Altair stared at the vast black abyss above and didn't know what to say. The darkness above seemed to grow with every second she stared at it and it caused her to feel like she might just get sucked up into its nothingness in the next second if she didn't look away. It was incredibly unnerving.
Altair couldn't keep her gaze on the sky looked back down toward the plain before her. Despite it being so late at night and the sun having fallen completely down, it wasn't difficult to see out a whole kilometer from the mansion. She stood in silence while considering the endless black void she saw that was devoid of the stars she expected to see.
She kept asking herself, 'How is this even possible? Where is this and where is my home?'
As she stood staring blankly out at the plain before her, Renald came walking on unsteady feet around a corner in the mansion and saw Dave standing watch at the servant's entrance. His brow rose slightly when he noticed the door itself was hanging wide open. Dave also noticed Renald when he came around the corner and stood up straighter.
Renald walked towards him while swaying from side to side. His flushed face painted an accurate picture on what he had been up to recently. As he got close he used the wall to steady himself while he walked up and asked while slurring his words, "Dave I thought you were supposed to be watching Aria. What are you doing here?"
Dave motioned towards the door while saying, "Young Miss wanted to see the sky tonight so I escorted her outside. I am currently keeping watch from here so that she can enjoy the view in peace until it is time to come back inside."
A strange light passed through Renald's eyes as he said, "Oh, she's outside is she. I shall go and have a talk with her then. As you were," he then walked around Dave and went outside, his steps just as uneasy as they were before.
Outside Altair, still staring out into the distance, heard someone approaching and turned to see Renald walking like a drunk towards her. Her heart started pounding in her chest and her body started to tremble at the sight of him.
'There are so many Humans here that are as strong as an Ancient Dragon. This man is even stronger than that too. I can't underestimate these Humans anymore.'
Renald paid no attention to her and instead stumbled over to a chair nearby. He dropped himself onto the chair and let out a loud, satisfied sigh before he turned his head towards Altair. He said, "You," while pointing one shaky finger at her, "You are a lot of trouble, you know that?"
Altair briefly shot a glance at Dave before she asked, "Is this really an appropriate area to talk like this?"
Renald's brow rose slightly as he went silent for a moment. He then tilted his head to the side and said, "You're right." Immediately after he said that, a strange wind pushed past Altair from where Renald was sitting. He then said, "Now it's fine."
Altair didn't know why it was fine now but she figured if Renald felt it was fine then it didn't matter. If something happened because of Renald being drunk then she could pass it off as his fault. She doubted he would hold it against her considering their deal.
Renald continued, "My son will probably come and harass you again, you know."
Altair shrugged. She didn't care if that twerp came again, "He can come anytime he wants. If she tries to attack me I'll just put him down again." She paused a moment before asking with a serious expression, "You aren't going to forbid me from defending myself are you?" If she couldn't defend herself then she would need to trip him up with her threads while she fled. A sandbag she would not be.
Renald shook his head wryly. "I don't care how much you two fight each other. As long as the damage isn't permanent and no one dies, do as you wish." He paused a moment before correcting himself, "No, do more than that. If you can crush his arrogant pride down that would do wonders for him in the future. That stupid boy is too confident in himself."
'As long as it's not permanent,' Altair though to herself. 'I suppose breaking a few bones is acceptable then?' She started to plan exactly how she would vent some of her frustrations upon this new brother of hers.
Renald interrupted her thoughts with a statement though, "Just remember that, technically, he will be your big brother from here on. No matter how you feel about him, you will need to treat him with respect outside of the mansion. I won't have you damaging my family's reputation by making everyone think that we can't properly raise someone with amnesia."
Altair gave Renald a confident look, "I can act a part as needed, I have plenty of experience with that." With all of the times she had to pretend to be a servant using wigs and stolen uniforms she was confident that she could act like a sister to someone she didn't like. She even had a real brother growing up. Although the thought of treating Joshua like her brother sickened and disgusted her she also figured it would do the same to him.
There were still a few things she needed to know about her situation that she hadn't been told yet though. So she looked at Renald seriously and asked, "What is the story behind my appearance here anyway? I haven't heard anything about me being picked up in a cave."
