When we got upstairs, I offered to increase Fala's magic potential, once more the others looked at me like a freak and I explained that it was another trick I learned from Ever.The issue was that it was painful, very painful and whilst bringing any harm to that little bundle of increasingly stolen innocence was almost unthinkable to me, seeing a much grimmer fate left me resolute in the decision.
Naturally, the suggestion earned everyone's ire for a moment as they asked how I could think of suggesting something like it to Fala, but it was short lived however as I hit the table hard enough to silence everyone in yet another demonstration of my masterful ability to do what I hated and become the centre of attention.
I asked Eve what the first thing she taught Fala about magic was, then she understood, overexerting magic is incredibly dangerous since the mana begins to supplement itself with lifeforce.
"She acted without thinking, she cast the correct spell but I could see Eve hadn't taught her it. She's smart, and caring… she will kill herself to save others and won't listen to us saying 'no'." The words rang painfully true for all that really knew her. No one could argue and as guilty as Fala looked, she hadn't apologised which was very uncharacteristic and all the convincing Rein needed.
I then gave her two options, paralysis or muscle relaxers, the pain wouldn't be lessened either way but the relaxants meant she could feel her father and auntie Eve holding her hands.
In the end she chose the paralysis option, not for her but for me. In the face of unknown pain she was more concerned about how her screaming might upset me and out of respect in one swift motion I turned my hand to pure mana and drove it into her chest as I paralysed her and pulled her in.
When her true capacity had been reached, my hand was forced back into its normal state as it was expelled. With it finished I picked her up and carried her down to one of the beds, I then told her that she was banned from casting magic, not for her sake but until she relearned control she could easily kill accidentally.
I wasn't exaggerating either, the amount of mana she now possessed was immense, if she released it all at once she would blow away the entire district. I also suggested she have a sleepover with Eve, safely inside an anti mana field.
Truth be told we were starting to feel bad, whilst it was necessary to stop her killing herself trying to use power she didn't have, the restrictions such explosive boosts necessitate were confining. Fala however was just happy at the idea of a sleepover, even if the lingering effects had left her weakened.
When we finally released our patient, I sent Doran with Rein to make sure he was ok then headed home ourselves, swinging Fala back and forth.
"If you two have a baby, can I help look after it?" A standard question for a typical child, but I seemed to forget her age whenever she was at the clinic.
"We aren't a couple Fala, and even if we were, unfortunately I can't have children." My statement caught Eve's attention, luckily for her Fala asked why first, which left me feeling compelled to answer honestly as opposed to dodging the question like I typically would have.
I explained that in one life people were routinely tested for their ability to have them, a way to measure an issue caused by a weapon, not wanting to explain to her how such things are measured I kept things vague.
Though when Eve asked if perhaps that was simply the body I was given in that life, I added that curiosity led me to test it in the few reincarnations after that as well. I didn't need to look to feel Eve glaring at me in a "How exactly did you test it?" kind of way, so I quickly tapped her and gave her memories of said tests which involved no funny business.
Eve then made a comment about Ever maybe being able to fix that and I glared at her in a "Don't disturb her for such nonsense" kind of way.
Fala looked between us as we stopped swinging her, commenting on how often we communicated in glares, then said it was a shame since our child would be super awesome.
"I think you'll find half of me is still mega awesome at least." I learned that day that women do not like men as self-aware as me, or that's how I chose to see it anyway.
When we got back I made a light salad for dinner, then we continued to bed in short order. I of course needed to stay awake to keep the field active so after setting it up I sat down to get some work done. When Kriel made it back not long after, he shoved his work in my face and I applauded his effort, quietly celebrating his personal victory.
As we chatted I kept working, until he asked if I was sure I didn't love Eve, putting my pen down to give him my full attention garnered a short chuckle from him. "Not to be rude, but unless it's Eve or she's mentioned, I've never seen you focus fully." I grabbed a liquor canister and poured us each a glass, rolling some smoking leaf to enjoy with it, then explained that I did, it was just a different way to how she loved me.
Demons didn't approach emotions the same way as humans, so his interest was academic, but remained sincere. In respect of that, I answered his questions clinically as I explained that to my knowledge I had never experienced that kind of love and I honestly doubted my ability to recognise if I did. I then continued by saying my emotions had been significantly diminished by millenia of remaining impartial in my duties, adding that I meant emotionally speaking.
