The Many Lives of Cadence Lee

  Talent. The whole of our society is obsessed with Talent in our youth, and yet it so often doesn’t matter. We humans tend to think of ourselves as superior to the other Sapients in some ways because their Talents are limited, and ours can be anything. However, how many people actually discover their Talents and of those how many have Talents that are useful?

  Every child hopes to be Talented in the Sword and to become a great Adventurer and rarely does a child manage to pick up a sword and learn the Skill to check. This is an example of the great weakness in human Talent - there are thousands of Skills, and few have the time or resources to find what they are Talented in among them. How many ever get the chance to learn how to sense mana, much less manipulate it? How many go beyond that to ever learn a magic Skill?

  Trying to find all your Talents is lunacy. You are better off working hard to raise the Skills you want than chasing dreams.

  -a shopkeeper talking to his son who wanted to learn the Sword.

*Kingdom of Balkus, City of Sier, Twelve Years Ago*

[Commoner] Ylma Zhotova’s POV:

  If there is one thing I have learned, it was that the world was hateful.

  [You have been struck! You have lost 3hp!]

  That good will be met with evil and kindness with cruelty. Mercy is the luxury of the strong and no one is strong enough to be able to afford it indefinitely.

  [You have been struck! You have lost 4hp!]

  “She’s running that way!” A child yelled with malicious glee as he picked up another stone. “In the alley, get her! Get her!”

  [You have been struck! You have lost 1hp!]

  Weakness is not pitied, or even ignored - it is seen as an invitation to take.

  “Fuck! The little bitch could fit through a gap that small?” An older child - Kievus - spat and tossed his stone aside. “Just proves she's a [Witch].”

  “A bitchy [Witch]!” Another called out and they all laughed. As if no one had ever thought of that insult before. As if I had never heard it before.

  “...I’m not a [Witch],” I whisper into the shadows of the empty alley. The world is hateful though; it does not care and neither do the kids who chased me with stones. I was just another orphan girl, and one who had the misfortune of being distinguished from all of the others.

  “You got your beautiful red hair from your father’s side of the family,” she used to tell me with a smile. “Even though your dad doesn’t have it, all of his brothers and sisters do. You should be proud to be connected to that heritage.”

  What heritage that was, I will never know because the world took my mother away from me a week later. Dad had died a year before, but that is just how it was in Balkus if you lived in one of the small towns. Monsters were everywhere, and it was only a matter of time before some kind of disaster occured.

  In the end, I was brought to Sier to be placed in the orphanage here. It burned down barely a month after I arrived and was never rebuilt. The other children blamed me for the fire and even though I swore before a [Priest] of Alet that I hadn’t started the fire, they still believed I caused it somehow.

  Mom was a [Healer] and had started to teach me magic so that I could follow after her; I had the Skills Manasense, Mana Manipulation, and Fire Magic; I had foolishly thought to be helpful and use my magic to help light cooking fires and hearth fires in the orphanage; and I had red hair, so I must be a [Witch] who tricked the [Priest] with my evil magic!

  As if that was even possible. Even the [Secret Priests] who worshipped the God of Secrets could only hide the Truth for a time from the clergy of Alet. No one could hide from their sight forever, and someone like me wouldn’t be able to hide at all.

  My aching stomach brought me back to the present. I could ignore the pain of being hit by rocks, but the pain of an empty stomach was far more insistent. How long had it been since I had not been some degree of hungry? As long as I had been on the streets, so at least two years, I suppose.

  It would have been easy to beg or to steal or to whore myself. As young as I was, people would take pity on me even with my hair. That same youth and hair would make me particularly attractive to the disgusting freaks that prey on orphans. As for theft? I had magic that I could use to start distractions and even grab things from a distance.

  But I couldn’t let go of my parent’s lessons.

  “There will always be people who say or do bad things,” Dad had said to me, so many years ago when I came to him crying from other kids teasing me. “But you don’t need to sink to their level. Rise above it and be better, and if you are better than them, why should their words matter at all?”

  “Everyone has an ideal they strive for,” Mom told me one night after Dad had died. “But they make excuses for why they can never reach that goal. Don’t make excuses Ylma. Be the best you and let others be the worst them.”

  I would not beg, I would not steal, I would not sell my dignity for a mere bite to eat! I was better than that, better than those who chased and harassed me! I had survived these past couple of years by working as I could.

