Unbeknownst Bonds

Year 1455 of the Draconic Sage calendar.

Lock

Training by myself was getting me nowhere fast. It’d been a year since I started practicing my water magic. While my mana reserves were increasing very gradually, my aptitude wasn’t. In those twelve months, I’d estimate that my water magic had gone from 2/100 to 4/100. I’d never had to train for power in my previous life, but I heard humans saw the most drastic increase at the beginning of their training.

So why wasn’t it working? In a year, I’d gone up two points. Two arbitrary Lock points! If I’d gone from 96/100 to 98/100 in a year, that would’ve been impressive. At a higher level, a two-point increase was nothing to scoff at. But the reality was much crueler. From 2/100 to 4/100 on my all-knowing personal scale. Disgraceful.

Maybe my self-appraisal is inaccurate? Nah, who am I kidding? This is pointless, I thought, in lament.

Obviously, these gamified numbers I gave to myself weren’t a universal measuring tool, but I was confident in my self-estimates. I mean, I could barely water the courtyard plants, for crying out loud. It didn’t help that Felix was flaunting the magical gloves Leopold got him for his birthday. Leopold expressly forbade him from using them within the city. He replied with an apt “Yes, sir!”

With one punch, he blasted water pressure so extreme that all of the crops on one half of the courtyard were destroyed. I discreetly checked on Ashe’s grave, but it seemed like he’d barely missed it. Either way, Verda tended to those plants every day, so he faced her wrath when she realized what happened.

Didn’t he say he wouldn’t use the gloves in the city? What happened to that?

In any case, one thing was clear to me: I didn’t know how to improve. I mean, I never had to do it before, so it only made sense.

Maybe I could get Lyra to make me something to increase my magical output?

Lyra was a world-renowned blacksmith after all. If anybody could craft a magical weapon from a couple of pieces of resonating ore, it was her. She did see me practicing the other day. Surely she’d understand if I explained it to her.

I decided against it, however. Maybe I could do that later, but I had a feeling that using external aids would hamper my progress. In the end, I settled on asking Edward for help. Wow, I never thought I’d see the day. Me, the greatest to ever do it, asking a human for magical assistance? It was almost laughable!

I’ll do it over dinner.

As we settled into our seats at the dinner table, lively discussion broke out as usual. At this point, I’d gotten used to the deafening noise. My siblings laughed and bickered together as they ate Elspeth’s expertly prepared food. About halfway through the meal, I spoke to Edward.

“Father. Teach me magic.”

I didn’t want to say, “Help me with my training.” My personal training was secret, and I didn’t know how he’d react if he learned I’d been practicing under his nose.

“Not yet, son,” he courtly replied.

“Why not?”

“You’re too young. Your body needs to develop before you can wield mana efficiently.”

I half expected him to say that. He made his children wait until age eight before including them in his weekly training for a reason. He’d only recently started training Ophelia and Octavia. Maybe children saw drastic improvements after that age?

“Come on, Daddy. Lock’s amazing, isn’t he? Shouldn’t you make an exception for him?” Ophelia defended me, which was only natural.

“I second what Phelia said. Stop being a hard-ass, old man. Shit, if we’re talking about development, this kid was running around the house at four months old. It’d be a waste not to harp on his potential,” Felix added as I noticed the faces of Edward’s wives grow sour.

“Smack him over the head for me, Celeste,” Verda requested, to which Celeste promptly complied. A loud whack accompanied her swift movement.

“Watch your language, Felix.”

Huh? What language was he talking in? Was it not the common tongue? I thought in confusion.

As I pondered why Felix was smacked, Edward coughed to catch everyone’s attention.

“The answer is still no. I wouldn’t forgive myself if his growth were stifled because he started training too early. Lock, I know you show prodigal potential, but let’s not get too hasty, okay?”

He spoke to me with a careful tone, as if he was trying not to disappoint me. I knew that tone well. That was how people talked to me when I was Demon Lord—constantly walking on eggshells so they wouldn’t piss me off.

“Yeah, whatever,” I said, turning my head away.

I didn’t plan to follow his command. I’d been training just fine for the past year. Sure, I hadn’t seen much progress. But it was progress nonetheless.

“Lock!” Elspeth yelled out, making me snap my head back toward the table. “Listen to your father. He knows what’s best for you.”

“...”

