Viren spends his walk back to his family's chamber in contemplation. Though his mood is largely positive, there's uneasiness that has made a home in the pit of his stomach. It would've been easy to chalk it up to the nervousness of seeing his family in this state, but the intensity of his agitation suggested otherwise.
He had been practicing dark magic for a long time. Under the tutelage of his mentor, he learned to be resourceful and creative, finding ingredients or substitutes in the most unlikely of places. He also learned to be forward thinking-to acquire pieces of a spell well before he needed them. This resulted in whatever storage space he had at his disposal being filled to the brim with questionable items he wasn't sure he'd ever use. Just in case, his mentor had always said.
The mage before him had been an active hunter, obtaining the elements of any spell by killing magical creatures: a practice that Viren did not agree with in the slightest. It was excessive and an unnecessary waste of effort. The items they had attained this way usually ended up collecting dust, especially because there were often alternatives that did the job with far less… gore. Sure, such spells were weaker, but they were still functional.
And so, Viren swore off killing and vowed to only use ingredients his mentor had left behind or things he could easily acquire in Katolian markets. The grasshoppers he used for healing, for example, were from an animal feed stall. He obtained offals, such as the oxen heart he used to restore the King, from butchers. Sometimes, if the situation were dire enough, he would venture into the forest, seek out deceased animals, and harvest their parts-but that was only if it were unavoidable. That was as far as Viren planned to go. Except…
He fiercely rubs his eyes, hard enough for him to see colors dance behind his closed lids. Fixing his appearance requires Sunray monarchs-live Sunray monarchs.
It was strange. His mentor's use of stronger dark magic only manifested in the form of streaks of white in his otherwise black hair. Viren has acquired several strands himself, but that was more of a result of age and stress than dark magic.
If he were still a teenager learning dark magic for the first time, he wouldn't have considered the fact that they were alive an issue. But as a seasoned mage, he knew that any recipe that called for live creatures didn't simply kill them. It stole from them, pulling and pulling at their primal connection until their magic and soul are a glowing ball in the mage's hand. The critter left behind is nothing but an empty shell. A fate worse than death.
Viren shudders.
He probably wouldn't need to restore his appearance. The children probably wouldn't mind his eyes-and his features likely won't worsen if he just limits himself. He doesn't need to use the staff for much, anyway. Once he heals the Prince, he'll be done with it.
Viren's outside his home by the time he comes to this conclusion, rather satisfied that he's managed to curb his anxieties before reuniting with his family again. Well, almost reunite with them. They're probably asleep, he thinks, pushing the door open.
"You know what's odd?"
He freezes halfway in. "No?" he answers stupidly, his mouth opening and closing as he tries to force out a more coherent response to his wife's question.
"Numbers that are not divisible by two."
There's a tense pause.
"W-what?"
He could almost hear Lissa rolling her eyes. "Hmph. Tough crowd," she yawns. "But you know what else is odd?" By this time, his eyes are adjusted to the dark, and he sees his wife draped lazily over the chaise lounge by the window.
Though she seemed relatively relaxed and ready for bed, there was something about her form that almost seemed… dangerous. Maybe it was the way her long blonde tresses reflected the moonlight, giving her the menacing but ethereal appearance of a Moonshadow elf. Or maybe it was because her eyes almost seemed to radiate the same muted fury that she barely concealed in her voice.
He gulps, maintaining eye contact with Lissa as he speaks. "I was going to be back tonight."
"Don't avoid the question, Viren," she reprimands. "I think it's odd that your children haven't seen you since you returned from Xadia. I understand that you have an obligation to the King, but couldn't you have spared just a few minutes to see them?" She abruptly stands, walking over to the nearby table to light a candle. "What could have possibly been so important?" She pivots to face him, only to drop the lit candle with a gasp as soon as her eyes meet his. It fizzles out and the two are engulfed in darkness.
"Viren," she begins cautiously. "What happened to your eyes?"
With a dejected sigh, he walks over to pick up the candle, lighting it with magic as he pinches the wick between his index finger and thumb. There's a brief moment of silence as Lissa intently studies him. "I couldn't let the children see me like this," he whispers.
"I… I've never seen anything like this." She holds his chin, tilting his head at different angles to survey his predicament. "Are your eyes more sensitive to light?"
He can't help but laugh. Her insatiable curiosity despite the circumstances is endearing. "Is that really your most pressing question?"
"It's the least offensive one," she mutters absently, pulling his eyelids up and forcing his eyes to widen. "I have a few choice words for you but right now is hardly the time." She releases him and leans back with her arms crossed. "Huh. They're completely black. How did you manage to do this to yourself?"
Viren shrugs. "I can't say for sure. All I know is this happened after I healed Adriel. Though, on the bright side, it doesn't seem to have gotten worse even after casting spells on the King and the Prince."
Lissa freezes. "Wait. You mean to tell me that even though the staff did this to you," she gestures to his eyes, "you still went ahead and used it?"
"It's my duty, Lissa," Viren defends, eyebrows furrowed. He almost wishes he could take it back as soon as he sees the fire ignite in Lissa's eyes.
"Alright then." She pushes herself up, making her way to their bedroom.
"Excuse me?" Viren blinks—he was not expecting that. He grabs his wife by the wrist, and she responds by shaking him off.
She holds a finger up to his face. "No, no, don't even worry about it I completely understand. It must be so difficult to do your job when you're weighed down by the love of your wife and children," she rants sarcastically, her volume steadily rising. "All these troublesome family relations, what ever shall you do?"