  A scrap of wood, a bit of paint, and I had made a sign to advertise what I could do. Every so often the kids would chase me down and break it, and I would have to make a new one, but it served its purpose. Where others made signs begging for a copper and prayed to the Gods for the generosity of passerby, mine said:

  “Teaching Skills! Manasense, Mana Manipulation, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic! Will work for food or copper!”

  All Skills a [Healer] needed, all Skills my mom had taught me and that I had wished to ignore in favor of playing. I say a small prayer for my dead mom and dad for making me stay and learn. Unlike so many other parents, they had given me tools to survive even should the worst happen to them.

  Hopefully today I would find someone who wanted to learn from me for a while and could provide food for a couple of weeks. I never asked for much, I can survive being somewhat hungry. A shadow blocked the sun for a moment, and I wrenched myself from my thoughts to smile politely at whomever had stopped before me, only to blink in surprise.

  “Oh? You are teaching Skills, little girl?” the lady spoke, her voice like music.

  I barely looked at her before bowing my head, knowing to always respect my betters. And this woman, dressed as she was in a silken robe - rich in dye and design - with jewelry glittering on her fingers and in her hair, was undoubtedly a noble.

  “Yes my Lady, although I wouldn’t dare claim to be able to teach someone like you.”

  “You speak quite well too,” She mused, “tell me, where did you learn all of this?”

  “My mother and father taught me. My mother was a [Healer] and my father was an [Alchemist].”

  “Was? No, don’t answer - I know enough,” the noble glanced to her side and gave an order to a man who I hadn’t noticed. “Bertrand, take her.”

  Noble or not, when I heard those two words I turned and ran. I didn’t even make it three steps before a gloved hand caught my wrist. I twisted, fire in my other hand and as I tried to escape - but my fire died before I could use it! In fact, I couldn’t use my magic at all! And without my magic I was nothing but a starving child…

  I slumped, there was no point to struggling. I was brought into a carriage by the lady’s servant and sat across from the lady herself. I was probably going to be taken as a [Slave]. Slavery was illegal in Balkus, but that was never enforced with the kingdom in constant chaos. A lady like this… She could do pretty much whatever she wanted with me and no one would care.

  “Oh, Bertrand, look at her! She looks like a criminal consigned to the gallows!”

  “Lady Hanette, you did just have me abduct her off the street without an explanation…” The servant next to me sighed, “anyone would believe that you had some nefarious goal.”

  “True, true.” Lady Hanette returned her focus to me and asked, “what is your name child?”

  “Ylma Zhotova, lady.” I answered quietly. There was no point staying silent, she would undoubtedly get whatever answers she wanted from me eventually.

  “Well little Ylma, I am Maria deVon Jassui, a [Countess] from Frakus.” She said with a smile, confirming her aristocratic origins. “And you, Ylma, give me a particularly good feeling. So I have an offer to make you.”

*Kingdom of Frakus, Royal Academy of Magic, Eleven Years and Six Months Ago*

  I couldn’t help but be nervous as I looked at the Academy. It seemed more like a palace out of a dream than a school to me. I watched in awe as I gazed open mouthed at the building floating above my head - no, the buildings, because the palace-like entrance was the only building actually on the ground. The rest of the campus was in the air, the buildings enchanted to fly and connected by bridges of light.

  This was supposed to be my home for the next eight years. [Countess] Jassui had brought me here to Frakus, tested me, and then adopted me. I was now Ylma Jassui, although I was not a noble and I was going to be one of the only [Commoners] in an academy that was made for [Nobles] and royalty.

  I took a deep breath and then made my way inside. I was greeted by the servants and directed to my quarters, which involved taking a floating platform up past the roof and stepping out onto one of the light bridges. I did my best not to look down, but my eyes were drawn down to the mostly transparent bridge.

  I hate to admit that the first challenge that I wavered at was merely walking across the bridge to the dormitory. Suddenly, I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs and I felt like the world was spinning. This only increased my terror, because now I wasn’t sure I could take a step without falling.

  I think I might have collapsed right there if someone hadn’t caught me.

  “Careful there, miss. The bridges can take some getting used to. Here, let me help you.”

  I was shaking as I was gently guided onto solid ground again - albeit solid ground that was also floating in the air. It was only there that I was able to get enough air to thank my rescuer.

  “Than-” I started to speak, but as I looked up at the person who had helped me there was one thing I noticed above all others. It wasn’t his fine clothes - although they were nicer than any I had ever seen even with the [Countess] - and it wasn’t his handsome face - although that was enough to make me blush considering he had his arm around my waist - no, it was the golden circlet glinting on his head.

