Chapter 10 - Under the Whimsical Light

People tend to say that a dream is a state of being, showing multitudes of blurred images that contain a mixture of truths and lies, all hidden deep inside the person's heart. They say that these dreams show a hidden message and meaning that varies throughout everyone. A type of symbolism.

Yes... this feeling...

It feels like I'm caught up in a dream.... My eyes closed as the nebula of chilly water surrounds every inch of my body. Breathing in somehow, opening my eyes only to see the familiar red flame in the distance. I reach out my hand once more, and soon the lights blind me, forcing me to close my eyes.

I open them after a couple of seconds right after the lights soon ceased. I look at my hands and see a white, familiar light surrounding me as I float into an empty space of light.

My senses regain, and I look around to see the red flame in front of me once more. I walk towards the flame as nonchalantly as I can. Soon, I see it floating in front of me, not doing or saying anything.

"... Azar, did you perhaps bring me here?"

Azar didn't utter a single sound of spark, only after a few moments of silence did he start to talk.

"I didn't expect you to be able to learn how to sense Mana... I was joking about it, but you exceeded my predictions. If it's you..."

He stayed silent before finishing his sentence.

"If it's you.... Then you may have the potential to reach the third ring after this session. The difference between the second and third ring has an enormous effect. While the second allows you to manifest the elements using your Mana, the third ring allows you to manipulate the elements into what you call magic. With this power, you'll surely be able accomplish your goal..."

Azar began to move forward without stopping, I began to follow him as he was getting far away from me, traveling throughout the endless space with no end. 

"I know you still have many questions to ask regarding your situation. I understand, but we have no time now. I didn't tell you this earlier since you're still young, but as you continue to get stronger, some of my restrictions are permanently removed, allowing me to be of more use to you."

"... Then does that mean I can finally ask about my siblings?"

Azar stayed silent once again as it continued to move forward.

"... You must get stronger if you wish to ask such questions..."

Moments of silence filled the room as we continued to move forward, as I was getting tired from the constant walking, Azar suddenly stopped.

"Because you were able to attain the first and second ring around your heart, I am able to show you something that I couldn't previously show before."

The floor in front of Azar began to shatter, as a dark looming shadow loomed through the cracked space before shattering completely, exposing a dark abyssal hole.

"Jump into this gate, and you'll soon learn of something of something important: The memories of the Future Lysander."

I tensed up for a bit, the future Lysander... The one who became a villain that only created violence wherever he went...

"Time is limited, but through this experience will you hope to attain the third ring in your heart and save the people you care about."

"... I see..."

A moment of hesitation came through my mind. But those were clouded with my thoughts to save my mother. I faced my back towards the gate and looked at Azar whose flame turned blue. 

My gaze shifted from Azar to the empty void once more. This space feels... familiar. It's not something I wish to experience once more. Yet despite this, I didn't hesitate to fall on my back immediately, letting the familiar dark space consume me once more.

My senses began to tingle, and soon became numb as I closed my eyes, and went with the flow.

Azar soon stood on the edge of the hole and saw the falling Lysander until the darkness consumed him.

"I truly hope that you can change the fate of the characters in this story...."

With those words, the constricted blue flame began to dissipate into the empty space, and soon dispersed into countless little blue flames, raining down into the hole that the young boy went through.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

My eyes suddenly opened, showing my hands that were fully grown, wearing a white glove. I try to move my arms, but it doesn't move the way I want it to move. 

Looks like I'm sitting in a chair with my legs crossed over each other. A paper in my right hand with many writings and formulations that I have never seen before. My head suddenly moved, and I found a mirror reflecting my older self. 

The same white hair and pale skin with my hazel and white eyes. Wearing black formal wear with a black long-sleeved button down with dark gray pants with a white coat over my shoulders. A sword resting in the arm of the chair while my left arm supporting my head. The same features that I always saw myself in, but all grown up, yet still looking like a child.