The room went silent. She’d somehow sensed that I wasn’t being sincere. Maybe I shouldn’t have said ‘whatever’. Even Edward wasn’t expecting her to yell at me like that. I could tell by the stupid, dumbfounded look on his face.

“Very well.”

That day, the power hierarchy in this family was clear to me. For some reason, I always felt inclined to heed Elspeth’s words. Actually, it wasn’t just Elspeth. Even when Verda or Lyra asked me for something, I was more willing to listen. Was it some sort of spell? Psychological conditioning? I had no way of knowing. I could resist it, of course, but it was still concerning.

In Verda’s case, maybe it was because I knew what she was capable of. Besides, she always had that skin-grating holy sword at her hip. I usually kept my distance from her because of that.

Maybe I should just be patient. What difference is three years gonna make anyway?

During my usual secret training time the next day, I sat idly in the courtyard, counting the clouds in the sky. I’d come out to train, but Elspeth’s words rang in my head. I had already decided that I’d wait, but I was still sort of pissed off.

I heard the courtyard door open and close. I turned and saw a woman with fairly toned arms and blue hair. Her cheek was smeared with streaks of ash as if she’d just come down a chimney stack. She wore a navy blue tank top and a turquoise jacket tied around her waist.

“Stepmother Lyra. Good day to you,” I greeted her with the most basic etiquette. See, this was what I tried to teach Edward back when he confronted me. But that bastard lacked any modicum of grace.

She laughed softly. “And a good day to you too, Lock. My, your manners are already better than your dad’s,” she remarked as she took a seat next to me.

That’s what I’ve been saying! Take that, Edward.

“You’re not doing it today. Your secret training, I mean,” she pointed out.

Ah, right. She knew. Even though I was under the age of eight, she’d been watching me train and had never stopped me. She never leaked anything to Edward and always put me in bed after I passed out. I truly valued her random acts of service.

“So you knew about Ed—Father’s eight-year rule. Why did you never stop me?”

Again, she laughed softly. Usually I would feel patronized, but her laugh was a pleasant sound, so the feeling never came. “I know I’m his wife, but I can keep some secrets from Edward if I want to.”

“Huh? Why would you hide this from him?”

“He’d get mad if he heard me say this, but his way of thinking is outdated. My dad trained my sister in forgery magic at four, and she’s way better than even me. Age doesn’t matter at all.”

My eyes widened. So… It’s fine for me to continue training? My thoughts were written all over my face.

“But… You should listen to your mom. You wouldn’t want to make her angry, would you?”

“No… I suppose I wouldn’t,” I muttered after thinking of Elspeth’s angered visage.

“Good boy. You turn eight in two and a half years. Tough it out for me, alright?”

My expression faded. I sighed, then flopped my head to the grass. “Yeah… Still, you allowed me to train without telling Father for a whole year. I suppose that warrants appreciation.”

She was silent for a spell. Then, I caught a glimpse of her smile from the corner of my eye. “You want to hear the real reason I didn’t stop you?”

“The real reason?” My interest was piqued.

“Your stepmom here’s a world-famous blacksmith, you know? It’s my job to forge weapons for everyone in the family, and I even forge weapons for powerful adventurers. When I saw you training, sweetie, it was like my instincts were twitching.”

I sat up and looked at her curiously while she spoke.

“I had to keep observing you, Lock. Because I knew that, for you, I had to forge the greatest weapon ever conceived.”

I was astounded. Did she recognize my genius by watching those pathetic displays of magic? Incredible. Her senses were nothing short of miraculous.

“Crazy, right? You’re one of our baby boys, but my blacksmith’s spirit wouldn’t stop itching at me,” she smiled at me as she wiped the smeared ash on her cheek, her blue hair flowing in the wind. “Don’t tell your dad, okay?”

My heart shook for a brief moment. I felt a sting in my chest, but it went away as soon as it came. “I won’t,” I replied.

From that moment on, I came to respect Lyra deeply.

***

Year 1456 of the Draconic Sage calendar.

About a year later, Lock was finally allowed to go on weekly shopping trips in the city. Being six years old, he still had to be accompanied by one of his older siblings. Even then, this was the first time in his new life that he could freely roam human civilization.

Bluevale City was at the core of the Central continent, more specifically in the Kingdom of Kasira. Though it wasn’t the country’s royal capital, it was the most advanced of any city in human civilization.

