I shot awake after witnessing the memory only to hit my face right into Elysa's chest.
"Ahh~!" Elysia let out a moan from the sudden assault. Clara stared at Elysia with an unimpressed look, as it was obvious Elysia exaggerated it.
"Jesus, how long was I out for?" Getting off Elysia's lap more carefully this time, I wanted to know how long it took.
"It's only been about 20 minutes." According to Clara I was asleep for far less than I expected, but I did only spend a few minutes in one memory.
"I see. I can look through some more, but before that, I have some very bad news." I didn't know how much time we had before the gods realised the change in me, but we needed to prepare for the possibility that Freja would attack.
If my connection to the gods is gone, they might try to use her to get me back. Having Freja as a potential enemy was a scary thought, knowing Freja was one of the strongest people in this world.
"Who is it?" Elysia sat up straight, realising the conversation was about to get serious.
"The traitor... It's Freja." I let them have the chance to process the information, as it was quite unexpected. We could have guessed since she also has a system, but considering how much she helped us and the continent, it didn't seem right to think otherwise.
After taking the chance to think over it a bit more, I couldn't help but feel this anger well up inside of me.
"I fucking knew it." It hit Elysia right away, as she always had a sneaking suspicion, which isn't too much of a surprise as she is sceptical of everyone.
"No way, that doesn't make any sense. What did you see that makes you so sure?" Clara, on the other hand, was confused, as it conflicted with the entire time they spent with Freja.
"From what I can gather from the memory I saw, Freja asked my Mother to offer to some god. I'm assuming it has to do with this conduit I received, but I don't have specifics. However, my Mother declined the offer, and so I've come to believe Freja is actually the one responsible for the seal that is currently containing my Mother." It was hard not to make the connection, and there were probably a lot more details I'm missing, but there wasn't a doubt in my mind that Freja was involved.
"That bitch, are you 100 percent sure? I don't want to end up with all of us walking up to her only for it all to end up as a massive misunderstanding." Clara was much more sensible than I was. I still felt the anger inside of me pushing me go to demand answers from Freja.
"It isn't fully confirmed... You're right, we don't have the full story. There are still some memories I can investigate, but I am not hopeful." I calmed myself as Clara made me realise that it was too early to really decide on anything.
"I'd say we go face her after our training, but I agree with Clara. As much as I want to make a mess of her, we need more information." Elysia surprisingly became a voice of reason, helping me think about it more rationally.
"Alright, I'll look through some more memories then."
Elysia and Clara smiled upon hearing my response, making me happy I didn't rush to any decision just based on emotion.
"Good, now lay back down." Elysia patted her thighs, eagerly awaiting me to lay my head on them.
"I know, in what world would I ever reject a lap pillow?" I gave Elysia a quick kiss on the cheek to show my gratitude and then laid my head on her lap.
"I'll give you one later Clara, don't worry." Not wanting to stir any jealousy, I reassured Clara that her kiss would come.
"Hehe, I know." There was a giddiness to Clara's voice, which made me happy to hear.
"I'll try to get as much information as I can, so I'll see you two in a bit." I closed my eyes after saying my goodbyes and tried to focus on some more unique memories.
'What about before I teleported away from the palace?' I vividly remember having a dream of seeing my Mother crying as she pushed me into a teleportation circle. I figured if I could see the time before it all happened, it might lead to some clues.
Focusing on that time, eventually, a string of memories came flowing to me, which begged the question. How was I able to see them so vividly, like in some kind of movie? My first thought was the fact that Akrone was a god of time, and having the conduit in me might mean the memories are perfectly preserved.
'Maybe that would explain why I can remember all of my other self's life. The conduit was placed in her soul, which had the side effect of preserving everything about her, including memories.' It was a likely theory, but I had other priorities I should be focusing on.n0velusb.c0m
'Let's see what you've got.'
**
<A week before Shaman's birthday>
It was another day of not doing much as I waited until my birthday. Finally, I will be able to register and begin raising my tier. I knew I would easily hit tier 6 or 7 due to my nobility, but I had been training for years now to make sure I was ready.
I knew of many nobles who were very stuck up about their tier, only to be beaten by someone who was much lower than them but actually trained.
"Urgh, the days feel so long, can't I just do it now?" I rolled over on my bed, bored out of my mind. Time moved so slowly, I just wish there was some kind of way to make it go faster.
However, as I rolled onto my side, something outside my window caught my attention. There was a bright white light that looked like some kind of magic circle.
Walking up to my window, I squinted my eyes to see what might be causing it.
"Freja??" I spotted a black figure in the distance, leaving a mana trail behind them. The figure had a blonde tail and hair, which made me instantly think of Freja.
"She made a deal with the Pope? Is she crazy?!?! Never mind that, get the teleporter ready." Suddenly, my Mother's voice came from outside, but I didn't quite comprehend what she said.
"Shaman! We need to leave." My Mother slammed the door open and ran to me. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me out of my room, and I couldn't help but ask why.
"What's happening?" I assumed it had to do with what was going on outside, but I didn't know what it meant.
"Too hard to explain, sweetie, right now I need to get you to safety." We rushed down the hall towards my Father's office, which seemed odd. Speaking of which...
"Where is Father?"
"He is currently trying to deal with the problem. He will be fine, so don't worry." We entered his office, and inside there were servants trying to maintain a magic circle in the middle of the room.
"Okay sweetie, I need you to be strong. I will send you through this teleporter with some supplies, and I need you to survive while me and your Father sort out this problem. It may be difficult, but promise me you will try your best." My Mother held me by the shoulders, looking deep into my eyes.
I didn't know what to make of it, but clearly it was urgent. I had so many questions I wanted to ask, however, I trusted my Mother.
"I understand." I nodded my head, bracing myself, everything was moving so fast that I didn't even have time to really think.
"Good, now take this and only open it when you are tier 10. I can't tell you what's inside, but if things don't go well here, this will help you once you are ready and is my birthday present to you."
"Wait, what?" My Mother's words caused a bit of panic as she insinuated that I might not be seeing her again. However, before I could get her to elaborate, the palace suddenly shook, causing some concrete to fall.
"Farwell, Shaman, I love you." I felt myself get pushed into the magic circle and teleported away. Although there was a brief moment when I could still hear and see,
"CECILIA! GIVE ME YOUR DAUGHTER NOW!!" Freja's voice screamed through the walls, causing everything to shake, but before I saw or heard anything more, my vision turned black.
**
"It looks like Freja really is a traitor or is at least working with the gods... as well as the Pope." Hearing the offhand comment that apparently she made a deal with the Pope, I speculated that he may have supplied the spell that needed to be cast to seal my parents.
"Tch, there is still so much I'm uncertain of, but at least now I can confirm Freja was responsible for the sealing of my parents." I had all the evidence I needed to confirm it, but whether she is truly a spy for the Pope and the gods, or a double agent with her own priorities has yet to be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.