In the dawn of night, were people's noises are replaced by the sounds of insects and the cold breezes of the wind. There on a certain estate of the Shilvia family. Sitting in her father's office, Ashalain was scribbling a letter.
"Due to Lord Ariendal's sudden absence, I, Lady Ashalain de Shilvia, will temporarily assume authority over the financial affairs of our house. Before the pending charters and bonds are ratified, I seek your confirmation as honoured investors and partners."
She takes one last look at the paper before putting it in a flamboyant envelope with a golden corner guard. Once she has given it a seal, she prudently analyses the banking documents, harbour and shipping documents, estate authority documents, and some trade contracts from other noble nations.
"Strange, these are four days old, and father didn't sign them off?"
She ponders—putting aside the documents, Ashalain then gave a small drop of her blood to the golden inkwell.
Running the quill over the paper, fascinatingly, her signatures gave off a shimmering light. Besides, its gleaming light didn't dissolve; it continued.
"May I come in? My lady." Mr Hill knocks on the frame door, bringing with him a tray of coffee and a loaf of bread.
Interestingly, the doors remained unrepaired, placed just beside the opening. As a result, four guard stations are now situated at the entrance. Moreover, an invincible barrier was then erected, preventing intruders from entering the room.
"Should I ask someone to fix the door?" Mr Hill continued once he had placed all the necessities on the desk.
"Yes, please do so," Ashalain replied quickly, taking a sip of the coffee. "And do deliver this letter at the port."
"It shall be done, my lady." The butler bows and quickly takes his exit.
Four hours had passed, and a woman was on her way towards where Ashalain was situated. When the guards saw her, she immediately placed her fingers on her lips, gesturing to the guards to remain still. And silently she enters the office without knocking or warning.
"You've been busy, sister," Ashena announced, her eyes wandering through the room.
Elsewhere…
Awoken, he found himself in a room. It was already nighttime, his head still aching, his muscles twinging. It was all too sudden— Natalak didn't know what happened, how he collapsed, or who was to blame. He can only speculate that it was Chifya since she holds a bitterness against him.
Turning around, ciphering his surroundings, he saw Reith sitting and sleeping silently. It was said that Reith had been there the whole time, watching Natalak.
The night was an insomnia for him. He was sleepless, like a man in a deep slumber, nursing him through his sleep. Placing the blanket at Reith, Natalak instantly searches his bag.
"Where is it?" Natalak sighs; after that, he goes to catch a midnight breeze.
For now, the sky was open. The starry night illuminates the dark sky, turning the pitch black into beauty. The moon is different from his past world; three moons lit the night. One was reddish, the other was green, and for the last well, you can see that it was half red and yellow.
For a moment of astral silence, Natalak heard a rustle; the sound came from the back of the house. He follows the sound—a slow push through the door, giving him a slight peek through the outside.
Unnoticed, he saw Sheila doing her magical stuff. He can see her struggling to control her magic. What he saw was the magic she tried to craft from whence they were at the druid battle.
Using two hands, Sheila was again forming a sun-like orb glowing in blue. The closer he analyses, the flesh of her hands was burned, and the scorch gave a gleam of many colours.
"Just a little bit more," Sheila mutters, her eyes begin to cry blood, and even her nose begins to bleed.
As the orb grows into the size of a tennis ball, it quickly shrinks back. Forcing her limits to the brim, she kneels in heavy exhaustion. Wiping away blood, she tries to heal her burned hand; however, her energy is all but depleted.
"That's quite an injury," Natalak announced, coming out to her side.
"This is nothing, I'll heal when my energy recovers"
"I can't sleep, nor can I rest. So, what brings you to this place?"
"Training," Sheila murmurs, quickly hiding her injuries using the robes' sleeves.
"I have seen your magic training. Are you making a fireball?"
"Fireball? That's not a fireball."
"What is it then?"
"It's a Vintuwon."
"Vintuwon? What kind of thing is that?"