In his previous life, Lock had only visited Bluevale City once. It was also the first time he’d met Edward, though, at the time, the Hero was no match for him. Most of his time outside the demon continent was spent in various dungeon towers and his conquered territories in the Middlelands, so needless to say, he wasn’t exactly accustomed to human society. Marching through Bluevale City would be a first-time experience.

He followed his older sister out the front door, both of them waiting as the metal gate fencing off the Hero’s estate slowly opened.

“Where would you like to go, Lock?” Arabella asked, reaching out her hand to the little boy.

Lock raised an eyebrow at her extended hand, then looked forward, ignoring it.

Arabella was Edward’s second child and the first child of Elspeth, and also Lock’s oldest direct sibling. She was sixteen years Lock’s senior, making her twenty-two at the time.

She reached down to his hand and took hold of it by force, giggling all the while.

“Oh, that won’t do, Lock. Don’t ignore your sister like that,” she said playfully as the gate finally fully opened.

Confused, Lock went along with whatever she was trying to do. As they stepped out of the Gellner estate grounds into one of the city’s main courtyards, a wide smirk grew on Lock’s little face. Before him lay a sight that brought back memories. A gaping, massive sinkhole.

For the citizens of Bluevale, it was an eerie sight. Its edges were jagged, with crumbling earth and rocks, forming a rugged perimeter that seemed to defy gravity. And the energy emanating from the bottomless depths was that of a demonic force—one of his old pets, the demon dog Dreknoir.

At least it should be emanating. My damn senses are so dulled that I can’t even feel my own dog’s presence, he grumbled.

In his previous life, he created this sinkhole at the center of Bluevale City. Now, he saw it as a way to regain some of his former magic. If, even for only a couple of hours, he found a way to split off from his sister and descend the sinkhole, he could reclaim a portion of his lost power.

But it wasn’t happening. Lock’s expression turned into annoyance as he felt Arabella’s grip on his hand. They marched on the drawbridge that was built over the sinkhole and reached the city’s main street.

Damn, I’m finally allowed outside, but I’m still bound to Arabella’s hand. Though… Maybe that’s a good thing. I, uh, wasn’t feeling the sinkhole today.

He didn’t want to admit it, but despite his desire to delve into the sinkhole, he was a little scared. The loss of his powers had stripped him of most of his nonchalant confidence, though bits of it were still prevalent in his attitude. He’d also developed somewhat of a fear of death.

“Stepmother Lyra gave me a shopping list, see? It seems she needs many new parts from the city blacksmith,” Arabella said as she pulled out a shopping list from her pocket. “Mother Elspeth also needs lots of groceries from the street market. Drill-turkey breast? I wonder if the butcher has that in stock…” She read the list meticulously as she kept hold of Lock’s hand.

“Mhm. Mhm,” Lock gave absent responses.

“We have a lot to get through! If only I had a strong boy to hold all the bags for me. Can you do that, Lock?”

“Of course. A request that simple needs no question,” he answered, his head turned away from hers, his focus remaining on the sinkhole behind them.

Arabella noticed this and giggled at her brother’s cute fascination.

“Are you interested in the sinkhole, Lock?” She asked with a smile.

Lock’s expression froze, then he faced forward nervously.

Shoot, did she figure me out?

Arabella stopped walking and turned around to look at it.

“An evil man caused that sinkhole called the Demon Lord. Fourteen years ago, he showed up above the city and quarried it out of the ground.”

She’s explaining this to me as if I wasn’t there. Though I guess that’s not her fault, Lock thought.

She took out a rectangular slate from her pocket and knelt to Lock’s level, showing him what it displayed.

“Look, we even have documented evidence.”

A clear, monochrome image of a floating demon with long hair was projected on the screen. Lock’s eyes widened in shock. It was him, though in black and white.

“How did you get that?!” He clamored in astonishment. “Can this… ‘device’ of yours capture moments in time?”

Arabella laughed at her brother's cute use of language and his lack of knowledge. She pinched both his cheeks as his distressed face grew tenser, though she only found it more adorable.

“You’re so cute when you’re curious…”

“Stop that!” He pushed her hands away. “Explain!” He reiterated.

“Mother took that picture,” Arabella informed as she turned the object around, revealing the crest of the adventurers guild. “I work at the adventurers guild, you know? They give receptionists terminals. They’re essential for our job since they store records of requests, places of note, and bad people with bounties over their heads. Guild members get one too, though not as complex as ours.”

