I step out of Victor's office, a mess of emotions swirling inside me.
The Ryn in me is nearly consumed with hatred. Hatred for Victor, for his siblings, for this entire house. Somewhere beneath this anger, I can't feel but feel where Victor's coming from.
I'm not saying he was right. Definitely not. Especially not after what he said, and not after everything he's done. I'll still have my revenge, don't worry.
But, in his own twisted way, he does have a point.
He's furious because his wife saved me. Because she cared for me.
In his eyes, she gave away her waning time to someone unworthy.
What he won't admit is that he was never there for her in the first place. He was always gone, for work, he said.
But whenever she tried to ask, he never answered. Curious.
Now that she's dead, he talks as if he loved her. But he never did.
She was left behind. She was lonely, looking for purpose. I helped her find it. She told me that, multiple times.
I was her purpose.
And Ryn, contrary to Victor's claims, was a good kid. He was kind, polite, respectful. He was everything she taught him to be.
Even after she died, he held onto those values, convinced they'd carry him through life. He was wrong.
Even after she died, Ryn held onto those values, convinced they would take him through life. He was wrong.
In a way, she was naive. She thought I would learn the ways of this world through the kindness of others.
Kindness meant nothing in this house. Only talent did.
Talent was everything to Victor. It was the difference between a "good son" and a "failure."
He made sure his children knew it too. They had talent, and Ryn didn't.
They never let Ryn forget it. Every time he trained, he took a beating, as if his siblings wanted to burn the fact that he was a failure into his mind.
The instructor never said a word, refusing to teach a street urchin who never measured up.
So Ryn did what any seven-year-old would. He ran. Hid in his room. Only came out when called by Victor.
Maybe it wasn't brave. But could I really blame him?
No.
As I walk down the hall, passing each of my siblings' doors, I hear footsteps echoing up from the staircase ahead.
My five siblings, returning from training.
"Hah! Look what the cat dragged in!" Eric sneers. "Still don't know why they let a talentless loser like you live here."
A chorus of laughter follows. It comes from the twins, Alex and Ren. They follow Eric everywhere.
Lyssandra trails behind, shooting me a look of pure disgust.
Bile rises in my throat, and I nearly puke. My body remembers what they did to Ryn. How they treated him.
That time they locked him up and whipped him, only to heal the wounds with magic so the scars wouldn't show.
Only Alissa, the second daughter, had ever offered even the slightest acknowledgment. She gives a brief nod as I pass, but I don't return it.
She was the only one who never joined in when they beat Ryn. But she never stopped them either. A few words could've meant everything to a boy like him. But she didn't.
Can I understand why she stayed silent? Yes.
Does that make it any better? No.
Despite not joining in, she watched as they tortured Ryn in broad daylight. For that, Ryn despises her.
I reach my room, ignoring their laughter, and step inside to find Sadie packing what's left of my things.
Honestly, no fucking clue how she beat me here.
It's not much, only what I need to survive. I'm not allowed to live in luxury anymore. Especially not in the west wind.
"Young Master… I'm so sorry," she says, tears forming in her eyes. It looks like she'd been crying since the moment I left Victor's study.
"I'll live," I answer shortly, ending our conversation.
Damn. That was a lame answer.
***20 minutes later***
I walk into the west tower with Sadie behind me, carrying the small amount of luggage I have.
I don't really mind not having much.
A bed, some clothes, and a toothbrush are more than I used to have back on Earth.
I've lived with less before. I can live like this again.
The west tower looks like something straight out of a fantasy novel (I mean I am actually in a fantasy novel so it does make sense).
It is a hollow stone tower with a few dim lights lining the walls and spiraling staircase winding all the way to the top.
At the end of it waits my new room. It reminds me of the hospital room I lived in on earth, though bigger. It's small and plain, with nothing other than a bed, and a hole to piss.
There are four windows on each side of the tower, letting in some of the morning light.
There's no proper ceiling, only a web of scaffolding overhead, enforcing the spire that is atop the western tower.
Despite the sunlight that pours through the windows everything above that first layer of beams is swallowed by shadow.
'That's weird. From the outside, the spire looks huge, at least 20 feet tall, but I can only see a couple of feet above.'
Huh. The spire is like twenty feet tall. Why can I barely see up a couple of feet?
I can barely see into the darkness, but I can barely make out a faint, wispy shape floating just out of reach.
Holy shit. There may actually be a ghost.
I strain my eyes, and though it's hard to make out, I finally see her: a translucent figure, a ghost, drifting before me, floating in the spire, her eyes looking down on me.
She wears a long blue dress that matches her pale, light blue eyes. She looks like the incarnation of the ocean, with water swirling around her, wild, but controlled.
For a second, her eyes meet mine. Acknowledging me, almost. I stare deeper into her eyes, but they go deeper, and deeper, and deeper. Then, she breaks eye contact, floating back above the darkness where I cannot see her.
It felt as if I was staring into the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean.
A chill runs down my spine.
Yo. That's lowkey dope. There is a ghost in my room. Type shit.
"Is everything all right, Young Master?" Sadie asks, noticing my dazed look.
"Yes, sorry," I reply quickly. "Just got lost in thought."
We quickly finish setting up the little amount of belongings I own. There is no running water, which Ryn would definitely complain about, but me? I never had running water. At least there's a stream next to the house.
Probably better than the dirty streams back on earth
"Young Master…" Sadie's voice trembles as she speaks, tears gathering in her eyes again. "There's something I must tell you."
She hesitates before continuing.
"As you're no longer part of the Veylor household, I'm not allowed to see or serve you anymore."
"I'll leave your meals outside the door, but by Lord Victor's orders, I'm forbidden to enter your room."
"He said I'd be staining my reputation if I kept serving you."
Her voice breaks. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Sadie," I say softly. " I don't blame you."
I'm such a sweet talker.
Her tears fall anyway, but I manage a small smile. "Goodbye, Sadie."
Ryn would've begged her to stay. But me? No.
I need space. Space to train.
To figure out why I'm here.
What my purpose is in this world.