CHAPTER III: VALIDITY
Quiaesse and Clementine are still arguing as I fling the front doors of the estate inwards with both hands. Dozens of vampire brides stop their tasks and form two perfect lines, bowing in unison. It's an impressive display of how they're silent and motionless until we pass but as soon as we're out of their corridor, they file away individually to return to their original tasks. Clementine says as we follow the two remaining maids, "Undead servants and elaborate decor? This place has the noble house atmosphere."
"Shalltear's estate is rather nice," I reply as we keep pace with our guides. Aura is already moving further ahead, going past the maids towards our intended path. Those near me keep pace and those who've never been here observe the surroundings with an apprehensive eye. We pass through the right archway next to the main staircase, entering the gloomily lit dining room reconfigured for the number of people present. It looks comical that only a few small tables are populating such ample space, but practicality is today's business order.
Aura is already in her seat, eager to consume her share of food but waiting until everyone is seated. It's a short trip to the main table and I help Shalltear into her chair by taking her left hand and guiding her downwards. She smiles at me and I return the smile, taking the seat on her left while Clementine slides off my shoulders onto my lap sideways. As soon as we're down, Aura starts digging into the mountains of food in front of her with reckless abandon. Shalltear and I are the only ones who aren't mesmerized at how quickly Aura inhales her food without pause. I have to tell those mesmerized by her display, "Even when inactive, she burns calories at an alarming rate."
"I'm no better being mostly muscle but this is extreme," Clementine replies in wonder as she reaches for some of the food on the table with her left hand. Quiaesse and the captain examine the assembled food before them and pick out their choices. Quiaesse decides on more vegetables and proteins while the captain opts for more pieces of bread and plain foods. Everyone settles into their eating routines but the captain seems entranced by the bread he has in his hand. He makes a show of smelling it and tasting it tentatively, saying with admiration, "This bread... it's just like the bread baked where I grew up... but how did you get the recipe so... so perfect?"
"We have a specialist with extensive horticulture and culinary arts knowledge. I'll tell him you appreciate his work," Shalltear replies between bites. I'm only half listening because I'm trying to hold a bowl of beef stew in one hand while attempting to ignore Clementine squirming around. Aura breaks my concentration by tapping my left shoulder, nearly causing me to drop the food on myself as she asks between bites of her food, "How come you never let Shalltear or I sit there? Why is she the first one?"
"The option is available," I reply but nearly drop my stew when Clementine bumps into me on accident. I quickly place the bowl back on the table with a brief exhale of relief. There are plenty of options for portable foods but an idea strikes instead. With my left hand, I grasp the spoon I'm using and hold it in front of me. The spoon distorts as metal flows into a new shape, resembling a strange spoon design that I'd seen before. I make a show of pressing the button on the handle a few times, smiling when the covered portion lifts out of the way slightly. As I move the spoon towards its intended target, Clementine asks me curiously, "How do you do that so casually? I don't feel much magic usage whenever you perform these... I don't even know what to call them."
"It's complicated," I reply while using the new spoon, turning it upside down and marvelling at the perfect seal. All attention is drawn to me while I try to ignore it and eat my stew but when the attention doesn't relent, I sigh and put my spoon down. I give them a weak smile as I say, "There's a... gland... like a third lung in my chest that fills with magic from the air and injects it into my bloodstream. The runic channels on my limbs harness that magic so that I can condense or vaporize said magic into solid objects... like this."
I show them my right hand and let the runic channels of my arm focus energy towards it. A hilt forms from the air, forming a silver and gold dagger of elvish design in roughly a second. Quiaesse and the captain look shocked at how quickly the blade forms but the others are impressed but less surprised. Aura grins once the blade fully forms in my hand, saying with amusement, "You kept that thing after all this time? I thought you'd have moved on from such a beginner weapon."
