Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Some portions of Stark Academy had been damaged in the events that occurred a week prior. The half-blood beast known as Lucius Kane had proceeded to chase a half-elf around the academy level of the city and destroyed chunks of the road and sides of buildings.

Earth Magic users and specialized construction workers combined their efforts to repair the damage, but some of it was slow to progress because the school did not halt classes.

So far, no one had reported any injuries occurring as a result of the incident. Which was something that Headmaster Orllan was thankful for. Another thing she was thankful for was the fact that the elf who had been the spy was already slain and that elf, Silis, had no living relatives.

She had thought it odd when she heard he claimed to need to see his mother or something to that respect, but since he was simply an assistant it did not register to her immediately. There were far more important things taking up space in her mind. Remembering the family situation of every research assistant was not among them.

According to the human man named Desmond, Silis had not only reported their progress to an unknown third party, but he had also modified the results of hundreds, if not thousands of their research documents. There was no way to know what data was modified and what data was not.

This set their research back to almost the beginning stages because they needed to perform many of the base experiments on Orichalcum again and then slowly work to verify the data of every record they had.

Orllan estimated that it would take them almost four decades to recover from the incident. Which was almost as long as they had been doing experiments. Orllan had also attempted to submit a request to speak with Lady Tenia din Aedrider to see if she could catch them up to speed.

As expected, the Lady's answer was the same as it always was: complete silence.

The exhausted headmaster rubbed her temples to ease the headache setting in for what may have been the tenth time that day. Though they could recover, the timeframe was all messed up. This was Orllan's passion project for the last few decades, and it all went to shit, thanks to a single intern.

"Headmaster, you have a letter addressed to you."

"Put it with the others. I am busy."

"The messenger said it was vital. It has to do with the matter of Lord Kane's poisoning." The secretary's voice sounded slightly panicked at the thought that she would not accept the document. To settle their nerves, Orllan accepted the letter.

The envelope was on a high-quality stationary, but it was one that she did not recognize. At first, she assumed it was from the palace, but instead of Aedrider's crest, the front of the envelope had the image of a shattered sphere.

*****

"Ugh… Urrp…"

Rena's groans echoed across the tower room and put sympathetic smiles on the faces of Adellia and Mylene. As mothers themselves, they remembered what it was like to feel ill in the mornings. They also felt bad for her because the morning sickness hit her much harder than was usual, but it was not unheard of.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rubellia was massaging Rena's back gently while she leaned over a bucket they had set beside her bed for just this occurrence. Natali sat on the opposite side of her friend, gently wiping her face with a cold cloth while holding her hair out of her face.

"I don't like this part very much." Rena grumbled.

"I promise you there are worse parts to come. Forcing an entire child out of you is not what I would call a pleasant experience." Adellia laughed. "Though there are many magic spells available that can assist. Potions too. Though I imagine you want to experience the miracle of childbirth in all its glory, right?"

If looks could kill, Adellia might as well have had a heart attack then and there. Rena's glare was as cold as ice when she retorted, "Screw the miracle, give me the damn potions. Especially if my husband wishes me to do this again."

Lyrah smiled as she chimed in, "Oh, so you plan on doing this again? How many times?"

"Why ask a question you probably know the answer to?" Rena shot back.

Lyrah began to laugh, but her mother approached her and lightly tapped the top of the girl's head. "How many times have I told you not to look for things that are unnecessary. Using our abilities in such a way is a waste of time and energy.

You should be dedicating your time to getting past whatever block prevents you from seeing anything not connected to your brother and looking at truly important things."

Lyrah smiled gently. "Nothing in the world is more important than brother's family. My family. What good is my power if I cannot use it to help them or ensure their happiness?"

Adellia sighed. "Our abilities are to be used for the greater good only, not for fulfilling the selfish desires of one person or even one family."

"Hmm. I suppose you have a point. Using my abilities should only be used for the greater good. I would have to agree with your point, mother." Lyrah said after spending a moment contemplating her mother's words. For a moment Adellia felt relief that her lesson got through. However…

"Hey, Natali, want to know how many kids you are going to have with my brother?"

"Lyrah!"

Laughter echoed throughout the tower as the mother scolded her daughter for being smart with her. It seemed their antics served as a decent distraction as well and Rena was able to cease her vomiting for a few moments. The slight reprieve gave Rena great satisfaction as well as time to finally drink some water.

It was much too early after getting sick to try and eat something. In fact, Rena was beginning to think that the simple sight or smell of food would put her right where she had started.

This theory was put to the test when Grandpa Wally entered the room with freshly baked bread, berries, and cured meats. Rena felt her stomach gurgle in excitement before the smell of the meat wafted in her direction and returned her to a life of staring at the bottom of a bucket.