I then downed my glass, and as I returned it to the table I asked his relationship with Sinfree, making him clam up. When he asked why, I explained that the time may come when we need to execute her. My real question was whether he wanted to do it or one of us would need to.
He mimicked me and downed his drink, then asked if I would make it quick, which I said I would only after doing my best to break her will to fight. "I don't kill unless I have no option. Selfishly I'd prefer Eve never take a life. You might find a companion we meet later the best option, but I sense something stirring and would like the best choice currently."
He accepted responsibility, claiming that a demon robbed of the will to fight never recovers, but then I repeated my question about who she was to him.
He then told me she was his mentor's daughter, akin to his sister and asked what I would prefer if Sil was found. I looked up at him and stared into his eyes. I told him I wanted to rob her memories so I had the truth, but beyond that I didn't care who killed her. "...That said, I fear Eve and I may be the only ones capable of doing so. Don't let pride delude you, even as weakened as I am, you would never catch up thanks to my magic ability and experience… and she… she is beyond even me now."
Stroking his chin, he said I seemed particularly indifferent towards her before asking why I seemed to feel nothing for my best hope at finding the truth.
I told him the truth didn't matter to me, understanding mattered and whilst truth was an effective means of understanding, that didn't mean it was the only means and I was perfectly capable of using the gaps to understand things.
Laughing as he told me I wasn't making any sense I sighed and pulled a blank sheet of paper across to myself, drawing a quick timeline of what I know to be blank spots.
"First is my time in the centre, where my friend killed herself, that memory relates to this one, where a girl resembling Klara took her own life."
I then described the way the missing memory of my friend who took her own life was blank, but Klara triggered it somewhat, that same memory was also triggered in Eve and brought Ever to the surface.
Kriel was clearly confused, but asked the important question, "How does Eve and your original life crossover?" I shrugged, then asked him who came to mind when he thought about a mysterious girl in my present life.
That made the pieces fall into place for him, and he aired my hypothesis that Sil was that girl. I then mentioned how Sil behaved after I met Klara originally and he agreed it was suspect. He asked what could have been meant then when a god told Eve the two judges were being used, I shrugged in acknowledgement of my ignorance but theorised that it could mean the god reincarnated her as a judge to use against me.
"I also have to wonder if the god whispering to Eve is actually Ever, she may have simply been confused in her weakened state, she never could communicate when she was tired." Eve then appeared asking for "a sloshy thing in cup" as she rubbed her eyes and I asked if she were Eve or Ever and the only response I got was "fuzzy and dry".
I gave her a canister of juice and told her to go back to bed, then returned to the table and asked Kriel to imagine receiving a 'divine message' from that. Kriel declared that he understood my doubts as I nodded and resumed working.
Kriel left me to toil, but not long after he did so, Eve returned to inform me that "the princess requests attention". My ability to ignore the obvious farce ran dry, so I asked her the purpose of acting like Ever and she admitted she was curious to see if I reacted differently. I grinned and gave her a chop to the head, telling her I was more than happy to treat her how I did Ever.
She rubbed her head and groaned before preparing a counter attack, but I interrupted by telling her she was doing it all wrong and that Ever would have just made a dirty joke and got chopped again.
Eve growled then said Fala really did want me and headed off, though I now know it was only to enact their ambush.
As soon as I was clear of the door, it slammed behind me and Fala jumped on me ineffectually, as I asked what their goals were. "I want a bedtime story. Daddy always tells me one."
I could only bring back the exasperated sigh I was known for, chuck her on to the bed and tell her to tuck herself in whilst I thought about what to tell her. I had never had to do something like that before, Ever was a teenager when we first met, even if she were trapped in an infant's body, with the nature of a tomboyish girl in her twenties.
Only one came to mind, that being one I remembered my parents telling me the origin of my name.
As I recounted the story, an old fable from a religion long dead (like all others at the time of my birth), Eve not so subtly imposed herself upon me as they both drifted off. I continued with the story to its conclusion, despite the fact the audience had been long dead to the world since near the beginning but I wanted to make sure they were sleeping deeply before I ejected myself from the situation.
