2

In the vast darkness of nothingness did a single existence float freely. No signs of life in any direction, no howling wind or patter of raindrops, just a single soul floating through the vast emptiness – until awakened from its deep slumber.

'Where am I? What's going on? I can't move!'

No voice gave rise to speech for the drifting soul. Panic and fear overcame it as helplessness flooded its existence. Its sense of self returning. Desperate in its actions by trying to do whatever it could to gain some semblance of its whereabouts did fractions of memories begin to reform and take shape as the wandering soul reaffirmed who it was. The woman, the attacker, then the pain from an amber pommelled dagger thrust directly into his stomach, then his chest and finally death soon after. As more memories of his past began to flood in, the now growing existence began to take on the pronounced shape of a humanoid silhouette. Slowly the emotions of panic and helplessness began to fade as an eerie sense of serene acceptance and frosted tranquillity started taking grip over his emotions.

Recent memories took priority. Next came his name, Bryan. Then over time more of his memories slowly reconstructed or re-emerged from the hazy fog he'd awoken from. His birth, his parents, his acquaintances. All of his life was on full display to him, yet, what seemed like someone who lived for forty years, the overview of his life felt like nothing more than an exhausted echo. He wanted to feel sad at the time he wasted, anguish at the opportunities he missed. Yet his emotions had been shackled, forever bathed in the cold serenity of wherever this pitch void was that he existed in.

Aiming to distract himself, Bryan decided to assess his overall state of self. Interestingly his body took on the shape of a wispy silhouette similar to his previous body. Examining his ghostly self he noticed no signs of the wounds that should have been left from the dagger piercing him. What did catch his attention however, was the soft glow of gold located near his stomach and his heart, though his stomach's glow was slightly off compared to where his wound should have been. As if noticing Bryan's awareness of it's existence that soft orange glow started to fade in and out gently, a soothing warmth began slowly suffusing throughout his soul, melting the icy tranquillity that once covered him. Following suite the golden light within him glowed brighter giving the void around a small ambience of warmth and safety.

'So… now what? I just float here?'

The golden light was his only companion within this desolate emptiness with its soothing pulses softly acting as a beacon of comfort. Yet that thought soon vanished as off into the distance Bryan soon spotted another light, it too appeared gold in nature but had a much brighter radiance compared to his – pulsing softly off in the distance. Gradually, however, the pulses of the distant light began to rapidly increase as its area of influence began to expand, no longer was it just a pulsing flicker of gold in the dark but now becoming brighter and larger with each pulse until suddenly. It shattered. A firework of golden shards flew off into every direction. The once black void had now become the background for the myriad of golden flecks that scattered throughout it's dark tapestry, as if stars in the night sky.

'…'

In awe, Bryan watched on as within the blanket of golden stars did a cluster of similarly coloured threads begin to spread out from a singular point where the brightest of the fragmented stars was located. These threads wove through the open pitch and connected themselves to the closest smallest star they could reach. From there a pattern followed where a single thread connecting to a star would release two more thinner threads, searching for more beacons to connect to. In time, a branching array of threads had interconnected themselves between all the stars that had been released.

Bryan's gaze followed the road of threads which slowly began to thicken as the majority conjoined into a single area which now pulsed again with a soft amber glow and gave off the impression of a golden oval. Then to his surprise, he noticed his own ethereal self begin to pulse more frequently, yet, no fear or panic arose as the warmth from the glow within continued its gentle embrace over his soul.

Despite his earlier impressions however, rather than bursting into nothing but golden flecks of light, his existence started to shift. No longer drifting freely in the open space. Now, he was being pulled. Directly towards an oval glowing gold matching his own. Weaving under and between all the threaded roots of amber as his existence drew closer to the large light, did it become clear just how grand of a scale this entire network of pathways was compared to his own insignificance. Soon, however, his entire being had reached it's supposed target. His existence pulled into the gargantuan oval as intense heat flooded through his senses, that same familiar warmth echoed throughout him as blissful serenity swept over his mind.

'If this is death… Then I can be at peace with this…'

A peaceful acceptance to his life before was his answer. To all that he had witnessed throughout his existence did he offer himself to the embrace of the golden light – submerging in its comfort. Losing all sense of self once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A darkly lit room welcomed Bryan upon his second awakening. Gone was the void and the golden lights only a limited sense of movement as well as an overwhelming cluster of physical discomfort welcomed him back. He was laying down in what appeared to be a bed of sorts. Severe exhaustion seeped throughout his entire body, preventing him from gaining further clarity to his whereabouts. His mind blanketed by an obscuring fog as echoes of images and voices played out in his mind only to be ignored over his intensely dry throat.