  I immediately tried to bow and almost fell over as I started to stammer, “My Pr- Prince! I- I didn’t realize - I mean - I am sorry for my rudeness!”

  He merely laughed, gently grabbing my shoulder and making me raise my head. “Rudeness? What sort of man would I be if I left a young lady in distress?”

  Of course, it would surprise nobody - not even myself - that Prince Luoes of Frakas would end up being my first crush. Foolish, of course. He was a [Prince] seven years my elder, and I was a foreign [Commoner] from a war torn country who was only nine years old. I wasn’t good enough for him and I knew it, but I wanted to be.

  I threw myself into my studies with a passion, determined to be better still. It wasn’t like I could make friends here. I was here because I was Talented in Manasense and Meditation, but in the end I was still just a [Commoner]. In fact, if it weren’t for the continued kindness of the [Prince] I might have been bullied nearly as bad as I had been back in Sier.

  He graduated a year later, but by then I had established something of a reputation in my class year. There was no one as hardworking, no one as dedicated, and no one as skilled or knowledgeable than me at our age.

  “You may not be a [Noble], but you are better than the rest of the rabble,” my [Noble] classmates would say.

  Of course I was better than them. My contempt for other [Commoners] was legendary.

  “Anyone, even those without Talent, can learn Manasense and Mana Manipulation,” I would say. “Every single human can learn at least some magic that would improve their daily lives. Yet most don’t, because they are lazy or because they are stupid or because they have allowed themselves to be brainwashed by superstition. How could I fail to be better than them?”

  I picked up Alchemy and studied some of the more esoteric magics in my second year. In my third year I had learned enough of Enchanting to cast a blessing on the [Prince] - who was getting married to a [Duke’s Heiress] later that year. My youthful fantasies were broken, but I still felt I owed him anyway.

  Even though it still hurt, I was better than the other girls who gossiped about the heiress and just barely hid their distaste.

  After my fourth year, I was able to take a vacation and I decided to return to Sier, just to see where I had come from again.

*Kingdom of Balkus, City of Sier, Seven Years Ago*

  I suppose that a young, wealthy-looking, lady would be a tempting target to the desperate types that lived on the streets that I was visiting. Perhaps someone might have tried to stop and rob me if it wasn’t for the [Bodyguard] generously lent to me by the [Countess]. I would like to imagine that I could handle myself, but the truth is that the various criminals here undoubtedly outlevel me right now.

  The years had not been kind to Sier - not that they were ever kind in Balkus - and the city was both larger and more poor than it was when I had lived here before. It looked different, seeing it now that I was older. I can’t even say that I recognize the streets because the ramshackle buildings had been torn down and rebuilt, shifting the very roads themselves.

  The [Countess] thought it was amusing when I talked like that, always telling me that I was far too young to talk like I was so old. My thoughts turned to her as I walked down the street she had picked me up on. It still remained and I couldn’t help but flip a few silver coins to a beggar who was sitting at the spot where I used to offer training. The spot where the [Countess] had seen me for the first time.

  “Oh! Thank you my lady!” He was an older man with scars and he was missing a leg, “May the Gods bless you ma’am, surely!”

  “They already have,” the Gods have nothing to do with it. “I am just passing the favor on.”

  I smiled of course, hiding my true thoughts. My own apathy, or quite possibly antipathy, towards the Gods was not a common sentiment and I was not so petty as to spit on someone’s well meant gratitude just because I had my own personal issues with the Gods. I was better than that.

  The tensing of my [Bodyguard] was all the warning I got before they spoke:

  “And maybe you would be so kind as to pass some of that blessing our way, hmm?” I turned around to see a group of young toughs, led by a familiar face. Although I doubted Kievus recognized the young belle before him as the filthy orphan he had last seen as he chased her into an alley with rocks.

  “These streets are dangerous anyways,” Kievus continued. “And us here gentlemen would be happy to escort a lady around safe.”

  “Why Kievus, you and I both know that you are about as much of a gentleman as a Goblin is an Elf.” I replied with a light tone, “I guess it shouldn’t surprise me to find you here, and still attempting to bully girls no less.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Kievus snarled, looking around warily now. Clearly he suspected a trap of some kind, “how do you know my name?”

  “A poor memory to go along with your other faults… Well, I guess I am not surprised,” I heaved a dramatic sigh. “I would have hoped that you would remember me, given my hair color.”

