"Oh?" The woman folded her hands together in front of her mouth, but I could see the grin on her face.
"Yeah. Well, not THAT exact wound. But I only ever saw one thing leave marks like that."
I can still remember when I first woke up in that cave. My mind was blank, and I had difficulty doing… anything really. Just standing up and walking took maybe an hour.
But there was… something urging me to move. Some whisper in my ear, telling me to move. It could have been the hooded bastard that haunts me. But I wasn't sure. It just felt… different, caring almost.
Of course, it soon led me into trouble. The frozen landscape and snow-covered forest weren't places I could survive long — not in that state. Without Mother finding me, I would have died. Maybe staying in the cave would have been better.
But if I did stay, I wouldn't have seen her. My mother, before she lost her powers.
It was a sight to behold.
The three men who fought her wore rugged leather armour, but it might as well have been paper.
The spear, seemingly carved from crimson crystal, glided through the air on its own, a blur of swirling red energy surrounding it.
It stabbed, pierced, and cut, but no blood flew from the wounds. Roses grew out of them.
And Mother? Mother danced around them, dodging every move while humming a song, a smile on her face.
I remember her guiding me away from the bodies after. But not before I caught a glance at the long, red gashes left on the fallen, after the roses had vanished.
I waited for the unknown woman to say something, but she stayed silent.
"Well… I have one more thing to add. I remember the guy who interviewed me during the Academy Entrance Exam saying that there are ex-adventurers, guild members, and former soldiers among the staff."
"So… my final guess is that you are a teacher there who once fought my mother. You probably owe her a debt or something."
Mother was huge on debts. She hated being indebted to anyone, but loved it when other people owed her one.
It was a Valensteiner thing, she told me once.
On the other side of the table, Lily clapped her hands and chuckled. The unknown woman put her hands on the table, turning to Lily.
"Your brother is quite good, isn't he? He would make a good detective."
The little girl touched her chin with a hand, seemingly deep in thought, before smiling widely.
"Alex is no detective! He's too lazy! He's a princess!"
I almost choked on my coffee, breaking into a coughing fit.
The woman looked at me, her mouth curling into a smile as Mother laughed loudly behind her.
"Well, he certainly looks the part. Perhaps you should buy him a dress for his next birthday."
Lily's eyes sparkled at the woman's words.
"Okay, that's enough." I interrupted them before they could continue with the idea. "First a cat, now a princess... You really have it in for me, don't you, Lily?"
"Why? Kitties are cute, and Alex is pretty like a princess." My sister replied while tilting her head to the side.
I groaned out, knowing there was no way to change my sister's mind.
Mother and her friend seemed to enjoy themselves as they continued to chuckle and laugh at my misery.
"Whatever... But if I'm not a detective, do tell me, Lily, who do you think our guest is?"
Lily looked at the woman, who returned her gaze curiously.
"Just an old woman."
This time it was me who laughed. I didn't want to, but it burst out of me.
"In that case…" I started, as my laughter subsided. "You can probably ask her for some candy. Old ladies always have candy."
"Really?!" Lily's eyes lit up like stars in the night sky, looking at the woman expectantly.
Our guest, however, didn't appear too pleased. Her eye twitched, and while she smiled, it didn't quite reach her eyes.
If you laugh at me, don't expect me not to return the favour. This is just fair play.
Mother clapped her hands next to me, drawing my gaze to her. She looked serious, but the edges of her mouth curled up.
"That's enough fooling around. Why don't you introduce yourself properly, Gloria?"
The unknown guest — Gloria — coughed into her fist before rising to her feet.
"Yes, that's probably for the best. Thank you, Vivian. My name is Gloria C. Hoffman. Headmistress of Solomon Academy. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said that last part while looking directly at me.
My mouth went slack, opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Fuck my life. Fuck my life. Fuck. My. Life. Why? Oh, why did I have to open my mouth? Why couldn't I just shut up for once?
With shaky hands, I reached out for my mug and drank. Or at least tried to, but it was empty. Bone dry, just like my will to live in this moment.
She holds a respected position as the headmistress of the country's most prestigious academy. Surely, she isn't petty… right?
"Thank you, Gloria. And also for joining us."
"Oh, please. I wouldn't miss it for the world. It's always a pleasure to get away from my duties for a bit. Especially to meet friends, and even more so to meet new students." She grinned at me, showing her teeth.
I groaned out loudly.
I'm screwed...
I saw Mother turn away, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Betrayer..." I mumbled under my breath
"Hm? What's that, dear Alex? I couldn't quite hear you."