Someone knocked on the door and then opened it. A gray-haired butler who was in their late sixties entered the room. 

"Your Grace, we have locked Seraphina in her room as per your orders."

My mouth opened instinctively. Despite not knowing the situation at hand, I knew what I was currently thinking in this body and what it was going to say beforehand.

"... I see, you may leave then."

The butler bowed before leaving the room.

My hand put the paper down on the coffee table in front of me and then placed my hand over my eyes, breathing in a deep breath before sighing. 

All the thoughts of the current Lysander resound and flood throughout my head. 

The way that the current Lysander is using Mana felt peculiar to me. I only know how to currently sense mana within me and the people around me and how to manifest it into a materialized form, the state of having the first and second ring around your heart.

But this feeling is... peculiar. His Mana spread throughout the room and reached all around the mansion, the garden, and the forest near the estate, able to sense the presence of every living being within the vicinity.

Because of that, I felt multiple individuals isolated in the forest region. That means that the current Lysander can also feel it too.

I suddenly stood up and grabbed the sword that was near the chair and put it on my waist. An intrusion of thoughts once again filled my head. An insignia filled with many different patterns and symbols, all with complicated and unknown equations that I have never seen before.

"... Teleport..."

My location changed from the bedroom to an empty plain in three forests. The enemy's number was about nine. They were gathered at one location when I was at the bedroom, but now they are currently surrounding me while hiding in the trees and bushes. An insignia began to appear in my head once more, with different equations and patterns than before.

"... Vermin's like you truly don't know how give up now, do you? Is the power of the spirits truly something you wish to attain in exchange for your life?"

The insignia soon flowed in the location of the people that were hidden. Though they can't see it for some reason. Is it only visible to the caster? My hands began to move, and I quickly began to adjust my wrist and fiddle with the glove around my hand.

"Well, your intentions don't matter. In the end, you will all die by my hand as painfully as possible." 

I extended one of my arms, and using two of my fingers, I raised my hand slightly and flicked two of my fingers upwards.

The insignia activated and soon a thick needle of ice began to form and impale the people right through their hearts all at the same time. 

Seven bodies remained in the air as they began to slide down the needle with their hearts still pierced, but two of them were still alive. The people who already died... their presence began to fade from the Mana that was extending throughout the surroundings.

The two people, who were wearing hoodies to disclose their identities, that survived instantly dashed towards me with two short blades, and by the smell of it, seemed to be covered with poison. 

An insignia once again appeared in my head instantly, different from the rest, but looked so like the spell that was just used. 

A wall of ice soon emerged and blocked the attack. After their attacks were deflected, they immediately took a step back, but in that moment, the same insignia that was used for the teleportation earlier appeared in my hand. I quickly appeared in the back of one of the two people, silently placed my hand near their heart, and another similar insignia from the one that summoned ice looking needles appeared, but once again looked different.

A huge chunk of ice shards stabbed right through the persons heart and killed them instantly as their presence faded. The last person soon stumbled and hesitated to attack me.

I began walking towards them, taking small steps, and extending my arms nonchalantly.

"What's the matter? Getting cold feet now, are we? Well... I guess that's to be expected when the whole place is now filled with ice. But don't think I'll be sparing your life or anything just to capture and interrogate you."

The last person standing clenched their teeth's before dashing towards me once more. I felt my face let out a subtle smile as they sprint towards me. 

Multiple insignia were already formed during the small conversation, the same one used at the beginning. Multitudes of insignia suddenly formed at different sections of his body, not aiming at any of their vital areas. 

Once they got close to me, they all activated. Impaling them from different areas of their body to restrict their movement. Knees, elbows, arms, joints. All of them impaled. I walked towards the person and grabbed their head aggressively.

"From the moment you stepped into this land, your fate was already sealed. No pity should be given. No mercy is deserved. The only thing you deserve is the cruelty of life and the most excruciating death that I can bestow on you..."