"That's not fair, Lissa, I already told you why I couldn't come back," he snaps, the loudness of his voice matching hers.
She brings her fingers to her temple, her eyes squinting as if trying to comprehend what just came out of his mouth. "That's not even the problem here, dammit. That staff is doing something to you, you don't even know what. And yet here you are frolicking around the castle doling out spells like a baker distributing his unlimited supply of bread-"
Viren interrupts, but that doesn't stop Lissa from talking over him. "Three times! I only used it three times and with purpose. I wasn't just throwing around magic whenever I felt like it."
"-What if it kills you? How am I supposed to explain to Soren and Claudia that their dad would much rather die fulfilling his duty as the High Mage of Katolis than be their father?" Viren comes back with his own round of arguments, but Lissa only shouts louder, attempting to overpower him with her voice.
With their screaming match in full swing, they don't notice Soren stepping out of the room with Claudia cowering behind him. They don't even hear the child yelling for their attention until he runs between them. "Stop fighting!" he scolds. "You're scaring Clau-" He stops, eyes meeting his father's. Viren's lips tilt up as he begins to smile, but that only seems to help Soren cross the threshold from confusion to absolute horror. The child releases a fearful scream.
It breaks through Lissa's anger. She rushes to pick him up and place a hand over his eyes, but he is now writhing and crying, begging for his father to stop scaring him.
The scene absolutely destroys Viren. He had expected some apprehension from his children but nothing like this. The boy was terrified beyond words and Viren couldn't help but feel absolutely repulsed by himself. How could he do this to them? What kind of monster would subject their child to this? He shouldn't have come home tonight.
He's pulled from his trance by a tiny hand wrapping around his fingers. He looks down and Claudia's eyes meet his, alarmed but intrigued. "Daddy?" He smiles in response, a warmth filling his heart, but before he could verbalize an answer, Lissa cuts him off.
"You need to leave." She pulls Claudia away from him, and his daughter's expression is taken over by dread.
Appalled, he meets her gaze. Through her eyes are wet with tears, her gaze is hard-taunting, almost-as if daring him to challenge her command. He yields, saying nothing as he walks out the door.
Mathias is on his way to report to Lissa when he sees a tiny head popping out from her bedroom door. It's Claudia, clearly trying to be secretive based on the way she brings her fingers to her lips and shushes the guards as she passes. Mathias hides himself behind a pillar as she scans the halls, though he isn't sure why he feels inclined to hide from this harmless four year old.
He catches the eye of a guard, pointing at Claudia with a raised brow. The guard responds with a shrug.
Mathias decides to tail her discreetly, curious, but ultimately confused as to why she was being sneaky about leaving the room. It's not like Lissa would've stopped her from going anywhere, the children would've been left to their own devices until their governess arrived anyway. Where are you going, little one? he wonders, sparing a glance at his boss's room before turning a corner.
They don't have too much lined up for the day, so Lissa wouldn't mind if he's a little bit late. Probably. Hopefully.
After a few minutes of following the child, he finds himself at the library. She stops to chat with the librarian, who seems mildly concerned at her lack of supervision, but directs her to whatever she's looking for regardless.
Claudia prances a few rows away from the entrance and finds what she's looking for at the very top of the shelf. Mathias watches her stand on her tippy toes and reach as far as possible. It doesn't take long for her to realize her efforts are futile and she lets out a frustrated sigh, letting her hands drop to her side. Mathias feels his lips quirk as her face morphs into one of determination nearly identical to her mother's.
Just then, her face lights up, and she wags her finger (also a habit her mother has) before yanking a thick book off the lower levels of the shelf. Then another. And another.
She's stacking them, Mathias realizes. Should probably do the responsible adult thing and intervene before she hurts herself…
He straightens himself and attempts to make it seem like he hasn't been following her this whole time, letting his eyes trail the rows of books before he looks at her. "Oh, good morning, Claudia!" He internally flinches, acting has never been one of his strengths.
Claudia doesn't seem to notice his terrible performance. "Uncle Matty!" she yells, only to lower her voice when the librarian shushes her. "I need your help." She's already pointing to the book of interest before he even has a chance to ask.
With a chuckle, he reaches up to grab the book only to hesitate when the swirling symbol of dark magic stares back at him. "Are… are you sure you should be reading this?" Mathias may be well versed in medicine, but dark magic is an enigma to him. Is it appropriate for children? Wait, can she even read?
She makes a face. "I just want to look at the pictures."
Mathias gingerly pulls the book off the shelf and quickly flips through the pages. The pictures aren't the worst he's seen, just detailed sketches of various ingredients and the drawings of any internal organs aren't gory by any means so it should be fine… right? He can't help but feel pressured as Claudia gazes up at him with wide, puppy-dog eyes. He momentarily struggles to come to a decision, but a light does eventually go off in his head.
"Let's do this: I'll give you the book and we'll return to the room together. That way, your mom or dad can help you read it."
Claudia scowls. "I wanted to surprise them. If I can find why daddy's eyes are like that, I can fix him, and mommy will be happy again."
The apprentice grins. It's no secret that she has a heart for service, just like her parents, but it's always endearing to see it in action. She would make a good healer. "I'm sure they will be thankful for the effort either way." He squats, handing her the book. "So what do you say, Lady Claudia? May I escort you to your chambers?" He holds out his hand to her.
"Yes, Sir Mathias," Claudia giggles, balancing the book in one arm as she takes his hand in hers. "You may."
Chapter 6 is up slightly (just barely) earlier than planned because first comment here woohoo! Next chapter will be up latest by 8/29/20, thank y'all so much for reading!