A Much More Wonderful Mage

"L-Lady Finesse! You're here!" Finral said stepping out of the portal and into the garden of House Vaude, where Finesse was sitting on a bench.

"Hello Finral," Finesse smiled. "You're mother just went inside to have a maid get us something to drink. Here, come sit," She added sliding over to make more room for him.

"Oh! Uh... S-sure," he replied. "I-I'm not sure if anyone told you but... Liliane isn't really my mother."

"Oh I know... she's made that quite clear. She tried to be nice about it but I can tell she holds some... resentment towards you. Other wise she wouldn't have made a point to make it obvious. Not that I couldn't already tell. You're the only one in your family with lilac colored eyes, everyone else is blue."

"Yeah... that would be a bit odd to some people. Mother died before I was a year old. Father doesn't really talk about her so I don't know much just that I've got her eyes. Father remarried not long after and then soon had Langris. W-what about you? I thought Father said you couldn't go outside."

"He did. I can go out for awhile but not long periods of time."

"I'm glad to hear that. It would be a shame for someone to never be able go outside. I couldn't imagine not being able to go outside and see a summer sunset, the autumn leaves, a field of spring flowers, or everything covered in white snow, sparking in the winter sun... What?" He asked when Finesse chuckled.

"Those things are quite magical... I'm sorry, for you to have to take an older woman with a sickness like this as your fiancée..."

"What?! Oh! N-not at all, Lady Finesse... You're v-very beautiful...! Any guy would be lucky to marry you," Finral said nervously scratching the back of his head. "B-but the one who's going to be the head of the Vaude family isn't me... Langris is superior to me in every way, so he'll make you happy... His magic is incredible and he's very decisive..."

Don't you say it, Finral! It's not true! Fatry finally decided to say something sensing the conversation taking a turn for the worst but Finral ignored him.

"Where as I'm just completely useless."

Finral! Fatry growled.

But it is true, Fatry. I'm not going to lie to her.

"That's not true at all."

"Huh?" Finral said quickly looking at her in shock.

"I've only met you a few times but I can already tell... that you're a very kind person... In my opinion you're a much more wonderful mage, Finral," she smiled at him.

"D-don't tease me like that...!"

"Oh, I wasn't trying to tease you at all," she replied honestly but with a bit of a chuckle.

"What are you doing here?" They heard Liliane say as she came into the garden from the house followed by a maid with a tray of tea and some snacks.

"Mother... er... S-sorry... Liliane... It's Friday. I'm supposed to come home for diner on Fridays."

"Yes, but it's not diner time. You're awfully early."

"I-I know that... Father asked me to come early. He wanted to speak with me about something."

"Speak with you? He probably just wanted to take another look at your grimoire. He's inside. I suggest you go find him. And if you see Langris, send him out. He should be getting to know his future wife after all."

Finral flinched at the words 'future wife' before giving her a single node and went to find the two. He looked for awhile but couldn't find either of them. He was walking back to the garden when he realized that Fatry had been awfully quiet for awhile now.

Hey, Fatry? You alright? I didn't upset you, did I?

I'm fine. No you didn't upset me, he said but he sounded like he was struggling with something.

You sure?

Yeah. You should really go talk to Finesse more. I think she's really good for you.

What do you mean by that?

Nothing really. She's a kind human, that's all.

Finral stopped in his tracks, shocked at Fatry's choice of words. Human? He repeated.

Person. She's a kind person.

"Fatry?" Finral muttered under his breath.

It's nothing... really.

Finral returned to the garden to find Ledior had joined the others, Langris still nowhere to be found.

"Father! I looked everywhere for you. You wanted to see me?"

"I did," he said holding his hand out when Finral reached him.

Finral sighed as he reached for his grimoire and handed it to his father, who once again began flipping threw the pages.

Ledior let out a sigh before handing the grimoire back to his son. Finral took it and waited for yet another lecture on his incompetence. It didn't come, and Finral could only guess it was because they had a guest.

"Still no new spells, huh?" Liliane said not caring to keep her mouth shut or put up a front like her husband had. "What an incompetent idiot. After all this time you still only have one spell. I am so grateful to have a son like my dear Langris. He will make such a wonderful husband for you, Lady Finesse. He'll be getting his grimoire in two years. Oh, I can't wait to see all the amazing spells he'll acquire!"

"Speaking of which...," Finral said. "Father... didn't you tell Langris that he only had one chance to see a Magic Knights' entrance exam before his?"

"I did. You are his only older brother, let alone brother. So you're exam was the only excuse he had to sit in and watch."

"Yes... but you said 'next year'..."

"I know what I said, Finral. I misspoke. People do that sometimes. Langris knew what I meant so why do you have to question it?"

"S-sorry," Finral said turning his gaze to the ground.

"Where is Langris. I thought I told you to tell him to come out here," Liliane said.

"I couldn't find him so I came back out. He might be some where studying in private. He likes to do that now and then."

"I believe Young Lord Langris is in his room studying. He was heading that way and asked not to be bothered," a maid said walking out with another batch of tea.

"He studies to much," Finral said without thinking.

"And you study to little," Ledior replied just loud enough for Finral to hear.

"Hey," Finral said to the maid as she went to go back inside. "Could you have the cook make Some chary tart and take it to Langris, please?"

"Of course, Young Lord Finral."

"Thank you! Langris loves chary tart, it would be nice for him to have some whenever he's ready for a study break."

Later that night, Fatry woke up in control of Finral's body only moments after Finral fell asleep. He could feel the anger and hatred he tried to suppress at House Vaude beginning to grow as he laid there in bed, reflecting on the day.

"Calm down, Fatry," he told himself as he curled up in a ball. He had this undesirable, overwhelming urge to destroy something even though his magic wouldn't allow it. "Deep breaths. It's okay..."

He managed to keep Finral from feeling his anger earlier but now it was becoming unbearable to contain. It was almost painful even.

When talking to himself didn't help he got out of bed and grabbed Finral's broom from across the room and flew out the window. He found a nice quiet place far enough away from the hideout that Yami and Gordon wouldn't be able to hear him and get woken up.

He landed and laid the broom down as he began to pace telling himself he needed to calm down.

"How can people be so cruel?!" He yelled kicking a rock as hard as he could. "How could someone have their own child conditioned to think so little of themselves?! My parents never said those kind of things to me! How can he care so much about people like that?! I... I... I hate them...! I hate them...! Those... Those... humans! They're unforgivable!" He finished yelling before letting out a scream and falling to his knees.

F-Fatry? W-what's going on? Where are we? Finral asked having 'woken up'.

"Finral..." Fatry began to cry.

What's wrong? Why are you feeling such strong hatred? It woke me up... if that's what you call this anyway...

"I'm sorry... I try not to feel this way... You're parents make me so angry. This malice I'm feeling from the reincarnation makes me want to kill them... I mean I don't want to... I mean I do but... I... uuuugh! This is so confusing! I don't like feeling like this! It hurts! Finral... I... I'm scared. I don't want to hurt anyone. And I definitely don't won't to hurt anyone with your hands... I-I can't breath..."

It's okay, Fatry. I won't let you hurt anyone. It's going to be okay.

"How? If we both had our own body then I could see that but we don't! So how would you stop me if my malice starts to take over?"

We'll figure something out, Fatry. Everything is going to be okay.

"I don't see how."