Astonishing Changes (2)

Fire is a gluttonous element. It needs food in order to stay alive, so it will continue to eat and eat and eat everything that it sees until there is nothing left and die. With such a hungry appetite, it leads the child of fire to make a pact with the immortal phoenix. In exchange for bringing the immortal child of fire food from other places, the phoenix can have a place to call home instead of wandering aimlessly alone in a world that constantly tries to capture it. The pact also aids in satiating the child of fire's constant need for food as the nourishments that the phoenix receives from its meals is reciprocated to its master giving the child a feeling of fullness.

"Are you saying that the Ruby from the past made a contract with the mythical phoenix that still holds strong even after all of this time?" the duke questions as he takes a seat in the nursing chair beside Ruby's bed.

"Like I said, it's just a speculation," Doctor Pledais defends, placing the book back into his bag. "However, it's not a far off assumption. Ruby's appearance is what the fire desired it to be. According to the legend, Ruby was a jewel this entire time until your workers discovered her. Abiding to the wishes of the fairy in the children's story, she assumed a human appearance in order to find the person who is lonely."

The duke set a hand next to Ruby without touching her. "Are you saying that these jeweled children were discovered by my workers because I am the lonely person that they were looking for?"

"Would you like an honest answer or a likable answer?"

Clenching onto the bed sheets, Duke Stoneborne squints his eyes. He knows the truth but has been running from it by distracting himself with work. "An honest answer."

Doctor Pledais walks over to the other side of the bed in order to get the duke to look at him. "I have known you ever since your teenage years, Your Grace. You were always a likable kid who was well respected even amongst the adults. However, a month after you rose to dukeship after your sister was married to the previous Summer Vessel, you changed drastically. You didn't let anyone get near you. When people tried to touch you, you would vehemently scold them or kill them on the spot. From an outsider's perspective, you seemed like the loneliest person I have ever laid my eyes on."

"Doctor, if people would only touch you in order to use you for their own benefit, would you allow people to touch you in the first place? Whether that would be a handshake, a pat on the back, a hug, or other intimate forms of touch. "

The doctor takes a moment to think. He peeks out the window and sees Diamond jogging around the garden area with Raja watching from a safe distance. "I think that would depend on the benefit that they are using me for. If it was something evil, then I would discover it sooner or later and give proper judgment. If it was something good, then there was no harm to me. However, there is also the emotional benefit. These kids touch you in order to feel safe. There's nothing good or bad about the benefit they are using you for."

Duke Stoneborne glances down at the little girl who lays asleep on her bed. "They touch me in order to feel safe, huh..." The duke stands back up and straightens out his clothes. "Anyways, that's enough with sappy conversations. There's also the light that formed around Ruby's sword that we need answers to. Were you able to figure out what it was?"

"Ah! There wasn't anything in the magic tower; however, I do vaguely remember a story that my parents used to tell me. It was back before knights and mages were separated into the two fields. Mages were allowed to become knights, and knights were allowed to try out magic if they had a hint of mana."

"I think I remember a story like that when I was a child," the duke chimes in. "It had something to do with aura knights who had the ability to manipulate mana."

Doctor Pledais nods his head and continues. "Aura knights were an elite squad of knights who trained hard to manipulate mana in order to fuse it with their swords. Mages nowadays can't infuse their mana into objects for a long time which is why we simply bestow mana into objects and use it for future projects. However, aura knights can continuously infuse mana through their swords for long periods of time, borrowing elemental powers for combat other than in the form of spells."

"And somehow, Ruby was able to infuse her mana into her wooden sword in order to kill the monsters that were trying to eat them in the ravine," Duke Stoneborne concludes. "Normally, a wooden sword wouldn't even be able to slice through paper; however, Ruby was able to take down multiple monsters with it."

"It takes a lot of mental strength and mana in order to maintain constant infusion which is the main reason why the aura knights disappeared. It was becoming difficult to find knights who were able to manifest aura," the doctor finishes. "The fact that Princess Ruby was able to do it on her first try and subconsciously at that means her mental fortitude is incredibly strong since we already know that she has boundless amounts of mana."

"Thank you again, Doctor Pledais," the duke says as he walks to the door. "Please... look after my daughter well."

With that, Duke Stoneborne vanishes after the door closes. Doctor Pledais stands baffled at the duke's words. "His 'daughter' he says," the doctor chuckles. He walks back over to his bag and pulls out a small notebook, flipping it to a page entitled 'Duke Stoneborne's Development'. "He is changing more and more. He would have usually said Princess Ruby's name, but he referred to her as his 'daughter'."