"Water…"

A muffled noise that sounded to be a gasp was heard somewhere and not two seconds later was a straw thrust into his mouth. The cool soothing oasis of liquid soothed his parched throat giving way to a satisfied quenching of thirst, yet, his overall strength was still much too little and slowly once more, darkness crept up on his consciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An unknown amount of time passed since he last awoke. This time was different though. Bryan's mind felt clear and fresh whereas his body felt energetic and strong. That is until a small tinge of pain rippled through his head, memories that were fragmented slowly started to be placed back together again piece by piece. A child…

Leonard was his name. He'd been living his life peacefully without a worry in the world. Two older siblings and two loving parents. A home which to Bryan's familiarity was on par to a small mansion along with a small staff of servants. Then a sickness took Leonard or it appeared so in his memories, high temperature, severe exhaustion, intense dehydration. More memories began to flood in and piece by piece it came to appear as though the young child once known as Leonard had passed on.

Bryan's consciousness was wracked with guilt and sadness upon coming to this knowledge. The young individual known as Leonard had as much potential as any other child in what their possible future could be. Yet, whatever that future held now no longer existed. Doing what he could to stifle his emotions in any way Bryan slowly sat himself up from his bed which was much too large for someone that was Leonard's age. Looking towards the window, the outside light gave the impression it was at least midday and the light pouring through lit up the room showing off the tudoresque rooms décor. Indecision filled his mind on how to proceed from here, whatever memories he'd inherited from Leonard had already informed him that this was no longer Earth. Going forward he'd need to think about how to proceed.

All too soon however, the door to the room was quietly opened and a woman stepped through carrying a basin of water and a towel. What seemed to be a stoic face with near unblemished skin, eyes of dark grey pools to which one could get themselves lost in highlighted her appearance. They were covered by rounded glasses only leaving her thin defined eyebrows visible above. A small nose with soft looking lips, her black hair was woven neatly into a top braided bun. As finally her outfit gave no false impression that her occupation was that of a maid albeit a tad bit stylish. Unable to stop himself Bryan let the words of the persons identity escape his lips.

"Mari-"

*gasp*!

An immediate gasp escaped the woman's lips as she stared at the young boy sitting up, his healthy complexion to his light soft skin and the brightness of life vividly displaying his innocent brown childish eyes caused her a momentary lapse in awareness. However, her awareness rallied as she spurred forward to the young child's side as he observed her actions from his seat.

"Master Leonard!"

Worry and concern echoed in her voice. She was already by his side by the time she finished his name, gracefully placing whatever she had been holding in her hands to the side without causing a mess as all her attention had now been refocused on him. Placing both her hands on his face she quickly took a deep look into Leonard's eyes observing to see if any signs of danger were present, those dark pools attempting to delve into his own soul in hopes that nothing was wrong.

"Stay in bed and don't get up. I'll tell your mother that you've awoken."

Her voice commanding but undertones of happiness and relief betrayed her stern countenance. Without waiting for a response she left Leonard's side and immediately ran towards the door and into the halls. Left on his own again, Leonard couldn't help but look inwardly – mocking himself almost with his first interaction with someone in this new life.

'Even though the memories I inherited from you tell me so… but you really were loved in this home weren't you?'

Breaking him from his small mental anguish, the door into the room burst open once more and at its entrance stood an incredibly beautiful, well endowed, blonde haired woman. Eyes of evanescent emerald looked at him with abject urgency only to be immediately soothed upon realisation her son was healthy and had awoken from his sickness. Shocked by her appearance, Leonard knew who this woman was and couldn't help but realise a small lump began to build up in his throat upon seeing her.

"Moth-"

No chance to speak out again, he was within her embrace in mere moments, a desperate death like grip surrounded him as small whimpers escaped his mothers lips.

"Oh Leonard, thank the Gods. You're awake. You're safe."

That same lump in his throat that appeared upon her entrance only rose in prominence giving way for his own feelings to spill over. With tears welling up in his eyes and the strength leaving him as this woman smothered his existence with her love, only the repeated soft mutterings of sadness and guilt were able to escape his lips, "I'm sorry." His voice straining to release the turmoil he felt within.

"Shhhh shhhh, it's okay now. It's all fine. You're safe now and the worst is over."