Servants were a gossipy bunch. Although Altair did not spend much time around them she still heard nothing about herself when there should have been something.
Renald had a look of realization on his face, as if he hadn't considered letting her know exactly how she was supposed to be acting. He then said, "It's simple, you're an orphan who has amnesia and doesn't know anything around here. Your parents were business partners of mine but we lost contact after a while. The rest you don't need to know."
Altair nodded. It was a simple cover and wouldn't be hard at all to use. It was a basic story but it held up well since Altair really didn't know much about this place. Besides, if Liam was successful then she could leave as soon as the poison in her was gone. She just didn't know what was taking him so long.
Renald leaned back in the uncomfortable chair before saying, "My father will probably be here in half a year to see you."
Altair blinked at him. 'So I'll have to greet this old Human as my grandfather then? But why bother bringing it up now? Half a year is a long time from now.'
Renald gazed at the starless sky while saying, "He's a real strict bastard that one. He probably won't like that I adopted you as my daughter." He paused for a long moment before continuing, "If you think I'm scary then you'll need to prepare yourself. I'm only a third stage Optio, that's the fifth tier of Martial Prowess. My father is a fourth stage Warmaster, the sixth tier. Comparing us isn't even possible." He went silent after that.
Altair's brow furrowed as she heard some things she didn't understand. There was one point she wanted to ask though as it concerned her safety. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, "You think he'll use force against me?"
Renald scoffed, "I wouldn't need force to put you down. No, he's an honorable man but it won't stop him from testing you." He turned his head towards Altair, "But you don't have a Spiritual Self so he'll find nothing on you. Because of that, you're causing me a lot of problems right now."
There were two types of strength valued in the Empire. The first was Martial Prowess and the second was Mecha Talent. Martial Prowess was a person's ability to fight physically and how strong their body was. Mecha Talent was a person's ability to pilot a Mecha. They both had their own places in the army and privately. Most people believed that Mecha's would push Martial fights to the sideline but the introduction of the Juggernaut robot monsters changed their views instantly.
Still they also had one thing in common: the power of a person's Spiritual Self. There were many ways to evaluate another person's Spiritual Self and most of them didn't even involve any equipment or machines. One would simply push down on someone with their Spiritual Energy and the other person's Spiritual Self would naturally resist them, giving both people a rough estimate of each other's power. In Altair's case, it would be like pushing one's hand through the air. They wouldn't feel anything and she would be judged as a waste.
Altair naturally knew none of this.
Altair was silent for a few moments before she asked, "Can't some people make water and fire with Spiritual Energy?" She had an idea based on what she had seen Donel do next to her. She had only seen him do it once but it was enough for her to use it.
Renald looked back at the sky as he replied, "Yes. There are some Inborn Abilities that lets people do that. Those abilities are tailored to let the person be a genius in Martial Prowess."
Altair then asked, "Then couldn't there be one that lets you be undetectable to people?"
Renald took a deep breath as he gaze became distant at her words. He was silent for a extra long moment before he replied, "That is theoretically possible." He sat up as he looked at Altair while grinning like a fool, "You aren't as stupid as I thought." He pushed himself up from his seat before continuing, "Then we'll do this. You have a unique Inborn Ability that lets your Spiritual Self be undetectable. However, you won't be able to use any of your Magic that's flashy or you'll give yourself away." He fixed her with as serious an expression as he could manage while adding, "So, no throwing fire everywhere, got it?"
Altair shook her head, "I can't use fire based Magic so there's no chance of that happening." Since Liam had told her that her Shadow Magic wasn't known in their world then she wouldn't use it obviously. She also wouldn't use her threads because of how Renald reacted when she did. Well, she wouldn't use them unless she was determined to kill everyone who was watching her that is.
Renald turned back to the mansion and motioned towards Dave while saying, "You should head to bed now. You have a lot of studying to do starting tomorrow with your private tutors."
Altair frowned slightly. She cast one last look up at the void above her before she walked towards Dave.