  Even with that hint, there was only confusion on his face. I suppose, thinking about it now, that what was a major and traumatic part of my life was likely just an amusing few hours of diversion for him. It is fascinating, I feel - in a detached way - that something so important to one person can be so meaningless to another.

  “Enough riddles,” he drew a knife and showed it off menacingly. “How do you know who I am? Who are you?”

  “You used to call me ‘the bitchy [Witch],’” I spoke lightly, raising a hand to my hair. “You would call me that as you and your gang chased me, throwing stones and laughing. Does that ring a bell?

  His face was blank for a moment, but then it scrunched up as he started to think - a unique experience for him, I am sure. He lowered his knife slightly, as he squinted at me and looked me up and down. I am not sure if I should be glad that at least he wasn’t leering at me given my age or mad because he clearly hadn’t even considered it despite not being all that much older.

  “You know her, K?” one of the toughs behind Kievus asked.

  “Yeah…” Kievus answered slowly, “she was a refugee girl from a few years back… I thought she had died on the street somewhere.”

  “I am surprised you even thought of me that much,” I was impressed he had even bothered to wonder. “But the real question is: what happens now, Kievus?”

  His eyes narrowed and his jaw set and I had my answer even before he spoke. I began to prepare myself for a fight, gathering my mana for an attack.

  “We weren’t friends or nothing,” he said aloud. “But I think I could give you a discount on your safety ‘contribution.’ Call it a congratulations for having made it.”

  I lost my grip on my mana out of sheer surprise. I knew how the gangs worked, and unless Kievus was a high ranking member - or at the very least, a highly favored member - they’d make him cover the difference out of his own pocket. He actually was… being nice!?

  “Yeah, I threw some rocks at you with some other kids, but I ain’t a kid anymore.” He had noticed my surprise and replied to my unspoken question. “Not scared of magic anymore neither. You couldn’t have done nothing back then anyway or you would’ve beat the lot of us then. ‘Sides, refugees from the towns and villages bring business for us; they aren’t competition.”

  I was gaping in surprise at this point, and consciously had to close my mouth. That wasn’t precisely an apology, but anyone could read between the lines and see that Kievus was basically admitting that he was wrong. Poor grammar aside, he even had some things rather well thought out too!

  I was tempted - oh, so tempted - to curse him. I had planned - no, it might be better to say that I had dreamed and fantasized - about returning and casting a real curse on him. I had not actually sought him out, and was never going to seek him out, but if I came across Kievus in my visit… It would not be wrong to say that I had hoped for this scene to play out, but it had gone off script.

  Now I had a decision to make. I could forgive him, pay what he asked, and move on - perhaps even doing something for him before I go, just to help incentivize kindness a little bit - I could decide not to forgive him, but still pay what he asked and avoid a fight; or I could attack him and curse him like I had planned to do.

  Mom and Dad had told me to be better; to be the best, even when others were at their worst. My Mom had been a [Healer], and she had always worked to make things better around her by helping others. But… It was just so hard… Why should I need to be better than others? Why do I have to carry that burden when others simply half-ass their lives?

  “How much are you asking for me to ‘hire’ you gentlemen?” I asked, even though it grated, because I was better than the part of me that wanted to set him on fire. The reason I wasn’t on the street and the reason that I had gone from a hungry orphan in an alley into a [Mage] eating at the same table as the nobility was because of my mom and dad’s words.

  Why should I do it? Because it works, I am better than my Luck Stat. My life is not determined by my Stats, it is determined by me. I had never imagined that I would spend my vacation teaching my old tormenter the basics of Manasense and Mana Manipulation, but sometimes life was strange.

*Kingdom of Frakus, Royal Academy of Magic, Four Years Ago*

  “Did you hear about the new proposal from the [Prince]?” One of the younger girls in a group of them at a nearby table asked the rest.

  I might have been above gossiping myself, but surely there was nothing hypocritical if I was justlistening, right? I normally wouldn’t even listen, but even now I was still soft on the [Prince]. I think that my impossible feelings were dying slower because they were impossible. After all, what is the difference between the impossible task of a [Commoner] marrying a [Prince] and the impossible task of a woman marrying an already married man?

  If anything, the latter was the more possible of the two. It was my common birth that made it impossible, not his own marriage.

  “I did!” Another answered, fanning herself. “Shocking, wasn’t it?”

  I was in the library’s common area, which didn’t have any restrictions on noise unlike the study rooms. I generally used the study rooms, but sometimes I just felt more comfortable when surrounded by ambient noise. Today was one of those times, and despite my current distraction I had gotten a lot done.