Softly combing her hand through Leonard's brown hair, tears fell from his eyes as the intense release of his emotions overcame him. Drifting back off to sleep, his mother Ailene gently cradled him in her arms.

"Tell me Marie." Her voice spoken soft so as not to disturb her son, "How close were we to losing him?"

Silence followed her question until Marie spoke out the truth with no hiding the reality they could have experienced, "the severe deterioration of his body caused by his awakening caught us all unawares. It's recorded that only members of the royal family have awoken their cores at ages as young as his, so only they would have some semblance of knowledge with dealing with it." She stopped speaking as her voice changed to but a whisper. "In all honesty, he shouldn't have survived given the intensity of it all. However, I'm happy to admit my incorrectness given how healthy he now appears."

Absorbing Marie's words, Ailene looked softly at the sleeping face of her son.

"It would seem we made the right choice in having Emilia's presence here…" A silent sigh of relief accompanying her foresight as a mother.

"I'll stay with him a while longer before I put him back to bed. Could you please send word to Bren that Leonard is safe. Also inform the children too when they are home but please keep them from seeing him for tonight, we'll all see him tomorrow when he's more stable." A motherly smile adorned her face as she looked down at her cradled child.

"As you wish my Lady". Bowing, Marie left the room, softly closing the door behind her giving both mother and child their time together in peace…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was late into the evening at this point. Having already laid her still sleeping son softly back into the embrace of his bed Ailene leaned forward, giving him a soft kiss on his forehead. Looking down on his sleeping face as she sat on the side of the bed brushing parts of his hair off to the side, reflecting back on the myriad of emotions she and her family had experienced upon her son's early awakening.

They had been eating breakfast like any other morning and Leonard was leaving early as he rushed his food, excited for the chance for him to begin his first lessons with his new teacher. His older sister Illiana had been telling him stories about how beautiful and intelligent Emilia was, making explanations easy to understand and how she would make him incredibly smart and strong. Her two youngest could always brighten her mornings whenever they got together as they did.

At such thoughts, Ailene let out a soft smile as she continued looking down at his face only for that smile to vanish when the memories of what followed resurfaced.

Getting up from his table and then readying to dash off Leonard was mid stride when a vibration of air pulsed from his body resonating with everyone in the household. She remembers the shocked looks of everyone in the room including the waiting staff of both Marie and Jenson. Realisation of what had just happened lead to a burst of immediate joy for Leonard, having just awoken his mana core only for that feeling to be soundly crushed with panic and fear as she watched her son collapse onto the floor.

Rushing to his side her husband was already there with immediate swiftness checking his body over for signs of danger as cries from her children shouted out his name in fright. Even her eldest, Ashton broke his cold mask as he voiced worry and concern about his younger brother. Then from there a nightmarish week ensued for everyone in the household. Leonard was bedridden and his signs of life were incredibly weak, he was constantly under supervision. Deciding herself to stay by his side herself whenever it was possible. Illiana, bless her soul, wanted to do as much as she could for Leonard along with Ashton – taking on whatever tasks he could to help alleviate some of the burdens the adults were facing.

Personally, she'd forcibly taken leave from work within the city, assigning messengers to carry out her orders as she remained within the house by her sons side. At the time she acted on her emotions, ignoring the possible ramifications of what that would entail for her later down the line, but she could deal with those matters when she returned. The fear of losing her son taking precedence above all else.

Letting out a small sigh Ailene brought her hand back, leaning forward gently pressing her forehead against his releasing a soft whisper of emotion, "stay strong my little knight." Pulling herself away from the bed she silently made her way towards the bedroom door, exiting the room and leaving her son to his dreams.

Upon leaving she was surprised to see that her husband Brenton, was there waiting for her standing across the hallway. His caring and concerned expression creating a strong contrast to his handsomely rugged features, short cut back brown hair along with strong brown eyes and a body that was well trained for any accomplished knight. Upon seeing that his wife was leaving his sons room, visible relief was on full display as they both silently rushed to embrace one another in each others arms.

"He's safe. The worst of his awakening is over and now he mostly needs time to rest and recover his strength." Gently voiced words reassured her husbands worries as she felt the tension in his shoulders fade away , allowing himself to fall deeper into her embrace.

"Thank the Gods. And thank you my love." He held her tighter, scared at the thought of losing anything precious in his life at all.

His shared feelings of relief were returned in full as she too tightened her own embrace around him. The fear of losing her son only all to recent for her to truly accept that Leonard was truly safe. Pulling slightly back to look her husband in the eyes as they maintained a distanced embrace, "We need to thank Emilia when we get the chance, without her I dare not think how Leonard might have fared."