This wasn’t news to him. He was actually a member of the adventurer’s guild in his previous life and received one of those tablets. They were surprisingly lax with their enrolment policy.

But that still didn’t explain how it captured such an image. The device he’d received had no such function.

Is it a painting? No, it captures my magnificent details too well. It’s like I’m looking at an excerpt of time. He thought. “So there are devices that capture moments in time? And they existed fourteen years ago?”

“That’s right. But it’s more like a device that uses holy and fire magic to engrave the light refracted off of an object onto a piece of paper or Chromestone. This slab in my hand can’t take pictures, but it stores lots of data. The picture was ingrained into it through magical transfer,” Arabella explained.

What the hell is Chromestone? He thought, but quickly moved on.

“So then my mother saw that…” Lock uttered, Arabella hearing his quiet voice of awe.

“That’s right. Mother was very brave. Even though Father told her not to, she ran to the roof of the house to snap this photograph, ” Arabella explained as she returned the device to her pocket. “It’s all thanks to her that we were able to let the Demon Lord’s appearance be known to the public. I guess she was more of a hero than Father that day, wasn’t she?” She laughed as she explained the story, Lock listening very intently.

Right… Now that I think about it, I did find it weird that everybody suddenly recognized me shortly after that day… He reflected.

Neither Lock nor Arabella knew this, but soon society would undergo what would be known as the ‘Magical Industrial Revolution’, or just the Magical Revolution for short. The world would change drastically within several years, all because of the rise of ‘magical engineering’. Edmund Gellner, Lock’s eldest sibling, was at the frontier of these developments. His Bluevale-based company, G-Corp, would develop countless devices and commodities that facilitated everyday life for civilians who weren’t adept at using magic. In the near future, Edmund planned to expand G-Corp worldwide, setting up branches to provide its services and usher in a new era of innovation. But that wouldn’t matter for a while.

They continued their excursion. As Lock stood in the bustling streets of Bluevale City, a whole new world unfolded before his eyes. No longer soaring high above as a detached observer, he found himself immersed in the hustle and bustle that could only be felt from within the walls.

As they ventured deeper into the heart of the city, the vibrant colors of storefronts and merchant stands stood out. Shops stretched as far as the eye could see, their windows filled with displays of curiosities: the latest fashion trends, adventuring equipment, delectable foods. Seemingly, anything the heart desired was purchasable in human cities. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, intermingling with the scents of street food from vendors selling delectable treats.

Narrow alleyways that Lock couldn’t explore, people mingling and laughing together. None of it was familiar. Fountains decorated with angelic sculptures sparkled in the sunlight, their rhythmic splashes adding a soothing backdrop to the bustling ambiance.

Some of the buildings were old and rustic, while others were sleek and modern. One could clearly tell the difference between the modern and older buildings, a testament to humanity's rapid evolution. It really took walking through the city to appreciate this.

Look at all these people, Lock thought to himself. So many humans together… They’re like…

He looked up at his sister, walking beside him with her hand in his. She wore a wide smile as she hummed softly.

“Wow, so many people out today! Gosh, everyone’s as busy as a bee, only less organized,” she laughingly remarked.

Bees? No, they’re like ants in a colony, waiting to be crushed, he finished his thought, clenching his empty fist.

It wasn’t like he wanted to crush them. No, he saw them as sitting ducks. As he’d warned Edward before, if a threat on the same level as himself showed up, nobody would be able to defend against it. And whether he liked it or not, since he was now part of them, it was something he had to worry about.

Lock had read about beings more powerful than him during his previous life. Beings called Progenators, said to share the power of the almighty goddess Helianis. He went out in search of them but could never find any. He felt they existed, though. They definitely resided somewhere in the world; he was sure of it. That was part of the warning he gave Edward before he died. In other words, there was a boss after the final boss. A secret boss.

When they returned to the Gellner estate gates after buying what they set out to buy, Lock glanced at the sinkhole in the distance. He frowned, then quickly turned away. Something about it felt off to him. If the sinkhole was a puzzle, it felt like one piece was missing. He’d only noticed it on his second time coming around.

My mana detection really has dulled. I can’t even sense Dreknoir’s presence anymore. When I get stronger, I should check it out.

***

Name: Arabella Gellner

Gender: F

Likes: Cute things

Lock’s assessment: She’s fairly insightful in human affairs. I enjoy her presence.