Painful Reunion

It has been over two years since I became a bodyguard. Most days are still spent training with Zagan, learning swordplay, and to better utilize my Ular Eye. There was also magical training. He mainly focused on the basics and teaching a different way to create magic.

"To use chantless magic, you must say the words in your mind, visualize the magic, then create it," he explained.

Zagan then gave a demonstration. With his sword, he held it out, concentrating on it. Then, a few seconds later, fire enveloped the sword, bright blue, with heat radiating off.

"This way, you don't give your opponent any indication of your next move."

I wanted to try immediately. I pointed my rapier outwards. and began to incant.
Let the mana converge and flow through the conduit to Ignite!

Flames began to creep up the blade of my rapier, but when they almost reached the tip, they dissipated.

"What happened?" I said, confused.

"You didn't fully visualize the magic. How the flames would envelop the blade. How the heat would feel on your skin. The pain of being burned by those flames. You have to have a better understanding of the magic to use chantless magic."

Over the years, I have definitely warmed up to Zagan. At first, it felt like he was expecting so much out of a person who had no experience and no idea what was going on. But now I realize how good of a teacher he is and how he is trying to prepare me for the job. He never yells and always explains things thoroughly, as many times as I need.
If I had had more teachers like this in my last life, maybe I would have done better in school.

Before I could try using the magic again, we were interrupted by the prince.

"Zagan, Sern!" Kassim said with a cheerful look on his face.

The prince is quite outgoing and cheerful most of the time. He's also a lot more chummy now that we've known each other for a few years. Much different from the reserved, formal person he was at first.

"I've got news for you, Sern," he smiled.

"Really? What is it?"

"Remember that thing you wanted help with when you first met me?"

Help with finding my parents. I remember all too well.

"Well, I got some reports that a person fitting your mother's description was seen here in the capital."

That was big news. In fact, it was the only news I've gotten in the past two years. I felt a nervous excitement course through my body.

"According to my men who saw her, she was with another man, but he does not fit the description of your father."

He paused, then said. "My guess would be that the other man is probably her owner now."

Those words were like a trigger for me. They disgusted me and reminded me of the past. Something that she is currently going through.

"What are you going to do?" He looked at me.

"Obviously, I need to go help her."

"How are you going to do that? You know already that it is legal to own slaves. You would be breaking the law if you tried to take and free her."

"Are you going to stop me?" I gave him a scornful look.

He let out a sigh.

"Well, I am the prince; I guess I could just look the other way. But please, try not to make too much of a commotion? Please?"

I was relieved. I now had the go-ahead to do what I needed to.

"I'll send Malti along with you." The prince waved over Malti to approach.

"I can handle it myself."

"You don't know the way. Malti will guide you."
Well, he's right about that.

"Aw, you don't want me to come?" Malti leaned down to my level, making a pouting face.

"No, it's just, just, fine, whatever, let's go."

Malti smiled and started to lead the way. It wasn't as if I hated Malti or anything. In fact, I quite liked her. She has become a mentor of sorts, teaching me the ins and outs of living this new life. The thing was, she tends to make everything lighthearted, which made it hard for me to mentally prepare for what's next.

Malti took us through the back alleys, leading us all the way to the city's shell. The alleyway stopped, splitting off to the right and left. There, at the center of the intersection, a doorway sat, carved into the side of the wall. The door was bone-white, contrasting with the surrounding dark grey wall.

"This is it," Malti said, pointing to the door.

I nodded, then prepared to go in. Breathing deep, I put my hand on the hilt of my rapier. Before stepping forward, Malti put her hand on my shoulder.

"Whatever happens, whatever you find, don't get too disappointed. And try not to blame yourself. Alright?"

It was reassuring for me.

"Thank you, and please don't help. I'll take care of it."

I stepped forward and tried pushing the door open. It was locked. Using my rapier, I shimmied the tip of the blade into the lock. Then I began my incantation.
Let the mana converge and flow to become wind!

A small burst of air flowed out of the tip of my rapier, unlocking the door. Quietly, I slid the door open, revealing the inside. The room was dark, and the air was stale. It smelled bad, a mix of alcohol and body odor. Bottles were strewn about the whole room, with trash piling in corners.
Blegh, it smells rancid in here.

Cautiously, I closed the door behind me and started to make my way through the room. It was hard to see, as my eyes were still adjusting to the dark, but while moving through the room, the scabbard for my rapier knocked a bottle off a table. The bottle fell to the ground, shattering. Moments later, I could hear rustling in the next room.

"Mom? Mira? Are you there?"

I could hear heavy steps approaching from the room.