Altair stared at the vast black abyss above and didn't know what to say. The darkness above seemed to grow with every second she stared at it and it caused her to feel like she might just get sucked up into its nothingness in the next second if she didn't look away. It was incredibly unnerving.
Altair couldn't keep her gaze on the sky looked back down toward the plain before her. Despite it being so late at night and the sun having fallen completely down, it wasn't difficult to see out a whole kilometer from the mansion. She stood in silence while considering the endless black void she saw that was devoid of the stars she expected to see.
She kept asking herself, 'How is this even possible? Where is this and where is my home?'
As she stood staring blankly out at the plain before her, Renald came walking on unsteady feet around a corner in the mansion and saw Dave standing watch at the servant's entrance. His brow rose slightly when he noticed the door itself was hanging wide open. Dave also noticed Renald when he came around the corner and stood up straighter.
Renald walked towards him while swaying from side to side. His flushed face painted an accurate picture on what he had been up to recently. As he got close he used the wall to steady himself while he walked up and asked while slurring his words, "Dave I thought you were supposed to be watching Aria. What are you doing here?"
Dave motioned towards the door while saying, "Young Miss wanted to see the sky tonight so I escorted her outside. I am currently keeping watch from here so that she can enjoy the view in peace until it is time to come back inside."
A strange light passed through Renald's eyes as he said, "Oh, she's outside is she. I shall go and have a talk with her then. As you were," he then walked around Dave and went outside, his steps just as uneasy as they were before.
Outside Altair, still staring out into the distance, heard someone approaching and turned to see Renald walking like a drunk towards her. Her heart started pounding in her chest and her body started to tremble at the sight of him.
'There are so many Humans here that are as strong as an Ancient Dragon. This man is even stronger than that too. I can't underestimate these Humans anymore.'
Renald paid no attention to her and instead stumbled over to a chair nearby. He dropped himself onto the chair and let out a loud, satisfied sigh before he turned his head towards Altair. He said, "You," while pointing one shaky finger at her, "You are a lot of trouble, you know that?"
Altair briefly shot a glance at Dave before she asked, "Is this really an appropriate area to talk like this?"
Renald's brow rose slightly as he went silent for a moment. He then tilted his head to the side and said, "You're right." Immediately after he said that, a strange wind pushed past Altair from where Renald was sitting. He then said, "Now it's fine."
Altair didn't know why it was fine now but she figured if Renald felt it was fine then it didn't matter. If something happened because of Renald being drunk then she could pass it off as his fault. She doubted he would hold it against her considering their deal.
Renald continued, "My son will probably come and harass you again, you know."
Altair shrugged. She didn't care if that twerp came again, "He can come anytime he wants. If she tries to attack me I'll just put him down again." She paused a moment before asking with a serious expression, "You aren't going to forbid me from defending myself are you?" If she couldn't defend herself then she would need to trip him up with her threads while she fled. A sandbag she would not be.
Renald shook his head wryly. "I don't care how much you two fight each other. As long as the damage isn't permanent and no one dies, do as you wish." He paused a moment before correcting himself, "No, do more than that. If you can crush his arrogant pride down that would do wonders for him in the future. That stupid boy is too confident in himself."
'As long as it's not permanent,' Altair though to herself. 'I suppose breaking a few bones is acceptable then?' She started to plan exactly how she would vent some of her frustrations upon this new brother of hers.
Renald interrupted her thoughts with a statement though, "Just remember that, technically, he will be your big brother from here on. No matter how you feel about him, you will need to treat him with respect outside of the mansion. I won't have you damaging my family's reputation by making everyone think that we can't properly raise someone with amnesia."
Altair gave Renald a confident look, "I can act a part as needed, I have plenty of experience with that." With all of the times she had to pretend to be a servant using wigs and stolen uniforms she was confident that she could act like a sister to someone she didn't like. She even had a real brother growing up. Although the thought of treating Joshua like her brother sickened and disgusted her she also figured it would do the same to him.
There were still a few things she needed to know about her situation that she hadn't been told yet though. So she looked at Renald seriously and asked, "What is the story behind my appearance here anyway? I haven't heard anything about me being picked up in a cave."