  “But it does make sense,” one girl spoke slower, calculatingly. “Why shouldn’t the nobility control Class choice among the [Commoners]? We have education and knowledge that they do not, surely we know better than they do.”

  Huh. Well, given the content of their discussion, it sounded like the [Prince] had proposed to take away the right of the low born to choose their own Classes. I could see why it was shocking and controversial, nearly every kingdom considered it a natural right belonging to all Sapients and Demihumans. On the other hand, the concept of a “natural right” only stretched so far. A [Noble] might not be able to order someone to take up the [Farmer] Class, but they could order them to work on a farm. They could conscript someone into a militia, even if that conscript refused to take a [Militiaman] or [Soldier] Class.

  Personally, even though my own freedom was on the line, I was somewhere between approving and ambivalent to this idea. Few people ever filled all their Class slots, and they could always abandon a Class later, so why would it even be a problem if they were forced to take a Class? If they aren’t using that Class in their daily life it won’t Level and therefore won’t be useful, so a [Noble] would only order a Class taken if the person was going to use it. Refusal to take a Class in that situation just seemed foolish.

  The next line jolted me out of my thoughts: “But the [Serf] Class? Isn’t that basically a slave Class?”

  When I heard that, I had to get up and walk over to the table where the girls were speaking. They were fellow students here, [Ladies] a year or two younger than myself.

  “Apologies [Ladies],” I greeted them with a slightly strained smile. “But I couldn’t help overhear your conversation; would you mind if I joined in?”

  I was a far better student than most of the gossips - some of whom I suspected were actually [Gossips] - and that, plus my slightly older age, gave me just enough prestige that they let me join the conversation with only slight reluctance. Reluctance which faded as they dug into the news about the [Prince].

  Myself? I became quieter and quieter, eventually excusing myself and leaving the library. I couldn’t trust the word of a single woman, especially one of the gossips. No, I had to double check and that meant talking to someone connected and informed. Someone connected, informed, and willing to speak to and answer a [Commoner’s] questions.

  Fortunately, despite the difference between my status and theirs, the [Teachers] and [Professors] here had high opinions of me. For the most part, anyway. Regardless, it didn’t take me long at all to get that confirmation.

  The [Prince] wasn’t just pushing to allow [Nobles] to demand their [Commoner] populations take certain Classes, he wanted to eliminate [Commoners] and replace them with [Serfs]! Something he might be able to do without anyone elses consent when he becomes [King] simply by ordering it to be so. [Kings] could already forcibly change some Classes, and changing the law of the land might be enough to enforce it on all citizens who acknowledged him as their [King]!

  The [Serf] Class was one of the slave Classes. You couldn’t choose to be a [Serf], not really, it could only be forced on you. No one would choose it anyway, because like all slave Classes it enforced certain rules and behaviors on the Class holder, the most noticeable of which was the inability of a [Serf] to leave the land of the [Noble] that ruled them. [Serfs] would find that the edge of that [Noble’s] territory to be an invisible, but impenetrable, wall.

  Other things that were enforced by the Class? Obedience for one, although not as strongly as the [Slave] Class did. A [Serf] could be ordered to do things in a general sense, but they had the autonomy to act as they wished so long as they were technically accomplishing the assigned task while a [Slave] had to follow orders to the letter. Although this difference was mostly academic, because from the perspective of a [Serf] it wouldn’t feel much different.

  I wrote a letter to the [Prince] that night, unable to understand how the kind [Prince] I used to know had changed into the kind of man who would enslave every free person in what would be his kingdom. It wouldn’t even be very efficient! Slave Classes were well known for giving mostly survival related Skills, their low Stat growth outside of Endurance, and their tendency to stunt the growth of other Classes.

  I pointed as much out in my letter, not content to merely appeal to his conscience. If his kindness wasn’t a lie and it hadn’t changed, that would mean that he had made this proposal despite his feelings and so appealing to his feelings alone would likely get me nowhere. I sent the letter and spent the next two weeks avidly following any gossip about the [Prince] and anxiously waiting for his reply - hoping that he would send one and hoping that he would change his mind.

  Two weeks later, I got my reply and my hopes were dashed. Moreover, I was shocked by what I read.

  Dear Mrs. Jassui,

  It was good to hear from you again, despite the content of your letter. I understand why overhearing my proposal second or third hand would alarm you, yet you are the basis for my proposal in the first place. You once told me that the difference between the average [Commoner] and yourself was nothing but the motivation to be “better.” This stuck in my mind and I found myself agreeing.