Regardless of my efforts however, as I made my move Eve asked if it would truly be so wrong for me to grant their wishes. "If I stay here, the peace will certainly prove me derelict in duty and put everyone in danger." She could tell it was just an excuse, but relented and said I could go after tucking them both in properly.
With as much tenderness as I could muster, I scooched Fala over then laid the ring leader next to her, pulling the cover up to their necks.
I walked out of the room leaving the girls to embrace each other, returning to the table to finish my work before redoing the silencing and enchantments on our home.
I then decided to finally complete the renovations I had been planning since we moved in, starting with repairs from my outburst and removing a section of floor. I created a reinforced door that could be opened and closed with any registered mana one that would open to a cellar yet to exist.
Then began excavating down, creating a large space which I furnished with a research lab that was entirely out of place in the current time, including machinery I decided to steal from various eras.
I then created a fake storage space to hide it, complete with fridges and a freezer, then produced as many drugs that could be useful in the clinic as I could think of whilst noting them down so I could explain them to Fala later.
When I was finished I made to leave and found myself having to catch Kriel in the same princess hold he had carried me in.
I knew it hadn't been a quick job, but I wasn't expecting the purplish glow of approaching dawn, nor the usual sounds of our home in the morning. As I set Kriel down, I registered all their signatures with the door so they could sense it, then gave them the tour.
As we descended, I explained they would be able to register anyone they wanted to that door but only I could register people to the inner door, as the back wall split apart.
I then explained what some of the machines do and how they can be used, but was too tired to properly demonstrate them which I expressed with incessant yawning and vague half-sentences.
I was almost glad when someone knocked at the door as if to give me an excuse to shepherd them back upstairs, then I answered it and realised we were in for a full house yet again. Rein, Kadri, Valo, even Vedna were expected, given their status as either staff or residents' parents.
Byurik, Halsan, Leeson and Klara were understandable given that they said they would keep me in the loop in regards to the summit.
Tyrland, I could accept as a leader who acknowledged Kriel as a respected commander, the other commanders I could tolerate as his retainers.
The eight others however, were what made me conjure a blade and threaten to start swinging if people kept arriving for free food unannounced. Unfortunately, I wasn't built to turn people away so the warning didn't solve the immediate issue and I found myself heading toward the kitchen in defeat.
As I prepared breakfast for the wake of buzzards I found myself playing host to, I started to stumble from fatigue. Eve asked if I was ok and made to help but when she started cracking eggs and splinters of shell found themselves into the pan I could only glare at her before putting her in charge of buttering bread.
Then Kriel made a comment and found himself in charge of making coffee for the adults and serving juice for the children, which saw him mocked by his old comrades until Eve glared.
"Mocking those serving food and drink is a capital crime in this home, and my kingship counts for nothing." Tyrlands words came as several small fireballs bloomed into life around them, whilst blades of light formed above.
Valo then recounted the tale of my threatening the entire guild for disrespecting the cooks and the demon commanders were quick to apologise for their behaviour.
Without warning the light coming through the window was suddenly blocked out and a big yellow eye starred in through it.
I opened the door and Aksel's tongue began to lap at me, but I wasn't happy to see him, or at least not in the condition he arrived. Several bloody holes from which his blood flowed, an eye missing and both fangs broken.
I healed him up and told him to rest as I bid goodbye to the others, Leeson told me to wait though he did so wary of my rather palpable bloodlust.
Tyrland ordered his commanders to accompany me as penance for their earlier transgression, I told Eve to accompany Leeson and his forces since the trip would take them a couple of days, leaving Kriel to defend the town in my stead.
I then used magic to boost mine and the commander's speed and stamina before setting off with the speed of a pixie staring at a bowl of honeyed milk.
The journey still took until a bit past noon, though we did stop for a quick breather before making it to the mine after spotting smoke and deciding it was too dangerous to rush in.
As we rested, the demon commanders commented on the effectiveness of my enhancing magic, but when they saw my needle-point eyes focused on the mine they fell silent. Leaving me to focus on what we might discover on our arrival.
When the time came, I told them to follow, but would leave the front line to them if things turned dangerous and when they all agreed I recast the enhancements.