"It's a powerful spell, a transmutation spell actually… how do I explain it?" Sheila ponders. "Well, for us mages… imagine a human containing water, and that water is the fuel in creating spells."
"More like an energy, a mana."
"You could say that… how Vintuwon works is like digging a large pond where huge amounts of water can be stored."
"Ah, I get what you mean, but how do you get a huge amount of water when your body contains a small amount of water?"
"As I said, transmutation, by converting the energy around us into energy, the spell can finally be achieved."
"Hmm…" Natalak nods. "That is some crafty spell."
He took a glance at her sleeves and saw blood dripping.
"May I ask where Chifya is?"
"She's in her room, on the second floor, just opposite where you slept."
"Can I see your hand? I'm also curious how your wounds glimmer." Natalak said, extending her hand.
Willingly offering to his suggestion, Sheila slowly unveils her sleeves, showing her bleeding flesh.
"Right now, do you have the energy to cast healing magic or any kind of magic?"
Shaking her head. "I cannot, just give me a few hours and I'll handle the wounds by myself."
Unexpectedly, Natalak grabs the uninjured area of her hand and drags her upstairs.
"What are you doing? Stop it!" Sheila tries to pull her arms.
Dragging Sheila to where Chifya's room is situated— shockingly, the door wasn't locked, enabling Natalak to enter without a knock.
"Woman, wake up." Natalak beseeches, shaking Chifya awake.
Awoken by Natalak's interruption, she was rather in a mix of emotions.
"What… what do you want?!" Chifya exclaimed.
"What else? I've got a job for you." Natalak points his fingers towards Sheila. "Our captain needs your healing thing." Natalak continues, showing Sheila's burned hand.
Upon looking at Sheila's injured hand, she quickly grabs her wrist. "ScorchedMagic … Have you been doing this all the time?" Chifya gave a serious look.
"This is just a little, so I'll soon heal this after my training—"
"That's enough." Chifya softly interrupts and pulls her towards the table.
Unwilling to relinquish her hand, Chifya pulls the drawers. Inside were full of potions of different kinds.
"You do realise the cost of Scorched Magic?"
Sheila didn't utter a word; she only gave a nod.
"How long have you been doing this?" Chifya continues, pulling out a green bandage.
"A couple of weeks."
Pushing away her sleeves, there were spots of burned marks lingering on her shoulders.
"You were saying?" Chifya looks at Sheila for an honest answer. "It looks to me you were doing this for a month."
Whilst Chifya was commencing to deliver her medication practices. Natalak couldn't help but feel awe and was immersed in Chifya's stocks of potions.
"Can I ask you something? What's a Scorched Magic?" Natalak spoke.
"ScorchedMagic is an energy hole. It mostly occurs when a magic caster tries to withdraw a large amount of their energy in one single spell. In doing so, it leaves a hole in their magic reservoir, and sometimes death if one tries to force empty their energy." Chifya said, embroiling the wound through a mysterious green liquid.
"Can temples heal it? Paladins, clerics, priests?"
"They can, but the person won't be casting for another month. Depending on the condition, it might take a whole year if the person is in a severe state."
"What about the mage's healing?"
"That's for brief patching. Mage heals wounds, not souls, and energy is also souls." Chifya follows, cautiously spreading the whole liquid.
As for Sheila, she was looking in the opposite direction.
"You can go to sleep, Natalak, this might take a long time," Chifya suggest.
He looks at the various flasks Chifya had stored. "Hey… I mean miss Chifya, got that potion you just used it against me?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Chifya coldly replied.
"I know you're the one, don't take me for a fool," Natalak said, watching her with a cold, dark face.
"Fine! Here you go, just don't overdo it." Chifya extends a flask in the form of a two-inch test tube flagon. "Hold on, you might truly overdose yourself." She withdraws, putting five drops into another empty tube.
"Here… this should suffice," Chifya continues, giving him the smaller quantities.
