Conspiracy

"So she is on the move?" Magister Valis Cornma, Lord of the Seven Isles, muttered. Peering into a letter written by the King within a spacious room consumed with scrolls and armor. With a large bay window pulling sunlight in, Valis lowered the King's letter.

"Yes, Magister," Stated Sir Graymore, covered in a heavy Gauze. "It has been two fortnights since Duke Blackwater left Valmor."

"An what of the scouts we had tailing them?" Questioned Magister Valis, rising from his chair with a twisted expression upon his middle-aged appearance.

Watching the handsome gentleman with long dark hair tied in a ponytail, Sir Greymore shook his head in dismay, "Dead your grace, Cor slaughtered them all. He... he also left a message."

"And I am sure it revolves around fucking my wife, correct?" Magister Valis softly said, his fingers tracing a ruby ring upon his ring finger, "Gather a team, Loyal, only to our Order. Also, take that trash within our cellars. Aurelia Morningstar is our target. We need her alive! Duke Blackwater believes this is about him use that against him. We need that girl no matter the cost. We were late finding her, but she will be ours."

"Yes, your grace, from the last reports, we know their destination should be between the Mountains of Morsran or The Lake of Reflection." Sir Greymore explained in a troubled tone.

"Head to the Lake of Reflection. Such a forest is perfect to train. If you find an opportunity to take the girl, that is your top priority, and second is the death of Duke Blackwater himself."

"There has yet to be any reports of his Acana, Your Grace. And the King would never gift a title to a random man, much less a child." Greymore begrudgingly replied, remembering the indifference he held towards Cor and his battle with Innis.

"That is why we were testing him before, and we shall continue till he reveals something. Send word to Fort Grava near the Lake of Reflection. Let them have the first take. It will take a while for you to arrive. Now you may leave. May the Guiding Star of Azalea bless thy path,"

Slapping his fist against his chest, Sir Greymore turned, taking his leave with haste, bringing a weary sighed to Magister Valis. "Why now? War could be upon us at any moment, yet the Order wishes for a three-year-old child? What are they thinking?"

...

...

...

"Damn it!" Duke Blackwater Screamed in dismay, "Are we there yet?"

Covering her mouth, Innis giggled, "of course not, my lord, we have about another week. Maybe more should the weather prove difficult!"

"We have mechanical horses that do not need to rest. Are you really saying that even traveling day and night, it will still take a week?" Asked Zireael in a desperate tone, "I know I should have brought a game or something. They just dropped a new character on smash!"

"Maybe you should train to get your mind off such things." Said Talia smirking towards her annoyed Lord.

"I train every day; I just do it differently from you all. Unlike yourself, my skill set is on another different plain entirely." Zireael told, looking back from his window at the young girl running with a large boulder twice her size being dragged behind her by a long rope.

Watching the dark ointment upon her skin fading, Talia frowned, "why has she not entered the first stage yet? I find it quite odd there she still remains mortal. Even those that are trash would have entered the refinement stages by now."

"I do not know; I found it strange she didn't enter the first stage the time she battled with Lord Zireael, but I simply figured her body needed more time before it connected. Now, however, I am not too sure," said Innis with a troubled expression.

"Oh, I am doing that. Did I forget to say that?" Lord Zireael voice to their shock. "I personally didn't want her just to breakthrough. I needed her to believe her talent was not that great. What is genius without hard work?"

"Your sick!" Innis suddenly shouted, covering her mouth at her mistake.

"You two are really something. You do know other Lords would have you hanged talking to them as such?" Zireael, annoyingly, stated, pressing his palm upon his cheek, "Maybe I am too nice. Whatever just let her suffer for now. It will build character."

"Lord Zireael, do you understand what you are doing is fucked up?" Talia suddenly inquired

Scrunching his brow Zireael frowned. " How so? With a little suffering, she will build her willpower. Such things are rare in the World of Magic."

"My lord, she is three," Innis explained in a mutter.

Staring at the two like they were stupid, Zireael didn't even bother to reply. To him, age had nothing to do with anything. He had seen kids murder their own parents at Aurelia's age. Why should a mere number indicating age dictate his steps?

Turning to her partner, Innis sighed, "Lord Zireael, if you keep pushing Aurelia like this, she may simply give up cultivation. You are simply teasing her by allowing her to get a feel of Arcana but never being able to use it."

"What is your point?" Zireael asked, still confused by this topic, "If she gives up, I will just kill her and find another."

"Dear God," Talia uttered in heartbreak, "Lord Zireael, Your grace, not everyone is like you. Not everyone can just become a badass like you think. Could you at least give her a reason to continue? She is just a girl with no real goal in life. She is smart but knows nothing of the world. Putting aside your constant manipulation, she is a monster, do not destroy something that could be your saving grace."

Touching his chin, Zireael pondered for a few minutes running a few hundred scenarios within his mind. Thinking of Innis's age and her experience with those in the younger generation, he pursed his lips. "Fine, but only the first stage, till she enters the next stage of her swordsmanship."

"Lord Zireael, that is not enough. You need to let her have her own journey. You can guide her as you please but do not restrict her like that. How would you feel if someone did that to you?"

"Someone did; now we are mortal enemies... Oh, oops!!" Gasping at his realization, Zireael chuckled to himself, "Well, Damn, I really did miss that. I may actually be a bad teacher."

'Our master is retarded! How can a man have such low EQ?' The female duo thought to each other. 'Aurelia, may the Godess Azalea grant you her blessing. For the Devil is upon your shoulder, and his name is Zireael Blackwater.'