The remainder of the journey seemed to pass with a blink, too soon. The prisoners, who had been working hard and not acted out even once, lay dead along with the civilian miners and guards. "Have you ever seen a man break?" I asked the question as a warning to my companions, to let them know the plan had changed.
"Of course I have, I broke that one just there." The words came from a stranger, followed by laughter, wholly ignorant he was about to die. I carved some flesh from my arm, as the man who spoke was joined by others, all laughing at me doing their job for them.
The demons were terrified however, they knew me, the horrors I could inflict if so inclined. I was most certainly inclined at that moment. They had killed two dozen people who I knew, including the prisoners whose blood was on my hands since they couldn't have left. The demons could sense my pain and backed away slowly, their survival instincts kicking in, but not wanting to risk drawing my attention to them.
As the flayed flesh of my arm hit the floor with a wet thud, I cracked my neck and began to weave mana in various ways simultaneously.
At first the men stopped laughing, then they stopped moving and began to foam at the mouth. One of the demons overcame his instincts, managing several small steps toward me. "Is this you? the man who put himself between two armies to stop the death." I turned my blackened eyes towards him, unsettling him with the sight of it.
"I'm not, I was educated on the consequences of losing people I care about. I am too powerful to risk it and far too weak to endure it. You are right though, killing them like this is the very needless suffering I tried to avoid, thank you." My words were filled with anger, cut with a sharp edge of self loathing. Releasing the spell, as I held back the side of me I had reintegrated with.
He asked why I mutilated my arm, and as I looked at the bloody scraps I remembered something not forgotten but consciously ignored. "In my first life, it was the punishment of officers who failed their missions. It was known as 'paying the pound of flesh' I witnessed many perform it, I guess being made whole has had a deeper effect than I thought."
"Well, you can tell Evelith, preferably where there can't be any collateral damage." I gave a sideways glance then reconstructed my arm, tapping him on the shoulder as I made a half-hearted joke about the fallout not being as bad, before turning to the men starting to come around.
I approached casually, then used magic to restrain them and place the glyph of truth on them all. When they were coherent I left the demons to interrogate them, with instructions on separating them based on their crimes so I could lay those lost to rest. One small mercy was that we arrived quickly, thanks to that I was able to save a few from death, but the two dozen we counted on arrival rose to almost three.
I asked the survivors to identify all the fallen and gather any mementos they might have returned to their families, gritting my teeth against my desire to erase those responsible. I apologised to the fallen one by one, committing their names to memory, along with my failure to protect them. I extended an additional respect for the prisoners, telling each that they could consider themselves reformed, knowing from how their bodies lay that each died defending the people from Newland.
When I was done I produced a few travel packs for them and recommended they return to the town, then headed back to the demons.
They shook their heads as I approached and I could tell that meant all the captives were guilty of severe crimes, so I approached to pass sentence. "Before I pull out your souls, I have to ask why you came here." I don't know if it was simply wishing that they were acting under order like the men from Kanelsia, or whether I was just delaying it out of fear of what it may do to me.
"The girl with the demoness told us, said the mine was ripe for raiding and days from reinforcements, that as long as the snake died she would be happy." His words were all the warning the demons needed that I was about to lose control, they jumped back just in time for the abyssal cocoon to form and begin expanding and erasing everything it touched.
When it passed I slumped over, then rolled onto my back, looking up at the sky. "Come close, at this moment, please underestimate me." Goading an absent opponent I had no chance of beating, simply to punish myself for punishing people who deserved it.
When they were sure it was safe the demons rejoined me, I managed to make another joke, this time about the consequences of carrying me like a princess. The demons chuckled, nervously, then asked "What happened? We've never seen that magic before." I glared to let them know it was a topic best left alone, explaining that I used magic differently to most and that was why I didn't teach my methods, that intense desires and lack of focus can cause it to run amok.
The demons cautiously asked what my intentions were regarding Sil. "Judgement. The first I truly desire to make and she will feel every ounce of suffering she has caused. I will make her wish she heeded the warning I gave about feeling the weight of her decisions."
Unlike the first time, the erasure left me exhausted and unable to move. When I couldn't do so after an hour of rest the demon commanders decided it would be safer to let me rest and set camp.