True Beginning (6)

"Is it finally time to venture into the capital, big brother?"

I looked at Mary and grinned in response to her question, "Yup!"

I don't know how many people actually believed I could do it, but I'd finished my training in three months, just like I promised. Now it was time to make the dangerous journey into our empire's capital, and find an information guild to suit my needs.

"I'll make the necessary preparations," Mary nodded, and excused herself from my room.

She had turned eleven the beginning of that year, during Damien and I's long months of torture. Somehow, it made her seem even more grown up. Though, in many ways, she was still very much a child.

We hadn't held a huge party for her or anything. Girls under the age of sixteen who hadn't debuted in high society usually celebrated any birthdays before that with small family gatherings. For Mary, that meant Ymir, Damien, and I sitting around her bedchambers chanting happy birthday and eating cake.

My friends questioned me about the strange new song, but I kept my mouth shut.

None of our other family members came to celebrate the occasion with us. Mary told me they'd forgotten, and I wanted to rip their faces off right there, but she calmed me down with the reassurance that she preferred it this way. She said she'd rather celebrate with people who actually loved her, and not a bunch of strangers who claimed to be her family.

I understood completely.

Isani's birthday was soon to follow as well. His in the spring, just around the corner. Just before I'd transmigrated into this body, that's when Isani had turned twenty-two. It was strange to think about. My birthday being in spring now. I was a winter baby in my past life, like Mary.

Ymir too shared a springtime birth season with me, and I was looking forward to us celebrating together. I asked Damien, and he told me demi-humans didn't celebrate birthdays, but if he had to guess, he was around the same age as me. I guess they didn't keep track at all.

Once again alone in my room, Damien and I locked heads.

"Show me once more," I commanded.

"Master, you really do have it down. Experience in the field is the only that will improve your abilities now."

"I know, I just want to confirm that I can do it again."

Damien laughed lightly and nodded in acquiescence. "Alright, are you ready?"

I braced myself, "Yes."

Then, from the palm of his hand, Damien conjured a bolt of lighting that flew across the room in my direction, moving faster than light.

But it was okay.

Just before the attack hit me directly in the torso, I put up a barrier in front of me, large enough to cover my upper body, and translucent as water. The shield looked as though it was made from ice, but in reality, was stronger than any material on the planet.

"You're getting even better at the fine control of size and shape, master. Perhaps I was wrong about the need for field experience. You have a natural talent."

"No Damien, I believe you are still right. I have a long way to go. I still have trouble conjuring anything smaller than my whole body."

"But that is in stark contrast to when you first started. Your shield would cover half the field in our mock battles."

I nodded; it was true.

One might think that a fine control of defense magic meant enlarging the size of the barrier in order to protect a wider area. And while that could be handy in certain situations, the truth was large barriers were difficult to maintain. They required drawing on an immense amount of nature's energy, which in turn, took a serious effect on the body. It was better to learn how to shrink the size of one's shield and protect only the threatened area of the body, to conserve strength. At least, that was the case for close range melee battles. In the occasion I needed to protect several people at once, I could still make a much larger protector.

I smiled at Damien, "I don't think I've thanked you properly for all that you've taught me. It's funny, really I should be the one calling you 'master', not the other way around."

Damien smiled back, "Why I have no objections to whatever you wish to call me, I think you are incorrect, master. The reason I refer to you so, is because in a way, I truly revere you. Ever since I learned I was a king candidate at a very young age, I waited my whole life for you to awaken, so I could finally come and meet the one I was tied to by fate. You are more than friend and brother to me, you are my very reason for existing."

I blushed and looked away. Hearing him talk like that still made me uncomfortable. I just couldn't understand putting such blind faith in someone before you had even met them properly. I admired Damien for it. To me, that kind of trust in people took guts.

"Anyway, we'd better get ready to go to. Ready to cast illusion magic?"

"Whenever you are ready, master."

At nearly the exact same time, both of us cast very similar spells. As we watched ourselves in the mirror, Damien's beautiful jet-black hair slowly faded into a more muted brown color, and his eyes lightened to the color of the sky. He was still too handsome for his own good though.

As for me, I decided to go with dark red hair, and green eyes, like Ymir's. We still stood out, but neither of us had the defining features of any kind of noble. Originally, I had wanted to go blonde, but I would have looked to similar to my older brother Wyatt then.

We then quickly packed any necessary items we would need for the journey, and Mary was back in the room, a little shocked at first to see our changed appearances. Though it had been her suggestion to go disguised as servants.

"Red? Really?" She looked at me skeptically.

"What? It suits me!" I said and flipped what little hair I had to the side.

She laughed aloud as if I'd made some great joke and turned to Damien.

"You look lovely!" She said.

"Hey!" I protested. But she ignored me.

"Come on then, the carriage is ready, let's get a move on."

And so we all headed out the door to the carriage awaiting us.

So then why was Gillian standing outside the doors to the estate, waiting for us?

Damien and I quickly pulled our hoods further up over our heads and looked to the ground in an attempt to hide our faces. We stood far to the back, among the other servants, but I thought about revealing myself when Gillian spoke.

"Who gave you permission to go to the capital?" Gillian reeled at Mary in her terribly high-pitched voice.

"Father did," Mary answered, unimpressed by her mother's stern scolding.

Gillian's face went red, "Then why wasn't I informed?"

"I suppose that's because this matter had nothing to do with your grace."

I noticed right away Mary did not refer to Gillian as 'mother' anymore.

"Nothing to do with me?" She shrieked, "I am your mother! Already I have been too lenient, letting you spend so much time with that bastard," she was referring to me, "But now you go and blatantly disrespect me? I won't tolerate it!"

So she was aware of Mary and I's close relationship. I suppose it would have been hard to hide after so long, but Mary just rolled her eyes.

"I did not intend to disrespect you mother; I simply spoke the truth. This trip in inconsequential. I received permission from father only after assuring him I would be quick and not cause any trouble. I'm just going on retreat, to escape the harsh winter weather that is a result of our close location to the mountain ranges."

Gillian did not take notice of Mary's eye rolling, but she was obviously not satisfied at all with this response, "I don't care how inconsequential it is, I deserve to be informed."

Mary's tiny fists shook with anger, and I could see her restraining herself from lashing out. Unfortunately, Mary did not have the same power over Gillian as I would. She was the lowest ranking member in our family, and therefore had to answer to her mother whether she liked it or not. Should I really step in? I thought.

Mary took a deep, calming breath, and replied to Gillian in a neutral tone.

"I apologize for having offended you, your grace. Next time, I will be sure to inform you of my intentions. I beg that you let me continue with this particular journey however, as preparations have already been made."

Gillian glared at her daughter. But she protested no further.

"Fine," she huffed, "Do not let this happen again."

I let out a sigh of relief, and Gillian turned back into the manor. Carefully, I approached Mary from behind.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She took another deep breath and smiled, "I'll be fine. Let's get going."

I watched as Mary made her way to the carriage and I thought about how frightened she looked just then, standing in opposition to her mother. Her whole life, she had been controlled by Gillian. It must have been difficult for Mary to raise even the slightest question of reason around her mother. I was proud she had done so today. It was a small victory, but no less important.

I ran up beside her as she was climbing into the carriage and put my hand on her shoulder, "Good job."

She looked at me with grateful eyes, and then we were off.

Finally, it was time to make use of my golden spoon.