Authors note 1:Quick pre-chapter update to prevent confusion—I changed Cari’s second Title name from “Fae Sister” to “Of Fae and Kin”. I feel like it better fits the Title's description.
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“Well, shit,” I sigh.
From what I understand, the Archivist holds auctions every few decades. The kind where powerful people trade powerful things—and then spend the next few years trying to kill each other over them.
This time, that “thing” might be me.
At least, that’s what everyone seems to think. I’m inclined to agree… though I’d still like to hear it from the Archivist himself.
If I’m ever allowed off Academy grounds again.
Still, I have one question.
“Okay, I get selling the information. Simple enough business practice. But why auctions?”
“Because it’s one of the best ways to avoid total war,” Bella says.
I peer over Cari, brow raised as high as I can get it. She sighs.
“Shadow wars aren’t real wars,” she says, waving a hand. “They’re… quieter. It’s assassins, mercenaries, and spies. And the fights are in alleys and shadows instead of battlefields.”
“Right,” I drawl. “Totally different from war.”
She chuckles. “I didn’t say that. I said it isn’t real war. Most people never even realize it’s happening. Hells, your nation is probably involved in at least two right now.”
I frown. “Seriously?”
She hums affirmation.
“The Principality of Serethal and the Etheron Empire, for certain,” she says slowly. “I’m not sure if the Pylum Consortium is still causing mischief though.”
I grunt, my mood souring further at the mention of the Empire, and tuck myself back into Cari’s warmth. Silence settles over the room then, until Bella excuses herself to her bedroom.
She takes a few moments to put out most of the lights around Cari’s room, even though I could have used mana to put them out from where I lay with Cari.
She does it anyway.
My heart flutters a little at the gesture, but she’s gone before I can thank her properly.
Through Cari’s window, the night sky stretches wide, stars glittering faintly as they try to lull me back to sleep.
I must’ve napped away the afternoon…
I decide that probably isn’t a bad thing. Time spent with Cari, even if she’s unaware of it, is time well spent in my eyes. Besides, by the time the Headmistress returned to give me my new med—
Oh gods, my medicine!
I jolt upright, nearly knocking the box from my hip in the process. I catch it last second and immediately crack it open.
There’s only one vial.
Strangely, it looks nearly identical to the others, except for the pretty silver glow it gives off.
My excitement almost gets the better of me, but I manage to pause long enough to remember what the Headmistress said.
“Take the medicine and go to bed. It’ll clear the overdose effects of the old medicine and kick in by the morning.”
Overdose?
It takes a moment, but after leaning into Intelligence a bit, I managed to remember the small note of instructions she’d given me with the previous medicine.
Specifically, one line.
“Under no circumstances are you to consume an additional dose early, even if the effects seem diminished or fail to manifest entirely.”
I frown, then check my Status and immediately notice the problem.
StatusName: Emilia KenRace: FaefoxAge: 20Level: 74
Health: 82,309Health Regen: 38,719 (6,582.2) per minute(84% restrained)
Mana: 863,466Stored: 1.72mMana Regen: 13.34m (14,684.7) per minute(99.92% restrained)
…That’s really not good.
Not only is my mana regeneration reduced to almost nothing, but my health regen is apparently affected now as well.
I check the box again. Unlike last time, there’s no instructions inside. Just the vial, nestled in a small indentation on a cushion that seems purpose built for this specific occasion.
I snatch out the vial and drink it.
This time, instead of a wave of cool relief and clarity, I’m suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of warmth and lethargy. I flop back into the bed at Cari’s side and almost instantly pass out then and there.
But I manage to stay awake just long enough to turn back into Cari’s side. When I manage to wrap my tail around her waist once more, I can no longer fight the sleep that comes.
Despite the weight of everything I’d learned, I know there’s nothing I can do about any of it. Not tonight, anyways.
So I let myself rest, taking what relief I can from Cari’s presence.
***
I stir awake as Cari shuffles against me, turning in my arms and messing with the precious comfort I’d managed to cultivate through the night.
Then she giggles, and I stiffen, my Sense Danger Skill flaring to life.
Not actually, but it sure feels like it for a terrifying instant, because I know exactly what that giggle means.
She’s up to no good, and it’ll come at my expense.
That’s when the tickling starts.
I squawk a protest, but it’s quickly muffled by Cari as she smothers me and continues her merciless assault.
It takes a few moments to wrestle free, but I eventually manage to pin her down and return the favor. Except I use my tail and ears, as my fur is a much, much better weapon in this particular battle.
“Okay, okay! I give,” she manages through a fit of laughter. “You win!”
I pause for a moment, letting her squirm away from half-attempted tail tickles… then flop myself atop her. She grunts as her breath is knocked from her lungs, but doesn’t otherwise complain.
“Good morning, Emi,” she wheezes.
I can already tell that she seems to have forgotten going through her evolution. Or maybe she’s just not acknowledging it. Or maybe she’s subconsciously in denial.
Regardless, the fact that she isn’t going nuts right now is proof enough that she’s not thinking about it.
I decide that now’s the perfect time to change that.
“Mm…” I mumble. “G’morning Miss Tier One.”
She instantly goes rigid, and a smug grin finds it’s way to my lips.
Knew it.
I brace myself just in time, as Cari’s arms wrap around me and squeeze with all her might. I can almost swear I hear a rib creak beneath the pressure, but she doesn’t let up.
The high pitched squeal of delight is enough to tell me I was absolutely correct. Instead of extracting myself, I endure the freakishly excited girl as she rolls us about her bed, tangling us in a mess of sheets, blankets and pillows.