After uttering those words, my open hand moved and aggressively grabbed their mouth. After a few seconds, their mouth was suddenly frozen shut so no screams could be let out. A few muffled noises can be heard as they try and beg to live but are met to no avail.

The person body then began to be covered in ice, from the legs and slowly reaching their torso as the ice began to shatter and dismembered their body. The muffled noises transformed into screams of agony with them trying to shake the pain away even with the injuries of their parts impaled getting worse. Slowly, the ice began to freeze their lower abdominals and headed towards his chest before reaching his head, completely silencing the noise, and freezing them before shattering their whole body into pieces.

This imagery... is too cruel...

I tried to close my eyes from the scene in front of me but could only continue to vividly see the deaths of the people in front of me. 

My body soon straightened up and looked at the night sky. My arms extend towards the moon and my eyes soon finally close.

"... I'll do whatever I can to protect you, Seraphina. Even if it means making you hate me..."

Once my eyes were opened, the only thing I saw was the familiar white, empty space.

I gasped for air and after a few minutes of deliberation, I looked in front of me to see Azar floating there silently once again. 

"... Did you see it?"

"... The memories..."

A moment of silence fills the room.

"It looks like you did, how fortunate... I presume you also memorized the sensation of the magic alongside its calculations and patterns?"

I stare at Azar for a few moments, he knows the contents of the memories, but wishes not to talk about it.

I still have questions regarding the vivid dream that I experienced. The future Lysander I saw was indeed the villain described in the book, cruel and merciless. But despite the cruelty that I saw, I continued to feel the same subtle emotion behind the stoic expression shown on my face: Sadness and Loneliness.

But I know my questions won't be answered now. I closed my eyes once again to try and regain that feeling when I was in the dream. I instinctively spread my mana as thin as possible, to the maximum distance that I could. 

In the dream, I could sense the presence of all living beings at a radius of about... three kilometers from me. But currently, the maximum I can extend it is about fifty meters...

"The more rings you have around your heart, the more distance you'll be able to sense."

"I see... Then what about the magic I saw in the dream?"

"Try and recall every single detail that came with the teleportation spell. Immediately recall all the formula and equations alongside the pattern and how the insignia is structured. Normally, to reach the third ring and use magic, you must have high concentration and understanding of the fundamentals of magic and mana alongside the ability to multi-task. But... you're a special case. Memorizing everything like you saw is more practical and faster at this moment... Once you successfully cast a magic spell, you attain your third ring."

"Is casting magic different then summoning ice or fire...?"

"I suppose so, summoning your own attribute in a physical way requires no calculations needed, like using ice to freeze an object. That is a law that ice must follow is to be cold and eventually freeze and requires no sort of manipulation. But magic is manipulating that law to do something that ice wouldn't normally do, like create a shield to protect or create a needle to kill. You're changing the law that it is required to follow in exchange for Mana, changing Ice from being cold and freezing to it being able to protect or kill. That is what magic is in essence- "

"I see. It seems simple enough then."

During the whole conversation, I instantly remembered the insignia alongside the calculations and patterns that summoned the wall of ice with spikes in its end that surrounded me and Azar.

"This is quite... something. You succeeded in your first try. Even with the Blessing of Mana, this is normally impossible to do..."

Azar floated there for a moment before he suddenly flew towards me and went through me before disappearing.

"I guess is fine enough to get you out of here, with the four magic spells that you have learned, your power has significantly increased. With this, you'll be able to save Isabella Blakesty."

Saver her...

The space began to crack once more. Everywhere I looked, cracks suddenly appeared before completely shattering the space, leading me to fall.

"Listen to my voice, my child, for you're not alone. I will help you guide you in this long journey."

I try to look and see a blurry figure still endowed in light over the darkness that began to consume me. The light makes it only possible to see a man-like figure, probably the one that is talking to me...

My eyes closed and soon my consciousness faded, as I experienced this feeling within me despite the submergence of darkness around me. 