  What separates the successful from the pathetic? Effort. Even the lowliest [Servant] can seek to improve themselves and improve their lives either by Evolving their Class or by raising their Skills or even just finding ways to improve their efficacy and efficiency in their day to day life. Yet how many do even the smallest amount of this?

  I have access to the numbers and Classes of the people in Frakus, as best as we are able to count anyway. Relatively few people Evolve their Classes before they die, and yet many are able to Evolve their Class without much effort. They could do better, but they won’t do better.

  You taught me that Willpower is not willpower. The Stat might make your willpower stronger and make hard choices easier, but if you are willing to hurt to accomplish a goal you can push past even a low Will Stat. If you stake your identity on a concept, that concept can be stronger than your Stat shows.

  Were I someone else, I would do naught but praise you, but I will be a [King]. As a [King] I have to do what I think is best for my kingdom, and I believe that serfdom is the best choice for now.

  It is a hard choice and a choice that I likely won’t ever forgive myself for, but the people can do better. They will be better, even if I have to make them better at the point of a sword.

  Sincerely, yet sadly,

  [Prince] Luoes

  P.S. My great Father has adopted another one of my proposals. I remember you were quite a good student, and now the top three students that graduate the Academy will be granted an honorary noble title if they don’t already have one. Study hard, and next time we meet you might be a [Noble] yourself.

  I… Understood what the [Prince] was doing. I didn’t like it, but I could see why he was doing it. In the proposal he outlined, the [Serf] Class would be a stepping stone. An easy way for him to force people to improve themselves and once they saw the benefits of self-improvement they would not need the [Serf] Class anymore. The average Level and quality of Classes would rise, and the kingdom would prosper from the royal family all the way down to the poorest orphan.

  It made me uneasy, but [Prince] Luoes was not wrong that the best choice sometimes hurt. I wrote back, saying that I understood and thanking him for taking the time to reply to me.

*Kingdom of Frakus, Royal Academy of Magic, Three Years Ago*

  “-and on behalf of the [King] - long may he reign with wisdom and grace - I grant you, Elma Jassui, an honorary noble title. From now on, you are Elma deVon Jassui!” There was applause from the seated crowd as the [Headmaster] presented me with a noble title, even though he said my name wrong. Hopefully that wouldn’t be too annoying to correct when I mingled at the party afterwards.

  “[You have met the requirements for the Class: [Noble]!]

  [You have 7 open Class Slots.]

  [You have Classes available, would you like to see them now?]”

  I had graduated at the top of my class, and gained a new Class for it. Unfortunately, I was not better than making that pun, but I allowed myself to feel a little giddy as I opened up my Menu and took the [Noble] Class.

  “[Congratulations! You have chosen the Class: [Noble]!]

  [You have gained the Class Ability: Noble Bearing!]”

  I immediately felt more comfortable in my formal dress and it was easier for me to keep my back straight. I don’t know what the Ability did in its entirety, but I would read it later - staring into space right now would be ill taken. It was important for me to make a good impression today. It had been nine months since [Prince] Luoes proposal was accepted, and many [Commoners] had their Classes changed to [Serf].

  Near as I could tell, things were not going according to plan. The temples had come out hard against the proposal, but had not outright forbidden it and the nobility was already starting to exploit the power they had over their people.

  While I would be employed by the [Countess] - who had not followed the [King’s] decree and allowed her [Commoners] to remain [Commoners] instead of becoming [Serfs] - I would have time to travel around the country. I would help the [Prince] by keeping an eye on some of the more troublesome [Nobles]. I didn’t like this, but I would help to make it work.

  However, it wasn’t going to be easy. Kievus wasn’t a good man, but he had become a better man than he was at first. He had the face of a gleeful and sadistic bully as a kid, and he still showed a lot of that swagger - but it covered exhaustion, desperation, and resignation and he was happy to see someone else escape that life.

  The [Nobles] I had for classmates had gone from arrogant to cold and calculating at best, and at worst had gone from arrogant to more arrogant. Most had been going for a Class like [Mage Lord], but since the advent of serfdom in Frakus a couple of inheriting [Lords] had gained the Class [Magister]. While the [Magister] Class wasn’t inherently linked with slavery Classes, but it was heavily associated with them. Slavery was sinking into the [Noble] culture faster than anyone expected.