Then she stops, gasping for breath. She pulls back enough to give me a wide-eyed stare.
“I’m Tier One…” she says, her voice barely a whisper and laced with disbelief.
I grin. “Yup.”
“I’m Tier One!”
“You sure are.”
And then it begins again.
For a while, she repeats the cycle of excitement, disbelief, excitement… and I endure it all with more than a little pride.
She deserves it.
But eventually, she does settle. She seems shocked more than anything by the end, but she doesn’t so much as twitch to free herself from the tangled fabrics. She just stares blankly ahead, her eyes twitching every so often as she no doubt looks through her Status.
Then she begins to cry.
“What’s wrong?”
The words are out of my mouth before I have time to think.
But instead of an answer, I receive two new System Notices.
It’s her Titles.
True to SelfYou have chosen to be true to yourself and to those you love, even when it may cost you.Few mortals find their path so swiftly, and fewer still accept it.You did.Bonuses:You require no breakthroughs to evolve up to Tier Four.+5% to all stats per Tier.
Of Fae and KinAs a human, you were as true a sister as you could be. But it was not enough. So you reached for more… and took it.Now, you are fae.Now, you are family.You chose, and so you are.And so you remain.Bonuses:Your kinship has been made real.Additional Racial evolutions are now available to you.+2 free stats per level.+10% to Wisdom.+25% to mana regeneration.
After reading them both, I almost cry myself. The second one, especially, hits me right in the heart, and it takes everything I have just to keep myself from hugging her to death.
So that’s what she got out of it.
I hadn’t looked into what her Classes or Skills specifically did, as that wasn’t a part of her request. And I wanted to respect her privacy, even if she likely wouldn’t have minded me peeping.
But now that I get to share this moment with her, I’m glad I didn’t.
“W-wow,” I say, barely holding my emotions together. “That’s amazing, Cari. Really, really amazing.”
I bury my face in her neck and ignore the sting in my eyes, focusing instead on making sure she knows how much I love her. When we finally pull apart again, both adorned with puffy eyes, I decide to surprise her.
I push my emotions directly through our bond. It’s not as focused as I’d like, and probably more a flood than a gentle stream—but I know it worked well enough when she gasps.
“W-what? How?”
She sounds at a complete loss, but the words fade quickly as she seems to focus elsewhere.
Her Oathstone appears between us, close enough that I almost recoil from it on instinct until I feel the connection between us.
“Gods above…” she mutters. “Is this what you feel? There’s nothing to back it up, but I just know. What it is, what it does, how to use it… everything. How?”
I shrug.
“Something about instincts, but I don’t know how it all actually works, but yeah, that’s how I feel,” I say, nodding slowly.
“Huh,” she says, flummoxed. “Weird.”
I laugh. “Couldn’t have put it better myself.”
Sunlight peeks through the window then, glinting at just the right angle to be annoying, and I realize that we’re likely running out of time to get prepared.
I check my own status quickly, and a sharp grin spreads across my face.
StatusName: Emilia KenRace: FaefoxAge: 20Level: 74
Health: 82,309Health Regen: 38,719 per minute
Mana: 863,466Stored: 1.72mMana Regen: 13.34m per minute
There are no restrictions to my regenerations at all any more. I’m back at full strength.
Properly, this time.
Now to see if the medicine actually works. But first…
“Cari, we need to get ready,” I say, then start squirming free from the tangle of bedding.
“What? Why—oh! Oh, gods, what time is it?”
She starts squirming too, then, and it takes us a solid five minutes to break free. Gasping, she pulls me into her dorm rooms personal bathroom and begins running a bath for us, then dashes back out to grab some clothes from her wardrobe.
As we bathe, I take the time to explain everything I’d learned last night.
“That selfish prick,” she huffs. “What Tier is he again?”
“Somewhere in the range of ‘too strong to care’ and ‘don’t even think about it,’ I believe,” I chuckle.
She scowls at me. “Well, I’m thinking about it. Do you think Bluebell could take him?”
That gives me pause, because I honestly don’t know.
So I shrug.
Her scowl deepens further… then she slumps with a sigh until her lips dip beneath the water and starts blowing angry bubbles.
I can hear snippets of words as she seemingly plots murder beneath the suds.
“Selfish bast… knife to the… hire the Headmas…”
The rest is lost to the bubbles.
I just shake my head at her shenanigans.
Suddenly there’s a knock at the door, and she freezes, eyes wide with horror.
Then Bella’s voice comes through.
“Emilia? Are you awake?”
I struggle to respond through a restrained laugh, especially when Cari turns a withering glare my way.
“Yes! I’m up!”
Through some strange function of the enchantments in our rooms, she actually hears me.
I have got to figure out how to do enchantments at some point.
“Oh, thank the gods. Please get ready, our escort has arrived.”
“Escort?”
There is no response, though.
“Wait! What you mean escort?!” I shout, trying to will my voice through the walls themselves.
Once more, there is no response.
I make like Cari and lower myself into the water so I can groan with all my might without sounding like an overdramatic teenager.
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Authors note 2:Sorry for the delay to this chapter. I had something of a bout of writers block.
The idea that I'm ending Book Two soon got to me for some reason... it filled me with indecision because I was trying to figure out how to end it.
Until I realized that Chapter 102 is probably exactly where it should end. I'll need to tweak it to be a proper ending (just like I did for Chapter 39 in Book One), but... it's likely the perfect spot.
After I thought about that, the entire mess cleared from my head, and I was able to get back at it.
I hope you guys enjoy the story so far <3 there's much more to come.