"This world is your present, and your past, and will soon lead you to a new future where Hope remains in your heart. No matter the challenges you face, no matter the choices you make, I will always be on your side. For this present is not only a gift from me to you. But also, an apology for what I have done..."

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Under the illuminating moonlight passing through the open window, the pink haired girl positions her sword in front of her. Mia, who is on the opposing side where The Duchess and the Young Master are sleeping, has both of her swords in front of her, ready to protect the people behind her with all her life.

The pink hair girl sword is covered with a light pink aura where Mia double sword is covered with a peach-colored aura.

During this moment of a standoff, Mia grabs the red crystal shard in her right pocket and holds it while she sips Mana through it.

"This is Mia. The magic swordsman girl is currently in the area where I'm standing. I request immediate support."

"This is Nilo, me and Qadir are currently unavailable. Twenty people with four rings and one person with five rings suddenly appeared in our area."

"Veda here. There are more pawns here than I thought there were going to be. Currently unavailable."

"Same goes for me and Priya. A group of strong mercenaries appeared. It seems they are dividing into each area equally."

The situation looks to be at the worst. Many of the mercenaries with four rings and higher have started to move. I'm not confident enough to defeat the person in front of me, even if I give up my life. But I made a vow to protect Her Grace and the Young Master...

The pink hair women dash towards Mia once more. Mia struggles to block and deflect the attack.

"Mia, are you there!?"

Mia flinches for a bit before putting all her power to deflect the attack, then a series of continuous striking and blocking between the swords of the two people continued.

"Your Grace, is that you?"

"Mia, if you can handle the magic-swordsman for at least seven minutes, I should be able to reach you."

"Okay, I'll try Your Grace."

The pink haired girl appears behind Mia.

"You dare be distracted?!"

The girl was about to strike Mia back, but fortunately, Mia narrowly blocked the attack, but one of her swords was deflected into the floor.

Not even a minute had passed before Mia was being overpowered by the pink-haired girl. Many cuts on her arms and clothes with blood oozing out. A few cuts in her face, but Mia continued to protect the people behind her.

The girl in front of her suddenly kicked Mia in the stomach with her knee.

Mia collapsed on the floor, trying to reach for her sword next to her and continued to fight.

The girl kicks the sword away from her and puts one of her feet on top of Mia's back. She positions her sword tip on Mia's back and puts both her hands on the hilt.

"This is the end."

She put all her force on the sword and was about to stab Mia in the back, but Ice suddenly emerged from Mia, and the spikes near the edges almost reached the girl, making her dodge and get far away from Mia.

"Ice...?"

The girl looked at the bed and saw the young child awake and extending her hand in front of him.

"Get away from Mia!"

A huge ice needle suddenly appeared below her and almost impaled her, but she immediately dodged as she jumped back. Another icicle appeared in her upper right near her face where she dodged it by slightly bending her back. Another one suddenly appeared in front of her face and was about to impale her head.

"... You intentionally aimed for this?"

She grabs her sword and destroys the ice in front of her and the ones around her. But by that time, Mia had gotten up and had both of her swords in front of her.

Blood began to trinkle from her arm and hand into the hilt of the sword, her breathing getting more unstable as time went on, and all while looking exhausted.

"Young Master, please don't worry about me and just stay there until the duke gets here!"

"No! I don't want you to risk your life for me. I know you want to protect mother and me, but I also want to protect you too! So please, let me support you!"

The eyes of the young child sparkled as he continued to keep the girl at bay with his magic.

Mia eyes widened but smiled brightly at the determined eyes that she never saw of the Young Master before.

"You're quite the cheeky child... But are you confident enough to support me, Young Master?"

Lysander smiled at her remark.

"Don't worry. No matter what you do, I'll make sure not to let my magic hit you."

"Alright then. But make sure to stay inside the barrier!"

Mia dashes towards the girl in front of her, ice needles continued to emerge into different areas and try to hit the girl.

Mia continues to use both her swords to slash the girl. While she moves in one direction, I use the magic and try to hinder her movements and allow Mia to do some damage to her.