"What the hell is going on!?" A burly man appeared from out of the darkness of the room. My eyes were adjusted to the dark, and now I could see what he looked like. A large man, maybe six and a half feet tall, with unkempt, scraggy hair covering his head and face. He was half naked, with just his pants, and he had a potbelly, but I could also clearly tell he had muscle on him. He was holding a mace in his right hand.
Ah, he must be an adventurer or a guard of some sort.

"Does a woman named Mira live here?" I questioned him.

"Huh? What about her? What is this?"

"You need to let her leave."

"What!? I bought her! What are you talking about? Who are you?" The man was clearly intoxicated.

"Hm? You look familiar... That eye… Ah! That's what this is about. Well, it doesn't matter what she is to you, because now she's a slave." He smirked.

"And if you don't leave right now, I'll make you into a slave, too."

On those words, I unsheathed my rapier and lunged forward, aiming for his shoulder. The man brought his mace up, parrying my attack, and ran over to the other side of the room, picking up a buckler shield.

"Hah! You thought I was just some fat, weak man who would just roll over and die. But I've been an adventurer for longer than you've been alive!"

He charged straight at me with his shield up, protecting his face and chest. I feigned a high attack, making him focus on shielding his upper body, then went low, aiming for his right leg. He saw through it at the last second and adjusted his leg. My blade caught the side of his leg, but not as deeply as I wanted it to.

The man backed off and started to take deep breaths. His eyes darted down to look at the wound he received. The look in his eyes changed, and he took a real fighter's stance.
Now he's serious.

Instead of recklessly charging in, he took a more cautious approach. Slowly, we circled around each other in the small room. I didn't want to use any big, magical spells, because I still didn't know where mother was. Then, I thought of a spell I could use.
Let the mana converge and flow to become light!

A ball of light appeared at the end of my rapier. To a person who's been staying inside a dark room all day, this light was blinding. Trust me, I know.

The man swung his mace around wildly, making it hard for me to get a hit in. Then, I spotted an opening. As the ball of light started to fade, I sprang forward, thrusting my rapier clean through his hand. He screamed out and dropped his mace to the floor. I took a few steps back and sheathed my weapon. Really, I didn't want to kill the man. I barged into his home and demanded he give me someone he paid money for. I hated him for what he had done, but he technically isn't doing anything wrong, at least in this world.

As I was about to speak, he charged at me. Quickly, I dodged to the side and got behind a table.

"Hey! Stop! You've lost!"

None of my words could get through to him. He made another wild charge at me, this time faster. I kicked the table at him while trying to unsheathe my rapier again, but he hit the table away and slammed me to the ground.

"Agh!"

The air was knocked out of me. As I gasped for air, I felt his hands grip around my neck, squeezing hard. I looked up and could see only the silhouette of his shadow and the whites of his eyes. It was like a horror movie. I thrashed around, kicking and scratching at my neck.

"I'm gonna make you suffer for what you did to me," he said through clenched teeth.

I couldn't breathe, my strength was leaving my body, tears were running out of my eyes, and saliva dripped from my mouth. I was starting to lose consciousness.
Something—I need to do something...

I poured my mana into my eye, hoping that it would find something, anything. As if on instinct, slowly, I reached my right hand up, making a fist, and put it on his neck.
Let the mana converge... and flow to become... Frost Spike!

"KRCH!"

From the ring Rean gave me, ice formed and pierced clean through his neck. Blood trickled down and landed on my face. The man let go of my neck and reached for his own, trying to pull the piece of ice out. I lay underneath him, gasping for air, watching as he struggled to remove the piece.

"Khhk... Gghk..." Blood gurgled in his mouth. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he fell over.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds, before running to a corner and spewing chunks of today's lunch onto the floor.

"HURRK... BLEEGH"
I didn't mean to kill him... I didn't want to kill him...

I wanted to leave as soon as possible. I went into the room that the man came from, and there I found her. In the corner of the room, she was huddled up.

"Mira? Mom? It's me, Sern."

She didn't respond. When I took a closer look at her, she looked like a shell of her former self. There was no time to think. I just needed to get out of there. I grabbed her by the hand, pulling her past the dead man and out the door. Malti was standing guard out front, and when she saw me, she recoiled. I was a horrible mess. I smelled like vomit, and I had tears coming out of my eyes, with snot dripping from my nose. I was not a pretty sight.

Even worse was that the reunion was not the teary-eyed one I had envisioned. It was like she didn't recognize me. Her eyes were hollow, and she didn't say a word. Malti, Mira, and I walked back to the villa in silence.

At least it's over...