*Kingdom of Frakus, Royal Palace, Two Years Ago*

  I had an audience with His Highness, [Prince] Luoses. It had been nearly two years since the [King] had accepted his proposal, and I was here to beg the [Prince] to reconsider. His plan had failed in just about every way it could have. After witnessing the depravity that people could sink to if given the chance, I realized the horrible naivety that underlay this plan.

  It presumed that the nobility were good people and that they were able to help and guide the people under them. Unfortunately, the amount of good [Nobles], [Lords], and [Ladies] was far less than what I might have hoped, and having such power over their [Serfs] corrupted even decent [Nobles] quickly. The good ones? Well, most of them refused to allow their populations become [Serfs] and the few who actually tried to follow the [Prince’s] plan were mostly incompetent and unable to improve their people meaningfully.

  It was only a fraction of a fraction of a fraction that managed to succeed and they represented too small of a population for it to matter. It wasn’t worth it.

  “Ah, Mrs. Jassui,” the [Prince] entered the room with a smile on his face, followed by a young [Servant] girl. “It is wonderful to see you again!”

  “You honor me, Your Highness,” I stood up and smoothly knelt. “I am overjoyed that you were willing to see someone like me.”

  He laughed, “you don’t need to kneel - you are a [Noble] now, a bow will suffice!”

  “Your Highness, I kneel out of respect to the Crown and the Royal Family,” I answered, although I smiled back. “Despite my honorary title, I am still a [Commoner]; it is right that I should show respect to royalty.”

  “And I accept your respect,” the [Prince] walked up to me and offered his hand. “Yet, here in private I would have my former classmate stand.”

  Did I take his hand because of my feelings for him? If I was honest with myself, yes. In a more formal setting I probably should have remained on my knees until he asked again and then stand by myself. I was almost never around men of my station, so I had ended up continuing to cling to old feelings even years later.

  “Thank you my [Prince], you are too kind.” I said, attempting to keep my voice steady despite my fast beating heart. “Yet I fear I must rely on your kindness once again, because I am here to beg you to convince His Majesty to rescind the [Serf] decree. I am sorry to say it, but it hasn’t worked.”

  “Yes, I know,” his voice hardened and he glared at his [Servant], who flinched away from his gaze. “You are special, it seems. Most of the peasantry are useless fools, unable to advance even with guidance and resources!”

  “Please, Your Highness,” the [Servant] girl whispered. “I’m sor-”

  [Prince] Luoses turned on his heel and strode over to the [Servant], interrupting her by slapping her across the face hard. As an adult man hitting a young girl, he knocked her to the ground.

  “Sorry? You stupid fool,” I was shocked to see the [Prince], a paragon of virtue in my mind, proceed to kick the [Servant] who curled into a ball to protect her head. “Even in this, you fail! You could have Leveled your Etiquette simply by standing there and doing nothing, yet you can’t even do that!”

  “Your Highness, please, stop.” I spoke up as soon as I gained control of myself again, “there is no need to beat her, I am sure she can be guided without resorting to that…”

  “Ha! This is just another in a recent string of failures for her,” he kicked her one last time before turning back to me and smiling again. “No matter what I do, I cannot motivate her. Even with her family or purity on the line, she still messes up again and again. And she is hardly the first one I have tried with! No, the low born are just that. A few special people like yourself might arise on occasion, but most are just scum.”

  I was horrified and terrified. What had happened to the [Prince]? How could he be so kind to me, but so cruel to another? And from what he said…

  “Forgive me, Your Highness,” I had to ask, “but when you said ‘purity,’ did you mean…?”

  The answer horrified me, and I did something I never thought I would: I took hold of the blessing I gave him all those years ago and twisted it. Under normal circumstances, I would never be able to do this. The [Prince] also had a [Mage] Class and wore protections against hostile magic, but he had accepted my blessing years ago and I had blessed him for his kindness. Things like that mattered to magic like this.

  “Ylma?” [Prince] Luoses could see the mana flowing, but since it was partially inside of him it was hard for him to see it perfectly. He would have to rely purely on his Manasense to understand, but it was too late. “What are you doing?”

  “My [Prince], not even twenty minutes ago, I thought I loved you,” I answered with tears in my eyes. “But now I know that what I loved was just a figment of my imagination, and I have seen who you truly are. [Prince] Luoses, once I blessed you for your kindness and now I curse you for your cruelty. Should you raise a hand against another again save in self defense, you will suffer for it.”

  “[You have met the requirements for the advanced Class: [Witch]!]

