Amelia could still hear him clear enough. ¡°Ouch! Are you sure you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s my first time doing this, but I¡¯m well studied on the technique.¡± ¡°Next time say that first!¡± ¡°If I did would you allow me to do it?¡± A small pause passed between the voices. ¡°I thought so. Now are you sure you want to leave your clothes on?¡± ¡°What woman would allow a man like you see them naked?¡± The male voice got a little softer, ¡°I hear there are a lot of them actually¡­¡± ¡°Pig. Just hurry up and get it over with. This is embarrassing for you to be staring at me like that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll start feeling better here in a moment.¡± Amelia¡¯s face grew paler as she continued to listen before she managed to shake herself loose from her shock. With a slam the door slammed open to reveal a pair of people sitting on Emma¡¯s bed, one behind the other with the other having a hand on the girl¡¯s back. ¡°Oh thank the gods you¡¯re still pure Mistress.¡± Emma¡¯s face turned a shade of red that neither of the other two had seen before, ¡°Get your mind out of the chamberpot! Who in their right mind would give their chastity to this cad? He¡¯s only helping me open my first gate early.¡± It was the truth, mostly. Only it was her mage gate and not a blood gate as would be assumed by most. Color quickly returned to the maid¡¯s face as she realized that she was thankfully mistaken about what was actually going on behind that door. A large sigh escaped her lips before she began to realize there was a still a problem in front of her. ¡°But mistress, there is still the matter of a boy sneaking into your room in the middle-¡± Emma didn¡¯t give her a chance to finish as she shot the protesting woman a cold look through narrowed eyes, ¡°What boy? I don¡¯t see one here.¡± ¡°The one behind-¡± Emma¡¯s voice was firmer now, ¡°What boy? Like I¡¯ve said, I don¡¯t see one here.¡± Charles had to lower his head as his shoulders began to tremble in silence at the way the girl used a small detail to somehow remain truthful. Of course she couldn¡¯t see him when he was sitting behind her! ¡°Now, why did you come barging in here like a third-class thief in the night Amelia?¡± ¡°That is, well the matter is-¡± the poor woman stammered, trying to choke out her original message. ¡°Calm down and breathe. We¡¯ve got all night.¡± With a heavy sigh Amelia finally got her thoughts back in order, ¡°I just met with your father and he informed me that he¡¯s approved a duel between you and Sixth Mistress to take place in a month.¡± Emma¡¯s eyebrows shot up, ¡°Really now? What in the world is that old fart thinking now?¡± Charles started shaking again as he realized that not even the girl¡¯s own family was safe from her venom. Truly she was the most interesting person he¡¯d met. ¡°I understand. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± ¡°But Mistress, a girl and a boy shouldn¡¯t be alone in a room unless they¡¯re married.¡± ¡°I fail to see a problem since I don¡¯t see any boys here.¡± Amelia slumped in defeat at the girl¡¯s stubborn desire to shelter the boy for some reason. Seeing herself out she left for her own bed in the servant¡¯s quarters. With the problem of interference out of the way Emma finally turned to look at the boy behind her with a grin on her face, ¡°Since we¡¯ve got a lot less time now how many gates do you think you can help me open in a month?¡± Charles grinned back, ¡°Depends on how rough you¡¯ll let me be I think.¡± Remembering the feeling of him probing the gate for a weak point to leverage it open with his own space element the cockiness on the girl faded a little, ¡°Do you think you can be rough with it...gently?¡± Not able to make a sound Charles started trembling in amusement once more.