"It's one of the first gifts you gave me so I'm not giving it up," I reply as I focus the energy from my hand into the hilt. Magenta light travels up the handle to the blade, cutting new runic channels into the metal. Shadows form on my arm and swim onto the hilt, swirling into the blade edge to feast on the raw magic emitted. White lights and dark masses dance and gibber in excitement on its surface. The shadows sink into the blade, discolouring the metal with black and white splotches that slowly settle into a satisfactory pattern. Then the shadows fade back into their realm and leave behind an elaborate mural on the blade's body. The shapes create the image of a stylized man, unmistakenly me, walking with a shadowy drake in a dead forest. I'm snapped from my appreciation of the art piece when the captain asks, "You can make objects at any time and manipulate them at will?"
"I... understand... that all matter and energy are the same. I learned to manipulate that force but creation magic takes more than I can muster," I reply as I drop the dagger unceremoniously into my inventory and pick up my covered spoon to keep eating my half-finished stew. Clementine chuckles and leans in to whisper in my ear, "Your magic is fluid-borne."
I resist coughing up the stew in my mouth and nod in reply, swallowing the stew before gently placing it back on the table. I hear Shalltear and Aura snickering and feel annoyed at the inconvenient perception that my rings provided them. My eyes focus on Quiaesse who's eyeing me more critically, his head tilting slightly then returning to a neutral position before he says, "I thought it was strange that someone as powerful as Clementine Quintia would be so easily courted by a foreign noble that no one has heard of but now that I understand your nature a little more, I can see the appeal."
I smile and stay focused on him even as I feel my shadow extend behind me, covering the open ground in a black miasma. Two bladed wings reach out of the miasma and scrape the ground, pulling an unformed mass from the depths. Aura is the only one speaking but is stumbling over her words as the ancient drake pulls itself free of the shadow and forms into a material presence. The shadowy miasma dissipates as the freshly born drake breathes in the air, a deep rumbling emanating from its chest that sounds like laughter. Before anyone can speak, I explain to the group, "I've learned quite a bit once the inhibitor in my head was removed. I mentioned to Clementine that I have an understanding with the shadows but to be more precise, that understanding comes from this drake of darkness-"
"Alduin..." the captain whispers in shock as he rises to his feet and kicks his chair away, drawing the spear that appears on his back and taking a combat stance. I remain motionless as he charges me over the table and thrusts his weapon towards me, my smile becoming a grin as he expertly avoids Clementine with his thrust. The drake projects some of its moods through me, the immense strength of the drake's emotions intoxicating and overwhelming. I have to push the feelings out to avoid being dumbstruck and the captain pulls his spear back once the three hands release their hold. The drake responds in a language the captain can understand, "Humanity reacts the same as always but it's understandable after the things I've done to your kind."
"Put away your weapon, Captain. You wanted to talk and I won't have conflict at this table," I command, the captain surprised by my sudden change in hostility and tone. He does as he's told as Shalltear, Aura, and Clementine release their grips on his weapon, making sure to eye him as he carefully retraces his steps and puts his chair back on its feet. Clementine looks at the torn clothing where the spear pierced and smiles, opening it slightly before telling me knowingly, "If you didn't harden the skin underneath, even with all three of us stopping the weapon, he would've pierced your heart."
"Definitely... and thanks for reducing the force of the blow everyone," I say in agreement, looking down at the damage as she smiles at me. My smugness becomes neutrality when I realize that even with so much opposition, the captain still sliced through some of the scales. I place a hand on the torn clothing, reknitting the fabrics back to their original state while the scales regrow over the new hole in my chest. If they hadn't grabbed the spear and held it back, his blow would've landed perfectly...
"If they find out who Beric Lowarm contains, the Slane Theocracy will resume hunting you, Clem," Quiaesse adds in good humour, Clementine frowning for a second at the reminder. The good mood is fleeting because Alduin says aloud in a powerful statement directed at me, "Tell them the truth."
"I know..." I reply glumly, feeling my good mood disappear. All eyes fall on me once again and I sit up in my chair, trying to collect the many racing thoughts into something coherent. I begin with, "Removing the inhibitors in my head revealed a lot... I can remember everything that has happened to me from when I was born... in perfect clarity..."