  [You have 6 open Class Slots.]

  [You have Classes available, would you like to see them now?]”

  He merely snorted, saying, “It is impossible to curse me through my protections. Here, watch.”

  He turned and kicked the young girl, only to start screaming when fire leapt from the candles and set him on fire. [Guards] rushed in as the [Prince] thrashed and shouted and clawed at his burning clothes and hair.

  “[You have met the requirements for the Class: [Fire Mage]!]

  [You have 6 open Class Slots.]

  [You have Classes available, would you like to see them now?]”

  The fire was put out soon; the [Royal Guard] did not lack for magic users nor [Healers]. Then, the [Prince’s] hate filled glare settled on me.

  “She did this!” He told them, “Arrest her and have her executed! Now!”

  The [Royal Guard] drew their weapons and began to approach me, but I stood there feeling a strong sense of calm settle on me. I stood by what I had done.

  “I demand a trial by Alet and Scalus,” I invoked one of the God given rights available to all Sapients by the Gods themselves. “Justice is not law, nor is law, Justice, and I would put my case before Scalus for his Judgement.”

  The [Prince] was still yelling for my arrest and execution, but the [Royal Guard] hesitated. I had cursed the [Prince], but ignoring the edicts of the Gods would bring down a curse that made mine look quaint. Alet would know, because Alet always knows, and she would tell her brother and they would feel the wrath of the Gods.

  They arrested me, but they called for the servant’s of the Gods. I was not taken to the dungeon, but instead was dragged before the [King] himself. I knelt without having to be forced, because the [King] was not his son. I was unsure if the [King] was good or evil, so I could only offer respect to the institution.

  I was better than the people who could not tell the difference between the throne and the person on it.

  Given the gravity of the situation, it was unsurprising that we did not have to wait long for the [Priestesses] to arrive. The [Royal Guard] offered no explanation, because none was needed. The [Priestess] of Alet looked at me and knew, looking at me for a few seconds before whispering in the ear of the other [Priestess].

  “You have asked for, and will now receive Judgement from the Gods themselves, as is your ancient right.” The [Priestess] of Scalus spoke, “know, that by the grace of Alet, that Scalus can weigh not just this moment, but the entirety of your life - past, present, and future.”

  Now that was strange. Normally, the [Priestesses] would only rule on what they were called for. It strained the [Priestesses] to Channel that much of their God’s power, and it was rare that they would bother to do so.

  “Scalus has, in his wisdom, decided not to Judge you,” the [Priestess] continued, to the shocked mutters of everyone in the room. “As such, our role here is done.”

  Scalus had decided not to Judge me.

  If it was rare for the Gods to weigh a person’s entire life, it was even more rare for Scalus to decide not to make a Judgement at all. When Scalus refused to Judge, it was a declaration that someone had done the wrong thing for the right reason. A [Thief] stealing a loaf of bread from a [Merchant] for a starving friend would be Judged by Scalus - although Mercy would almost certainly interfere there. However, a [Thief] who saw that [Merchant] steal his location from another by using [Thugs] to intimidate them and decided to steal from the [Merchant] after seeing that would often have Scalus refuse to Judge.

  How do you steal from a [Thief]? How dare someone declare “justice” in hanging a [Thief] who stole from another [Thief]? How dare the powerful shield themselves in law and call their acts Just? Yet, acts of vengeance and vigilantism are not Justice either. Even if the system is corrupt, a criminal is still a criminal. Wrong is still wrong, and Justice is always Justice; absolute beyond human ken.

  And in that confusing mass of possibilities and potentials, there is a thin line that divides right and wrong. Today, I walked that line.

  “Ylma,” the [Priestess] spoke quietly to me as the people around erupted in protest and argument, “would you like to come with us? I doubt you will be welcome here anymore.”

  I nodded, still stunned by what had happened and was guided out of the Palace and to the Temple. The Gods themselves had weighed my entire life and decided that I was neither good nor bad. I… Wasn’t sure how to react to that… There was no point in denying it, Truth and Justice had made the declarations. If they say it is so, then it is so.

  I was lost in my thoughts, simply sitting in the temple, when an [Acolyte] approached me with a smile.

  “Hello there Ylma, my God asked that I find you.” He held his hand out and I shook it, somewhat numbly. “Ah, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Chaurl Kent, do you have a moment to hear about Lord Jakkus, God of Ambition?”

  It was then everything crystalized for me. I didn’t need to be good or bad, I would simply just be better.