Upper left in a sixty-degree angle. Lower right in a seventy-five-degree angle, and one horizontally perpendicular towards her back. As I calculated where to summon the magic, Mia continued with her fierce strikes. The amount of damage accumulates as her movements slowed down over time with exhaustion.

Soon, Mia aims and strikes horizontally near the girl's neck. But she bends backward and dodges the strike. I summoned an Ice needle behind her head, but she moved her head slightly to the right. Not long after, Mia placed the tip of the sword near the girl's chest and was about to stab her before a barrier around the girl appeared, deflecting the magic and Mia's attack.

"This is getting too annoying!"

Aura began to cover her sword and she closed her eyes before opening them instantly. Fire began to cover the sword and dashed towards Mia once again, her sword ready to strike.

Mia tried to block the attack, but the fire began to burn her hand. Despite that, she continued to hold on and parry the attack.

I summoned a wall of ice once again and separated the two, but she slashed through it and rather than aiming at Mia, she went towards me.

"I'll eliminate this annoying brat first!"

Mia tries to reach and stab from behind, but the girl continued to ignore her and dashed faster than Mia can reach. Her sword was about to strike the barrier that surrounded me and my mother. But annoying her to this point and getting her to attack me.

This is all part of the plan.

The same magic that Lysander used lastly on the guy before, I will use it on this person. I planted the magic beforehand and waited for her to walk right into the trap. Even the slightest milliseconds of delay, she will notice and dodge the magic once again. I can't fail here!

In the moment that the sword almost strikes the barrier, the magic has finally activated. All the needles impaled the girl: shoulders, knees, arms, wrist, and torso. Completely immobilizing her. She was unable to strike the barrier.

Mia took the opportunity and stabbed her in the back before kicking her away from the barrier and into the middle of the room.

The girl tried to get up using her sword as a balancer, but only managed to get up to her knees.

"To think I will lose like this...? To the child and maid of THAT Duke..."

She gritted her teeth and squeezed the handle of the sword supporting her.

"No! I won't die here! Not until I kill the wife of that monster Duke who killed my sister!"

Her eyes faced me and my mother, who was still sleeping despite the commotion.

"I'll kill her and the child and let him know the misery of losing someone. Let him grovel and despair as he mourns their deaths!"

She began to laugh hysterically as she stared into the ceiling. The light suddenly illuminated her whole body as she reached for her pocket.

"Let him know the consequences that his actions incurred and make him realize all his mistakes. With his, I'll make sure to kill everyone here!"

She suddenly takes out a black looking crystal-like pill, the aura that it emanates is sinister and disgusting that even from here, I feel continuous sensation of chills.

She puts the small pill in her mouth and swallows it. Soon, her aura turned from the light pink that she had to a complete darkness. Her eyes turned black with her pupils turning purple and dark blue, and dark cracks began to appear in her body, and she suddenly stood up once again, despite the many injuries to her body.

She grabs her sword again, dashes towards Mia, grabs her neck, and lifts her up into the air. Her hand had continuous black cracks in her skin as Mia began to struggle and try to slash her with the swords still in her hand but failed as the girl continued to dodge.

She then grabs Mia swords and throws them into the floor far away from her and then reaches out of her own sword and pointed at Mia torso.

"I'll kill you slowly and steadily..."

I tried to summon the ice wall once again, but they all began to deflect as she put a barrier once again around her and Mia. I continued to use the same magic and try to strike the barrier until it brakes, but she will kill Mia before it breaks.

'What can I do at this moment to rescue Mia?!'

An idea suddenly emerges in my head: Teleportation. Although it's risky to leave the current barrier, I must save Mia!

I close my eyes fast and remember the calculations and insignia of the teleportation magic.

"Teleport!"

My body suddenly moved from the bed into Mia shoulders as I began to hug her from behind.

"Teleport!"

I transported both Mia and me near the bed was at, but outside the barrier.