"Thank you." Natalak nods,
Like an old man slowly walks out of the room, gripping the bottle. He was surprised to see Reith sleeping on the bed. As badly as Natalak wanted to sleep, the bed was too small for two people.
"Where can I sleep?" Natalak whispered.
Corresponding to a statue, pondering where he would rest.
He smiled, "I think there's one."
Returning to where Chifya and Sheila were. Natalak entered without knocking. Glancing, he saw that Sheila was enduring the pain.
"What are you doing?" Chifya said, staring at Natalak with a warning.
"Going to sleep." Natalak wearily replied.
"Hey!"
"Hmm." Natalak groans, ignoring her call as he nestles himself in the warm bed.
"Hey! That's my bed."
"I don't see any name written on this bed." Natalak groans. "Sleep here I come, baby," Natalak said before drinking the potion.
It took only five seconds for the potion to feel its effect. And freely he consents, for sleep gradually enters.
"You mongrel! I'll get with you once I'm done." Chifya mutters, regarding Natalak with a fuming appearance.
Unexpectedly, Chifya was startled by the faint tittering of Sheila. And for a while, the pain seems to subside.
"Sorry about that, sister Chifya. I find it funny between you two." Sheila spoke, still chuckling.
"I think you got it all wrong. He and I would never come to an agreement." Chifya implores, giving the final touch by wrapping the wounds with a glowing bandage.
"Maybe so, but it would be interesting to see you two."
"Okay, that's quite enough, you're making me blush," Chifya responded, placing the potions back in the drawer. "Also, could we go to your room? I need to talk to you about something." Chifya continues, after pushing the drawer.
"Should we just discuss it here?"
"The man's snoring, besides, it's just a short conversation."
Sheila agrees, and down they descend to the first floor. Once they enter the room for a private conversation, the two sit by an open window, letting cold air balance the blistering room.
"Can you take off your dress?" Chifya orders.
"What?"
"Your clothes, will you take them off?" Chifya gave a serious look.
"I-I can't."
"We're both women, Sheila. Moreover, I'm not in playful teasing. And hiding those burns isn't a joke." Chifya's eyes turn sharp.
Once she uttered her words, there was a short pause for Sheila to contemplate Chifya's implication. Sheila didn't utter a word; she only obeyed her commands.
Unveiling her upper dress, Chifya's eyes turn grave. ScorchedMagic smeared all over her body, the flesh may have healed, leaving no scars, but the glittering embers remain.
"I was right, you should have told me earlier. But I would like to know how long the scorch begins."
"About more than a year." Sheila's eyes were solemn.
"I see." Chifya let out a deep sigh of relief. "I do have the medicine to restore your reservoir, but it would take more than a week. And don't think about secretly going for another scorch burning, because I'll be checking your wounds every night, starting today."
"I'm fine with that, but—"
"Don't think about the payment, I have enough ingredients to make; more importantly, you should completely undress."
"What! Can you do the torso first? The night is quite cold." Sheila implores; her face gives an uncomfortable look.
"No," Chifya replied, closing the windows and sliding the curtains. "Don't force me, Sheila."
"Alright-alright, I'll take it off."
After two hours of alchemy procedures and pasting the finished product where the glittering embers reside before covering it with another layer of binding, Sheila gradually felt better, as if a heavy shackle had been lifted from her body. Her magical energy is now stable; the holes have been patched.
"Do you need one of these? It could take you to a quick sleep," Chifya spoke, showing Sheila the potion that Natalak used.
"No need."
"As you wish," Chifya said, before leaving the room.
Entering her room, she changed her attitude upon seeing Natalak, peacefully sleeping on her bed. Standing, she stares at Natalak; there is something in the change of her expression.
She looked at her left palm, and through the moonlight, a mark was revealed.
"I think… I should be the one to look after myself." She mutters, and from her eyes, you can tell there's something she has an interest towards Natalak. "Or perhaps…." She adds, smiling.