Servants were a gossipy bunch. Although Altair did not spend much time around them she still heard nothing about herself when there should have been something.
Renald had a look of realization on his face, as if he hadn't considered letting her know exactly how she was supposed to be acting. He then said, "It's simple, you're an orphan who has amnesia and doesn't know anything around here. Your parents were business partners of mine but we lost contact after a while. The rest you don't need to know."
Altair nodded. It was a simple cover and wouldn't be hard at all to use. It was a basic story but it held up well since Altair really didn't know much about this place. Besides, if Liam was successful then she could leave as soon as the poison in her was gone. She just didn't know what was taking him so long.
Renald leaned back in the uncomfortable chair before saying, "My father will probably be here in half a year to see you."
Altair blinked at him. 'So I'll have to greet this old Human as my grandfather then? But why bother bringing it up now? Half a year is a long time from now.'
Renald gazed at the starless sky while saying, "He's a real strict bastard that one. He probably won't like that I adopted you as my daughter." He paused for a long moment before continuing, "If you think I'm scary then you'll need to prepare yourself. I'm only a third stage Optio, that's the fifth tier of Martial Prowess. My father is a fourth stage Warmaster, the sixth tier. Comparing us isn't even possible." He went silent after that.
Altair's brow furrowed as she heard some things she didn't understand. There was one point she wanted to ask though as it concerned her safety. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, "You think he'll use force against me?"
Renald scoffed, "I wouldn't need force to put you down. No, he's an honorable man but it won't stop him from testing you." He turned his head towards Altair, "But you don't have a Spiritual Self so he'll find nothing on you. Because of that, you're causing me a lot of problems right now."
There were two types of strength valued in the Empire. The first was Martial Prowess and the second was Mecha Talent. Martial Prowess was a person's ability to fight physically and how strong their body was. Mecha Talent was a person's ability to pilot a Mecha. They both had their own places in the army and privately. Most people believed that Mecha's would push Martial fights to the sideline but the introduction of the Juggernaut robot monsters changed their views instantly.
Still they also had one thing in common: the power of a person's Spiritual Self. There were many ways to evaluate another person's Spiritual Self and most of them didn't even involve any equipment or machines. One would simply push down on someone with their Spiritual Energy and the other person's Spiritual Self would naturally resist them, giving both people a rough estimate of each other's power. In Altair's case, it would be like pushing one's hand through the air. They wouldn't feel anything and she would be judged as a waste.
Altair naturally knew none of this.
Altair was silent for a few moments before she asked, "Can't some people make water and fire with Spiritual Energy?" She had an idea based on what she had seen Donel do next to her. She had only seen him do it once but it was enough for her to use it.
Renald looked back at the sky as he replied, "Yes. There are some Inborn Abilities that lets people do that. Those abilities are tailored to let the person be a genius in Martial Prowess."
Altair then asked, "Then couldn't there be one that lets you be undetectable to people?"
Renald took a deep breath as he gaze became distant at her words. He was silent for a extra long moment before he replied, "That is theoretically possible." He sat up as he looked at Altair while grinning like a fool, "You aren't as stupid as I thought." He pushed himself up from his seat before continuing, "Then we'll do this. You have a unique Inborn Ability that lets your Spiritual Self be undetectable. However, you won't be able to use any of your Magic that's flashy or you'll give yourself away." He fixed her with as serious an expression as he could manage while adding, "So, no throwing fire everywhere, got it?"
Altair shook her head, "I can't use fire based Magic so there's no chance of that happening." Since Liam had told her that her Shadow Magic wasn't known in their world then she wouldn't use it obviously. She also wouldn't use her threads because of how Renald reacted when she did. Well, she wouldn't use them unless she was determined to kill everyone who was watching her that is.
Renald turned back to the mansion and motioned towards Dave while saying, "You should head to bed now. You have a lot of studying to do starting tomorrow with your private tutors."
Altair frowned slightly. She cast one last look up at the void above her before she walked towards Dave.
