Chapter 158 - Volume 1 Recap

For recap purposes since we reached over a hundred and fifty chapters. Can be skipped if preferred.

Feuersturm Empire is a country in the Zuerst continent. Zuerst is divided into seven countries ruled by different kings; five countries in Zuerst permits slave traders, namely: Feuersturm, the fire empire; Verteidigerin, the battlefront country of Zuerst; and the Elizabethian, Victorian & Antonettian kingdom, which are three small archipelagos in this continent. These countries permit every aristocrat or even the common folk a slave of their own; the remaining two countries: Eissturm, the ice empire isolated from the rest; and Grönland Kingdom, the country of peace, do not.

Escaping the traders was an everyday battle for Faustina back when she was a little child.

Until she met Eula, a witch; a woman who practices medications, who creates 'potions' with herbs, and healing people without incantations like sorcerers. Witches are not referred to as doctors because of their gender. It is said by ancient scriptures that women cannot do anything other than give birth and provide pleasure. This, of course, did not apply to sorcerers and clairvoyants as well as noblewomen and royalty.

They only apply it to peasants; the ones born with nothing.

Eula took Faustina as her apprentice when she adopted her. Faustina had Eula as a mother figure; a teacher. Adopting Faustina was an unspoken declaration of being her child, a silent yet certain expression of "Yes, I am your family now."

Although it was not discussed between them, it is clear for Faustina.

In Faustina's sixteen years of existence, she knows nothing but this: Eula is her one and only family.

"Ack!"

A cough of blood startled Faustina, making her crush the green herb faster. She immediately plunged it to a wooden cup filled with lukewarm water afterwards, sweating profusely.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she stirred the medicine and swiftly took a ladle to make her master drink. Her hands were trembling, maybe because of fatigue. She was working night and day without any rest, after all.

Faustina's dark-brown eyes were like fallen autumn leaves. Seeing her only guardian befall with such agonizing pain. Her black hair was tied into a bun, a habit her master told her to have, in order to prevent contamination with the medicine they are creating.

"Faustina," says Eula in a very weak voice, "I don't think I am going to live much longer."

"Don't say that," Faustina softly said, as the ladle touched the dried lip of her master. Eula's fair complexion was now pale. Her red hair was unkempt, although Faustina combs it every day.

"Is the medicine working?" Faustina asked, "are you feeling better, Master?"

Eula unleashed several fits of cough. Blood trickled at the side of her lip.

"Months have passed," Eula said weakly, "maybe it's finally the time..."

"Do not adhere to the prophecy. Sustain the king's life."

**

"Jonathan, the High Warlock of the Seven Seas. A tremendously powerful magician ever existed. A criminal; not just an arbitrary one. The most desired by the Court. His presence was last seen by the Council."

"His appearance today is least expected. I apologize, my Fair Maiden." Alexander says calmly, as he knelt down and bowed completely to Faustina. "I am sorry. We did not seize him sooner. We failed to come to your aid."

"W-where's..."

"Jonathan escaped." Says the High Knight, "along with your master's body."

"No... why would he..."

"We do not understand his purpose ourselves." Says the king.

"T-then why are you here?" Asks Faustina. "Why did you come here?! Why?" She wanted to stop herself from spouting things that come from anger because she was standing before the king; however, she knew how hard it was the moment she felt the una.d.u.l.terated rage and sorrow as she remembered her master. She can't help but blame the man in front of her.

She kept on pulling assumptions for her questions. Questions why a Warlock would want to resurrect an insignificant witch. She wanted to assume that this was just a dilemma where she and Eula were just caught in the middle. She wanted to think that maybe it is all the King's fault—that they just happened to be caught in a spider's web.

"We came with a completely different purpose," says the knight, "a duty that you ought to fulfill."

Faustina blinked in surprise. "A duty I ought to fulfill?"

"We wanted to acquire your assistance, Faustina of the Heilen blood." Says the other, "to use a prowess to a very crucial task you alone can do."

Faustina stared in bemus.e.m.e.nt as she remembered flashbacks of Eula's last words.

"If you see the trader... run..." Eula says, her voice was getting smaller, "if you see the king..."

She parted her lips in astonishment as the knight spoke the words her master said at her final breath.

"...form a contract. Form a contract to sustain King Alexander's life. Th-this is your duty... but Faustina... do not adhere to the prophecy."

"You are ordered, Faustina of the Heilen clan, to sustain the king's life."