I stoop up from the table.
"Well then. Thank you for this... pleasant time. It was a real pleasure to meet you, Headmistress. I'm going back to my room."
"Oh, Alex!"
Halfway to the stairs, I heard my mother's voice call out for me.
"Yes?" I asked, turning back towards her.
"Could you take Lily to the park? I promised her ice cream, but I still need to discuss something with Gloria. Buy something for yourself, too."
I stood there, contemplating her words.
I can't crawl back to bed, not after this anyway... So, I might as well go.
"Sure...just let me get dressed. Come on, Lily. You too."
The little girl shot up from the table, getting to the stairs way before me, mumbling something about ice cream flavours.
At least she's having fun... Well, as long as I can get away from this place, anything's fine for now. Though what Mother and the Principal want to discuss does sound interesting...
Vivian's POV:
Lily was back from dressing within a few minutes, eager to get going. Alex took longer, to his sister's annoyance. When he walked down the stairs, he didn't look like himself anymore, but like his fake self. Lily didn't let Alex say much, grabbing his hand and dragging her brother out the door to get going already.
I saw them out, then headed back towards the living area.
"It's quite interesting — How your son keeps his identity hidden." Gloria's voice echoed as I walked to the kitchen, opening the fridge. "I suppose he needs to, given that he's almost a splitting image of his father. But how? Things like that shouldn't work in Veritas."
"It's an artefact Lucas made. Called it the Centipede. Creative, I know. It changes a person's facial features, hair and eyes, but causes headaches and eventually kills the user if worn for too long. Bad drawback for such a minor effect."
Pulling a drawer open, more than a dozen bottles filled with a deep red liquid lined it. They were neatly arranged, with labels and a bunch of pointless stuff written on them.
"Doesn't explain how it works here. Most things requiring Mana shouldn't. People need badges for that, you know. And items need seals of approval."
I shrugged my shoulders, straightening up with a bottle in hand.
"Beats me. My husband was always the more knowledgeable one in this field. I remember he said something about it working on the same principle that prevents accidents in the city. Something about... tricking the system."
I walked back to the table and sat down facing Gloria.
"I'm not suited for the theoretical part of artefacts and relics. Just tell me how to use it and what the drawbacks are. Always preferred the simpler approaches." I said with a grin.
"Like charging headfirst into a military camp?"
"I was bored. He wanted to get a Shard, and we had been there for a week already. Sitting around wasn't my thing back then."
Gloria scoffed.
Twisting the cap of the bottle, the coppery smell hit my nose. With a content hum, I poured half the liquid into my almost-empty coffee mug and stirred it. Then took a sip.
The taste was just... almost perfect.
Coffee was good, but this was just so much better. Though the woman in front of me didn't seem to agree with me based on her expression.
I raised the mug and held it towards her.
"Want some? It's delicious."
"No thanks. Too much... iron in it for me. I will stick to the regular stuff."
With a shrug of my shoulders, I took another, larger sip.
"Suit yourself."
The room fell silent for a while. Only after I poured the rest of the bottle into the mug did Gloria seem to want to speak.
"You told me you lost your powers. Did you shatter?" She paused for a bit, looking at the empty bottle next to me with a sneer. "And do you still have to drink that stuff? Got to use to it and can't put it down anymore, or what?"
Shattering was the phenomenon when a Scion got overwhelmed by their own powers or messed up so badly while trying to progress through their trials that it consumed them.
It usually led to turning into some kind of abomination, though it depended on how strong the Scion was. There were a few known cases in which someone lost their powers but retained their mind and body.
I could be considered one such person.
"Hm... Well, I didn't exactly lose them. I still have some of the physical changes, mutations, and enhancements, but they are weaker. I can't use mana or go through the Gate again; it pushes me out when I try. As for drinking this stuff..."
I looked down at my mug, then back at Gloria.
"Not really. The city's suppression of Scion abilities also keeps the urges in check. I drink it because I like it. Tastes great, though the real deal would be better."
"So you're still a bloodsucker. A voluntary one. Lovely..."
I put my hands to my heart, leaning back in my chair.
"You wound me, Gloria. Thinking so little of me. I passed being a Vampire long ago."
I let out a sigh, letting my hands fall to my side.
"But you are right, I suppose. I can't really call myself more than that. At least sunlight doesn't hurt me anymore; it just makes me tired. Same with drinking blood. I could do without it, but the artificial stuff grew on me."
I downed the rest of the coffee mixture in my mug.
"Got any more personal questions? Or can we talk about why I asked to meet you?"
"Just one more. Where's your husband?"