Uncomfortable silence and uncomfortable attention. I try to smile and stay positive but the subject makes me feel as uncomfortable as everyone else does. Clementine holds my left hand suddenly and I'm able to smile at her, trying to hold onto the feeling as I tell those waiting for my reply, "My parents, the ones who created me accidentally, are the legendary swordsman Takemikazuchi and the paladin Isnadra Miaxsys... you know Isnadra in the Slane Theocracy as-"
"The Penitant... you can't be her son!" Quiaesse interjects with unabashed shock, my head nodding grimly as I reply, "I am... and I'm not. The true purpose of the ritual was to summon the great world tree Ygdrassil to this world, the New World... but the ritual failed because, even with their combined powers and knowledge, they didn't meet the requirements to complete the ritual. Their combined power only brought an aspect of Ygdrassil to this world... consuming their physical forms in the process..."
"The regal tree in a grove of flowers..." Aura whispers as she starts to see the connections. I look over at Shalltear who seems unaffected by the knowledge but she's only pretending for those around her. The only indications of her discomfort are the few odd fidgeting movements with her hands and her head that were barely perceptible. I nod and note that Clementine is staring right at me, forcing herself to conceal her unease with a convincing expression of compassion. I nod and continue the story with, "To save itself, the young tree summoned a guardian to tend to it and protect it. That guardian was Roeray Sunlight who... in turn, created me and a lycanthrope named Doris to accompany her... but it wasn't enough... the tree, lacking a true source of power in this world, slowly died despite constant care... yet I was the one that was sent away, to live a new life... a copy of another..."
"So that means..." the captain mouths, my head nodding slowly as I let the implications sink in for a few seconds. When he remains silent in contemplation for too long, I say to clarify, "It means that, because of Isnadra and her memory, I'm a copy of Beric Lowarm and the real one is sitting across from me... sorry it had to be revealed to you like this..."
"So if you aren't Beric Lowarm, who are you?" Clementine asks curiously, a smile creeping onto my face as I reply, "I guess I'm just Beric now. I have enough last names. Shalltear will claim me as a Bloodfallen, Aura will claim me as a Fiora... and maybe I'll even be part of House Quintia-"
"No offence, Quiaesse, but I think I'd rather be a Bloodfallen or a Fiora in my current situation," Clementine interjects, her brother smiling and nodding before saying, "No offence taken. Mom and Dad always wanted you to take on the house name of your marriage partner back when you were dodging marriage arrangements. I'm still getting the strong impression that they were trying to dispose of you."
"Ya think?" Clementine replies sarcastically, both of them sharing a laugh as I turn my head up and to the left. Alduin had been silent for a long time and in response, they tilt their head to the right so that we are making eye contact. I smile at them and say with annoyance, "Happy?"
"Give him the heirlooms," Alduin intones, causing my smile to drop instantly. I rise grudgingly from my seat and try to help Clementine slither her way onto my back, doing my best not to touch anything of hers for too long with her brother in the room. Once I'm sure she's secure, I slowly round the table and numbly pull out the old spear and shield that I was gifted so long ago, saying as the captain rises from his chair, "These items are bound to the soul of Beric Lowarm... Gracelia gave them to me before passing... but I never knew the truth... until now..."
I shove the items into his hands, feeling his confusion when I place my hand against his chest. He only has a few seconds to look at me before I channel magic from my arm into his chest, his face displaying shock from the sudden and sharp pain he must feel. The process only takes two seconds, a data crystal of golden light pulling free from his chest into my hand. He looks down at it in shock before turning his gaze back to me slowly, whispering, "What... did you just do?"
"Removed your inhibitor," I reply as I drop the crystal on the ground unceremoniously and turn away. The drake watches me move away from everyone for a few seconds but evaporates back into my shadow when I keep walking. I try to ignore the feelings of sadness and regret coming from them as Aura rises from her seat rapidly and rushes to walk with me. Shalltear rises as well and intones to those not following, "That concludes our talk. The maids will show you out when you are finished with this space."
"It'll be okay," Clementine whispers me over my shoulder, squeezing my chest with her arms. Aura mirrors that sentiment by holding my left hand but I shake my head, whispering, "Would you be okay... losing your identity?"
They don't answer out of courtesy, not because they don't have an answer.