**

Faustina knelt before the ground and then tears started to drip across the floor. She was so confused. Why did Eula leave her — why didn't she tell her anything? She wanted her question her master, her dead master. What was she supposed to do now? She thought she finally found her resolution but—

A slap on her face stopped her from thinking. Faustina paused, as she felt a pain in her left cheek.

"You are too weak." Sheila says, and then she hit her again. Faustina felt her other cheek redden with pain.

"You are too dependent. You could not even decide on your own." Sheila gnarled. "I hate people like you."

Faustina stared right into Sheila's eyes. She could not move.

"You? You will be sustaining the king's life?" The staff's hilt hit the ground, and the magic circle glew. It illuminated Sheila, and the ruby on the staff slowly brightened. Sheila pointed the staff to Faustina, who was frozen on the spot.

Sheila narrowed her eyes. "I am a clairvoyant. I foretell fortune. I am a bearer of a prophecy. In your current stance, I can see no future. I can only see the void. There is nothing for you here. Albeit you are a carrier of the Heilen blood or whatever you possess, your traits are too weak. You are too weak."

Faustina thinned her lips, and stood up. "I know I am. I can't even mask my weakness."

"You are not fit to stand beside his majesty. I am getting rid of your existence right here."

"I know I'm weak." Faustina stared at her blind eyes, "I know I don't have the qualities to sustain the king's life. But... but even if it's like that. I want to figure out the answers. The answers to my questions. Please..."

"When you face an enemy, 'please' will not save you!"

**

"Bring me my old clothes and prepare me some echinacea, astragalus and medicinal mushroom."

"My lady?" Maddie says in confusion, "to what purpose?"

"I am here to fulfill my duty." She says, closing her journal. "I am here to help the king. I am here to sustain his life."

**

"Sheila… is not an ally."

"Huh…?"

"Sheila does not serve me." The king mumbles. "She is vowed to an allegiance with the first king." The king exclaims silently, "a traitor conspiring to let the first king own this body."

**

"—Then why are we summoned?" A voice from the group of Feuerlon echoed against the room. "Why are we to be called in here?"

"Oh, about that." Sheila says. "You are all gathered here for a conspiracy."

Orwell and Lovellia exchanged gazes.

Sheila's pale yellow eyes glistened.

"A conspiracy of His Majesty and Faustina… of the Heilen clan."

**

"We want someone from the Feuerlon family to be altered. Only one. That person must have a memory containing the forged birth of Faustina, and everyone around here shall be the one to monitor her... especially the Feuerlon family."

"A pretend." Bethrion says. "Birth... that means..."

"That's right." Sheila beamed. "The duchess shall be the one to be altered. Her memories shall change."

**

Faustina's head throbbed. That's right... she was practicing and readying for her exam in Magierstadt. The exam will test their powers and determine their potential in magic. They are also divided into their corresponding ianuas. Ianua I, II, III, IV. The fourth being the last section, those with poor magic and less mana than others.

Who had taught her this?

A blurry figure of a man appeared before her, wearing glasses... his nose bombarded with freckles...

"Orw..." Faustina says. "Er, Maddie... might you remind me when will I be... getting my..."

"Yes, Madame?"

"No... I already have... my staff." Faustina says as she stares into her hand. And then she noticed her hair, who seemed to be a bit longer than before, and then it seemed so light—the color of grey. Faustina knew her hair was like this, yet it felt foreign for her. Wasn't it darker than before?

"Faustina, my baby!"

Faustina's eyes widened as she felt a tight embrace from someone else. Memories flashed before her—memories of her playing with a woman with hair with a similar color as her hair, she also saw herself coughing and the woman tending her and embracing her lovingly.

"My dear daughter, Faustina," a loving voice had said.

When the woman parted from the embrace, Faustina met her eyes. The color of a burnt umber, a dark shade of brown.

And then with her teary, loving gaze, Faustina remembered everything. Her heart throbbed in pain as the woman hugged her again.

"My dear baby... are you really going to Magierstadt? You can stay with mommy if you want. Your health is feeble and I'm afraid you might collapse in the exams, in tests!"

Faustina, with her trembling hands, embraced the woman tight.

"Dear, Faustina will be fine," says with a stern voice but a hint of gentleness in the end. "Wouldn't you be, Faustina?"

Faustina slowly lifted her gaze, meeting the incomprehensible emerald eyes of the man standing before the door.

**

"What must I do?"

The king enclosed her hand with his palm.

"Fulfill your duty. I will help you retrieve the body of your master," the king says. "And we will bring the Forsaken into justice."

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