He nodded in acquiescence to his wife's statement, Emilia was an incredibly talented person whose knowledge and ability dwarfed over many within the entirety of the kingdom; never mind the duchy. Meaning, wherever she went she was always welcomed respectfully and ensured proper hospitality and accommodations. This however also lead to her being a very difficult person to deal with, always expecting to be waited on and the sheer audacity she took when using her name to gain certain privileges would cause others to choke over.

A sigh escaped him as he could only quietly complain to her. "The only reason that she's here is because of a bet she lost against us. I can't help but worry about what she's expecting us to reimburse her with for this added 'assistance' of hers."

Ailene giggled softly at his worry, "Oh please, she's very self indulgent but she's not heartless. Her even following through with her promise is proof of that." Pushing herself closer to him again only to rest her head on his shoulder."Honestly though, we would be lost without her. I don't know what we'd have done without her knowledge and ability in helping Leonard."

Enjoying his warmth for a silent moment after voicing her words she squeezed her husband once more before pulling back from his embrace. Looking into his eyes she leaned upwards tenderly kissing him on the lips a tired smile on her face, "bed?"

He nodded, tiredness of his own showing on his face until his eyes flickered to the side and an amused smile appeared on his face as his attention was drawn to the wall next to Leonards door. Following his line of sight Ailene turned around and saw Marie with her back to wall quietly waiting on the two as they were lost in their own world.

"Marie?!" Flustered and pushing herself away from her husband, Ailene lost her composure not knowing that Marie was presently in their company and had observed their entire interaction just now. "I-I didn't know you were there, you should have said something."

"Not at all my lady, ensuring that I am nearby when you need me is a requirement as not only your maid but also your assistant." Her stoicism not helping the situation.

Watching his wife's fumbling distress at realizing Marie had seen their little moment of affection he decided to spare her from further embarrassment, "Marie, please watch over Leonard for the remainder of the evening and alert us if anything should change in his condition. I'll pass word onto Jenson that you'll have minimal duties tomorrow and can take it easy."

Nodding at his orders.

"Understood. Though you needn't worry about my work load howe-"

"Marie." Gentle strength voiced his words as he cut her off.

"You've worked just as hard as Ailene has over this past week. Rest. I know two happy volunteers who are more than willing to be of assistance in taking care of their brother tomorrow."

A small silence rested until she seceded.

"I understand." Bowing towards both Brenton and Ailene she quietly entered Leonard's room leaving the couple to themselves.

Straining a smile as he looked back his recovered wife, "you think she was upset with my suggestion?"

A small sigh escaped her lips, "No, she's fine. I think she just wanted to be on hand for Leonard's recovery, but she does need a break after the chaos from this past week." Looking fully into her husbands eyes now she couldn't help but raise another issue.

"Speaking of Marie… You knew she was there from the beginning didn't you?" Ailene's eyes narrowed accusingly at him.

A soft chuckle and a sprinkle of amusement filled his voice responding, "now, to be fair..."

Closing the distance between them and pulling her closer with arms around her waist.

"All my attention was drawn to the most beautiful woman ever that exited the room before me. Seeing the tired look in her eyes I couldn't help but want to offer her my shoulder to lean on for support."

"Uh-huh" a raised eyebrow and a non believing response was all he received at his failed attempt in swaying her. Undeterred. He pressed onwards, speaking with warmth and a gentle smile.

"Truly. If not for me knowing how much of a wonderful mother you already are with us having raised two children together, seeing your commitment to Leonard's well-being only made me fall deeper in love with you if such a thing were possible."

Cupping her face with one hand and staring into those emerald eyes of hers.

"And from my heart, we've been through too much together, I couldn't care less if anyone saw me showing the woman I love the affection she deserves."

She struggled to resist the rise of her lips creeping upwards into a smile, she hated that comforting voice of his; it was something he only shared with her. Sending her heart into a flutter and washing away any disgruntlements they shared. She simply resigned herself to the moment as she fully pulled herself back into his arms, head on his chest, releasing a satisfied sigh in his embrace.

Another quiet moment was shared between the two before the deciding question came into play from Brenton.

"Bed?"

"Bed."

Not fully breaking their embrace, walking side by side with her arm hooked around his, walking side by side as they headed off to their chambers to retire for the evening, knowing that tomorrow would be just as busy day with Leonard's recovery being a priority.