The girl stays there motionless for a bit before putting her extended arm down and looks at us with a piercing cold stare. She immediately dashed towards us with her sword still on fire. 

I summoned an Ice wall once again, but she managed to destroy it in two slices.

I stare at the girl in front of me. The rigid bloodthirst in her eyes that signal no sign of hesitation to kill even a child, alongside the insanity and madness over something. 

An emotion so clear, that I just can't help but stare at her without even thinking about the danger that I am in.

But her movements were suddenly stuck. Her limbs were restricted as a dark shadow began to chain her down to the ground. Even as she continued to resist, she couldn't break free from the shadow that restrained her.

Footsteps were heard inside the quiet room. I looked to see that it was none other than my father. He continued to walk with his sheathed sword in his waist while showing a cold and angry face. The girl, who could move her head, saw him from behind and her expression became rigid. Filled with extreme anger and hatred towards him, strong enough that she forcefully destroyed the shadows that bind her and immediately dashed towards him with her sword in both of her hands, ready to slash him down.

Mia suddenly covered my eyes, as if she didn't want to show me what happened next.

But in Mia eyes, she saw the immediate swift slice from the duke's sword. As the girl was about to dash towards the duke, he unsheathed his sword, dashed towards her, and soon appeared behind her as he sheathed his sword back in his waist. Moments later, the girl's body suddenly splurged blood and collapsed into the ground.

Her sword lay right in front of her, she raises her face and sees it, and tries to grab it once more.

"I can't... die here... until I get... my..."

The duke suddenly walks in front of the fallen girl and kneels to her. She looks at him and suddenly tries to move her body to try and kill the person in front of him.

"You...! I'll never... forgive you!"

The duke only stares at her for a moment before grabbing something from his pocket: A pair of black glasses. He places it in front of her before walking towards Mia and the others.

Her face began to despair at the glasses in front of her, helplessly reaching out to them. The whimsical moonlight illuminated the pair of glasses and the girl once more. Once she touched the glasses, she saw the image of the same black hair girl with glasses in front of her, caressing and stroking her hair.

"Sister...!"

Even though she knew it wasn't real, she couldn't help but cry silently as she collapsed onto the floor, before letting out her final breath into this world. 

The duke stands in front of Mia, who was still covering the eyes of Lysander, and silently grabs the red shard from his pocket.

"Mia, make sure to... clean up in here while I talk with Lysander."

Mia immediately nodded and gently took her hands from Lysander before taking off. The duke kneeled in front of him to intentionally cover the dead body in front of him.

"Lysander... are you alright?"

As he asked about my wellbeing, he gently placed his hand in my face. His worried expression, though I know that this situation is serious, I couldn't help but smile at the sight of a father who cares for me.

"I'm alright, thanks to you father."

He let out a small smile when he heard my answer, he moved his hand towards my hair and gently stroked it.

"... I know you have many secrets that you want to keep hidden. I truly understand. But no matter what, you are my child. I will make sure to always be by your side."

He suddenly places my head near his stomach and puts his hand around my back. I couldn't help but feel calm in his embrace. I closed my eyes and just continued to smile.

"Thank you... father."

During this eventful moment, voices began to resonate in the head of the duke.

"Your Grace, this is Veda. The rear area of the mansion is finally clear of mercenaries."

"Nilo here. We just finished clearing the west section."

"This is Nila. The east area of the mansion is fully cleared of threats now."

The duke smiled once more at the relief of the mansion being cleared of enemies at that moment. The sunrise began to shine through the room as he continued to have the now sleeping child in his arms, he gently carried him inside the barrier and placed him in the bed next to his wife.

"Good work everyone. I'll make sure to prepare proper compensation for your work, alongside a feast for you all."

Cheers and thank you spread throughout his head due to the red crystal shard, but he continued to sit near the edge of the bed and only focused on the three people in front of him.

Her wife, Lysander, and the newest child in the family curled up in her mother's embrace.

Seraphina.